Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine
by YukiraKing
Summary: Moments after the finale of 'Digimon Adventure 07: Virus' the core group of characters are faced with internal struggles of coping with the horrors they have finally escaped from. For some, the nightmare continues, and for others it is impossible to forget, but they will have to work together to move forward and face their newest and final foe.
1. Life Goes On

**Y/N:** I honestly am having a hard time believing that we're posting the last story. We started writing it so long ago now, that it's scary. I've been living and breathing these stories for the last year, so that we could get the entire second trilogy out in a year, and it's not going to happen in 2015, but we're starting to post it, and we should be done soon. I hope you enjoy this final round with the Digidestined, and I'm so happy that you've stuck around long enough to read this far. Happy reading!

 **U/N:** So here we have the first chapter of 08! That's kind of exciting since it's really the end this time. It's a long story and it was hard to write, but we're pretty close to finishing so we thought it would be alright if we just went ahead and started posting it finally. What better time than on Christmas? Yay! So there's that and everything. I'm not sure every chapter will have an author's note thing this time around because they will be posted really fast, but I hope you all enjoy the story and don't get too annoyed with how many emails get sent out for the story when we post it as planned.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 01: Life Goes On**

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

It was painful. Getting shot, I mean. The pain was still haunting me, though it had been numbed by a dangerous level of pain killers. I could still feel the throbbing, like my entire body knew that I had been close to death, but thankfully my mind could not make the connection. My breathing was shallow and my entire shoulder was wrapped up in thick layers of clean white bandages and whatever else the doctor had seen fit to use while I had been delirious because of the pain. I didn't ask questions, and just let them do as they knew to do.

Otherwise I was fairly content. Obviously the craving to be alone and in my own home never truly left me, but a hospital was not the worst place I could have been subjected to staying in. For example, I could be back out in the camping grounds with Kansui, listening to his incessant bantering and whining. Instead I found myself surrounded by the cleanest of surroundings, in a room all to myself with nothing aside from the distant sounds of chatter from outside the closed door. The room, however small, was rather empty, so there seemed to be room to move around if ever I could convince my body to want to. The walls were a soft crème colour and there was a grey door open just slightly that led to a small bathroom. Behind me a large window was letting in gentle rays of the sun's warmth, lighting up the comforting surroundings.

With a loud smash, something outside the window had fallen.

Instantly I had jolted up in my bed, gasping as the pain pierced through the haze my medication had left for me. My head began spinning and my shoulder was searing in pain that felt like wild animals lashing out at me with their disease infected nails.

My gasping turned into wheezing and suddenly I was unable to breathe.

All I could see was Arnold and Sora, and all I knew was that I had to move her from harm's way. I winced as something else crashed outside, and this time it was clear that it was simply a car door closing down on the streets below, but that did not stop the memories from tormenting me with violent jolts of remembrance.

I winced again as I remembered the sound of the gun, and the phantom pain—the pain that had been far worse than what I was experiencing now—joined the lingering aching feelings in my shoulder.

The door to my room was thrown open and a doctor entered the room carrying his clipboard, but moving quickly. His face seemed worried and he kept the door open which was all I wanted to focus on. I didn't want it open, I didn't think anyone needed to see me like this, really. But it was too late. They all had. Taichi, Jou, Sora, Yamato... they'd all helped me when I could no longer walk. It was true that I was not their biggest fan perhaps, but they clearly were not all that I had painted them to be in my mind.

My new company gently pushed me back to lay down and he began checking my temperature, and asking me all sorts of questions that I could hardly find enough energy to care about. "How are you feeling?" He asked as his cold hands traced along my arm. He gently moved it to a move comfortable position and pulled checked the bandages. I responded with a simple groan and a shrug, but I winced, immediately regretting that decision. I also made note of how only one half of my body seemed to be obeying me. "You might not be a talkative guy," the doctor said with a sympathetic smile that somehow came across as smug, "but maybe words would be less painful than gestures at this point." I rolled my eyes. "But I see you've found a way around that issue as well." The doctor's eyebrows shot upward and he breathed a bemused sort of laugh.

"I'm fine," I told him, my voice was cracked and I was suddenly informed by the ache in my throat that I was in desperate need of water. The doctor smirked again and held up a glass full of pristine water and offered it to me. I reached for it with my opposite arm and inhaled the water, feeling relief fill me as the water slid down my throat. When I had emptied the glass, which I had accomplished in one go, I handed the glass back to the doctor, who set it where he had found it.

He was checking over the papers attached to his clipboard and as he flipped through them he glanced up at me, "Do you feel any pain?"

"No," I said with a thick layer of sarcasm, "I'm not even sure why I was brought here honestly, my friends say I've been shot. I think they're wrong."

The doctor's eyebrows were flying upward again and he looked back down to his papers, "if you need any pain killers, I've got them right here," he patted his pocket with his free hand, "I might even share them if you ask nicely."

"Like I said, I'm fine." The two of us stared at each other for a moment, and he finally weakened his gaze and resumed his reading. We remained in the total silence for a while, with the understanding that I simply wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

He most definitely seemed aware that I did not want his company, but it was clear to me that he did not care. "Alright," he said when he finally set his papers down, "We have to talk." He looked behind him for the black chair with the silver frame and he pulled it nearer to the bed, and sat down, relaxing with one leg crossed over the other. "You've been shot. Your friends weren't lying." Again, I rolled my eyes and he smirked, "The bullet was not something we were familiar with," a jolt of panic rushed through me as I remembered Maurgim and Arnold's different weapons. What had they done to me? "It actually shattered inside you. And your bone was cracked in the process." That at least made sense. My shoulder was broken, and I would not be able to make use of it. "We were able to remove many shards of this bullet, but as you may know, it is sometimes safer to leave the bullet inside to avoid any unnecessary setbacks."

"Like what?" I asked, my mind stuck on the fact that there were pieces of this deranged bullet inside of me.

The doctor leaned forward and put on a face that clearly read 'I am caring because I am paid to care and for no other reason'. "Like damaging a nerve and rendering your arm paralyzed. Useless. As of now, we are happy with the results of your surgery, as long as you are."

"No, take them out." I said sharply. I could feel a layer of sweat coating my entire body as the realization fully set in. I would never be free of the bullet if they did not take it out now. I would forever be pacing the Earth with traces of Director Arnold inside of me, and his act of desperation and hatred would not simply leave me scarred, but would also continue to weigh me down. The doctor looked worried, like he wasn't sure how to respond next and I shook my head, "Whatever, I'll just find someone better for the job."

The doctor sighed and leaned back in his chair again, but this time when he looked to me it seemed genuine, "You were nearly killed, Neo. You almost didn't survive. You do realize that, don't you?" I nodded stiffly, "You may realize that, but do you realize just _how_ close you were to dying?" I turned my gaze away from him and focused on how uncomfortable the pillow behind me was. And as I tried to shift myself to be more comfortable, the thin sheet that was lying over top of me moved too. And then there was a crash. I was sitting up again crying in pain as my working arm jolted toward the pain in my shoulder and the flashes of the gun returned in my mind. "Neo it's okay!" The doctor said sharply, reaching down and picking up the clipboard that I had evidentially knocked off the bed. I stared at the board in his hands for a moment and the tension in my face was building up to be too much and clearly I wasn't the only one who noticed. The doctor pulled out the pills from his pocket and showed them to me. I nodded and leaned back again.

I took the medication and downed another full glass of water and waited in a silence that was, for once, uncomfortable. Eventually the doctor told me with a kind voice, "That can sometimes happen," he waited for a response but I could think of nothing to say. "You are experiencing post-traumatic stress. A gunshot can be one of the most terrifying ways to hurt yourself."

"I didn't hurt _myself_ ," I defended sharply.

"I know," the doctor said, "I'm sorry." Then he paused, "But that brings me to my next question," he stared at me, again waiting for a response and if he hadn't realized by now that I was not going to comply with him then he soon would. " _What_ happened to the lot of you?" Oh, he wanted to know the story. As if I was going to tell him. Why couldn't he go bother one of the more talkative members of the Digidestined. "You were _shot_ , your friend Jou came in with a broken leg. I've known him for years and there's no way he would be subjected to something like that in his normal everyday life."

"Perhaps you should try harder in getting to know your friends," I said flatly.

The doctor sighed and relented, seeming to realize I wasn't going to give him answers, "We can help. We can ensure that whoever did this is put behind bars." I didn't care about that. I did not want to see a man as vile as that be put behind bars. I simply wanted a chance to talk to him. To understand. I myself had done many horrible things in my life, but I had always had a reason. Perhaps he did too. "There are so few of you that came in today that were not in critical condition, or at least in need of _some_ medical assistance. One of the men that was pulled into the emergency room was coated in blood with a broken nose and cuts all over his body. He looked like he'd been living in the wild."

"I'm sorry," I said sharply, looking over to him, "I don't think you're meant to be talking about other patients with me."

The doctor looked shocked, then confused, then he finally seemed to agree, "You're right. I'm sorry." He stood sharply, and very clearly irritated, and he headed to the door, but then he stopped. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He said seriously as he bowed his head gently.

And then he was gone, _finally_. He had left the door open, which I was not particularly thankful for, but it gave me something to look at as I waited for sleep, or something better. I fantasized about the pain depleting, and about living my life in a normal way, sipping coffee in my calm and serene home. I could still clearly remember the sound of my grand piano echoing gently from the walls around my home. I could think of nothing I wanted more than to be there, and to be free from the pain that was hindering my ability to think clearly.

Every few minutes my mind was grabbed by rough and grubby hands and pulled back to the time when Arnold had shot me. I had yet to be told how long I had been asleep, or how extensive my surgery had been, and so it was entirely plausible that my shoulder had been shot _today_. I certainly hoped not. This was the most utterly excruciating and lengthy day I had ever had the misfortune of living through if that were the case.

With each sound from outside the small protected room came a new perspective of the very same moment. I had seen the bullet coming from Arnold's perspective, and how he would have viewed the event. I had tried to muster the amount of desperation and hatred that he must have experienced, only to find that he had shot another human. Would he have cared? Did he feel that he had done wrong? I had even looked through Sora's eyes and felt the panic she must have known all too well when the gun was pulled and someone had stepped in her way. I could still feel it stronger than ever from that moment Arkadimon took her. I remembered clearly, telling her to go, and the bubbling fear when she refused.

A knock on the door startled me and I gasped, fearing the worst.

When I looked to the doorway I found myself relieved as I stared toward a familiar face. Evelen was using one hand to hold the doorframe, and was leaning out to the side, hanging with her hand keeping her balance. She waved to me with an expression riddled with awkward. Then, by her feet a cloaked figure appeared, rushing into the room. My eyes followed the figure as it waddled across the floor and hopped into the free chair left by my doctor. "Psst!" the figure hissed, "Close the door!"

"Dracomon?"

Evelen gently closed the door as Dracomon pulled the hood down from over top of his head. "Hey!" he said, pulling his shoulders up by his head with an excited smile, like he was doing something more exciting than he could fully comprehend. It was more dangerous than anything I couldn't help but realize, but I was happy he was here anyway. "I wanted to come see ya!"

I smiled gently to him, "I'm glad," I told him, but the sound of my thinning voice seemed to worry him. "I'm fine," I assured him.

"You sure _look_ fine," Evelen said sarcastically as she gestured to my arm. "They say you'll be fine though."

"Sure," I said nodding, irritated, "With fragments of a metal pellet designed for killing concealed under the scar tissue in my shoulder indefinitely."

Evelen stared at me with her eyebrows raised with that same condescending look the doctor had given me, and Dracomon looked horrified. Eventually Evelen relaxed her face and reached for my hand. "But you're alive," she said softly.

Just then the door snapped open again. I tightened my grip on Evelen's hand to the point where she cried out in shock. I was vaguely aware that Dracomon was pulling his hood up once more but I could only focus on the panic rising in me again.

"Yoo-hoo!" I winced again, but this time it was because Mimi Tachikawa had entered the room. She was holding a steaming Styrofoam bowl of some cheap variety of soup, and she was staring toward Evelen. Slowly her eyes travelled down to where our hands met. I instantly removed my fingers from their tangled prison and Evelen did the same, confused. Mimi noticed Dracomon and looked shocked and panicked very briefly as she stepped inside the room and kicked the door shut. She walked toward Dracomon and placed the bowl of soup on the side table where the two empty glasses of water sat. Mimi turned to Evelen and held her hand out across my pathetically limp form. "I'm Mimi Tachikawa."

Evelen looked to me, concerned, but then conceded and shook Mimi's hand, "I am Evelen." I noticed she had left out her last name, which was no surprise. She had not told me her full name for the first two years of our friendship.

"Nice to meet you," Mimi said brightly, then she gestured to the soup she had brought, "This is for you, Neo." She then shook her head, "It was actually for Koushiro, but by the time I got back he was out like a light, so I thought maybe you'd need someone to look after you. So anyway, I brought it for you instead."

"Thank you," I said stiffly, "but I'm quite alright."

"I'll take it," Dracomon offered, peering around Mimi's waist. Mimi smiled to him and nodded. He hopped off of the seat to get a good whiff of the soup. His eyes widened in pleasure and he let out a repulsive moan. "Delicious!" He decided, taking the bowl. Mimi took Dracomon's seat and then pulled him up to sit with her.

"But I see you've got someone here," Mimi said, pointing to Evelen with just a jerky head movement.

"I'm just here to bring Dracomon," Evelen denied, taking a step back to lean against the wall.

Mimi then shared a look with me as if she were in on some secret that simply did not exist. "Mhm, right." Mimi said with a small wiggle of her eyebrows.

I felt my face flushing and I blurted out, "Could someone get me a cup of coffee?"

"Oh, no," Mimi said, shaking her head fervently, "I asked them what we're allowed to give the patients and they were like 'only soup and soft foods, no liquid aside from water, blah blah blah.'"

I looked to her sharply and she threw her hands up as if to say that she were simply the messenger. "I am not sick, I have simply been shot. In my _shoulder_. I just want coffee."

"But it might have a negative effect to whatever medication they gave you." Mimi said, shaking her head as though she knew better than I did. Honestly she likely did, but that didn't matter. What she was overlooking was how much I desperately loved caffeine.

I looked to Evelen and the desperation embarrassingly showed, because she laughed and nodded, "I'll get some." Mimi gasped, but Evelen was gone before Mimi could object. She shook her head disapprovingly and then looked to me with a smile, and her eyebrows shot up suggestively.

I shook my head, "Absolutely not." She looked to me with a tilted head as if to say that I was keeping something from her. "How is Hideto?" I asked sharply, changing the subject drastically.

"He's doing well," Mimi admitted, "His wounds weren't as deep as Koushiro's—or yours." Her eyes nervously looked to my bandages like she thought it might be rude to look. It wasn't. I wasn't wearing any shirt, which I found to be perhaps embarrassing, but I was not in fact ashamed of my body. I spent a great deal of effort to keep healthy and in shape, and while working with the knights, I did not simply stand there. I was not frail, or chubby. I did not mind someone seeing my body, though Mimi's eyes lingered perhaps a moment too long as she viewed the bandages. "He's well." She said again, as she forced her eyes away from where they had been glued.

It was good to know that he was alright. I had been worried. Very little of that pristine world remained in my memory as I had spent most of my time with my eyes shut tight, wishing for death, but I could see, in some hazy flash of a memory, Hideto in pain. I remember seeing him and not believing that he was there. I had thought that finally we had died, and that world really had been some kind of afterlife. But the pain never stopped, and so I knew it had to be real. And if Hideto was back, then so were the others, surely. And it was true, I remember seeing Mimi, and Takeru. They had all come back.

And Mari too. "Is Mari alright?" I asked, unsure of what I was expecting for an answer.

"Fine," Mimi nodded kindly, "She sprained her ankle, but she's okay." Then, as if it were a side thought, she added, "She really shouldn't wear heels into battle." As if she would ever stop. I was glad to know that she was okay. She had spent a lot of time with me in that world, always checking to see that I was still breathing, always countering my thoughts. She did not know I wanted the pain to stop. She, and the others all wanted me to 'hold on' and 'keep going' because we were always 'almost there'. It was nonsense and yet I was glad they had been there. The pain was present now still, but it was nothing compared to what I had felt before.

"And Kiyoko?" I asked for good measure.

Mimi diverted her eyes and it was then that Evelen stepped back into the room holding a light pink mug filled with coffee. She barred her teeth nervously as she tiptoed away from the door, pushing it shut behind her. The room's silence was filled with Dracomon slurping up the rest of his soup as Evelen helped me to sit up before handing me the mug of coffee. "How much do I owe you?" I asked her as my free hand wrapped around the porcelain handle. The aroma of the coffee wafted toward me and instantly helped me to feel relaxed.

"You can pay me if you want," Evelen said, glancing to the door, "but it was free. I snuck into the employee's break room to get it. It's always better than what they sell."

Mimi gasped again, "Where do you _find_ these people?" she asked, appalled, "I mean first you show up with Allias III who are all willing to break major laws, and then your new mysterious friend steals you a beautiful coffee mug?"

"You have a problem with that?" Evelen asked, one eyebrow raised. Mimi shook her head. Evelen laughed at Mimi's supposed intimidation. Evelen was obviously not one to fear. She was harmless.

"Is there more soup?" Dracomon asked, "I'm so hungry. I didn't eat well with you in a different world Neo. Only four meals a day. Everyone always asked me 'Are you sure you want to eat that?' I always told them 'Yes, if not for me, than for Neo'."

"How valiant," I said with another roll of my eyes. Dracomon beamed to me with his praise but I turned to Mimi. "You didn't tell me about Kiyoko, is he alright?" Once more, Mimi's eyes diverted to the floor and I knew the answer already. Perhaps not the specifics, but I knew he had not made his way to Earth with us at the very least. "What about Rei?" I forced the words from my mouth.

Mimi's eyes filled with tears immediately and she looked to me and shook her head, "I don't know, she didn't come back. I th-think maybe she w-was in the v-v-v—"

"The virus?" Evelen asked, her voice light and filled with shock.

I was impressed that she had found a way to form words. Of course I had already known that Rei was dead. She had been gone for so long. Too long. But upon seeing Hideto and Mari—I was ashamed to admit that a part of me wanted to feel hope for Rei as well. Apparently that small part of me grew, because hearing this news felt worse than coming to the realization in the first place.

"I'm so sorry, Neo," Mimi said softly, reaching for my arm where she gently stroked my skin. I wanted to pull my arm away but it would not obey. I would have to withstand Mimi's touch. Eventually she pulled away and got to her feet. "I'll take Dracomon to get some more soup, alright?"

I nodded and did not look her way, putting as much focus on my emotions as I could. I could not cry here in front of Mimi, or Evelen. But when Mimi left, I was forced to look at my only remaining company and found that Evelen, too, had tears in her eyes.

And then there was nothing I could do to stop myself from crying because Rei, my baby sister, was dead.

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

There were stars here. I hadn't realized I'd missed them. I hadn't really thought about them before. But there they were, shining dimly in the night sky. I wished there weren't so many street lights blocking them out. It was the moon, mostly, that I was obsessed with. It was just a sliver of its full self, but it was _there_. I'd spent so long staring up at a midnight blue sky that magically provided daylight to the land at all hours of the day. To have _anything_ to look at—clouds, stars, the moon—was enough for me.

But the streetlights had their own charm as well.

I'd gone so long without modern technologies. There were torches, and that was it, in Sidhendor. I didn't know how much I'd relied on electricity until I didn't have access to it anymore. It was available to me now, it was at my fingertips. It was everywhere I turned. The neon signs in store windows that shone their bright, nearly harsh, light telling me that the store was open for business, it was in the traffic lights that flashed from green, to yellow, to red. It was coursing through the wires that hung far above my head. It was running the refrigerator that I knew was waiting for us back at the library, keeping food cold—even if it had most likely gone bad during our long absence.

I couldn't _wait_ to have access to modern food—to _familiar_ food . I wanted to sink my teeth into a Nashi. I missed the light, pear taste. I wanted to eat watermelon, and kiwi. I was tired of strange, colourful fruits in weird shapes and varieties. I wanted to have something other than wild game, and fish. I wanted potatoes, and crisp lettuce, and junk food. I wanted to eat the taste of home.

Sidhendor was severely lacking in terms of edibles.

Sidhendor also didn't have much by way of comfortable clothing.

I was getting more than a few curious stares as I walked down the street with my leather vest layered over my rough, wool tunic, and my _trousers_ —I refused to refer to them as tights, no matter what Mimi or Tatum said. My knee high boots were leather as well, and I wished I still had my cloak to hide my face behind. I didn't like being the focus of so many curious eyes.

Mari was limping at my side. She'd twisted her ankle, and had it bandaged up. The shoe for that foot was in the bag with my axe, which I was going to keep, regardless of anyone else's opinion—I had defeated the beanstalk with that, and freed myself, it was sentimental, okay?—and I was swinging the bag between us as we walked. We weren't moving very quickly, because Mari _couldn't_ , which was making it easier for the audience we'd acquired to stare at us.

Well, they might not have been staring at us.

Warg, Melga and Tapirmon were at our side. Mari was narrowing her eyes sharply at anyone who even _thought_ to look at them funny. Melga was on Mari's side, helping her as she limped her way through the streets, while Warg held tightly to mine and Tapirmon's hands. Tapirmon needed all the support he could get at that moment, and honestly, so did I.

Alias III was in shambles.

We'd spent so long trying to recover from the loss of Lalamon, barely managing to carry Mari through the worst of it, and now we had to start at the beginning again. Only, this time it wasn't just Lalamon's loss we were feeling, it was Kiyoko and Rei as well. It was a hard blow to _hear_ , let alone deal with. It was impossible for me to wrap my head around the concept of never seeing Kiyoko again. It was like I wasn't hearing the words correctly, when I heard what that woman—what _Gaia_ —had to say about my boyfriend—and Willis.

She killed them.

I didn't want to believe her. I wanted to think there was no way that was true, but I'd heard the story of Gaia from Merlin. She was _exactly_ the type of person that was capable of doing what she claimed to have done. She took Kiyoko from us, but she also took Willis from Mari—and because of that, he was taken from the rest of us too. I had someone to blame, at the very least.

But no one knew where Rei _was_ when she died. We just knew she wasn't around anymore. She'd gone out on her own, and then the virus struck. She was caught out there and died alone, while the virus ripped her apart. And with her loss, Alias III was down to three: Neo, Mari and me.

My lips started quivering, and my eyes brimmed with tears. I took a deep breath and tried to push the thoughts from my mind. We were in the middle of a street—one that was _far_ too crowded for the time of night. It wasn't the right place or time to let myself _feel_ everything. I couldn't do that with this kind of audience.

That day had been so very long. I'd been in three worlds, fought against gargoyles, guards, evil witches, and man-made monsters. I'd been turned to stone and bitten into by a giant dog before getting thrown across the room—which might be another reason the people continued to stare at me: the blood, and the tears in my clothing where the teeth had torn into my skin, and the bandages that were clearly visible through them, that were covering my stitches—learned my boyfriend and one of my oldest friends were dead, and spent _hours_ at an overcrowded hospital, while answering whatever questions the doctors sent my way with purposefully vague and confusing answers—just because they would've deemed me crazy if I'd told them the entire truth.

I just wanted to go to sleep, and hopefully when I woke up, everything would be back to normal.

I wanted Kiyoko to come home.

The library was going to feel incredibly empty without him. I didn't know how we were possibly going to be able to handle this. I didn't know how _I_ was going to handle this—and Tapirmon had it worse. He was already blaming himself, though it couldn't _possibly_ have been his fault. He was sure that if he'd just _been_ there, he would've been able to save Kiyoko. And no matter how many times we told him Kiyoko wanted _him_ to be safe, that he would've been _happy_ to know that Tapirmon had survived, it wasn't enough to convince him. He was miserable, and felt like he'd failed his partner. And there was nothing we could do to change his mind.

I knew from experience with Mari, when it was Lalamon's loss that was fresh in our minds, that I would _never_ be able to alter his perception—especially when it was such a recent development. We may never be able to change his mind, and we'd have to learn to live with that.

But it wasn't just _him_ that was blaming himself.

Mari had been at the Temple when Kiyoko had left. She mentioned just once, that she _could_ have gone with him too. But I knew that if she _had_ , I'd just be mourning the loss of _both_ of them, and I wouldn't survive that. Then she pointed out that she could have stopped him from leaving, if she'd known. And Mimi had cried for _hours_ when she realized that she'd lost them in the woods, running away from the virus, and that she could've stayed with them, if she just _kept_ up with them. They could have used _her_ key, instead of Willis'. No matter how many times Michael or I tried to convince her that she'd done the best she could, and that Willis might actually have _thanked_ her for saving Lopmon, she wouldn't stop crying until she'd cried herself to sleep. Palmon was just as inconsolable, because Mimi had come back for _her_ , and Lopmon was beside herself with grief, because it was _her_ that Palmon stopped to find.

Everyone was finding a way to blame themselves for their deaths, and I wished I could agree with any of them, and have an easier target to turn my anger and desire for revenge upon, but I couldn't, because I knew the fault lay with Gaia, and Gaia alone. They probably would've been just fine in whatever world they'd ended up in if it weren't for her. I wanted to see her pay for her actions, but I didn't understand how I'd ever be able to obtain that revenge. She was too powerful for me alone, and the world still wasn't ready for the digmon. But what I wouldn't give to have a swing at her with my trusty axe. It wouldn't accomplish anything, but it might make me _feel_ better.

We were nearing the library, but I couldn't see the door. There was a crowd of people hanging out beside it with picket signs. I was too tired to deal with EVOLVE right then. I tightened my grip on Warg's hand, and Tapirmon floated around to my other side, letting go of Warg in the process. Melga drew closer to Mari as well as we started forcing our way through the protestors. I pulled Warg in behind me, and elbowed people out of the way, in order to clear a path for him. Tapirmon was practically clinging to me as we made our way deep into the literal _throng_ of people.

"Watch it," one protestor said, turning around and looking at me. His eyes slid away from me though, until they landed on Tapirmon, and then he looked to Warg, and Melga—who were both the middle of a Hideto and Mari sandwich, as Mari was bringing up the rear of our little procession. The guy reached out and grabbed Warg by the hand, and pulled him away from me.

I saw _red_.

No one was taking anyone else from me come hell or high water.

"Remove your hands from my partner, or it won't be _words_ we're having," I growled. His eyes widened and he dropped Warg's hand. Warg ran back to me and hugged my leg. Melga reached around and hugged Warg and my leg too. Mari came closer, and Tapirmon floated around until he was between us.

"I wasn't gonna hurt him, man," the guy said. I raised my eyebrow and gave him a look, a look that clearly stated 'I have no reason whatsoever to believe a single word you're saying, and have no desire to wait around for whatever half-hearted, lackadaisical explanation you could come up with.' He held his hand in the air, pointing to the sign he was holding. I looked quickly to the words, and back to him, this time sporting a look of pure confusion. The sign simply read 'RISE again, stronger than before'. Apparently it was meant to mean _something_ to me, but I hadn't been on Earth for two months, and must've missed whatever news was necessary to understand his message. "We gotta rise, man, outta the ashes that EVOLVE has created in its wake. They convinced us that digimon were bad, but they're not. EVOLVE's the threat, you know?"

"We know," Mari told him. "I'm just a little foggy on how _you_ could know that."

"Practically everyone has a TV or computer, lady," the guy said, rolling his eyes. "You're not the only one the director sent the message to. We know what EVOLVE was up to now, and we're all ashamed that we fell for their propaganda, you know? We're trying to make up for it. The world's still pretty shaken, you know, but we gotta stand up and let the digimon know that not everyone's against them anymore. We were wrong, and we know that. We're owning up to it. We get that it's not enough, but we gotta do _something_ for them, you know?"

"It isn't enough, no," I said, rather harshly, my mind still on the loss of Kiyoko and Rei and Willis—who wouldn't have been lost at all if the general population of the whole entire freaking world hadn't been eating right out of Arnold's hand. "It's too little, too late."

"We get that," the guy said, sounding serious. He looked to Warg, then Melga and then Tapirmon. "You've all saved us, time and time again. I don't know if _you_ specifically, or just digimon as a whole, but you've saved us, and when you needed us, we turned our backs and let EVOLVE do whatever they wanted, knowing that _we_ were safe, and that's all that mattered. I'm sorry. I'm so, _so_ , sorry. I can't make it up to you. I know I can't. How many of your friends, or your kind, were killed because of our inaction? I can't even begin to wrap my head around it. But it was our fault. Because you needed us, _one time_ , and we didn't answer the call." He was crying now, and he wasn't the only one. I was barely holding on there, but Warg and Melga and Tapirmon were openly weeping. They could get away with it, because he was apologizing to them, on behalf of _our_ species to _theirs_. It was kind of a lot.

"Thank you," Tapirmon told him, in a sob, before he hugged some random, crying stranger in the middle of the street. The other protestors had noticed us by then, and some were even crying along with the stranger. They all looked ashamed, and were holding up similar signs. They were supporting the digimon, and it was kind of a big moment. I wished I was able to really _feel_ the monumental importance to this moment, but I was too busy thinking about how he was apologizing not just for the digimon's deaths, but their support of Arnold, and Moretsuna, and the deaths of Rei, Noriko, Willis and Kiyoko—which just made me think that Taprimon was forgiving this random man for his part in the death of his partner, and I was having a really hard time coming to terms with the idea of that forgiveness. I didn't want to forgive _anyone_. Tapirmon was just so much stronger than me. He was strong enough to cry in public, even with all these people watching, he was strong enough to forgive someone who was barely—if at all—involved in Kiyoko's death, when I was too angry to even _think_ of it.

"Chin up, guys," a woman said, patting Warg on the head. Warg smiled up at her and she smiled at him. "You'll make it through this. We all will, together."

"We've got your back!" some man called.

"We believe in you!" a young kid added—who looked far too young to be out protesting so late at night.

"EVOLVE won't win again," another woman said. "They tricked us once, but we're wiser now. We'll stand by you this time. They won't be able to beat all of us."

We continued walking through the crowd, and it was as if our partners—and us, to a much lesser extent—were like rock stars to these desperate people that were trying to make up for past mistakes. They weren't going to stand in the shadows anymore, and it was a start, a much needed start, but it was too late to make much difference for me. I wasn't able to see the big picture passed the glaring _hole_ Kiyoko had left behind. It was just as much these people's fault, really that we were trapped in the Digital World as it was Arnold's.

But, even as I tried to resent them, I knew they weren't the ones that sent the virus. They weren't part of EVOLVE, they were just bystanders that turned a blind eye towards the situation. It was horrible, and they weren't entirely innocent, because of it, but they weren't the ones that _did_ anything. That was the whole point. They didn't join the hatred, but they didn't join the defense either.

"At least they're on the right side _now_ ," Mari told me, as if reading my mind, and I knew she was thinking the same thing after just looking at her face. I nodded, but it still didn't seem like _enough_. "I wonder why they're protesting _here_ though. Couldn't they be protesting Arnold's headquarters, or somewhere that known EVOLVE participants are residing?"

"I don't really care," I told her honestly. "I just want to go to bed and forget, for a little while."

"It won't last," she said with a hollow voice, and the frail amount of hope I'd been clinging to left me. I wouldn't be able to forget at all. Even in sleep his loss would haunt me. I wasn't looking forward to the future at all in that moment. I wondered how long I could last dwelling entirely in the past, as Mari opened the door to the library. "It wasn't locked," she murmured, worried.

We were all worried as she opened the door. What we saw didn't exactly comfort us. The place was ransacked. All of the tall, wooden bookshelves were pushed against the wall near the door. There were books piled on them, and in boxes all over the floor. The counters that once served as the front desk for the library, when it was a library instead of a home were shoved against the shelves, and were covered with books as well. In its usual place, there was an enormous dining table, made of pure, deep mahogany, and was decorated with a long, lace runner, and three centerpieces. There were candles lit on the candelabra in the middle, and the fresh flowers in the two vases that centred the candlelight were very potent, filling the air with their fragrance. There was a large, crystal chandelier hanging down over the table that glittered as it shone light around the room. Beyond the table, there were piles of lumber, and plywood. It looked like someone was measuring out locations to build walls, in order to create standard rooms, instead of having such an open concept. There were ladders leaning against the wall, with cans of paint at their bases. The windows were outlined with painter tape, ready for the painting to begin. The bathroom was brightly lit, even though the door was closed. It was the only renovation that was actually approved by the owner: Mari. She'd contracted people to finish the washrooms before we were trapped in the Digital World before the virus hit.

I flinched, as I remembered how terrified Kiyoko had been of the unfinished bathroom—which led me to thinking about how scared he must've been when Gaia came for him. My heart was beating fast, and Warg and Melga grabbed my hands, centering me back in the present, and in reality. My mind was a dangerous place at the moment, and I didn't want to get trapped there.

"We'll be out in just a minute," a woman's voice sang from behind a large collection of cabinets. They were acting as a substitute wall for the kitchen. Mari's eye twitched at the sound of the woman's voice, and I mentally prepared myself for whatever was about to happen. I knew it was going to be messy.

"We'll wait," Mari drawled.

The woman dropped whatever she was doing in the kitchen and walked around the cabinets to see who had spoken. She was incredibly fake to look at, and was wearing a bright yellow dress. It had very short sleeves, just little caps really, to cover her shoulders. The dress tapered in at her waist, and then fell in pleats down, just passed her knees. Beneath the pleats was a yellow and white checkered pattern. It looked like she's walked right out of the fifties, but I knew she hadn't. There wasn't nearly as much plastic surgery involved on _actual_ fifties' housewives—at least to my knowledge. Her hair was prim and proper and matched the era her dress came from.

She didn't look all that happy to see Mari—or the digimon. She didn't really seem thrilled about me either, but it was mostly the digimon and Mari that bore the brunt of her scorn.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she demanded of Mari.

"You have no right to ask that question," Mari told her. " _Me_ on the other hand, well, I do."

"Batsu, darling, we have pests that need dealing with!" the woman called. A man came lumbering out of the old office and narrowed his eyes on Mari. His face, which seemed irritated at best before, turned downright hostile. I tightened my grip on the bag with my axe and the shoe, contemplating which of the two would cause the most satisfying damage if, as I suspected, he decided to take that hostility out on Mari. I didn't have time for a battle of wits right then. I was feeling pretty hostile myself, after all.

"Obviously, the place is in a state of disarray," the man said, coldly. "But when my lovely wife here is done with it, it will be fabulous. Perhaps you're interested in making a purchase?"

"I don't have to buy it, it's _mine,_ " Mari told him. "The judge gave his order, and it wasn't in your favour. You've got ten seconds to get the hell out of here before I call the police, and you get arrested for trespassing."

"You weren't even using it," the woman said with a whimper—pointless really, because she gained no sympathy, even from her husband. "We're simply trying to turn a profit. Now if you'd be willing to turn over the money that is rightfully ours, then we'll get out of your hair, and there won't be any need for more pesky lawyers."

"I'm pretty sure, the police could get you out of my hair too, and it wouldn't cost me a cent," Mari told her, sharply. The woman was flustered, and the door to the bathroom opened. A young girl that I knew was Mari's sister, Aneko, stood in the doorway, looking between her parents and us, still huddled in the entryway of the library. She looked incredibly anxious. She didn't know what to do or think. She was just scared.

"Give us the money, you petulant child," Batsu shouted at his daughter—no, _not_ his daughter, because he disowned her. "I've had enough of these games. You give us the money, or you'll never be done with us. Don't you want us to leave you alone?"

Mari ignored him in favour of dialing numbers on her phone. She held it to her ear as it rang, and her face lit up when whoever it was answered. "Iori? Hi, listen, I know you're probably busy, yeah, I get that, but I have an issue. You see my not-parents are in my library right now, and I need to know what legal actions I can take against them. Really? Okay, I'll let them know." She pulled the phone from her ear and extended it towards her father. "He wants to talk to you." Her father took the phone from her, glaring at her angrily. She didn't even bat an eye. I supposed that was a testament to how tired and upset she was about our situation, that her parents—a constant source of unease and upset in her past—weren't even a blip on her radar anymore.

"What is it?" Batsu growled. Iori said something to him, and as Iori continued talking, Batsu's flush of red anger faded from his cheeks. He started stammering, growing more and more flustered as Iori kept talking. "I see," he said finally. "I suppose we'll speak then. Rest assured, we will get what we're after." He didn't bother hanging up, choosing instead to smash it against the floor. It broke into three pieces with a loud shattering noise.

"Rude," I commented, not caring too much when his anger got directed my way. I mean, I was standing with both my partners and an _axe_. What was he really going to do to me?

"Don't think for a second we won't be getting what we're after," he snarled at Mari. She rolled her eyes in response.

"I'm _so_ sure," she said sarcastically. She stood there, looking for all the world like she wanted to tap her foot, but couldn't because it was wrapped so tightly, due to the sprain, as her mother and father collected their personal items. She looked at the clock and ticked off sixty seconds before turning to them. "Get out. Anything else I find of yours will be put on the curb. You might want to keep an eye out if you think it's important, unless you want it to get taken. You're unwanted guests in _my_ home, and your time is up."

"We'll see whose home it is," Batsue said ominously, but it had little threat behind it, because the judge had already ruled in Mari's favour once before. He probably wasn't going to like having to do the same thing a second time. Batsu and his wife stormed towards the doorway. His wife hurried passed us, flinching away from the sight of the digimon, as if touching one would give her a disease or something. Batsu, on the other hand, stormed to his daughter—the younger, and _not_ disowned one—and grabbed her roughly by the arm. She let out a startled whimper, but let him drag her away. Mari wasn't nearly so agreeable. She slammed her father into the wall, causing him to drop his grip on Aneko.

"If you _ever_ touch her again—" she started. But I saw that Batsu was happy by the development, and I pulled her away, covering her mouth. He glared at me angrily, but I wasn't about to give him _any_ ammunition to use against Mari. She bit my hand, angry that I'd interrupted her, but I didn't let go until Batsu, and Aneko were outside again.

I heard the protesters start yelling, and I knew then exactly why they chose this location to make their stand. They were here to harass the Goutokujis for their part in EVOLVE. It was sort of satisfying, but it felt like it was both not enough and too much all at once. It was too much, because those jeers and angry bursts were reaching out to their daughter too, who had done nothing. But wasn't enough, could never be enough, to make up for what they did while working with EVOLVE—and even before that, what they did with their daughter. I didn't know the specifics of _that_ , because Mari still couldn't bring herself to talk about it, but, _because_ of that unwillingness to talk, I knew it was bad.

"What was that for?" she demanded when I let go of her.

"I don't want to deal with the repercussions," I told her. "You're going to court against them, don't give them anything to use against _you_."

"What about my sister?" Mari asked quietly.

"I don't know," I said, just as quiet. "But I'm sure you'll think of something. I'm going to bed though; I'm not going to think for at _least_ three days, if not longer."

I headed up the stairs, and looked into my room, finding that it was obviously Aneko's temporary room. All my stuff was in boxes by the door. I grabbed a clean pair of clothes and methodically removed my Sidhendor garments. It was so nice to finally feel cotton against my skin again. In my t-shirt and boxers I looked to my bed for a second, before heading back to the hallway. I wasn't going to feel close to Kiyoko at all in there. Instead, I headed to his room, where Warg, Melga and Tapirmon were all curled up on the bed. I wormed my way into the middle of the bed, cuddling them all to me. Before sleep was even a possibility, the door opened again, and Mari slipped in with us. All of us were in a heap of togetherness that didn't feel like it could ever be enough, when sleep finally caught up to me, and took me.

 _ **Jou Kido:**_

"Jou, are you _sure_ this is a good idea?" Gomamon asked from his place in my lap. He was right of course, with his constant worrying that he'd been voicing since we'd left the hospital. It was a bad idea. I should definitely have been staying in the hospital for at least a little longer. My leg was pounding—aching inside the thick plaster cast that was still drying on my leg. It would take at least another day for it to be completely set, but as for now it didn't matter.

"Of course it's a good idea," I confirmed. "We have to do this today, because tomorrow might be too late."

"It will?" Gomamon asked. He looked up to me from where he sat in my lap and looked nervous. I smiled at him and took in the sight of him once again. It was surreal to have him close enough to touch. I could feel his weight on my leg and even though his claws were digging into my thigh a little, I didn't mind. I was just glad that he was with me again. I'd known he was alive all week though, so it was less relief now and more happiness. Though, the happiness was not sitting alone inside my mind. There was a heavy load of strain and distress in there, taking up space.

I didn't think I would ever be over what the virus had done. This was not like anything else we'd ever encountered. Sure, Gomamon was okay and so were Momoe and Emiko—but there were those who had not made it out alive. I was aware of maybe twenty, but I was sure there had to be more. I had been talking to my dad's friend Ishi in the hospital and he was pretty sure that I was experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. I didn't like to think about that, personally but I knew it to be true.

Flashes of the virus itself had been clustering to the front of my mind, and the painful jolts in my heart as I feared the worst for all of my friends and family.

This was not something that would end whenever we won the battle. Or the war, or whatever we were calling it these days. This was something that, without proper care and patience, would plague our minds for the rest of our lives. Even with intensive care I knew I would never feel as though enough had been done to prevent this from happening. I had saved Jun, so I could have saved Noriko too. I could have gone earlier, and found it within myself to save both girls. Noriko could be alive right now if it weren't for my stress. All I had to do was think clearly, and I would not have lost my patient. My _friend_. With more effort we could have saved more of the digimon around the world. D'arcmon, Jackie and those Gekomon surely were not the only digimon to have perished in the virus, and it was because we did not do enough to save them. We could have put a stop to this madness, and yet we had made just enough mistakes to have everything end in the fog.

But we had saved many lives, I had to keep reminding myself that. We had not simply let everyone die, and according to Koushiro, he had received many emails from the Chosen Children across the world telling tales of their adventures as well. There were barriers on every continent of the Digital World. And within those barriers were digimon who were alone, hungry and in danger of a permanent deletion.

It was time to put an end to the thing that had caused so much strife for the past two months, and rescue those digimon from their prisons. If the trauma had to last within those who were affected, I was going to make sure that the virus itself never did.

"It might be," I clarified. Gomamon seemed to be taking everything more seriously now and he looked ahead as we wheeled down the hallway of Mimi's restaurant. Momoe was behind me, pushing my wheelchair. Our reunion had been a silent one. She caught sight of me in the hospital, wheeling my way down a hallway and she hugged me with tears in her eyes. I tried and failed to keep a level head, but I had missed her so much. She promised me that she had a way to get to the Digital World, and she swore to herself that she wouldn't go until Sora and Yamato returned.

When Sora finally _did_ , she verified that I was on Earth and Momoe had rushed to the hospital to get me back here. She wanted to be together as a family again. I thought that was fair.

"Should we come too?" Jenna asked from where she sat with her purple haired boyfriend. He looked familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place his face. Apparently, she and Momoe had been determined to go to the Coliseum to see if everyone was okay, but Natsuni had convinced them to wait, thinking more clearly that the others were. It was true that entering the Digital World could be dangerous at the moment, but I trusted Momoe to know the coordinates of the Coliseum. Knowing coordinates was the entirety of her previous job that she had now ceased working with.

Momoe shook her head to Jenna, telling her she didn't have to come if she didn't want to, but that she could if she felt safe enough. Jenna was on her feet a second later, ready to brave the adventure, but Chi, her boyfriend, pulled her back, worried about her. She relented and sat down again, waving us along.

Natsuni waved to us, wishing us luck, and Mr Ishida gave us a look that told us he thought us brave to walk into the virus. But didn't they know we weren't leaving to our deaths? We would be back. All we had to do was enter the Digital World, delete the virus and save the entire world from danger, find our daughter, Bermon and Monmon, and go home.

And then clear out the obviously expired food from our refrigerator.

It seemed rather straight forward, but I knew there was a lot of 'ifs' in the equation. There was no proof that my anti-virus would even work. We _did_ have proof however, that the machine we were now coming towards was able to function properly. We did _not_ have proof that any of us actually knew how to use it.

Katsue handed the device to Momoe after giving it one last look over. Momoe grabbed it and held it tightly above my head, and then she walked out in front of me, and blocked my view. I couldn't see what she was doing but when she stepped back I heard a faint humming sound and when she reached high above her head I saw a shimmering violet knife seemed to appear out of thin air from the bottom of the machine as it sliced through the sky easily. When Momoe moved away, there was a line drawn in the air like an after image.

As we waited Katsue grabbed Monimon nervously, ready to run in case the virus came through when finally the door was to open. And then finally, it did. I let out a deep breath that I hadn't consciously kept inside as I looked into the hallways of the Coliseum. Momoe looked around the doorway triumphantly and then handed the round machine off to Katsue. "We'll be right back," she assured her before grabbing the handles of my wheelchair and guiding me inside.

It felt different, going through this rip. It wasn't like the familiar pull in my stomach as it flipped like driving over a hill quickly. This felt _wrong_ , like every part of my body wanted to turn back as it ached in protest. My leg seared with pain and my eyes widened as I stared down toward the cast where the pain was focused.

There was a sudden yell of shock and Momoe screamed loudly, whipping my wheelchair around to face whoever it had been that had screamed.

My wheelchair lost its balance and I fell to the hard stone floor of the Coliseum with a loud groan.

"Jou, I'm so sorry!" Momoe gasped as far too many hands grabbed at my arms to pull me up. Instinctively I used my legs to help myself stand and then I was up, standing on my own two feet. Slowly I looked down to my leg and then up to Momoe again. "Right," she realized, "The Digital World heals you while inside." _This_ was the relief that I had been expecting to feel with Gomamon and the others—the relief I had felt upon first finding out he was okay.

"Yeah, no big deal," Gomamon drawled sarcastically, "I'm fine, don't worry about me." I turned to him to see Yuuko Yagami picking him up and hugging him close, apologizing profusely for having not noticed him. "Oh hey now!" he said annoyed. "Let go of me!" Yuuko grinned and handed Gomamon off to me. I took him and he mumbled something about crazy people.

Yuuko looked down to my leg and seemed worried, "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story," I admitted, "Maybe call everyone to the living room? We have some news to share." Yuuko nodded and was off a moment later to do as I had asked. Then I turned to Momoe, "Come with me?" I offered. She nodded and took my hand. I walked with her down the hallway of the Coliseum, hobbling and limping slightly due to the cast trapping my foot. We passed Yuuko as she informed everyone where we were going to talk, and everyone seemed more worried than excited. If only they knew.

"Where are _we_ going?" Momoe asked. I didn't answer because we were already there. I pushed open the door to the infirmary and allowed her to step inside. The first thing I noticed was that it was _freezing_ inside the infirmary, like someone missed the numbing feeling you got from being outside in the middle of February. The next thing I knew Momoe was on the ground hugging something with a cry of delight. When Bearmon's head popped up around Momoe's shoulder I made sense of the situation.

Letting Momoe have her moment with her partner, I turned to Jose, Hogan and Illya who were sitting on four stools guarding the curtain behind them and what it was concealing. "I thought I told you not to let anyone know what was going on," I said, unimpressed.

"We have not told a soul," Jose seemed confused and maybe a little hurt that I was coming across as annoyed.

"Well you sure didn't hide it well," Gomamon said, "Ha! I bet even Agumon coulda figured out that there was something behind the curtain."

"I do not know what you mean," Hogan said monotonously, "All that is behind this curtain is our friend Benjamin practicing his soliloquy for the next play held in the arena. He is playing the lead character in a one man show, and he is very excited to share his knowledge on slugs with the audience. Surely if you go behind the curtain he will give you a sneak peak at the—"

"Okay, okay," I said, throwing one hand up in defense, "I get it, I'm sorry for doubting you." All three of them beamed from the praise and I ducked behind them and past the curtain and caught sight of a Frigimon before my eyes fell to what was surrounding him. "Whoa!" I gasped stupidly. Benjamin had taken my small make shift chemistry lab and turned it into something at least ten times better. He had recreated exactly as I had done with my machine multiple times. Instead of making one vial of the solution at a time he was now making a dozen—maybe more.

He looked to me and smiled proudly. "What do you think?" I hesitated, and he panicked, "No, I promise I did exactly as you did. I triple checked on every one of them. I promise it's the same. I just thought it would be better to make more so we could end this faster." Again, I hesitated. Benjamin's face fell, "I knew it could raise an issue so I ensured that all of your solution was kept separately, just in case. That way I wasn't hurting the process—"

"Honestly Benjamin," I cut him off, "That's genius. You did well." Benjamin breathed out sharply, wiping his brow to show how nervous he had been. "Can you collect all of the solution and bring it to the antechamber? We need it to be cold though," I said, looking to Frigimon, "Keep it cold and then heat it at the last minute. That's the plan anyway. It should turn it to gas, according to the ingredients inside at least."

Frigimon nodded, "I can do that," he assured me, "it's what I do best."

"I'll bring all that we have made," Benjamin promised, "Though I might like to keep one vial safe, just in case we are in need of more."

"Good plan," Gomamon said, elbowing me, "now why didn't you think of that?"

"Because I'm a fool," I rolled my eyes, giving Gomamon what he wanted to hear. He hummed his amusement and turned back to Benjamin who looked nervous. I was nervous too. If this didn't work, I was out of ideas. The good news though, was that we had Koushiro now. If my plan didn't work, I knew his would.

When I stepped out of the curtains I spotted Momoe holding Bearmon up in the air, hugging him tight. "I digi-missed you _so_ much-mon!"

"Oh no," Gomamon gasped with fake dramatics, "She's doing it again!" Momoe stopped and shot a friendly glare to Gomamon who laughed again, and leapt from my arms to greet Bearmon who finally wiggled free of Momoe's tight hold. Gomamon tackled Bearmon into a hug and a smile crept its way onto my face. It was then that we bid Benjamin farewell and made our way to the living room.

Momoe ran off ahead, scanning the crowd that had accumulated. There were far too many to fit in the living room alone and so they made use of the adjoining dining hall, and the kitchen that was directly across from it. Even the hallway was packed full of digimon and humans alike. It was clear to me that Momoe was searching for Emiko, but there was no way she would find her in this mess of people.

I found Yuuko waiting at the front of the crowd by the television and I made my way to her. "Kae has just gone out to get the children, and then everyone will be here." Momoe popped up next to me as if she had heard the word 'children' and felt it was her duty as a mother to be involved in the conversation. But I knew she was just desperate to see her daughter again. _I_ was desperate to see her again and I'd only said goodbye previously that day.

And as the crowds began parting and Kae's gentle voice made its way toward us as she led the children through the crowd Momoe's excitement had built to a breaking point. She reached toward me and grabbed my hand roughly and squeezed it tight. Kae popped up between Okotte and Fumiko and my heart lurched. Someone would have to tell her about Ken's baby. I didn't want to be the one to tell her—but could I make Momoe?

Did _Momoe_ even know?

And then all thoughts of that were wiped from my mind because Emiko had thrown herself after Kae, wearing dirty overalls, with her hair all pulled back. She looked up and caught sight of Momoe and instantly started crying. "Mommy!" she called out as she ran, leaping over some smaller digimon with Monmon bounding behind her. Momoe released me and fell to her knees and opened her arms for Emiko to greet her before starting to cry herself. Neither seemed to care that every eye was on them at the moment, some looking fondly, some with jealousy, but no one seemed to want to interrupt their moment.

Monmon bounced around the two of them, trying to get a hug in too, because he obviously missed Momoe as well. When he couldn't squeeze himself into the hug, he spotted Gomamon and opted for him instead. Gomamon shouted in shock as Monmon tackled him but both he and Bearmon just started laughing at Monmon instead.

It wasn't until Izumi spoke up that Momoe even showed signs of letting Emiko go. "So what are we doing here? What happened?" Izumi was holding multiple digimon in her arms as she rested on the arm of the couch next to her friend Tomoki who was barely visible under his companions.

I opened my mouth to explain, but nothing came out. Where would I start? It seemed obvious to me to start with Arnold, but somehow no matter where I tried to begin nothing wanted to come out properly. But eventually I settled on a brief story of what we had done. Spring had brought us to the new land—the land of white—and we were split up. Arnold's beasts had attempted to rip us to pieces but we all made it out alive. Taichi, Mari, Kurayami, Daisuke and the digimon were not all who found this world with me though.

"Sora's okay," I told her mom, and of course she already knew that, but hearing it again had to be a relief. She clutched her chest and nodded, blinking back tears. "Palmon was right. Mimi, Hideto, Tatum, Michael and Lopmon all made it out alive. They're back on Earth now though." Satoe shrieked dramatically with delight and pleasure, throwing her arms around her husband's neck and kissing his cheek. Michael's father looked to his wife kindly and placed his arm around her. I winced, knowing that Willis did not join us. Tatum's mother actually fainted with relief and her husband caught her with the help of the digimon in the overcrowded room.

"What about H-Hikari?" Yuuko asked. I turned to her to see her holding hands with Yoshie Izumi, both looking nervous about any news of their children, fearing that perhaps they would be left with no new information.

When a soft smile formed on my face they seemed to realize it was okay to be excited too, "They're back. They're fine. And Takeru—and Ken too. They were all trapped in the Land of Dreams." I was startled to hear Kae Ichijouji actually begin whimpering as tears poured down both her and her husband's faces. Natsuko was hugged tightly by her partner Lunamon as Coronamon bounced around her, but Natsuko herself seemed to be in shock. My eyes slowly looked to Fumiko who was standing, one hand holding Meiyomon and the other clutching so tightly to Okkotte's hand that her knuckles were turning white.

"Miyako was in the Dark Ocean," a few gasps were heard throughout the crowd, and Fumiko seemed pained to hear this, but there was more information that she wanted, "she's on Earth now. Without Iori there to help her along she probably would have fell into darkness."

Okkotte was the one to seem pained this time, fearing that anyone could fall to the pain his wife had been subjected to. "Is he okay then?" Meiyomon asked sharply, "Is Iori alive too?" Slowly I nodded and Meiyomon rounded on his mother—who was also his partner—but she did not return his gaze. Instead she fell to her knees in complete shock and Meiyomon tried to get to her but no sound seemed able to reach her ears.

"There's more, isn't there?" Keisuke Tachikawa asked timidly, "More news?"

I nodded, "W-we should be able to get you all back to Earth now, if that's what you want." There was a lot of chatter rising immediately, but I couldn't make much sense of any of it. I awkwardly held my hand up for them to be quiet and eventually they did. "We came here to the Coliseum to be safe, to feel protected, and instead we have felt trapped. I understand if you want to return to your homes, but please do not forget the danger that is out there for those who run against the grain."

"What about _us_?" A high voice asked. I couldn't make out who had asked, but I knew it had to be a digimon, "how are _we_ supposed to get home? Do we just stay here forever? What's the _point_?"

"No," I told them, shaking my head, "For you I have different news. But I don't know if you're going to like it." There was a silence now, "I think I _might_ be able to clear the virus."

"Why wouldn't we like that?" came the general response.

"Because it might not work."

And then the room was exploding with people shouting at me to at least try it. I owed it to them to try. It hurt to hear that some of the digimon still blamed the general human population for what had happened to them. I understood of course, because that was how their minds naturally wanted to work. I would just have to try _harder_ to prove to them that I was on their side. I had already dedicated my life to their health and wellness, so I didn't know what else I had to give, but I would try harder and do _more_ , I would not let them fear or despise humans all because a very specific group of madmen decided to hurt them and ruin their homes.

For now, I would give them a clean world.

Or at least I would try.

I found Shuu who was standing with Jun and a sleeping baby Haruki, and asked him if I could use Meramon. He nodded and I motioned for him to follow me. The digimon cleared a path for me, and I felt powerful, like nothing was going to stop me. Even if I was hobbling around like an idiot because of my cast. The cast that would likely have to be reset after all of this walking around on it before it fully dried. Oh well.

I found Frigimon and Benjamin in the antechamber, where Babamon was instructing them on the safety of going outside. She was advising them to not go far because there were very few phones left to be used. They were ignoring her as Jose and Hogan pushed open the great iron doors.

Soon enough we were all following Frigimon outside as he carried a massive box filled with the vials out into the grassy moat that surrounded the Coliseum. I was suddenly aware of everyone standing behind us, having followed Meramon and me down the hallway, and now we were all staring up to the wall of the purple fog for hopefully the last time.

Momoe took my hand and when I turned to her I saw Emiko in her arms giving me a thumbs up. Monmon, Bearmon and Gomamon crowded around our feet and I knew I would never need any more support than this. "Meramon?" I prodded, pointing to the box in Frigimon's arms. He set the box down and everyone stepped back making way for Meramon who held his arms out nervously. He was still for a moment, apparently deciding if it was a good idea or not.

But then the fire shot quickly.

Everything was happening quickly, actually. The fire came in contact with the vials and instantly the air exploded with a gas just as dense as the virus, but instead of the dark, dreary purple, this fog was bright sea foam green.

Many screams filled the air and people moved to protect their friends and loved ones, but if all were to go well, there would be no need to protect them.

The fog rolled fast, as if it was on fast forward and it shot in every direction, pouring right out of the barrier. Emiko cried in fear, probably from all of the panicking digimon and people, and so Momoe moved closer and together we shielded her from the fog. I felt Monmon grab my pant leg and pull himself closer, afraid.

I had to admit to my own heart beat increasing with a slight tinge of panic. But I knew that if we were to die, we would have by now. The fog was so thick that I could not see Momoe or Emiko and they were right in front of me. We were safe here in this fog.

We waited, standing still for a while, and eventually the panicking crowd ceased their screaming, and soon enough the fog started to clear up. As the green met purple, both dissipated entirely, cancelling each other out.

I looked to Emiko to make sure she was okay, and through the thinning green air I could see her smiling again. Relaxed now, I took a look out to the virus itself. A wall of the green fog was making its way across the sky, fighting against all the purple death that had kept us contained for so long.

"We're going to need more," Jose noted. He was not wrong. The virus was surrounding the entire world, and surely we would not have made enough of the antivirus just yet, but soon enough we would be able to create enough to cancel the virus completely.

We hadn't won just yet, but we were on our way.

Or I thought we were, but I had no proof, and I wouldn't get that any time soon either because Iori needed me right away. He sent me an urgent text message. I had no clue what was up with him, but I knew he wouldn't lie about something like that, and I knew that my job here was done. Now I was off to help Iori with, well, something.

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

"Obviously, the main issue now is transport," Benjamin was saying. "Frigimon and Meramon can only be in one place at a time, which is slowing down progress immensely. With the rate Jou and my team have managed to produce the anti-virus, we could— _should_ —be moving at a much quicker pace than we are."

"The answer is staring you in the face," Koushiro said dryly. Benjamin turned to him and quirked his head, interested, despite the less than impressed sound to Koushiro's voice. It was probably bitterness at how he wasn't able to produce the anti-virus—his chemistry skill seriously needed some work. He kept exploding things whenever he tried to help out. It was stressing him out, but he was such a perfectionist that he felt he _needed_ to be able to do this. It was an endless cycle of failure at this point. He was busy with other projects that he _could_ be dedicating his time to, but he seemed to be on the ball these days.

"Oh?" Babamon asked, seeing that Koushiro was off in another world, thinking up another project already, having given up on this one already.

"There are more Frigimon in the world," Koushiro pointed out. "And there are plenty of fire based digimon as well. Agumon here is one, so is Gabumon. He's actually preferable, because his attacks are _both_ fire and ice based." Agumon was excited at the prospect of helping to clear the world of the virus, and Gabumon was flattered by Koushiro's praise. Koushiro didn't seem to notice either's reaction, because he was too busy leaning down to prop his head up with his good arm. His face was very pale, and there was a glimmer of sweat shining on his skin.

"Why don't you take a break," I offered him. He shot me a withered glare, and I knew my efforts were worthless. The Digital World could work wonders with paralysis and broken bones, but we'd all gotten cuts and bruises here enough times to know that it couldn't heal those. Koushiro _ought_ to be at home, lying in bed, and resting while the stitches do their job. He shouldn't be up and moving, but after a couple of days at home, he flew the coop, so to speak, and appeared at the Temple eager to work, despite his body's opposite desires.

The Temple was a new place now. Sure, the virus was gone, which was great, and made all the difference—we were still within Kiyoko's shield though, _just in case_ the virus started spreading again before the anti-virus could take full effect—but it had a completely different feel to it. It wasn't the thriving metropolis it once was. It felt haunted, and barren. The digimon had yet to return to the streets. The houses were empty, the wind echoed off the walls, and I _swear_ I saw tumbleweed when we first got here. It was a ghost town. Only a handful of digimon were daring enough to make the journey, and those digimon were on the council, or members of the Knights. Not one civilian had made the trek, and I honestly didn't know when they _would_.

The Temple was sort of a hoity-toity spot. It was where the well-to-do digimon lived. It was a solid community, built on togetherness and loyalty, but it was still a privileged place. Only those that worked in the Temple reserved the right to put up a permanent residence here. That being said, most of them had lived fairly sheltered lives. They weren't the bravest lot of digimon I'd ever seen—they weren't cowards, they were just afraid of the unknown. And the virus was a pretty terrible first foray into danger. They were rightly frightened, but I really wanted to see the Temple feel alive again. If I had to walk past the lonely courtyard where I'd staked D'Arcmon's staff alone again, I was going to scream.

The Temple wasn't the only barren location in the Digital World these days, but it _was_ pretty much the only community around. There were small villages—like the Yokomon's, Koromon's and Pagumon's—and even a few towns—Factorial Town, Toy Town, Overdell—but the Temple was the only metropolis. It didn't seem fair, and in reality, it wasn't practical. If the virus had targeted anywhere other than the Temple for its entrance, all the digimon could have stayed here and been perfectly safe the entire time. Thousands of digimon could live in the Temple, and be protected all at once. It was much easier than having to hunt down digimon in the woods, gathering them together into a central location.

We probably could have saved _more_ digimon if there had been more places like the Temple.

I just didn't know how to change things. The Digital World was pretty progressive on the whole, but they developed really slowly. Getting Tinkermon's spas was an ordeal, because the others on the council didn't want that big of a change.

"Your idea has merit," Benjamin told Koushiro, and I shook my head. I could try and change the world and save the future later. I had to pay attention to the meeting at hand. It was our first since returning from the Coliseum. I couldn't daydream through it.

"It does," Koushiro said, pinching the bridge of his nose. His eyes were twitching as he tried to push through the pain of his wounds. I'd taken a couple of days to feel up to moving around myself, but I'd followed the doctor's advice. I wasn't about to cause any setbacks in _my_ healing. He seemed to think he could recover by sheer force of will, because he wasn't going to take any breaks soon. "I have some other news to discuss," he said, taking a deep breath and reaching to a newspaper he had sitting on the table next to him. He unfolded it, and threw it into the middle of the table, where an image of a masked man looked up at us. "The police are assuming this has to do with digimon, more pertinently, the _support_ of digimon. The article goes on to say that this masked man has been making appearances _before_ the Artist's work started appearing around town. It has only occurred to them _now_ that this man could perhaps have similar goals."

"Just now?" Agumon asked, shocked.

"This doesn't speak highly of human intelligence," Babamon offered. Koushiro and I both glared at her. Neo might've too, if he'd been there. He was still at home. He was recovering from a bullet wound. It was going to take awhile. He wouldn't be able to train with the Knights for months.

It wasn't the only thing he was recovering from either.

I'd been holding out hope just as much as he was that Rei would've been out there somewhere. Even till the end there, when I had heard what Gaia had said about how she'd killed Willis and Kiyoko, I couldn't keep the hope from rising. Gaia didn't boast about killing _Rei._ But chances weren't high that Rei had even found Kiyoko or Willis—and if she _had_ , well, things didn't look much brighter.

Neo and I were both grieving the loss of Rei, and it was worse, I think, because I felt that I'd betrayed her. Neo had loved her throughout her entire life, and he was still a dedicated big brother. I'd loved her for three years—probably more, but I hadn't been able to see it back then—and the minute I learned that she was for sure gone, and that Willis and Kiyoko were gone too, I'd kissed Mari.

It was stupid, and to be honest, I couldn't even be sure if Mari kissed _me_ or if it was the other way around. I was just really out of it with pain medication, and the stress of the situation had caught up with me. But my excuses didn't matter. I'd kissed Mari hours after losing all hope for my girlfriend. I loved Rei with every fiber that was in me. I still did, even though she was gone. And I'd betrayed her. I mean, technicalities aside, I did anyway.

"Gaia's still out there somewhere too," I said. I caught a few people off guard, probably because my comment didn't actually have anything to do with the masked man—but I didn't know anything about him, and I knew from past experience that we had a tendency to forget about our enemies if we didn't constantly remind ourselves of them (Dragomon, Fanglongmon, need I go on?).

"She is," Koushiro muttered. "I wish I had better access to information on her. I can't discover her strengths or weaknesses without a source of reference."

"Perhaps you could speak with a fairy," Centarumon suggested sagely. "This Gaia is their mother, is she not? They should have some information to share."

"But are they _willing_?" Koushiro mumbled, bitterly. I knew he'd spent two months living in the Land of Dreams—something that _none_ of them were willing to talk about, because they'd all had such a horrible time—with Summer. The four of them all seemed to have differing opinions on Iori's self-appointed aunt. Koushiro, did not seem fond of her. I'd caught him mumbling a time or two about how pointless their stay in the Land of Dreams was, and how much he resented the little quest she'd given them. I'd managed to piece together that Koushiro hadn't been able to succeed in that quest—something about really _wanting_ it, or whatever—and he was definitely bitter about it.

"Has anyone gotten word from Mrs Yuuko, if they've managed to solve the food issue?" MetallifeKuwagamon asked. It was still strange for me to hear them talk about my mother so casually. I hadn't had a lot of time at the Coliseum, that was true, but shouldn't I have noticed the council and my mother becoming friends? It made me feel kind of neglectful, even if I had so many other things to be doing at the time.

"I haven't heard anything, but I'm sure she's on top of that," I said. She and the other parents could have all abandoned the Digital World once we were able to provide a way home for them. But they didn't. Not one of them turned their backs on the digimon. They didn't spend all day every day in the Coliseum anymore. Most of them spent a good portion of time trying to smooth things over with their jobs, and I knew that Mom spent a lot of time with Dad, now that she was able to get to him. They'd been separated for a long time, and she _still_ had enough room in her heart to dedicate most of her time to the digimon. Mom was awesome—and she was going a long way in making digimon feel comfortable with humans. They were still wary of humans. The digidestined seemed to be an exception—thankfully—but it wasn't enough. I was happy that Mom and all the other parents were helping the digimon heal from the betrayal that the DWD—or _EVOLVE_ , I supposed, as they were actually known—shocked them with.

"Yoshie, too, is doing her best," Andromon added, glancing at Koushiro. Andromon was Koushiro's father's partner. Instead of listening to Andromon, or even noticing the mention of his mother, Koushiro was busy writing away on a piece of paper—lacking the use of his left arm, thanks to the injuries Behemoth bestowed upon him, and rendering him incapable of using his laptop to take prompt notes—not paying attention to the world around him. I glanced at the paper, and saw it was mostly monetary figures. He was shifting things around on a budget sheet that probably had nothing to do with the Digital World, and everything to do with his girlfriend's restaurant.

"Tinkermon will be back later today," Benjamin said. "She'll have collected information from several safety zones, and we'll know how far the effect of the anti-virus has spread. I'm sure she'll alert us to any starving digimon she meets, and we'll be able to use our resources to help rebuild the Digital World."

"It's gonna take a real long time," Agumon said morosely.

"It'd be a cinch if Kiyoko were here," Gabumon said sadly.

He was right. Kiyoko was this world's foremost—and only—architect. Now, we had an entire world to rebuild, and several metropolises that I was hoping to create, and no one that knew how to go about doing any of it. It wasn't the only reason to miss the guy—not by a long shot—but right then, it was a talent we sorely needed.

Even Koushiro couldn't ignore Gabumon's words, and he winced. He had to school his features, to keep his emotions in check, but I knew he was breaking at the seams, just like everyone else was. Kiyoko was his cousin. They were related by blood, connected in a way that neither was connected to anyone else that they knew of. Their parents—Kiyoko's only, and Koushiro's birth—were all gone, and Kiyoko had gone too. Koushiro was alone, in that regard once again. And I knew it hit him hard, even if he refused to show it. Both Kiyoko and Willis were his fellow geniuses. He _had_ to be hurting—and not just because of the injuries he hadn't let heal yet.

"We'll manage," Centarumon said, solemnly.

"We've _always_ managed," Babamon added, sounding exhausted at the thought.

The meeting ended on that depressing note, and I was the first out the door. I wanted to head over to the Coliseum, to see what I could do to be useful there. I was still recovering myself, but I could do _something_ without straining myself. I could do the dishes at least, or pick some vegetables from Mari's garden. Mari wasn't doing it anymore. I didn't know _what_ she was doing, but she wasn't ever present anywhere that I was. She was definitely avoiding me, but that was fine. I was avoiding her too, so it worked out just perfect. She was also more than a little preoccupied with her grief at that point in time. She'd gotten used to the idea that she'd lost Lalamon—and would never "get over" it—and now she had to heap on three of the people she held dearest: Rei, Willis and Kiyoko.

Needless to say, it was proving to be a little difficult for her—and the rest of Alias III, truthfully.

Upon entering the hallway, I saw Hikari seated in Sora's usual place. She looked small and tired on that bench, but she was alive, and that was really all I could ask for at this point. She was looking intently down at her phone, and I peeked over her shoulder to look at it, because I was nosey like that. She was texting with Kurayami.

"What're you up to?" I asked her, spooking her, and having fun doing it. She jumped about a foot in the air, and whirled around to look at me. She hid her phone against her chest and turned away so that she had to look over her shoulder at me.

"Nothing," she said quickly—too quickly. I rolled my eyes. If she wanted to act all suspicious just because she and Kurayami were texting, that was fine.

"Talking about me?" I guessed. She laughed nervously and shook her head jerkily. She totally _was_. "Good things I hope."

"About _you_?" she said, sounding a little more like her usual self. "Obviously."

"Seriously, what's up?" I asked. "You don't usually come to council meetings."

"This is an _unusual_ council meeting," she countered, and she was right. It was the first meeting at the Temple after a virus had plagued the world. It was kind of strange all around. I nodded, and shrugged, waiting for her to answer my question. She sighed and looked to her toes, putting her phone in her purse. "I have something important to tell you. I just don't think you'll want to hear it."

"I'll listen anyway," I promised. She took a deep breath to steel her nerves, and turned to me. Her eyes were shining with tears that had sprung up out of nowhere. My heart was quickening, and I was starting to worry about her. I didn't know what could've possibly happened, but I would do whatever was in my power to damn well fix it for her. She was my baby sister. I'd do anything for her, just to see her smile.

"I made a mistake," she said, starting to cry. The tears spilled down her cheeks. "I held the sadness, the anger, the regret, I held all the bad stuff inside again, just like I always do, but it was different there. In the Land of Dreams the world takes your true thoughts and distorts them. They become tangible. Taichi I created a monster."

"You're not exaggerating?" I asked just to clarify.

"No," she cried, throwing her arms around my waist and burying her face in my shoulder. "It's called 'The Reaper' and she's all the evil that I created inside of me. Akumu—he's the Boogeyman—took _more_ evil out of me, and created a sea of chaos. We left Yume and Ryou to deal with it. Cyberdramon can only protect Ryou from so much. He's just a kid, Taichi. I left a kid to clean up my mess. I don't know if he's okay or not."

"I'm sure he's fine," I said, trying to reassure her, but knew it wouldn't work. She couldn't possibly be comforted by an opinion I'd formed based on next to no information. I didn't even know who Ryou was.

"Can you help me?" she asked, softly. "It might be too late for them, but we can still save that world."

"I'll help you save all the worlds, if that's what you need, Hikari," I promised, rubbing my hand in her hair, just to get her to crinkle her nose, in the way she always did. She swatted my hand away, and I grinned at her. "But you've got to let me save my own world first."

"Your world is Earth," Hikari reminded me gently. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah," I said. "Right." She didn't get a chance to correct me, because Yamato was in the hallway, totally intruding on our moment. He looked at me like I'd grown an extra head, and I knew he agreed with Hikari. I didn't feel the need to explain myself to them. I'd dedicated the majority of my life to defending _this_ world, I worked in _this_ world, I practically ran _this_ world, and I also lived in _this_ world. Just because I was born on Earth didn't mean it was my world. I'd found a home in the Digital World, and I would do anything in my power to get it stable before I took anything else on my plate.

"Is the meeting over?" Yamato asked.

"Looks like it, yeah," I told him, rolling my eyes. Andromon and Centarumon were leaving the room as he asked, debating whether or not Leomon and Ogremon would manage to make it to the next meeting, since they were still out in the world as Tinkermon was, not having made the trek back to the Temple even once.

"I have something you could suggest maybe, for the next one," Yamato said awkwardly. Hikari was drying her tears as inconspicuously as she possibly could, not wanting Yamato to see her weakness. I mean,I _knew_ he saw it, but he pretended he didn't, for her sake, which was pretty decent of him. I raised my eyebrow at him, and nodded for him to share his idea with me. "I think Gennai was right, and that maybe we should think about separating the worlds."

"They _are_ separate," I pointed out.

"I mean on a more _permanent_ basis," Yamato said, kicking the ground awkwardly.

"That's not gonna happen," I told him flatly.

"I have a list of reasons," Yamato argued.

"It's not an option," I said firmly. Hikari had pulled her phone out again, and was texting away. "Tell her about that time I juggled six small cartons of milk." That was an awesome story, that I embellished every time I told it, just to make it better. In reality, I'd tossed only two cartons in the air, and then tripped over our old cat. I'd landed on the ground _just_ in time for the two cartons to smash into the ground and explode all over me.

In my story, I'm a pro at juggling, and gave the milk to a bunch of homeless, street cats in desperate need of nourishment, while reading to a bunch of in-training digimon. I'm basically amazing in it—and _not_ covered in milk.

"What?" she asked, looking away from her phone, confused. Huh. It looked like she really _wasn't_ texting about me after all. As I walked away from her—and Yamato, who was still trying to convince me of his stupid idea, but I was ignoring completely—I wondered just _what_ she and Kurayami were texting about, and _why_ was it so secretive?

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

I was trying as hard as I could to pay attention. I had never been someone to fade into my thoughts before, but somehow this was different than sitting in a classroom taking a difficult exam, or listening to a lecture from my parents, even the long and boring ones that they deemed important. This was different because I had never been so nervous in my life. Or maybe I had. The feeling of relief after the nerves reached their peak had always washed the feeling away from my memory entirely, and so each new experience felt fresh, new, and horrible.

So perhaps I had been this nervous before when Arkadimon was firing his Dot Matrix directly toward me, or when Arnold had been dragging my hand toward the button to release the virus. Perhaps Datamon keeping me in the bottom of that horrible pyramid had caused my insides to churn just as they were now. Perhaps all of that was true. I just couldn't remember, and so this was worse by default.

My mind was bouncing off the walls like a hyperactive ninja who forgot what his mission was. I could hear people sniffling, or shuffling in their seats, and I could hear a soft whimper from somewhere in the seats, a constant sort of whine. The room was well lit with horrible fluorescent lights that made the room feel damper than the air already was. Damp and _heavy_. If the air or the moisture from the rain outside wasn't enough to make everything feel like it was pulling me directly to the floor, the emotions that were pouring from everyone else sure helped it along. Hearing the cries or the man clearing his throat in a way that clearly stated that he was desperately trying to live through the uncomfortable itch in his throat so as not to disturb anyone fed my nerves some kind of steroid and they just kept building up.

When I reached to scratch a growing itch behind my ear I realized how tense my muscles were, and how little I had been focusing on myself or what was going on in front of me.

My eyes focused on the wooden table that I was seated at and I tried to look around but I couldn't force myself to budge an inch.

' _Be calm, Sora.'_

My only advice had been to stay calm, and I was failing at it. I had to remain calm and cool and innocent. Because I _was_ innocent. I hadn't done a damned thing. Well, not really. So if I was innocent, I should be calm and cool and collected and calm and calm and I wasn't _calm_.

Suddenly I was elbowed sharply in the side and I jumped, looking up to the man sitting in the black robes behind the massive wooden stand. I stared into his brown eyes for a moment until he leaned forward, expecting a response.

"S-sorry?" I stuttered stupidly.

The judge seemed irritated, "Would you say that statement is true, or false?"

I froze. What statement? What was he talking about? I had been so caught up in trying to pay attention that I forgot to focus on _paying attention_. That didn't even make sense and it was still true! With a whisper from the helpful lawyer to my left I had my answer. "True," I stated as clearly and loudly as my voice would allow.

The judge seemed to understand that I hadn't been paying attention and, although he seemed greatly annoyed to do so, he repeated his previous statement, "You feel you were wrongfully imprisoned then?"

I nodded, "Yes, of course, your honour."

He didn't seem to like me very much really, but he took one last look down at the papers he had been handed and then held them out, ready for someone to take them. My lawyer, Iori's law professor, stood sharply and moved toward the judge to take the papers. "As there has been no formal paperwork completed to attest to this woman's arrest I hereby announce her free of all charges." With a quick slam of his tiny wooden hammer my chest seemed to open up entirely.

That wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was excruciating, and yet not so bad now, after the fact. It seemed silly now that I had ever been worried at all. I had been told countless times that I would be fine, that I would be let off with very little effort, and yet there was something pulling at me, forcing me into a sense of insecurity.

But it was going to be okay now, because I was free. It was so easy—court wasn't nearly as dramatic as it had been depicted on prime time television programs. As the nerves drained down through a hole in the bottom of my chest, clearing out all the negativity along with it, I found my muscles to be freeing up and I was able to look around. The walls were an off-white, kind of a dirty crème colour that certainly needed to be rethought because it didn't match the beautiful wooden detailing at all. I heard more shuffling as people slid their feet through the layer of dirt that had built up on the marble floor after a long day of trials.

I took a look behind me to where Mantarou was sitting, his thumbs high in the air. Next to him sat Kurayami who was holding Haruki and then Daisuke was next to her. The three of them were staying in my house for a while now that we chose to vacate the Coliseum. It just seemed fair to have some fresh air for them, and now that I was free I'd get some too. I did feel bad for the people and digimon who were forced to remain inside the Coliseum because even though the virus was clearing up in the Digital World it was just a fact that it could take a while for the skies to be fully clean. Kurayami was worried about that and about Haruki's growth and so I offered her my basement. It was particularly roomy and it gave me a solid reason to start unpacking and getting rid of a lot of my old things. Or that's what everyone told me anyway. I had simply lined the boxes around the room but Taichi, Mimi and Takeru all seemed _very_ concerned with my well being. I kept everything that ever meant something to me. Was that _so_ bad? I had all kinds of keepsakes from my childhood, and I wanted them. I'd find a storage locker somewhere to keep them all in. They'd all be safe.

But first I had to find a place to hide them all from the others.

Takeru, who had lived with Kurayami and Daisuke before the virus had chosen to stay at the Coliseum, but as far as I had been told, Yamato had invited him—or instructed him more likely—to stay with him instead. He had that empty room in his apartment ever since Taichi moved out three years ago, and he could finally put it to good use. I was mostly assuming that they would get along together of course, they'd never actually lived together, and I was not invited to get a closer look so I wouldn't know. Yamato was angry at me because I didn't trust him, but that was _not_ my fault. I could not control who I trusted and who I did not.

If I wanted to trust Mantarou, which I _did_ , then I was allowed. I felt bad for Yamato, but really we had been walking on eggshells around each other for far too long. It was time to live our lives without worrying about what the other thought about it.

Besides in total we had dated for forty-two months. The most recent break-up was _six_ years ago. We had no reason to feel that way. We were being children.

I caught sight of Mantarou's smile and I smiled back, mostly with relief, and then someone had taken my hand and pulled me gently to my feet. I saw Iori's professor and he motioned with his head toward the door, "I think it's time we leave."

"Okay," I said, nodding stiffly, "Thank you _so_ much." My voice was dry and somehow it felt pained.

"Don't mention it," my lawyer, whose name I did not even know, said. "Though I must say, I might have to start charging Iori's friends if they get into any more legal trouble."

I laughed nervously, silently thanking him for the gift he had given me and also praying that we never fall into any more legal trouble.

And then we were turning to the door, and Mantarou got to his feet, ready to join me. But I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard what the judge said next.

"And now the case pertaining to one Benjamin Arnold," the judge's voice was clear and there was no mistaking what he had said. But that didn't make sense. He was American, didn't that mean we could just send him back to America to be dealt with? Did he have to be _here_ still? Couldn't Winter have thrown him in jail in Sidhendor—or _whatever_ that land was called now—and be done with it?

Daisuke wanted me to come and he was motioning for me too, seemingly desperate to get out of the room before Arnold showed his face, but it was too late. I turned when I heard the sound of the door opening and saw him, dressed in orange and being led and followed by two strongly built police officers. The woman, who was in the front, stepped aside and allowed her male partner to lead Arnold over to the bench where a sly faced lawyer was standing. The lawyer looked to me and held up his finger, requesting that I stay a moment longer and he was immediately pushing through the wooden gate that separated the audience from the open floor.

"Sora, come along," my lawyer told me sternly, trying to lead me away from the oncoming man.

"Wait a moment, please," the lawyer requested kindly, popping up next to me. He placed his hand on my lawyers wrist and gently removed his hand from my shoulder, "I was just wondering if Sora might like to stay and answer a few questions for our case. It would help us move along more quickly."

I looked directly over his shoulder to where Arnold was sitting, looking to the side as though he knew I were standing here but was wary about actually looking toward me. I knew the others were shaking their heads, wanting me to say no. But I couldn't. I couldn't _not_ help put this man in prison, where he would surely _rot_.

"I'd love to help."

"Lovely." The lawyers sweet voice faded instantly to a kind of villainous drawl and his smile was thin and wicked.

"Sora," Daisuke said, unimpressed.

The five of us, six including Haruki, sat in the front row, waiting and watching. The trial was going quickly, with the judge heavily leaning against Arnold. I didn't feel like I had to be here at all. There were people coming and going, as though they were bored and couldn't be bothered to view the entire trial. Or perhaps they were related to Arnold and they found the event too emotional. I didn't know. All I knew was that he was going to jail. To prison—hopefully for life.

And then it finally came time for me to stand up on the witness podium and swear to tell the truth. I had nothing to hide, and so telling the truth was going to come pretty easy to me. I could see in the crowd that the others all looked nervous, but I didn't feel the same. Nervousness was a feeling I hadn't felt since my own trial, like half an hour ago. It was a foreign concept again.

"Okay," the sly faced lawyer said to me as he clapped his hands, and spun around to face the crowd, "Here we have Sora Takenouchi, is that right?" He turned to ask me and I nodded, "Right, of course it is. This girl has had her fair share of time being involved with my client. Would you verify that, please Sora?"

"Of course," I nodded, as something dug at the forefront of my mind, trying to reach my consciousness. "I met Arnold a few months back—"

"You refer to him by Arnold?" The lawyer asked.

I nodded, confused, "Yes, that's why I called him 'Arnold'." The lawyer nodded for me to continue, "Okay, so I met him only a few months ago but since that time he has imprisoned me, mentally tortured me, killed my friends, and chased me with the creatures he created in the basement of his office buildings." There was a silence, one that the lawyer had to partake in as he absorbed everything I listed.

It was at that moment though, that I realized what my brain was trying to tell me. This was _Arnold's_ lawyer. He wasn't trying to put him _in_ prison—he was trying to keep him _out_. Well, I wasn't going to let him away with that one.

"The friends that you mentioned," The lawyer said when he finally caught his footing again, "Are any of them here today?"

"Yes," I said, pointing to Daisuke, Kurayami and Mantarou. "There are my new roommates and my boyfriend." Mantarou looked to me, with one eyebrow raised and I felt heat rising in my cheeks. I had just called him my boyfriend. That was something we hadn't talked about yet—we'd only been on a couple of dates. Well, I knew what my afternoon plans were now.

The lawyer looked to them and politely waved, "So they know my client as well?" I nodded, "And they would agree with the stories you are telling?"

"Obviously," I said, still confused.

"Now, I don't recognize any of these faces from the video that released by the infamous 'Digital Man'," the lawyer said, slowly turning to face me, "But I do recognize _you_." I swallowed thickly, "So tell me, are you familiar with an organization that has entitled themselves 'RISE'?"

"Not really," I said quietly.

"Speak up," The judge ordered firmly.

"No, not really." I repeated.

"Well is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?" The lawyer seemed confused now.

"I've _heard_ of them, but nothing more." I clarified as simply as I could.

The lawyer began walking toward his client—Arnold—and he took a photograph from the folder he had sitting there. "So," he said, walking toward me, "you don't have any idea who the masked figure in this photograph is?" I reached out for the thick sheet of paper that the photograph had been printed on to and I stared at the figure of a man in a simple wooden mask with two eye holes. He was wearing a black cape and a well maintained bowler hat. I looked up to the lawyer, completely confused. "So that's a no?"

"Not a clue," I said honestly. "What does this have to do with Arnold?"

"Remember that I am the one in charge of asking the questions in our relationship, Miss Takenouchi," the lawyer said smugly, returning his photograph to his folder.

"The girl has a point," came the judge's firm voice.

"I assure you, Your Honour, we will arrive at my point very soon." There was a moment of silence as the lawyer looked to the judge with a wide eyed gaze, essentially pleading the judge to allow him to continue. It was disgusting. More so because the judge actually caved and allowed him to. The lawyer's face lit up and he turned toward me, "So you were involved in the videos, yet you do not know who this masked man is, nor do you have any idea what RISE is up to, correct?"

"Correct," I nodded shortly.

"And you have no idea what happened to the missing police chief, Sakana Moretsuna?" My eyes flicked over to Kurayami and her face was white as a ghost, and when I looked back to the lawyer I stared a moment too long. "Correct?"

I looked back to Kurayami and the others and saw that Iori's professor was frustrated, with his fists balled up in his lap. He was angry that nothing was being done to stop this man from asking these questions, but then a saving grace came in the opposing lawyer.

"I object," she said, rolling her eyes, "This case has nothing to do with the police chief."

"Ah, but it does," the sly faced lawyer pointed out.

"Over ruled," the judge was not on my side in this. I didn't know which lawyer he was leaning towards anymore, but I _did_ know he wasn't on _my_ side.

"So where were you between the date of May twenty ninth—the last day Sakana was seen alive—and today—the first day you decided to show your face?"

I looked up to the judge, and he motioned with his hand for me to answer the question. "We already talked about his earlier in my trial. I was in hiding."

"For what reason?" the lawyer asked.

"Because Arnold was trying to kill me and my friends," I snapped, slamming my fists down on the wooden railing in front of me as the anger built up too high. "He tried to feed my friend to one of his creatures, and later succeeded in taking that same friend's life. He died in the virus that _he_ sent out!" I looked to Arnold for the first time since I'd sat up next to the judge and saw that he was _smiling. What_ about this seemed funny to him? There was nothing that could ever make me forgive him for what he had done, and he should not _ever_ feel satisfaction for the deeds he had caused.

The lawyer leaned closer to me now, "That's quite the temper."

"You're not asking relevant questions," I snapped back, "Ask me about Arnold and the time he chased me down the street with his precious 'Behemoth', or how he had his _minions_ hold a gun up to my friend's heads. Ask me what he said to me before he forced _me_ to press that button—to send the virus out. Ask me what he smelled like, or who the others were, those who were working with him. I can answer everything and I can prove that I'm not lying. That man is _horrible_ , and he needs to be punished! You can't just—"

"Enough," the judge shouted firmly, slamming his hammer down on his desk, "That is enough. You are required to answer his questions and to be cooperative." He then turned to the lawyer, "Prove to me that the case of Sakana Moretsuna is relevant to this one, or any further questions will be denied." At least he seemed bitter toward everyone. But the shudder that was still passing through me from the intensity of his voice was something I wouldn't soon forget. Or maybe I would.

The lawyer held out a remote control and pointed it toward a television on a cart near Arnold, and Katsue's video began playing. I paid very little attention, as I'd seen it before. However, if there was _anything_ in that video that incriminated me, I would have to have a _serious_ talk with Katsue about her career choices. So far she'd made a documentary that alerted everyone to the digital life forms and caused wide spread hate, and now she was trying to throw me in jail?

"As you can see," the lawyer said when the video finally ended, "It is clear that Sora Takenouchi was seen several times throughout that video, and it clearly stated that Sakana was my client's underling. It is not a far stretch to assume that my client was _defending_ himself from a woman who had taken his best employee out—"

"I object!"

"And as she was clearly involved with the media—" he was drowned out momentarily by the opposing lawyer shouting her protests and the hammer being slammed against the desk, "—the magic of cut and paste!" There was silence for a moment and then finally the judge motioned to the lawyer to speak one last time. "It is clear to me at least, that this woman was a threat to my client." He turned to me and walked closer, "is it true that your video had footage of you involved?"

He was trying to trick me into admitting to something, but I was too smart—something I hadn't thought I'd be thinking so soon after making so many major mistakes, " _My_ video? How many things are you accusing me of?" It was clear to me that he was trying to pin Moretsuna's murder on me in a lame and desperate attempt to save Arnold.

"You previously stated you were involved."

"I'm _in_ them," I clarified, "I didn't m-make them! I am only seen in the footage so often because, as I said, Arnold was trying to _kill_ me, and someone _thankfully_ saved us by giving us this footage of him in the act. You just showed enough proof to bring Arnold down."

The lawyer wasn't finished, but thankfully, the judge certainly was. It wasn't long before I was being escorted back to my seat where I sat, every part of me shaking with panic and anger as Mantarou took my hand in his and gently rubbed his thumb along the center of my palm.

Even twenty minutes later when I was watching Arnold being dragged off, having lost the case, I still didn't feel satisfied. I should have listened to the others. I should have stayed out of this mess. Arnold was going away to prison for a very, _very_ long time and I should have been happy to see him go, but I wasn't.

And when we all made our way outside, Iori's professor took me aside for a moment and looked into my eyes seriously, "Do you understand what just happened?"

"I was accused of murder and of being the Digital Man, I think." I told him, my voice coming out even shakier than my body was.

He nodded slowly and then spoke softer, "Arnold knew he was not going to get out of this. He was smart enough to see that there was no escape route this time, but he was not done playing with you yet. He treats you like a doll, Sora. He enjoys playing games with you, and if he had to be dragged down—"

"He's going to take me with him?" I interrupted, and Iori's professor nodded. "That ambitious _freak_!" I shouted running my hands wildly through my hair. "What do I do?"

"I'm not sure," he said quietly, "There hasn't been any case made against you yet, so until there is I don't know what I can do aside from prepare a defense just in case."

"I-I don't have any money," I stuttered. He knew this, which was why he was doing this for free.

"We'll work something out," He said, though it seemed to pain him to say it. I nodded nervously and he put his hand affectionately on my shoulder, "I'm sorry you've had to be put through this."

" _Have_ ," I corrected, "you said 'had' and that implies that it's over. But it's not, is it?"

He slowly shook his head, "No, it is not over yet."

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

 _September 1, 2015._

 _It's been one month to the day since my precious Mai entered the world. She weighed just one pound, ten ounces, and she was so tiny. Each day that's passed since her birth has been incredibly difficult, and I don't know how much longer I can bear this. I spend every minute of every day in the hospital, watching over her. I keep hoping that some miracle will occur and she'll be able to come home, but it still hasn't happened._

 _She has good days, and bad. She gains so little weight that I fear she may never gain enough to come home. After four weeks, she's weighing in at just 30.8 ounces. She isn't even two pounds yet. She's gained almost five ounces since her birth, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. She needs to reach five pounds, before the doctors could even think of letting her go home._

 _I worry, constantly, that it was my fault. I worry about what Gaia told me. She gave the baby a chance, she said, but what did that mean? Did it mean my baby was lost to me before she interfered? My heart tells me she was right, but it aches to know that I couldn't support my child, that our enemy had to gift my daughter with life when I couldn't manage even that much on my own. I worry about the effects the Dark Ocean will have on her, but even still, I cannot tell the doctors of my time there. They wouldn't believe me, even if I tried. I can't bear to see the look on their faces again. They think that I'm too unprepared for my baby._

 _But I didn't have time to make the proper arrangements. Hideto managed to get his hands on enough supplies for Mai, so we had a stroller and a car seat (even if they were obtained through less than legal means), but the doctors were right. I wasn't ready. I wanted to have the last three months of my pregnancy to prepare myself mentally for the task of looking after my child. My body had been in shock for weeks after giving birth so early. And I took longer to recover than I should have. My body was too weak from my stay in the Dark Ocean._

 _It was Mai that took the most from that weakness though. She's still so small. My heart aches looking at her through the glass case she stays in. There are so many tubes, and I feel so helpless. She's too small. I'm so afraid of hurting her. Ken had to bathe her, the first time we were offered to, because I was too panicked. I was overwhelmed by how delicate she is. I've already hurt her, when I was carrying her. I was supposed to be a safe haven, a place where she could grow and develop, but I failed._

 _I'm a failure._

 _Ken found a list of suggestions, for me to handle the situation that was thrust upon us, and I try to follow the instructions. I'm giving myself permission to cry and feel overwhelmed—but I don't think that it's helping in anyway. I take such few breaks from being at Mai's side, but the moment I step into the hallway, the sadness, the fear, the panic, the regret, the anger (at the world, and myself) just overcome me, and I fall to the floor in a bundle of emotions as they rip out of me. More than once a nurse has suggested I take a break, but I couldn't do that. I was meant to be with my daughter every day, for the next three months. I was supposed to carry her with me, but obviously I hadn't managed that. This was the best way I could make up for it._

 _I developed a routine, as Ken's list suggested, though I don't suppose my routine was what it meant. I spent all day, and into the night with my daughter, leaving only to get a change of clothes, a shower and a few hours rest, before starting again, early the next morning. I know that I'm meant to balance my work and home lives with visiting the hospital. But my entire life revolves around her. Hawkmon is always in the Digital World anyway, in Primary Village, taking care of his own "child". He's so proud of his new offspring, and raves about him to me. I want to be happy for him, but I'm finding it difficult to not be jealous. His child is happy and healthy. Mine isn't. It's not fair. But I can't fault Hawkmon or Poromon for their health and happiness. Mai's condition is entirely my own fault._

 _The list suggests that I connect with other parents going through the same journey as I am, but I can't do it. I spend too much time with my own daughter. I can't be bothered to provide support for anyone else, when I can barely provide it for myself. I feel lost, like I'm just floating through the motions of my life, waiting until Mai is in the clear, waiting for the doctors to tell me that she's strong enough to come home. It's unfair of me to leave Mai to fight for her life when she was so tiny. But I prayed that she would do it. That she'd come out of this with a fighting spirit as strong as any digimon's._

 _I've been told—by Ken and his list—that I should keep my thoughts and fears in a journal, which I am writing in now. It's meant to be a way that I can vent my frustrations at every one of Mai's setbacks. It's a place I can write about my fears, and hopes in order to cope with Mai's time in the Neonatal Intensive-Care Unit. It's a place that I can celebrate every inch of progress she makes, so I can dare to experience the joy. I don't know if it's helping though. All it's really doing is reminding me just how much there is to be afraid of._

 _The final item on Ken's list, is that I should accept that he and I are reacting differently. I'm pretty sure it's his way of pointing out that I have no right to be mad at him. He went back to work the first chance he got. He spends so little time in Mai's presence, with his long hours. It's like he's afraid to get attached, and really, it's stressing me out more, which in turn is stressing out Mai, which is what the nurses say each time they ask me to leave._

 _But I'm trying so hard to be a good mother, to make up for my initial failure. I read books to Mai every day, and I hold a tiny cloth in my hand while I do so, so that the nurses can put it in there with her, so she can get used to my scent, in addition to my voice. I provide milk for her whenever possible, but it never feels like enough. Sometimes it gets to be too much, but I don't know what else I can do. I don't know how to help Mai recove—_

"Miyako?"

I looked up from the pages of the red and white notebook Ken had handed me the night before, when I'd been sent home at the end of yet another long day. The list he'd given me was tucked inside the front cover, glued to the first page, so I could never lose it.

No matter how little it actually helped me.

"What happened?" I asked, desperately looking to my impossibly tiny daughter. She was lying still, with her breathing apparatus, and who knew _how_ many other tubes, surrounding her. There were little sensors taped to her tiny stomach that were monitoring her heartbeat and other vitals. She looked just the same as she had before I'd started writing in my journal. I looked again, from the top of her bald head to the tips of her tiny toes. Her one foot was wrapped in a device that kept continual watch over her temperature. What was wrong? What was I missing?

"A good thing," my favourite nurse said. She was older, and held a sunny disposition. She never made me feel inadequate, despite the fact that I _was_ , and always broke down the news into smaller, more manageable explanations. I wasn't in the right frame of mind for the bigger medical terms. I could hear even the most positive of them, and assume my daughter had caught some sort of disease, which would always send me into a panic. Kankoshi—the nurse—was very quick on the uptake, and realised from the start that I was easily terrified. She explained things in a gentle way that never sent my heart rocketing as I worried about some nonexistent disease that was "threatening" my daughter's already fragile health. "She's gained more weight," she explained with a bright, beaming smile. "A whopping ninety grams, which puts her up passed the two pound milestone. She's at 2.2 pounds now."

"Is that safe?" I asked, torn between pure joy at the idea and fear that she'd gained too much at a time.

"Very," Kankoshi told me. "She's going to lose _some_ of it, which is to be expected of course, after such a large gain, but it's a very good sign. If she gains _more_ than that, then we'll have to worry about her retaining water, which is _not_ a good sign, but it doesn't look like its water that she's got in there now. She's getting bigger."

"But she's still got so much to go," I murmured mournfully.

"Well now," Kankoshi admonished me. "You've got to celebrate whatever victories you can get. She's doing a good job, gaining weight in a healthy manner. You've got to celebrate that. Don't put too much pressure on her, or on yourself. No two babies develop the same way at the same time."

"But the Kazoku family's baby keeps gaining weight so much faster, and he was born _after_ Mai was," I pointed out. "He's up three ounces more than her. Why isn't she holding on to the weight? Why does she keep losing some of it whenever she gains any?"

"She's doing what she can," Kankoshi told me softly. "You can't rush her. She's not ready to hold onto all that weight. She's not ready to breathe without assistance either. But she _will be_. Don't ever lose hope. She's depending on your hope and faith and love. She's drawing strength from you too. Don't give up on her, and she'll keep doing her best. She's got to go at her own pace though. She's her own person, and she really doesn't understand what you're going through. And she doesn't _have to_ understand."

"Because I'm the mother, and she's the baby," I sighed, knowing this speech inside out and backwards. She smiled and patted my hand.

"Exactly," she said. "Now, do you want to give her a bath now, or are we waiting for her father?"

"Ken should be here soon," I told her, still a little anxious about being left to do it without him. She squeezed my hand and held it tightly.

"You can do this," she told me. "I know you blame yourself, but sometimes it's just a baby's time to come, whether you're ready for it or not. If you had any complications, they might've played a part."

"I don't know," I whispered, admitting to her for the first time. She looked down at me, and she didn't try and feign surprise.

"I realize," she told me, using her voice to assure that she wasn't angry about it. "We've wondered, you know. There were scheduled doctor visits, but you missed them. Dr Akachan was thrown off guard when you arrived to deliver the baby. She wasn't expecting you at all. She was under the impression you'd found another doctor, and just forgot to tell her."

"I didn't," I said, feeling more confident, now that I knew Kankoshi wasn't going to judge me for my failing—for what was out of my control. "I wasn't able to get away. I was trapped."

"In the Digital World," she surmised. I looked to her with wide eyes, worried that she was afraid of the digimon, and hoped that her fear wouldn't get in the way of helping my baby. My baby needed her. I couldn't let my dedication to digimon hurt Mai's chances. But Kankoshi just laughed, and shook her head, squeezing my hand tightly again. "I don't mind them," she assured me. "I never did. I try to stay out of the conspiracy mumbo jumbo. I have a job to do, and babies to take care of. They take most of my time. I can't be bothered to dedicate my free time to hate groups."

"Good," I said in a shaking voice as I trembled with the force of my relief.

"I wondered, you know," she continued. "A group of people came in all battered and bruised at the same time you came in to deliver this precious angel. I thought, perhaps, you came with them."

"I did," I admitted. "We were all in different worlds, not just the Digital World, but we got trapped there first. The other worlds came after, when Arnold sent out the virus. I had to escape. I couldn't let the virus get my baby. I had vitamins though. I took them every day. But I was so worried. No one could check on her. I was so sure I'd done something wrong."

"You did the best you could," she told me firmly. "It wasn't _your_ fault that you couldn't find the care you needed. If you need someone to blame for what's happened, look towards the people that trapped you. You could not have known what they would do. You could not have foreseen the outcome. You managed to beat them, and live through their actions. Mai is alive. You did that."

"I didn't, not really," I murmured, more to myself than to her. It was clear though, that she heard me, because she quirked her head curiously. "I just mean that I couldn't do what you guys have done," I told her, louder. She blushed and brushed my praise off. I couldn't take the credit she was trying to give to me. I couldn't accept it, because it was a lie. Gaia was the only reason my baby was alive, and really, it gave me very conflicting messages about her.

Winter hated her, and Sigma was afraid of her, but she saved my baby for no apparent reason.

I had every reason to like her, based on Sigma's fear and her saving of my child. And Winter not liking her wasn't even much of a point against her at this point. Winter didn't care about me. She couldn't, not if she didn't try to save my baby until Bengoshi was a threat. If she'd cared, like she said she did, then she would have brought us to Sidhendor a long time before she did. The fact that Gaia _did_ care would have been a point in her favour if she hadn't admitted to killing Willis and Kiyoko.

If she hadn't done that, I would have trusted her completely, solely for what she did for my daughter.

There wasn't enough room in my heart to dedicate too much of it to grieving both of my lost friends. I was just stretched too thin as it was. My entire heart was dedicated to the struggles of my daughter as she fought to survive in a world she just wasn't ready to be a part of. I knew that once Mai was out of danger though, I would be struck down by the weight of the grief that was building up steadily.

Kankoshi looked to the clock and made a face. She squeezed my hand one more time, before excusing herself. I wasn't upset by her departure. This way I wouldn't have to lie to her. I wouldn't have to come up with some way of describing my living conditions during the pregnancy without flat out admitting that I'd been in the Dark Ocean. I wouldn't have to admit to killing my daughter, only for Gaia to give her life back to her.

I didn't like omitting such important pieces of my pregnancy from the doctors and nurses that were keeping Mai healthy. I didn't like the idea of clouding their eyes. I wanted them to be able to help Mai to the best of their ability, and I knew that hiding such important factors wasn't helping in the slightest—but I couldn't risk it. What if they took her away from me, just because I'd been stuck in the Dark Ocean? What if I was deemed an unfit mother, because the key I'd been given led me there?

What if whatever Gaia did was temporary though?

I looked down to my book again, and started jotting down those particular fears.

 _I'm afraid that Gaia's work will expire and I'll lose my daughter again. I don't want to have to say goodbye to my precious baby girl, but what if I don't have the choice? What if Mai isn't strong enough to fight through this battle she's up against? She's just a baby. She's not meant to fight. It was my job to do that fighting for her. Once again someone has to do the work for me—only this time it's not my life that needs saving. Will I ever be able to fight on my own, or will I always depend on others to do that fighting for me? My crest is honour, and I'm making an infant fight the battle I was supposed to fight._

 _How am I going to be able to look Mai in the face later in life knowing that I'd put so much pressure on her while she was so young?_

"You'll do just fine."

I jumped in my seat and slammed a hand over my mouth before I could let out a startled yell. Ken was standing behind me, and reading over my shoulder. I closed my book hastily, and tried to find the effort to glare at him, but I couldn't. I _wanted_ him to read it; I wanted him to be able to tell me that my fears were pointless. I wanted to know that Mai was going to be okay, and that I wasn't the worst mother in the history of the world. I'd let her gestate in _hell_ , but there had to be some redeeming qualities to me, didn't there?

"She's not going to blame you," Ken assured me, massaging my shoulders, while I started crying. My emotions were on a permanent roller coaster ride. I hated it, because my emotions always got in the way when I needed to stay calm and relaxed for Mai's sake. "If anything, she's going to be a spitfire. She's raring to go, that's why she came into the world early. She's a go-getter. She's going to know that. She's alive, sweetheart, and that's all that matters."

"It's _not_ all that matters," I protested. "She's so small, so _fragile_."

"I heard she gained ninety ounces since yesterday," Ken commented. "It sounds to me like she's finally figuring this weight thing out. She'll be five pounds before you know it. They were talking about switching out the breathing tube for a CPAP in a couple of days too. She's getting so strong, Miyako. She's going to be able to breathe on her own."

"They said that?" I asked, hearing it for the first time from Ken, and not entirely believing him. He'd been known in the past to say things just because I wanted to hear them. I didn't want him to do that about Mai. I wanted us to always be honest about Mai—no matter how sweet the lie might be.

"Just now," Ken said, nodding his head. "Kankoshi told me when I passed her in the hall. She's going to check up on the Kazoku baby, and then she's going to come back and get us set up to give Mai a bath. It's exciting, isn't it? I love bath time."

"You know, people say it's important for daddy and baby to bond too," I pointed out. "Maybe you and Mai could bond over bath time…all the time."

"Do you _not_ want to clean our daughter?" Ken asked, sounding amused at my suggestion, seeing right through my pretense to the motivation behind it. It was unfortunate that he was such an observant person. I didn't mind that he knew how afraid I was to wash Mai. I didn't want to hurt her, after all. And he was so much more confident with her than I was. She got to smell me and hear my voice, and I'd done some skin-on-skin time more than once, so she knew how I felt. But I was too afraid to really move her around the way Kurayami had been moving Haruki from the get-go.

"I just think you two should bond, is all," I hedged, not wanting to say it out loud. He smiled, and kissed my cheek.

"I don't mind," he told me. "I kind of love the idea. I can see it now: Mai in the bathtub when she's old enough to sit by herself, splashing me with bubbles and throwing around a rubber duck. On second thought it seems kind of messy."

"Too late," I said as jokingly as I was able with the emotional strain I was under. "No take backs."

"Fine," he sighed. "I guess that leaves you with dirty diapers."

"Oh no, mister," I told him, shaking my finger at him, scolding him. "If you think I'm going to clean them all then you are mistaken. We'll share that task."

"What's your job going to be then?" he asked, sounding a tad affronted that he had the bulk of the duties so far. I rolled my eyes.

"I carried her around for nine—no, I didn't," I said, and the emotions crashed down on me again, my teasing mood fled quickly in their wake.

"Six months though," Ken said, as if it made a difference. "That's six more months than _I_ did."

"He's right you know," Kankoshi said, slipping back into the room. "Now, it's bath time for the baby. Who's going to take charge this time?"

"Him," I said, turning to my book again. My heart ached watching him—both happy for his easy going nature with our daughter, and resentful for it—as he followed Kankoshi's directions. I picked up my pen and started writing again.

I still didn't think it would help though.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** TK and Jenna get their first chance to narrate of the story, and we get to see how their lives are going after the crazy virus attack that happened a couple months ago now. We've finally managed to bring the characters past the dangers of Arnold and his death trap, but each character is dealing with the events in their own way, so yeah keep reading!


	2. Moving On

**U/N:** Here we have a pretty depressing chapter in the world of Jenna as well as a rather ridiculous look into the life of TK and Matt living together. Getting a chance to write something that was just SO much lighter than 06 or 07 was kind of fun I know, and then Jenna comes along and takes that lightness away but it was nice while it lasted.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 02: Moving On**

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

I was awoken by water dripping onto my face. It was weird. It had been raining in my dream, but I wanted it to stop and no matter how much I pleaded with the clouds it wouldn't obey. And there I was, lying in my bed, confused. Had I really felt a drop of water, or had it all been in my head? And then there was another drop, hitting me directly on the nose. I opened my eyes and looked up to the ceiling where a brown stain was stretched across the surface from one corner all the way to the center of the room near the light fixture.

Disgusted, I pulled myself out of my bed and pushed it out of the way of the water. Luckily the frame was on wheels so it wasn't difficult. I slowly walked out of my room on my way to get a pot to collect the water. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the feeling of the bumpy and waterlogged linoleum flooring against my bare feet.

And then, as I came into the living room, I froze. I was staring directly into the glowing eyes of a racoon as it perched atop Yamato's scratched up bookcase. The racoon blinked twice and then leapt toward the wall where it scurried up, dragging itself through the large crack in the ceiling.

"YAMATO!" I shouted as loud as I could. I was sure he would still be sleeping, but I didn't care that I was waking him up. It was time to confront him.

" _Oh no,"_ Daisuke had said, _"We can't go back home though."_

" _Why not?"_ Taichi wanted to know _._

" _We cancelled the lease,"_ Daisuke explained _, "We have nowhere to live."_

" _I suppose we_ could _go back to the Coliseum,"_ Kurayami said, eyeing up the baby in her arms cautiously, obviously thinking the Coliseum was a bad idea for Haruki, especially after spending two months there already.

" _I know,"_ Sora decided, clapping her hands together, _"Why don't you stay with me? I've got loads of room."_

" _What about me?"_ I asked in a whining voice. I didn't like to admit to it, but I could whine every now and then. Especially in a situation like that where my roommates of more than five years were ripped away from me so suddenly. _"Where am I supposed to go?"_

" _Well,"_ Yamato decided _, "you can stay with me. That'll be okay... right?"_

" _Of course it will!"_ I had exclaimed, thinking I knew what living with my brother would entail. If only I knew then what I knew now, I never would have thrust myself into this mess.

During my first night here I was shocked by the light switch in the bathroom, and I thought, _'Woah, that's dangerous. We'd better fix that_.' The next morning three rats ran out of the cupboards in the kitchen and I thought _'Woah, that's unsanitary, we'd better fix that.'_ But as time went on it slowly became clear to me that there was no amount of supplies in the world that could fix the mess this apartment had become. When I found that the neighboring building had a disturbing old man who could see, and _did_ see right into the bathroom window, I thought _'Wow, Yamato must be pretty confident. I'm not that confident, I can't live here like him.'_ And it became clear to me that I had to move away from this place. I didn't feel safe, or necessarily even wanted.

But now it was more than that. I couldn't leave alone. I simply could not allow Yamato to continue living here.

"What is it?" Patamon asked, shocked as he flew down the hallway in a kind of panic. Gabumon was next to enter the room wearing an adorable sleeping cap, rushing in from Yamato's bedroom. Then Yamato finally threw himself from his room wearing his underwear and a t shirt looking like he was ready for a fight. When he spotted there was nothing wrong—ha, nothing wrong?—he looked to me and shrugged his shoulders.

I pointed up to the crack in the ceiling and looked away, "Ther—there is a racoon," I told him as simply as I could, "In your ceiling."

"That's disgusting," Yamato said, and he actually looked like he believed that.

"How cool!" Patamon exclaimed, flying toward the hole, "I hear they're pretty soft."

"And so vicious!" I argued, snatching him from the air before he made his way to the hole. I turned back to Yamato and shook my head, "Yamato, you need you move. You can't live here anymore, it's not safe."

Yamato's head fell, "I know," he sighed, "But to be fair!" his head snapped right back up to attention, "it wasn't this bad before I was forced to live in hiding for two months."

"That's not fair," I said, disagreeing, "it just means you should have moved out then anyway. This is only two months of no one living here, that's insanity. We're going today to look at new places."

"But I haven't moved in _years_ ," Yamato argued, seeming to realize that he was in his underwear. He reached behind him and grabbed a robe and threw it around himself, moving toward the couch. "I've been saving my money for a time when I really need it." As he sat down on the couch with a big heave the weight he added cracked the floorboards beneath the couch.

"That time is _right_ now," Patamon said, worry showing in his voice.

Yamato looked up, embarrassed and took one last look around the room. His eyes lingered on the chipped paint, the dents in the wall and then his head fell one last time as he looked to the crack in the floor. He sighed and hopped to his feet, "I'll go get dressed." As Yamato walked from the room Gabumon's face lit up with excitement at the prospect of finally getting to leave this dingy apartment. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. He'd been here for years. That just wasn't fair.

I realized that I was still in my pajamas as well and got myself ready to go. Patamon had his eyes shut tight as I pulled my jeans on, and when I told him it was okay to look again he seemed thoughtful. "What is it?" I asked him with a laugh. He was never very good at hiding when he wanted to say something. He looked embarrassed but said nothing. "Come on, tell me."

"I just was wondering," Patamon said quietly, "Are you going to live with Yamato again?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "No idea," I knew there was more to what he was saying so I didn't bother expanding.

"How many bedrooms will this new place have?" it was at this point that I found myself completely lost. Well, maybe not _completely_ , I mean I knew how to respond, but I didn't know why it mattered. Instead of answering I just shrugged my shoulders and waited for him to continue. "Well I mean, how old were you when you first had your own bedroom?"

I felt a smile creep on my face as I straightened myself out, finally understanding what he wanted. "Alright," I decided, "How about, the first place I get on my own, I'll make sure you have your own bedroom. That's fair, right?"

Patamon's face lit up, "Perfectly fair!"

With both of us leaving the conversation on a happy note it reminded me of times when danger wasn't so pressing and imminent. There was no real way to be sure that we were safe yet. The hatred from the people was much less of an issue now than it had been before I'd left for the Land of Dreams as though the people only hated digimon for the sake of hating something but that the craze was over. That did not mean that we were now suddenly safe. It just meant that someone, somewhere was fighting alongside us.

"Takeru! Yamato!" I grabbed Patamon and hurried to the living room where Gabumon was standing near the television, holding the remote. "Look!" He exclaimed, pointing to the screen.

I stood on my toes to see over his head and saw that a reporter was on the left half of the screen while poorly recorded footage of a man wearing a wooden mask was on the right half. _"There are no leads as to who this mysterious masked man is, but rumour has it he is involved with the Digital Man himself."_ I looked to Yamato and laughed but his face just turned red. _"What do you think about this masked figure?"_

The screen switched to a man with dark skin and he smiled, bemused, _"I say 'go for it' if he's supporting something instead of tearing it down, I want to see more of these masked people running around the streets—"_ "Well that just sounds terrifying," Patamon interjected, " _—I'm just so sick of everyone thinking everything is a danger to society. I'm on board with everyone and anyone who wants to support something."_

" _So you say you_ support _their support?"_ both reporters began laughing at the completely ridiculous joke that had no humour involved whatsoever, but I couldn't help but laugh along. They were preaching support, and they were speaking of acceptance. They were on our side then.

"Who is the man in the mask?" Gabumon asked, worried, "You don't think it's Sigma again, do you?"

"What?" The rest of us gasped as one. It was clear both Yamato and Patamon felt just as shocked as I felt. "It's just some weirdo in a mask," Yamato continued, "Just because someone is wearing a mask doesn't mean it's Sigma. Don't even think about him anymore, okay? I want you to feel safe. Sigma obviously isn't something that makes you feel that way." Gabumon nodded and turned back to the screen where the reporters were now talking about an armed robbery. Gabumon shut the television off and turned round, ready to go. "I just need my keys..." Yamato said, holding his hands up as he thought back to where he had put them. Gabumon found them quickly on the table beside the couch and held them up. "Awesome," Yamato smiled, snatching them up, "Let's go."

Yamato grabbed his jacket on the way out the door and then we were off. Apparently we were to be meeting someone on the way, someone I hadn't met before. I didn't know what that meant—I mean I followed the words themselves, fairly easily actually, but I did not know who he had been referring to.

Yamato decided that he wanted coffee and I cringed, remembering Ai and where I worked again. I couldn't help but try to make an income. I needed to support myself and I couldn't let Yamato pay for me without me at least attempting to help out. Ai offered me the job back before I had even asked him. He decided he hated this new girl even more than he hated me and so I was there again—looking desperately for a new job—suffering through each and every day. Instead though he opted for a can of soda from the machine outside a local bar, and he waited for a while, probably not wanting to go too far without meeting up with his friend.

As we stood in the cool, but bright day, people walked past, as usual. They were all looking to the digimon though. Some would look with horror and distrust, some with anger and revulsion, others looked with great big smiles on their faces just to show that they supported them. I supposed that was alright, to actively show that they supported us and our partners. I liked to see that, but I didn't like that it was necessary. I was already longing for a day in which digimon were such a common occurrence that no one thought twice. I just wasn't sure that was going to happen any time soon.

It was when a girl wearing jeans and a t shirt showed up that Yamato got excited. Her dark red hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was wearing a black baseball cap. The most noticeable thing about her attire was the pair of neon pink cat-eye sunglasses that stood out from the rest of what she was wearing. "Nice glasses," Yamato joked.

"Oh thank you," the girl said, completely seriously. I felt Patamon squirm, possibly excitedly, in my arms as he looked toward the girl's bag. I looked down myself and saw a DemiDevimon enjoying the ride. "I see you have a Patamon." The girl said with a smile.

"And you a DemiDevimon," I noted, "So I guess that makes us rivals?"

"Oh no," She shook her head, "I think it makes us different sides to the same coin. You want peace and acceptance and so do I. We just have different perspectives on how to achieve it."

"Yeah," DemiDevimon said in a voice I recognized, "She's the one who has been painting Angemon everywhere."

"Hush now!" The girl hissed, pulling her partner into her arms and looking around suspiciously, "We mustn't let the walls hear you. They have ears you know." I wasn't sure if she was taking that saying seriously or not. There was just something about her that seemed _confusing_ to say the least.

Patamon finally freed himself from my arms and fluttered toward the girl, "Can we talk about how you do my nose? I just think if you skimmed a little off and made it less of a honker people could really see the peace behind the mask."

"You think?" her voice rose with excitement, "Do you think you could let me take a look at your nose some day for a reference?"

"It'd be a pleasure!" Patamon exclaimed and the girl smiled to him politely.

Yamato grinned foolishly and elbowed me, "Amai," he said as he gestured toward her.

"Oh!" I clapped my hands together, "So you're _that_ DemiDevimon?" he nodded, "You found your partner!"

"Jou helped," DemiDevimon said fondly, nuzzling closer to Amai.

I smiled to the digimon and then held my hand out to shake Amai's, "I'm Takeru, Yamato's brother." Amai smiled to me and tickled my palm. I looked over to Yamato, confused, but he said nothing as Amai strode off, down the street. I noticed then that she wasn't wearing any shoes, but she seemed to be enjoying herself all the same. "So where do we go?"

"I dunno," Yamato admitted, "It was your idea." He shrugged and then set off after Amai. Patamon landed on Yamato's head and listened to their conversation as Gabumon skipped around with DemiDevimon. They were just walking and talking. I knew that meant we weren't going to get around to any apartment shopping any time soon so it just left me in my head to think.

Mostly I thought about Hikari, and how much happier she was now that we had escaped the Land of Dreams. There was a lot going on that she wouldn't talk about still though. Of course I wanted to know what it was. Of _course_ I wanted to pry and get the information I wanted, but I would never do that. I was going to respect her and her wishes until she thought it was time to tell me what it was that was upsetting her. I knew that the lingering feelings from the Land of Dreams kept her up at night because I had received a call at least once a week during the hours when Hikari would normally be sleeping, and she would talk to me about how she felt, about what was hurting her. We would work through that together. But there was more. There was something that was affecting her—and of course I had my suspicions that she was feeling guilty for letting Gaia out of the white maze—but she had not yet said anything to me.

And then there was whatever she was keeping from me. There was something she had on her phone that she thought would upset me if I saw. I didn't fear that she was cheating on me. Hikari would never do that. Perhaps it was simply that she sought comfort from someone else. Surely she knew that it wouldn't upset me. If Taichi, or Sora or even Daisuke could help her cope better than I could, then by all means, I would urge her to go for it.

Unless she was hiding her feelings about Willis' death out of fear of making me feel jealous, because that too could be true. I knew she was sad—of _course_ she was sad—and I didn't think that it meant she loved me any less. Willis was her friend. He wasn't particularly close to _me_ but I wished he would have been. But Hikari knew I was okay with her relationship with Willis.

Whatever was on her mind, I was sure she would tell me eventually.

I bumped into Yamato who had stopped in his tracks, staring toward someone's front lawn. "I want that," I heard him say as I caught my balance and side stepped. He was looking to a bike that had a sign tied to it claiming that it was for sale. It wasn't just a typical bike though. No, it was a motorcycle.

"Are you sure?" I asked, "Last time you had a bike you drove it into the river and claimed that you needed a more suitable and mature ride." Yamato sighed, remembering his decision.

"You're right," he sighed, figuring I probably had a point. I mean, it didn't affect me either way, I just didn't think that a motorcycle was a good impulse buy. If he wanted something random he should buy something a little less expensive.

Amai stepped closer and looked at the bike thoughtfully, pressing a finger to her chin. "Hmm," she hummed, "I love it."

Yamato's face lit up and he moved to look at it from her angle. I didn't know anything about bikes so it didn't matter which angle I looked. It was black and it was red, and it wasn't too big, but also not too small. It was like, I dunno, a regular bike. Seemed cool to me, I guess. Yamato moved forward and reached for the steering handle things. "You said," I told him, remembering more clearly, "You said you needed a different vehicle because you needed to be more suitable for marriage."

Yamato crinkled his nose and looked away, seemingly embarrassed of his reasoning, "I told you to stay yourself," Gabumon reminded him, "You'll remember that too." It was true, Gabumon had been urging him to not bother changing himself to please someone else.

"Well," Yamato said, still deep in thought. "You're usually right, Gabumon... even if it does take me six years to realize it."

"You're getting a bike—" I realized.

"I'm getting a bike!" Yamato decided, cutting across my words excitedly, punching the air. "Wait here, I'm going to go talk to the guy who owns it."

"I'll come too," Amai decided, "I'm a real good haggler." Yamato smirked in a way that was far too amused to be sane and gestured for Amai to lead the way. He chased after her and left me with the three digimon.

I sat down, realizing I was thirsty and hungry and still pretty tired, and I leaned back into the grass. I felt Gabumon lie next to me and he nuzzled in close. Patamon landed on my stomach and DemiDevimon curled up next to my head. We waited for a bit, and I was sure I fell asleep briefly, and then Yamato and Amai were back.

"Did you get it?" Gabumon asked, moving from my side. I didn't bother opening my eyes or moving yet. I was just so comfortable. Gabumon cheered excitedly, so apparently he _had_ impulsively bought a bike.

"I'm supposed to pick it up tonight," Yamato explained, "Which leaves us time to go apartment hunting."

"What's wrong with the one you have?" Amai wondered.

"Well nothing," Yamato defended, "Kind of."

"It's the worst thing ever," Gabumon disagreed, "It's rotting and old and there are wild animals inside." Amai's face lit up with an even mixture of horror and excitement. I pulled myself to my feet and spun around to see them all. "It smells like feet."

"That's from Taichi," Yamato said, defeated, "three years later and I still can't get the smell out."

"Why do you still live there?" DemiDevimon wondered.

"It's rent stabilized and it's really, _really_ cheap." Yamato said, ashamed.

"Because no one wants it!" I added, and then they were all laughing. Yamato's face turned red and he sighed. Because we were right. It was time.

So we went looking and Yamato didn't find anything he liked nearly _half_ as much as he liked his new bike, and that was all he kept talking about. "Is there anywhere I could store a motorcycle?" "Do you have garage space?" "I bought a new bike and I was wondering if you would be upset if I painted the walls to match the colours?"

It was exhausting, but nice to see him so excited about something for once. Something that wasn't Sora. It dawned on me that perhaps he had bought the bike to _spite_ Sora. There was something going on between the two of them and Yamato was suddenly in the mood for a major change. I'd told him to move before and never had he budged. Now he was hanging out with this new girl, buying a bike—something Sora specifically disliked and he had vowed to never own again just for her sake—and even moving from his apartment of _six_ years. That was a lot of change all at once.

I wondered if maybe he was biting off a little more than he was ready to chew. But it was his life, and it was his decision.

 _ **Jenna Washington:**_

No matter how long we stayed inside these walls I couldn't shake the feeling that everything about us being here was wrong. I knew it was our _home_ but it wasn't home without _him_. He was the reason we had all come together to be here in this place and now, with him missing, there was nowhere that I could hide without having a constant reminder that he was gone. My bedroom was filled with things that reminded me of him. There was a large painting that hung on my wall of me riding a unicorn that he had hilariously gotten done for my birthday the previous year. Falling asleep was a lot harder when I couldn't _not_ see Willis in everything I owned.

He was my brother. My step-brother, as we always liked to remind each other, but it did not matter how many steps were between the two of us, because he was my family now. Or he _was_. And it hadn't lasted long enough. He was supposed to be around for a lot longer than he had been. He was supposed to be the brother I went to with the problems that needed a logical response. He was _going_ to be there too. He promised that he would always be there, even if something should happen.

And he wasn't here now.

Chi held my hand tighter again, seeming to understand how I felt. But he couldn't understand. Not really. This was Willis' home. Everything he had ever wanted or thought about was inside these walls, and now he would never be home to enjoy them again. I didn't think that was fair.

All of the people here were dressed in black, as if they thought it was respectful. Why did it matter that we all wore black? I was sure that Willis would not have cared either way. And yet, I'd done the same. I'd worn black, too afraid to stand out on a day like today. A day where a bunch of people I barely knew were more important than those who Willis actually cared for.

His funeral had been held in a very beautiful hall and everyone had been invited to attend. We had the digimon present and no one seemed to say a word against them. Mari was there too, standing in the back by herself. Taichi and the other Digidestined had all been scattered throughout the benches, watching the ceremony and paying their respects. I didn't know many of them well, but I _did_ know Hikari from when she and Willis had dated, and I noticed that she had been crying. Terriermon and Lopmon hadn't made a sound. Even now as they wandered the house aimlessly they said nothing, and did not cry.

I didn't blame them for not crying. I couldn't find the right way to express my emotions either. Losing someone like this was not a simple concept to grasp. There was no way for one action to express how I felt and crying felt wrong and it felt like I was giving in to the sadness when there were so many other emotions to feel at the same time. It felt disrespectful to cry.

Not everyone had felt that way. There were so many people crying at the funeral, and while that was fine, I just didn't want to look at them because it made it harder for me to not cry. I had been biting my tongue as hard as I could the entire ceremony to have something to focus on aside from my tears.

Willis' mother, who had been weeping madly during the funeral, had asked everyone who was not family to please give us time to grieve in peace at Willis' house. It seemed like a fine thing to do, but when that 'family' consisted of distant cousins and random aunts and uncles that I'd never even met, it no longer seemed fair to exclude Mari, or Mimi who had been such good friends with him during her time here in New York. Or Koushiro who had been in contact with Willis since they were _children_ , or Hikari who was obviously the only person alive who accurately knew how to handle Lopmon and her sadness.

But there had been a reason, I just didn't know what it was.

The way his mother— _my_ mother—had looked to Mari, hurt, as she declared that all those who were not family should find their way home told me there was something else going on, but that it would not be civil for me to ask what it was. I didn't _care_ what their problems with each other were. I wanted my friends around, and when I pointed that out to dad he permitted me to have Chi around. That was not exactly what I meant. I wanted Mari specifically. I thought that _she_ of all people deserved to be here.

Instead I was left to watch Michael politely make the rounds and greet everyone who had come to pay their respects. Why did the luncheon have to take place _here_? Why couldn't Mom and Dad take it back to their dumb house? Wasn't the point of these things to exchange stories about Willis and to seek comfort in one another? Well that was going to be fairly difficult because it would probably take me half an hour to find someone who even _knew_ him.

"... not really a funeral if there's no body," I heard someone say. I was standing up the stairs, looking down at the entrance hallway, leaning against the railing with Chi.

"Well I hear they couldn't find the body," someone responded.

"That's dumb. They don't even know he's dead," the first person responded, "They couldn't even keep track of their own son, that's the real shame here."

"Jenna!" Chi hissed as I dropped the vase filled with water and flowers down to the gossiping jerks below me. I didn't care what happened. They were rude and I wanted them out of my house. Of _his_ house. There were screams from below and fortunately—I guess—they all moved out of the way. Silence filled the building as everyone looked to the sound of the shattering vase. Then all eyes shifted up to me. I thought about apologizing, but I didn't feel like lying.

I turned on the spot and stormed off, down the nearest hallway, concealing myself from view. I slammed myself against the wall and ran my hands through my hair. My eyes were shut tight and I was trying to find comfort in knowing that these people would be gone soon and then we could relax and be free and sad in peace.

"Are you okay?" Chi asked in a quiet voice, pulling me from my thoughts, "I mean I _know_ you're not okay. But are you going to throw anything else?" I looked at him with one eyebrow cocked higher than the other and shook my head. He looked silly all dolled up in a suit and tie. I had never seen him _not_ wear ripped jeans. His hair somehow managed to look classy, even with its vibrancy. I guess he could change his appearance, hide his wings and antenna, and put his weapon away in some alternate dimension where it simply sat and waited for him to call to it, but he could not dim the colour of his hair. I didn't mind. The splash of colour actually made the room feel less bleak. "I'm really sorry Jenna."

"That those people are completely disrespectful?" I questioned.

"No," Chi shook his head, "Well yes, but I just meant that I don't know how to act. I've never... been to a funeral before. I've never known anyone to die."

"It's fine," I said flatly, "You're doing fine."

"Have you been to a funeral?" Chi asked quietly. "Before this one, I mean."

I looked away from him and stared down at the shining wooden floor. Had we not talked about my mother before? I was trying to find it in my memory, but I honestly couldn't remember if I had ever told him. "Yeah," I said quietly, "My mom died when I was four." Chi looked confused, but wanted to comfort me. "Mary is Willis' mom. She married my dad and now I call her 'Mom' too. She isn't my real mom."

"Do you remember the funeral?" he asked, and I nodded. "I—I'm sorry if these questions are too personal. I came to Earth to learn, and I've never experienced something like this."

I looked to him, not bothering to hide that he had just annoyed me and I rolled my eyes, getting to my feet. If all this was to him was a learning process then I'd let him learn from Michael or from any of the so-called guests. When I stood I found myself staring down the hallway toward a doorway that was partially open. My heart seared with rage and I stepped over Chi's legs and stormed toward the door. I pushed it open sharply, "You can't _be_ in here—" I froze when I found that I was talking to Terriermon and Lopmon. They were sitting on Willis' bed looking up to me with wounded expressions. In front of them was an open wooden box and the contents were strewn about the smooth bed covers. "Oh—I'm sorry." I started backing away, reaching stupidly for the door, but I wasn't looking and I bumped into a weird stone pedestal that began toppling back and forth. I steadied it and felt my face turn red, "Sorry," I repeated, heading for the exit, completely embarrassed.

"Jenna," Lopmon said softly, "Stay." I stopped and looked up. Chi was still sitting at the end of the hallway, looking to me with a worried expression but I slowly turned away from him and glanced at Lopmon again. She was motioning with her little hand for me to come sit with her. I checked with Terriermon first to make sure it was okay, and then did as she asked. The bed creaked under my weight and I looked around the room. The first thing I noticed was that Monodramon was standing in the corner, looking through some old photographs with Kudamon wrapped around his shoulders. They both looked up and smiled to me, but continued their journey through the past. I saw Willis' ridiculously old mirror hanging on the wall by his bed, and his closet doors were propped open showing all of his clothes just thrown inside messily. There were shelves lining the grey walls containing all sorts of expensive looking trinkets and there were small charms and beaded strings hanging from the light fixtures.

When I looked back to the bed I finally got a good look at what the digimon were looking at. The box itself was intricate and beautiful, made of some kind of redwood. The contents appeared to be pointless, inexpensive nothings. But it was clear to me, even at first glance, that these were the things that Willis found to be important. "I like this one," Terriermon said, holding up a tiny Rubik's cube. "It's my size." Lopmon smiled at him and pushed aside a long black chain to reveal a photograph that I had seen before. Three years ago Willis had found that in the attic of this very house. The picture was of Willis' father holding two babies. "Is that Alice?" Terriermon asked, leaning forward to get a better look at the picture. Lopmon nodded and tears welled up in her eyes as she held the picture close her to herself. Terriermon dropped the Rubik's cube to hug his sister. "But they're together now. Forever, just like us. Remember that, Lopmon."

"B-But I miss him," Lopmon's voice was more emotional that I had expected it to me. I reached out and stupidly grabbed her foot to comfort her. She looked over Terriermon's shoulder and locked eyes with me, trying to smile. She couldn't.

"I miss him too," a voice from behind us startled me and when I looked round I saw that it was Michael who had spoken. He was standing, hand in hand with Tatum and the two of them made their way into the room. Michael sat at the end of the bed, spinning around to sit cross legged and Tatum pulled herself up behind Terriermon and Lopmon. She pulled them into her arms and hugged them both. Monodramon and Kudamon made their way to the door to greet Betamon and the three of them came to join us on the bed. I moved toward Michael so they had more room, and then we were all surrounding the box on the bed, and looking down to the contents. "So these are the things that meant the most to Willis," Michael noted, looking to the box, "his keepsakes?"

"I think so," Terriermon nodded, crawling away from Tatum to look at the box again. He reached inside and pulled out a strange looking necklace, "The tag for his crest..." he looked again and pulled out another one, "The tag for his _other_ crest." Lopmon giggled and Terriermon handed one to her. "We can both have one."

Michael took a turn looking into the box and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He looked confused and he unfolded it to read what was written there. He cleared his throat and read, "'Mary, please give this key to Willis. It is all I have to pass to him, and I wish for him to remember me. Alice loves the necklace you sent for her, but I've put it out of her reach to keep her from breaking it. She can have it again when she is older. Tell Willis I love him for me. Talk to you later...'" Michael trailed off, "It's signed 'Keith'."

"Willis' dad," Tatum pointed out. When I looked to her I saw that her face was twisted into a pained sort of thought filled expression. "Keith was never keeping Willis a secret from Alice, was he? Not like Mary did to Willis." It was something I hadn't known, but what I _did_ know, was that Taichi had forced Willis to give that key to him to keep safe when it actually belonged to Willis' father and was the only thing he had left of him. I didn't think that was very fair.

"Is this the necklace?" Kudamon asked. I hadn't even noticed him crawl across the bed. He had pulled a pretty golden chain from the box. At the end of the chain was a large sparkling emerald. "Alice's necklace?"

Lopmon moved quickly toward him to get a better look at it. Kudamon gladly handed it off to her and she held it tightly in her hands, "I think it is."

"Hey," I said suddenly as my eyes fell to a strange figure made of toothpicks and tape. "I-I made this," I picked it up and held it in my hands as a smile formed on my face. I looked up and everyone seemed to be staring toward it with confused looks. "Willis and I made tiny voodoo dolls of each other out of toothpicks. His looked a lot better."

"I should hope so," Michael joked, staring at the disfigured person. I playfully punched his arm and he laughed. Then we were back to looking through the box at all the things Willis found to be important to him. There was a pressed four leaf clover, a series of metal objects that none of us could recognize, a class picture of the year he met Terriermon and Lopmon—he looked so sad, and in the picture Marshall sure looked like a complete jerk. There was a picture of Mari too, but as a child. It seemed that Willis and her had been in a group together at a zoo as children, but they looked maybe eleven this time. The picture was of Mari feeding a giraffe and laughing wildly. It was when I saw the picture that suddenly everything we had been seeing felt wrong. These were Willis' prized possessions . They were memories that meant something to _him_. It was not our duty to understand those memories, but to respect that Willis wanted them to be secret and inside the box.

I decided I'd leave the rest of them to it, and I left the room telling them I just needed some air.

Kudamon came with me, curling up around my neck. When I was walking down the stairs Dad caught my eye and excused himself from his conversation. "Honey," he said gently as I finished my trek down the stairs, "your boyfriend went outside alone."

"He's a big boy, Daddy," I rolled my eyes, "He can take care of himself."

"I know that," he agreed, "but he's also a digimon, and it pains me to say that my aunt Gertrude isn't fond of the species."

"Well that's not fair," Kudamon said, rolling his eyes, "She hasn't given me a chance! Wait until she hears me karaoke—then she'll change her tune."

Dad laughed lightly and then flicked his eyes to the door and I knew what he wanted from me. "Fine, I'll go check." I said flatly. He thanked me and then set off to find Mom because she was apparently not fit to be alone today. I couldn't blame her really. I wondered how this was going to affect her. When her husband had left her she had become someone who I could have even admired, and then later, when she found that he had died she had sort of faded. She shut off, and when she turned back on she wasn't someone Willis could even recognize. Slowly she had been returning to her place as the ambitious and hard working girl. She had published a cookbook and was looking into different charities to get involved with. She was being the person her son always wanted her to be, and now he was gone. Would she shut off again? When she turned back on would it ruin her relationship with my father?

I shook my head, not wanting to think about that. Instead I made my way to the back door, and along the way I passed a woman who was whispering to her husband, "I just don't understand _why_ the funeral is so long after his disappearance."

"I wonder how that's any of your business." I said flatly, not bothering to even look back at the woman. I honestly _hoped_ she was offended. I wasn't wrong. It was none of her business _whatsoever_. Willis had gone missing nearly three months ago now. It had been about a month since everyone had come home from their respective worlds. No one had really spoken about why the funeral was later rather than sooner, but we all knew the answer. There had been some kind of lingering hope after seeing everyone else return. We had all sort of just been waiting for him to come back. Just in case.

But he never did.

I forced the thought from my mind and I slipped behind the stairs and slid open the glass doors to the garden. Chi was easily spotted, sitting in the grass, staring down at the pink flower that represented Lalamon's grave. She had died exactly in that spot. Another funeral I had attended. I walked to Chi and held my hand out to him. He looked up, and stared to me, slowly taking my hand, "I'm sorry," he said bluntly, "For what I said."

"Don't be," I said honestly. I didn't say anything else. Even when he started asking me questions about where we were going. I simply hopped into my dad's car and started the engine. We drove for a while, and even though I knew where I was going, I didn't go directly there. Something about the loud music and the roaring wind rushing through my hair really helped me feel a little bit better. I did feel guilty though. I hadn't asked for the car, nor had I told anyone where I was going. But I didn't care that much. I was sure they would forgive me. Today of all days.

When I finally stopped, after pulling into the short driveway, I turned to Chi. His hair was no longer sleek or presentable. It was a mess of purple, and I knew mine was no better. Maybe I should have driven with the top of the car _up_.

"Why are we here?" Chi asked as he hopped out of the car. I followed his lead but said nothing. Instead I reached for his hand and waited for him to take mine. When he did I pulled him closer to me and then started walking toward the house. I wasn't going inside though, I was going to the backyard. Chi followed silently until we were standing by the willow tree. "What's this?"

"This is my mother's grave," I told him in a quiet voice. I pointed to the stone near the tree and he released my hand to read it.

"Autumn," he said quietly, "That's a pretty name." I nodded, and flared my nostrils in an attempt to stop my eyes from burning with tears. "So she was buried here?"

I thought for a moment it had been a rhetorical question but really, digimon didn't die. It was possible that he really didn't know anything about death. "Yeah," I confirmed. "I don't remember the funeral much. I just remember there being so many people, and I couldn't find Michael. My dad didn't have time to talk to me because he was busy talking to everyone else and I was all alone. I remember crying and I remember wanting to find my mom." I was trying to ignore the tears that were slowly making their way down my cheeks, but when Chi grabbed my hands to comfort me it was hard to do. When I took my next breath it was shaky, "I remember that I saw her too. I don't remember _seeing_ her. But I remember that I saw her—or I thought I did. For a long time I thought I was crazy—but she's not even human, so who knows. Maybe she did come to me."

I started dragging Chi away from her grave and toward the Looking Glass. The pond in my father's backyard served as the connection between the worlds. I pointed to the dock that led out into the water, "She was standing there."

"But you don't remember?" Chi questioned.

"No, I do," I told him, "I just don't remember _her_. I _know_ she was standing there." I took him closer to where I had seen her and we stood at the end of the dock for a moment, staring at the sun reflecting off the water. "Right here," I said quietly as I wiped the tears from my face. "She was here. She wanted me to come to her and I did."

"But you didn't believe she was there?" Chi asked. Of course his questions made sense. More sense than my story anyway. I was just telling him what I remembered happening. What I couldn't believe had happened because it didn't make any sense. It had never made sense to me. And I'd never told anyone this before.

"I believed it." I told him, "At the time. And then I didn't anymore. I still don't know what I believe. But the most vivid memory I have came from when I almost fell in the water. My mother grabbed me and pulled me back to this dock. My hat fell off, and she apologized to me, she was crying. And she was beautiful. I told her that. She had never looked so beautiful. But I don't remember now. I can't see her face. I want to. But I can't remember a damned thing about her." I was crying again, this time more steadily and Chi wrapped his arms around me quickly, "I want to feel close to her, but I c-can't even remember h-her face. I-I-I don't want to forget Willis too. I don't want to lose anyone else."

Chi gasped and I knew he was crying too. He tried to release me, but I wasn't ready yet. I just held onto him and cried.

It wasn't until I heard a voice that I released him.

When I turned I didn't even _believe_ what I was seeing. It didn't seem real—like she was copied and pasted into the scene because there was no logical explanation to be seeing her _here_.

It was Veronica. She was standing with Marshall and Tyler and Ricky. Michan and Tako were even here too, looking even _more_ out of place. Their arms were crossed, all of them, like they thought they belonged in some crazy gang. Chi did not release my hand as we stared toward them. Probably for the better because I wanted to grab that stupid braid on Veronica's head and hold it tight as I drowned her. I would never, but the thought came to my head. Not much I could do about that. Marshall appeared to have gotten a haircut. His red hair was now shaved so short that I could see his head right through it. His body was even more disproportionate than it already had been, and he looked angrier somehow too.

"Get _off_ of my property," I said sharply, even if it wasn't really _my_ property. I didn't really care what they thought. "You don't belong here."

Veronica threw her hands up defensively, "Easy tiger, I'm here for you." Chi stepped in front of me protectively but I pushed him aside. I didn't need his help to beat on her. If that's what she wanted, she was going to get it. "Your dad lives here, so I figured it would be the easiest way to find you. Funny, how you make me out to be the bad guy for lying about my parents, but here you are, living it up in a first class life. You didn't make that very clear, Jenna. You're a liar just like me."

"Do _not_ compare yourself to me," I snarled.

"And your bug-friend here lied too," Marshall added, "You thought he was a human, but he's not. Why are _we_ bad for lying to you at all?" He had a point, but it didn't matter. I wasn't going to forgive them or ever even _like_ them.

"What do you want?" I asked sharply.

"We're simply here to see how much you're willing to barter with," Marshall explained. Before I could express my confusion he added, "We know you know Arnold is in prison. It will take little time for the police to find connections with us. We want to know that you'll keep our secret."

"Ha!" Kudamon shouted suddenly, startling me. I had nearly forgotten he was there. "If you think we're going to let you get away with anything you've done then you're wrong."

"Don't talk to me you _pest_ ," Marshall spat.

"He's right," I snarled, "You have nothing to give me that would change my mind. I hope you all rot in prison." Except Tako, because she helped us, but I couldn't give away her cover!

"What did we _really_ do that was wrong?" Veronica asked desperately, fake tears—or maybe they were real, but I didn't feel anything so they meant nothing to me—welling up in her eyes.

I stepped toward her, my eyes narrowing. "You killed my brother. You worked closely with the man who was _killing_ so many innocent people. Digimon are people too, and you are sick. You are disgusting, and that virus Arnold sent out, killed so many people. Including Willis."

Marshall gasped, but when I turned to him he seemed actually _happy_. "Willis is dead?" I was seriously considering killing him this time. All I could think was that whatever he said next better not have been offensive. "So Mari's free then?"

Before I could even _think_ about hitting Marshall, Veronica had done it for me, hitting him hard in the arm. "Jerk." she stated flatly.

He was more than just a jerk though. She wasn't being cruel enough. "As if that's ever stopped you before. You're a vile, horrible human being, and not only will I not be helping you, I will be _actively_ working against you. All of you will face your crimes. And _what_ crimes, you may ask? Stalking is a crime, Marshall. Violence, destroying someone's property—that's all a crime." I turned to Michan, "Burning someone's restaurant down? Yeah, you think you're done with that, but you don't even know the half of it." Then to Veronica, "You lie, you cheat and you manipulate to get exactly what you want, but you can stop your crying _right_ now, because this time, _I_ will get what _I_ want. You're going down Veronica Truman. I hope you look good in orange, because I hear it's the new black."

Veronica's fake tears disappeared instantly and she started advancing on me, but Marshall was quicker and he grabbed me by both of my shoulders, lifting me with ease off of the ground. It only lasted a second though because the side of Marshall's head had been hit with the end of Chi's scythe weapon, and Marshall dropped me. I turned to see Chi preparing his weapon more readily and he smirked, ready to attack. "Let's just _go_ ," Veronica said, grabbing Marshall's hand. "We should get out of here before they actually find something to pin us with."

My jaw actually dropped. Had she not been listening at all? I had plenty of things to pin on her. She was not going to get away with this. She was going down, and I was going to watch as it happened.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** We continue on the track to healing with Mimi and Kurayami giving us a glimpse into their lives this time.


	3. Cleaning Out

**Y/N:** Mimi is generally a fun character to write as, because she can be sweet, endearing or ridiculous. She always keeps me on my toes. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

 **U/N:** Kurayami is forced into a rather dark trip this story, but it comes in a way we haven't seen before because she's so trapped in someone else's drama that... is really just her own drama. The story is rather intense in a real world setting but it's nothing for the people who kill digital gods in their spare time. At least in theory.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 03: Clearing Out**

 _ **Mimi Tachikawa:**_

I was a pretty lenient person, wasn't I? It had been a _month_ since I returned from Sidhendor, and I hadn't kicked up a fuss, I bided my time, waiting to see what would happen. But it seemed all my waiting was for naught because they had all taken my generosity and stretched it passed its limit. I wasn't going to sit by and just let things continue anymore. I had to get to work and rebuild my life, rebuild my dream.

Palmon and I stood in the entryway of said dream, and all we could see, was a big, fat mess. There were papers strewn all over the tables. The tables themselves were all either shoved to the side, or pushed together in the middle of the room. There were curtains hung in the upper-dining area, dividing the space into sleeping quarters. There were tables in some of those "rooms" that were being used as bed frames, holding air mattresses up, while leaving space to store clothing and instruments and other personal items that belonged to the two people using my dining hall as living quarters. There was another air mattress on the floor near the tables, for the second person to sleep on.

And there was spray paint on my walls. I didn't _mind_ what was painted exactly. They had painted the crests as they talked about them on the videos that they broadcast across the nation. I'd watched every single video dutifully, and was proud of the work my friends had done to spread the good word about digimon. On the other hand, they had put _spray paint_ on my _walls_!

It simply wouldn't do. It wasn't professional in the slightest. It inspired me to put framed images of the crests on the walls, but I wouldn't use all of them. It wouldn't be practical to have so many crests up on the walls. It would look cluttered. I knew three crests that would make the final cut though: destiny, miracles and desire. I would commemorate our fallen friends _some_ way. I could look at them every day, and remember them, because I didn't _ever_ want to forget. I didn't want to forget even a single detail.

I just wished I'd known more about them.

I spent _years_ being friends with Willis. I knew him pretty well, but after I moved back to Japan, our friendship sort of fell by the wayside. I didn't put in the effort I probably should have. I was a bad friend, and I didn't try to include him as much as I could have. That was on me, and I would carry that knowledge with me like a heavy weight on my heart.

With Kiyoko, I barely put _any_ effort into it. I knew him through Hideto and Koushiro, more than from actually speaking with him. He would come around to visit with Koushiro, and I'd be there, but I never once hunted him down to talk one-on-one, except for when he designed the interior of my restaurant the _last_ time it had been destroyed—a much more difficult fix than this one—and unfortunately, I'd been far too stressed out to really enjoy his company. And now, the fire had destroyed all of his hard work.

I should have done better, with _both_ of them—and Rei too. I barely knew her either. Taichi and Rei lived in the Digital World, and I couldn't be bothered to make the "difficult" trip to visit them. I only saw them during digidestined meetings. I could have popped over to their house and hung out with Rei for the day. But I never did.

I should have.

But I couldn't change that now.

I couldn't change anything.

I _could_ however, clear out my restaurant and get another fresh start. I would do better with my other friends. I would get to know the ones I didn't know very well—Mari, Neo, Ken, Kurayami, Iori, Daisuke—and I would put in the extra effort to strengthen my weakening bonds—with Michael and Miyako. I wouldn't repeat the same mistakes with any of my other friends. I would spend time with their girlfriends and wives—Momoe, Natsuni and Tatum—and even put effort into getting to know Mantarou, no matter how upset I was by _that_ particular development. If Sora wanted to date him, then he _must_ be worth knowing.

And I knew _exactly_ who I was going to start with. It was perfect. I'd set up a little date for the two of them here at my restaurant, and I would help them find the love that was so _obviously_ between them. Neo and Evelen were _destined_ for each other.

With a smile—rare for me these days, since I couldn't push the hard loss we'd all suffered from my mind—I looked to Palmon and pointed towards the kitchen. She grinned and we tiptoed to the kitchen, being careful not to wake our "guests". Once we were safely in the kitchen, I sent a quick text off to Neo.

 _Hey! You should totally come by the restaurant today. It's going to be awesome! You'll love it, I swear._

I hit send and decided to send the exact same text to Evelen—whose number I totally stole from Neo's phone when he wasn't looking. I was like a superspy, sneaking in there when he was sleeping off the pain medication. He was out like a light, he didn't even suspect anything. I was amazing!

Palmon and I grabbed a pot each with one hand. She grabbed a wooden spoon with her second, but I chose a good, solid, steel spatula. Once we had our weapons of choice, I kicked open the kitchen door and it slammed into the wall with a BANG! Palmon and I started banging on our pots, making the most obnoxious noises we absolutely could.

"This is your wake-up call," I said loudly, over the banging of our pots, using my most customer friendly voice. I sounded like an overly happy flight attendant. "Please get out of bed, and then get your bed out of my restaurant. That will be all, thank you."

"You heard her!" Palmon yelled. "Up, up, UP!"

Everyone that was still asleep jumped up and some rolled off of the tables onto the person sleeping on the air mattresses on the floor. It was _perfect_. I had a sort of vicious thrill as I watched them scramble, and cover their ears with their hands, and push their friends off of their stomachs. One of the air mattresses popped.

"What the _hell_ was that for?" one of the Teenage Wolves said. I was pretty sure it was Yutaka, but I didn't really know them very well either. I mentally added Yamato to the list of friendships that needed renewed effort. I _should_ have been able to identify his band mates. They'd only been his band since he was fourteen.

"What did we ever do to _you_?" Katsue asked, rubbing her eyes. Monimon was curling into her chest, and she was trying to pry him away from her. I stopped banging my pot, for his sake—and _only_ because I didn't want to frighten the little digimon anymore. I had a heart, no matter how impatient I was.

"You have had an entire month to pack things up and get the heck out of my restaurant. It's a place to serve _food_ , not a place to serve justice. I'm really, _really_ happy that you were able to use this place while I was away to help fight against Arnold, but I'm planning on rebuilding. I'm going to open it up to the public again, and this whole secret rebel group thing is really going to hinder that," I told her.

"People don't want to buy food when there are potential criminals hiding away in the same building," Palmon said knowingly—even if it was a situation that had literally never come up before, so she couldn't possibly _know_ it like she wanted everyone to think.

"Mr Ando, I _know_ you have a home to go back to," I pointed out. "Your daughter isn't staying here anymore either. You have literally nothing holding you here. You can go. Mantarou, I don't care where you go, but you can't stay here. Sora's not going to want to date a guy that has taken up a permanent residence in a restaurant. Get back home, okay? Your sisters did, _both_ of them. Chiziru even seemed to remember that she has a serious boyfriend—and he didn't even bat an eye when she told him why she forgot to call."

"That's true," Mantarou agreed. "But I think she left to be with her son."

"I suppose I really ought to ensure that my wife has packed her things away, and removed herself from my property," Mr Ando decided, nodding his head.

"Teenage Wolves," Palmon said, addressing them. "I don't know if you actually _have_ a home, but you know, Yamato gets pretty lonely at his apartment with just Gabumon for company. Maybe you can take your air mattresses and go _there_."

"We have homes," Yutaka said, rolling his eyes.

"We're pretty well off, you know," the second Wolf—Akira, I thought. "We're a pretty popular band. It's not just Yamato like most of the fans seem to think."

"I don't know," the final Wolf—Takashi—said. "We weren't very popular when we got rid of him."

"We weren't _unpopular_ either," Yutaka argued.

"We were on middle ground," Akira agreed. "It's just that Yamato wrote all of our songs, and _sang_ all of our songs, and played bass on all of our songs. And he never wrote the music out either, so none of our potential replacements could do what they needed to."

"Selfish guy," Yutaka said sagely.

"Yeah right," Katsue said. She finally gave up and let Monimon do whatever he wanted, but she'd pushed herself into a seated position. "Your band is practically Yamato and the Pips. Without him you were doomed."

"Oh, is he in the band again?" I asked, eagerly.

"I….don't know," Akira said. "That seems like something we should know."

"We really should," Takashi agreed.

"I've got an idea!" Palmon called excitedly, before dropping the happy act and using a bitter, deeper voice that was nearly a growl. "Pack up all of your junk and go to Yamato's house and ask him."

"Yes ma'am," the three guys chorused all at once.

"Where exactly do you expect us to do our work?" Katsue wanted to know. "We can hardly lead the digimon revolution from _nowhere_."

"I don't _know_ ," I whined. "Take it to the Coliseum, or the Temple—it's clear of the virus now—or go to Mari's library! I don't know, and I really don't care. Just take your stuff, and bring it somewhere else. I need to fix this place up so I can get my life back on track."

"Fine," Katsue said. "Whatever. It's going to take time though. We've accumulated a ton of junk."

"Just load it into my car," Mantarou suggested. "I'll bring it wherever we're going to go."

"Or…how about _you_ guys do that, and I'll just, skedaddle," Yutaka suggested, as he slowly edged his way to the door. Palmon whipped out her Poison Ivy and blocked off his path. She stood in the doorway, acting as guard as they all packed their stuff away, only letting them through if they were bringing stuff to Mantarou's car. Once, she tracked Yutaka down on the street after he'd made a run for it, which probably wasn't helping the public's image of digimon in general, but the rest of us found it hilarious.

After four _long_ hours, everything that didn't belong in the restaurant was gone.

My restaurant was mine once more to do as I wished.

It was _amazing_!

I hadn't even _thought_ that I would get a chance to rebuild my restaurant to its former glory. It hadn't crossed my mind while I was in Sidhendor. It was so far from reality, that it wasn't even a blip on my radar. But here I was—here _we_ were, now that Palmon was at my side again—standing here, with an empty, charred canvas in front of us. It was more than anything I could have dared to hope for.

"Where do we start, Mimi?" Palmon asked, eyes filled with the same excitement I knew was brimming in my own. She looked to the spray paint on the walls and wrinkled her nose. "Are we going to get some fresh paint?"

"No," I said, shaking my head quickly. My hair flicked back and forth easily, since it was so much lighter after my hack job. I'd had a professional hairdresser fix the mess I'd made, and after a month, it had finally grown to a length I was comfortable with. It reached just passed my shoulders, but there were a bunch of layers in there now that made my head feel even lighter than my quick hack job had. "We'll have to sand the walls down, and find out which ones need replacing before we waste any time on painting them."

"Good point," Palmon said, nodding. "We could sweep the floors?"

"I was thinking we could do something a bit more fun," I said, teasingly. "Shove a table to the middle of the room, Palmon. I'm going to find some candles."

She agreed to cater to my whims, and headed towards the nearest table—a cute little two-person table—and shoved it to the centre of the dining platform. I threw a simple black tablecloth at her, and she put it on, while I hunted down a candelabra. I filled the holders with taper candles, and placed it in the middle of the covered table. I tracked down some matches, for lighting the candles, and Palmon set out the charger plates, and folded the napkins while I laid out the bread and butter plate, and the silverware. I finished off each plate setting with a cup and saucer, a wine glass and a water goblet.

"I'll find a wine bucket," Palmon offered, and she skipped off in search of it. I told her not to forget to fill it with ice, before I started to work on taking inventory. Noting what foods I had, and what I didn't, I got to work. I planned out a five course meal, and once Palmon found the bucket, and poured ice in it, I slipped a bottle of Umeshu—a plum wine—into it. Palmon and I chopped and diced and cooked, and when our meal was finished, I started tapping my foot.

"Where _are_ they?" I whined. I had an appetizer on the table waiting for them. I flopped into one of the chairs, and munched on an edamame with yuzu sea salt.

"Did you invite anyone?" Palmon asked, sounding surprised. I realized I _still_ hadn't explained what we were doing to her. I pulled out my phone, hoping it would provide me with answers, as I explained my date idea to her. "Are you _sure_ you want to mess with their love life?"

"Of _course_ ," I said, rolling my eyes. "They need a little push. Look! Neo texted me, he says: _Don't text me, you're annoying._ Huh. That's rude. But it's okay, because he sent me another one. _Even if I could physically get out of this hospital bed, I wouldn't—no matter how "exciting" it is meant to be_. What a bully."

"Mimi, he got _shot_ ," Palmon reminded me. I gasped. I completely forgot. It slipped my mind entirely in my quest of true love. "He's been allowed home every now and then, but he always has to go check back in. Dracomon was telling me."

"What a bummer," I complained.

The front door opened with a jingle—the bells still worked at least. I looked up, hoping to see Evelen, but only saw Koushiro instead. His eyes flitted quickly over the room, and he walked over to me like he was on a mission. He handed me a cream folder with papers tucked inside.

"I finished your budget sheets," he told me quickly. "It didn't take very long, but I have a lot of other projects I _should_ be working on. I just didn't want you to be without it if you planned on starting up again soon."

"Thank you," I told him, leaning in to kiss him. He barely stayed still long enough for me to catch his cheek. I looked at him funny. "You're being weird again," I accused him.

"No I'm not," he said, waving it off. "I'm being myself. I'm always myself. Maybe it's _you_ that's being weird, would that be so out of character. I don't think so."

"Me either," Palmon said with a giggle. I cast a good natured glare at the pair of them.

"I should really go," he said, hesitating for just a second. He decided against leaving, after catching sight of the dinner. "I didn't forget a date, did I? I think I'd remember one. I don't really have time for one right now. Can we reschedule?"

"It's not for _you_ , dummy," I said, rolling my eyes. "And you'd _know_ if you forgot a date. I wouldn't be subtle about it, like, at all."

"Okay," he said, sounding relieved. "I'm really busy."

"So you've said," I told him, starting to get annoyed. Did he think I had _that_ short of a memory? Or was he just rubbing it in that he had so much work to do that I wouldn't get a chance to see him _again_ tonight. I wasn't sure if he came home at all some nights. "Are you okay? You're getting rather distant."

"I'm fine," he said, shaking his head quickly. He was always hurrying these days. "Do you think I'm _not_ okay? Am I doing something wrong? I'm not trying to. I don't have time to try to do that."

"I know," I said, groaning. "You're always busy. I get it. Just send Tentomon home tonight, okay? He gets grumpy if he can't watch his nature documentaries before bed."

"I can probably do that," he said. He looked to the clock and did a quick double-take, as though he didn't believe what time the clock was saying. "I have to go," he said in shock. "It's so much later than I thought. I'm really behind."

"Get some rest," I told him.

"Rest is for the weak," he responded, slipping out of the door.

"I'm worried about him," Palmon confessed. I nodded my agreement, and I sighed. He'd been distant for awhile. I wasn't _sure_ , but I thought it might be because he wasn't healing. He was pushing himself too hard, trying to pick up the slack of everyone else that had been injured. He wanted to get to the root of the problems and fix them before he would take the time to relax. It was impossible, however, for him to do that while he remained injured. I couldn't begin to guess where he was getting all of his energy.

As I was tossing another edamame into my mouth—Palmon had one too—the door jingled again. I turned, expecting Koushiro to have come back to spend time with us, but I should've known that wasn't going to be the case. Instead, Evelen stood in the doorway, looking around, confused—but acting totally nonchalant about it, like she couldn't even care. I grinned excitedly.

"You came!" I cheered.

"You told me to," she said awkwardly. "You promised something exciting."

"Yeah, well, Neo can't come, so the date idea is out," I complained. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. Palmon laughed at my face when I looked put out by it.

"He was shot," she pointed out.

"That's what I said!" Palmon said, still laughing at me.

"And if I knew it was about a date, I wouldn't have come either," Evelen decided. I pouted, which only made Palmon laugh harder. "It wouldn't have worked anyway. You can't _make_ people go on a date. And Neo definitely isn't the type to fall for simple tricks like that."

I noticed that she didn't say the same about herself. I took that as a minor win. I _knew_ they totally wanted to get together. Sora wasn't the only one that could see potential love matches—and I was referring to _me_ , and not Hideto.

"Do you want to stay and eat anyway?" I asked, somewhat desperately. "We went to a lot of trouble making it. I don't want it to go to waste."

"What've you got?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. She was debating whether to stay, and I knew I had to really sell it. Luckily, Palmon and I were a fantastic team, and we whipped up a truly kick-butt dinner plan for the pair of them—mostly because I knew Neo was so high class about everything.

"Miso soup with mussels, to start off the dinner," I said. "It'll warm you right to your toes, and it delivers a truly beautiful deep flavour. It's also oh, so satisfying."

"The soup is followed up by tofu with crab sauce," Palmon continued, picking up where I let off. "It may be small, but it is a flavour bomb. The crab meat is cooked in dashi broth, and there's fresh ginger as a garnish, to really set the flavours moving."

"Chirashi sushi follows up that little burst of flavour," I said with a smile and a wink. "We've topped it with shrimp and fresh asparagus today, which mix well with the more traditional ingredients, to really set off this delicate flavour journey."

"For the entrée," Palmon added. "We've prepared a piece of miso glazed black cod, and paired it with sautéed broccoli. The fish is flaky and the broccoli provides a discrete, yet nutritious, backdrop for the dish. For dessert, we've got yuzu crème brulee. It's crunchy and sweet and it's just to die for."

"And we've paired it all with a lovely plum wine," I added, showing her the bottle. "Oh, and there's still some edamame with yuzu sea salt."

"You know, I think I'll stay," Evelen said.

"Yay!" Palmon and I cheered.

"Though," Evelen noted, "I noticed that like, everything you listed has meat in it." I looked to her with an expression I hoped didn't look too confused, "You did know that Neo was a vegetarian, right?"

"No," I admitted. I looked to Palmon who looked horror stricken.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked, panicked.

"It just means he doesn't eat meat," I explained to her, and she relaxed into her chair.

"You're fixing this place up then?" Evelen asked, trying to start a conversation, and I latched on to it. I wanted to do this right. I wanted to take the time to get to know her because she was important to Neo, whether he'd admit it or not. And I wasn't going to repeat the mistake I'd made with Rei. I would _know_ Evelen, rather than just 'know' her.

"I am," I said, nodding quickly. "I need to pick out colours, and themes and stuff. I can't just do the same thing again, because Hideto hinted very heavily against that idea, and since it was his dead boyfriend that designed it, I don't want to be insensitive to his grieving, you know? But I just don't have any ideas, and I _wanted_ to use the same designs _because_ Kiyoko designed them, and I wanted to remember his work. But the only other idea I have is having framed images of his and Willis' crests."

"That's so nice," Palmon said, beaming at me. I grinned back. "But it's not very helpful."

"I think you should open the entryway up," Evelen suggested. "It's kind of like a hallway, and I get that this place is a renovated house, it's kind of obvious, but the entry would get kind of congested with all the people that come in and out of it."

"That's true," Palmon agreed. "They really do."

"It's just annoying, right?" Evelen asked, and Palmon giggled and nodded. "So you just need to open it up a bit, and you could even put your memorial images there. You could expand it, if there's anyone else you lost, or if your customers want to add someone to a memorial board, it would be an interesting way to interact with them, and make them feel like they belong, and that they matter. They'd come back too, because they'd want to see the picture they brought. I don't know. It's probably crazy—"

"No!" I interrupted. "It's perfect. I can add Rei, and Hiraga and Noriko too—and whatever digimon we can find pictures for, but since they were deleted completely, I don't know how well that'll work…. But it's so important to remember people, you know?"

"I know," she said softly. She ate one of the edamame and smiled. "You know, this is really good. So where's that dinner you promised me?"

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

I had missed months four and five of my child's development, and I had feared he would never forgive me. I was wrong. I had been stupid to believe that I could be wrong for my child. Stupid because he loved me, and he loved Daisuke, and wasn't that enough? Haruki would laugh every time any one walked into the room, and he would roll around with glee, and honestly, just seeing his smiling face and hearing that infectious laugh was enough to ridicule myself for ever staying away.

The darkness was never going to be gone. And late at night, the memories of my mother still kept me up occasionally, but Daisuke was always there. It hurt to know the truth, and sometimes I wished I was still living in ignorance, but I could not change the past. My mind was now filled with dreadful memories and flashes of my mother. But now I knew that I lived my own life. I lived a life where I could choose what to embrace. I chose to embrace the good within the darkness, and I'd even managed to use my powers to fight again. That was something I hadn't been able to do since Fanglongmon. But now that I had a better grip on myself, it became clear to me that I _could_ raise Haruki. I really could, and he would love it if I did too. I could tell.

Haruki screamed with delight and began laughing again when Daisuke lazily strode down the stairs to the basement. We both turned to Haruki who was holding the side of the couch to prop himself up. He bounced up and down with amusement and his laugh was so all consuming that his eyes were squinted all the way closed.

"I'm starting to take offense to him laughing at me," Daisuke joked as he made his way to the couch, where he flopped down and scooped Haruki up to sit with him.

"He's just telling you that he loves you," Sora told him with a smile.

Daisuke hummed and grinned at the baby, thinking that was just adorable. And it was. Haruki, who couldn't do much of anything, began reaching for Daisuke's face to grab it. "You can't reach me because you're little and your arms are short as hell." Daisuke paused and waited for Haruki's reaction. Then, all at once, Haruki began laughing again and Daisuke started laughing with him.

Sora looked up from her place on the floor and smiled to the infant, then turned back to the box in front of her. "You know, I have a weird feeling about Haruki."

"What?" I asked sharply, turning toward her.

Sora looked up, and grabbed my arm shaking her head, "No, he's fine. It's just something I've felt since he was born. I thought maybe it was just because he was a baby, but I didn't remember feeling this way with Emiko, and I certainly don't with Mai."

"You just like him more," Daisuke explained with a goofy grin.

"No," Sora said, rolling her eyes, "Haruki is beautiful, but I love them all equally. It's something different. I can't really explain it. Oh well— _hey_ look!" Sora reached into the box and pulled out a strange colourful contraption, "This was my favourite toy as an infant. My mom says I would play with it nonstop."

"Okay," I said cautiously, "Are you going to use it again?" Sora shook her head, "Will you use it for your future children?" Sora looked at the chipped paint and dented corners and shook her head, "Did you even remember you owned it?" Once more, Sora shook her head. "Then maybe you should just get rid of it?"

Sora looked nervously from me to the toy in her hand, "Or Haruki could play with it!" she decided suddenly, getting to her feet and moving towards Haruki. "He'll love it."

"Sora, I'm sure he will," I told her, "but you said you wanted to get rid of stuff."

"Actually Taichi said that." Sora turned around and looked to me with her hands on her hips and she was deep in thought. She had a feather boa around her neck, something she claimed she used all the time and could not get rid of, around her waist was a skipping rope that she was sure she could use for something productive, and each of her fingers was covered in colourful rubber rings that she had as a child. "He's not wrong, I really should get rid of some things..."

"We're not going to force you," Daisuke said, finally sitting up, keeping Haruki steady of course. He could sit on his own now! Haruki, I mean. Daisuke could too, but that was less impressive. "We're so grateful that you allowed us to stay here at all, Sora." We all looked around to the basement room. It was large and spanned to about three quarters of size of the actual house. The ceiling was tall enough to walk around in, but not tall enough to reach up. There was plenty of light, and thin windows that appeared around the room letting damp light filter into the room. The walls were a bluish colour of drywall, and every ten feet or so a wooden support beam interrupted the blue. The floor was carpeted, and cool. It was obvious that there was cement underneath. The basement itself was very nice considering it was a basement—it was better than our last apartment for goodness sake. "But we're not going to make you get rid of all of your keepsakes just to make room for us."

Sora looked around again, this time over to the pile of garbage bags—filled with her old clothes that she had yet to go through—where Veemon and Labramon were climbing to the top of the pile just to roll off, laughing all the while. She then looked back to the box of toys she had just been looking through and she sighed. She moved toward the box again and reached in, pulling out a translucent green plastic container. She stared at it for a moment, and it seemed to mean something to her.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A sewing kit," She told me, popping the top off of it. Inside was a series of colourful thread and many different sized needles. "Yamato gave it to me."

"Okay, well that's actually something you could use, so we can keep that," I said brightly, happy to have finally found something worth keeping so Sora's spirits didn't fall too drastically. She spun around and dropped it in the box marked 'away'. "What? Why—?"

"I think she's being metaphorical," Daisuke whispered loudly. Sora breathed a simple laugh and threw a stuffed sheep toward Daisuke who ducked out of the way, shielding Haruki from the flying animal.

Biyomon was coming over now, dragging a large burlap sack behind her. "Sora, look what I've found. It's a bag of material! Now you can make that dress you wanted." Sora looked amused because 'material' was pretty vague and she hopped to her feet to go look it over, but she heard a knock from upstairs. "Are you expecting someone?" Biyomon asked, worried. "Should I hide? Are we to trust them? I know a good hiding place. I think Veemon will fit with me, but unless Labramon learns to walk on two feet he's going to have to find a different hiding place, but I'm sure there's room in all this junk—"

"Hey," Sora protested, then she waved it away, "I'm sure it's nothing. You're probably fine."

"How will we know if it's safe? What if you're taken away from us?" Biyomon panicked.

"How about," Sora decided, "If I _scream_ at the top of my lungs, you'll know I'm in danger."

"Mhm, okay," Biyomon nodded seriously, "Subtle, I like it. They'll never even know what hit them." Biyomon hugged Sora's legs again, something she'd been doing since we moved in. I wasn't sure if it was something she typically enjoyed doing, or something she was doing because she had missed Sora during the virus. When Biyomon finally let her partner go, Sora made her way toward the stairs and she was gone a moment later.

Daiskue looked to me and I could tell he was going to ask me something in that way he always did. He was thinking just then, so it meant that he was trying to find the right way to ask me something, and so he was going to be blunt and feign a casual demeanour, but I already knew that was coming so it just seemed pointless, but I waited for him to come to the conclusion on his own. Finally, when he did, I found myself to be right. "So," he said _casually_ , "Have you heard from Norn?"

Most often when he used this technique it meant the question was something he was worried I might get upset about. Of course I was upset about this question, but I would not take that out on him. I was upset because Norn was _gone_.

 _"Kurayami Higorashi."_ Norn had said. _"You get off the ground right now."_ I didn't. _"Listen to me! You wanted to know the truth. You wanted these memories, and now you have them. They're wicked and they're broken, but they are only_ _proof_ _that you are wrong. They are proof that you found love even out of all of that darkness. You are the hope your son needs."_

 _"Just get up! You're going to die! It's not safe! I love you, you know I do, but there are other things I_ _need_ _to be doing right now. I need you to promise me that you can hold out for just a little while longer. I'll have more time later, and I know this sounds harsh, but you need to get up."_

What were those other things she needed to be doing? Where was she now? There were many fears that filled me about the fate of Norn, some worse than others. Had the virus gotten to her too? Was she now dead, or trapped somewhere? There was no way to check because the key to the In-Between didn't even work. I'd tried it time and time again, both when we were trapped inside the Coliseum, and when we had gotten out. The In-Between was sealed for some reason. Was it because Norn was in danger, in pain or because she no longer trusted me. Was she keeping me out because she did not want to talk to me anymore?

 _"I know you, I_ _really_ _do. I trust you and I care about you. You couldn't hurt a fly. Not on your own accord."_

I had broken her trust. I had hurt much more than a fly. I had hurt a living being, and now Norn refused to talk to me. I couldn't feel bad though. I did, but I couldn't. I had hurt that living being to save Miyako. I would never be proud of what I had done, and I would never forget that the man's life was taken by my own hands. I would never forget, but I could live in a relative peace, knowing I had done the right thing.

"No," I told Daisuke finally, "No, I haven't." There was a pause, and I thought quickly to change the subject, "Is your cart ready?"

His face lit up, "Almost," He said with a grin, "I'm so close. Soon Veemon and I can be working together again. Even if we _are_ working in different worlds. I think I'm going to set his cart up in the Coliseum instead though. Give them something else to eat. Of course we won't charge them—so we won't be making a lot of money."

"Any money that is made should really go to Sora," I told him and he nodded his agreement.

"Absolutely," he nodded, "She's feeding us and housing us. We have to help her pay her insane rent, at least while we're here with her."

It made sense, especially since she didn't have a job at the moment herself. Come to think of it, I wasn't sure how Sora had been making money her entire life. I knew that in high school she made jewelry and people bought that, and she went on to paint pictures for people and still people purchased them. I knew _now_ that she was still doing those things as well as creating clothes and selling them to whoever wanted them, but that was not enough for her six years of total schooling, nor this house itself. Perhaps her mother and father had been helping her along.

I remembered then that Sora was still doing her 'year abroad' that she had chosen to do here, closer to home. So far that had to be the worst year ever. But even so, Sora was the hardest working person I knew. She was always doing _something_. She was definitely one of the most active members of the Digidestined team, and she had been making money in preparation for her future since she was fifteen years old, and now she was living in a beautiful home with a very spunky and fun boyfriend. I wanted to be more like Sora.

"I think I'm getting a job," I decided.

"No," Daisuke said, but it almost sounded like a question, like he wasn't sure why I was telling him such a ridiculous joke. "You can't do that."

"I can, and I _should_." I argued. "We should be helping Sora out as much as we can, and besides, if we ever plan to move out we'll need some money saved up."

"But what about Haruki?" Daisuke questioned.

"Labramon can babysit him," I explained, "And if ever he needs a break I'm sure Takeru would love to do it as well. He misses Haruki. He calls me every day." My phone vibrated as if to emphasize my point, "That's probably him," I said, reaching for the phone. I held it up and saw a message from Hikari. "It's not, but that doesn't change anything." Daisuke smirked, but his joyous expression fell when he looked to Haruki.

"I just don't want him to be one of those kids who grows up without their parents around," Daisuke said, defeated.

"Are you trying to tell me that you're _not_ going to spend time with him when you come home from work?" I asked. Daisuke shook his head, "Exactly, he'll still have us both. I want to help. I want to do something—I don't like feeling like a waste of space."

"You are everything _but_ a waste of space, Kura," Daisuke said seriously, staring at me directly in the eyes. I diverted eye contact, blushing and he laughed, "I'm serious. You're perfection." I got to my feet, rolling my eyes and I kissed him quickly before patting Haruki's head. "Where are you going?"

"To make some lunch," I decided, "What do you want?" before he could decide, Haruki had shoved the contraption Sora had given him off of the couch and laughed as it fell to the floor with a loud crash. "Haruki," I scolded. He stopped laughing and looked to me, and after a pause his face broke out into another grin. I couldn't stay mad at him. He started giggling foolishly and flailing his arms up and down as he bounced in Daisuke's lap. "I'll just make whatever," I told Daisuke who seemed pleased with this.

As I made my way up the stairs it became clear that whoever had knocked on the door was still present in the house. It was a man with a very deep voice. A voice I did not recognize. I paused at the top of the stairs, listening. Their voices were coming from the kitchen, just around the corner from me and I could hear them well.

"You're trying to tell me you don't know who this masked figure is at _all_?" the man asked in disbelief.

"I'm not _trying_ to tell you that," Sora said flatly, "I _have_ told you that. You are simply not grasping the simple dialect that I am speaking with you. I will try to tone down my words for you." Sora cleared her throat, "I—that's me, Sora Takenouchi—do not—as in 'no'—know who that man is—the one in the picture. I don't know him. I have never seen him aside from when the picture was shown to me at the trial. Or I've never seen the mask anyway. I might know the person but I don't know the mask."

"So you do know," the man assumed, "If you do not tell me who it is, I will find out for myself."

"Well you're going to _have_ to," Sora said through gritted teeth, "Because I don't _know_ who it is!"

The man didn't seem to believe her, and I could tell that without even looking at him, "So to sum up what we've gone over," he said, "you don't know the masked man, you don't know what RISE is, and you have no idea what happened to police chief Moretsuna?"

My stomach twisted immediately. I knew what happened to Moretsuna all too well. I knew Sora knew the basics, but if this man wanted to know what happened then talking to me was his best bet. I could still clearly see his body dissipating after I had shot him. He had disappeared because I had been too violent, but not violent enough.

"That is correct," Sora said, annoyed, "You have very good deductive reasoning skills—oh no, wait... I told you all of those things explicitly. So you didn't sum anything up, you're just repeating my words to me in a way that clearly states you do not agree or believe in them."

"Well you read me better than I read you, I suppose," the man said, "Because you're right. I don't believe you. I think you know exactly what happened to Sakana."

She didn't though. This man, just like the lawyer at Sora's trial, was accusing Sora of something that she did not do. I _knew_ she did not do it because _I_ had done it with my own two hands. I wasn't about to let this go on any further. Sora had assured me after the trial that Iori's lawyer thought nothing of it, and that it was nothing to worry about. Apparently they had all been wrong because it was not over. I was _not_ going to let someone take all the blame for _my_ mistakes.

I had taken one step out from the doorway when Daisuke grabbed my hand and stopped me. He shook his head and motioned for me to follow him down the stairs. I didn't want to, but I wasn't about to ignore him completely. I would at least hear him out.

"What is it?" I asked, not wasting any time when we got to the bottom of the stairs, "I need to go set that man straight."

"No you don't," Daisuke said bluntly, "You'll ruin everything."

"Ruin _what_ , sorry?"

"Ruin the plan," he said flatly. "Sora and I have a plan. You cannot admit to what you did, because our plan does the opposite of that. Sora and Horitsu __are working together to put this to rest. Right now Sora is up there, lying so that Haruki can have both of his parents." I stared at him blankly. I didn't even know how to stand, let alone how to react or what to say. I felt like someone had just ripped the rug out from underneath me and I couldn't find my footing. "I know, it seems wrong to make Sora do this, but she's on board. It was _her_ idea. I just agreed. I don't want you in prison."

"I don't want _Sora_ in prison for something she didn't _do_!" I hissed nervously, glancing to the stairs where I knew a stranger was waiting for a confession just like the one I was dying to make. "Daisuke, this is insane. I won't allow it."

"It's not really your choice," Daisuke argued, "It's Sora's. She made her bed so that you sleep peacefully."

"That hardly makes any sense," I snapped.

"She gave you the good metaphorical pillows," Daisuke said, trying to piece his words together, "or something—I don't know. You can't admit to this because I won't let you." He stared at me with an intense gaze as if he could convince me to change my mind, "Think of Haruki."

My eyes flicked over to the baby who was laying on the couch, playing with his own hand while he shoved it in his mouth. Next to him sat Veemon and Biyomon while Labramon sat on the floor nearby, all eyes were on me. All aside from Haruki because he was too young to understand. He was too small to grasp that his mother could be in serious danger. _Was_ in serious danger. He would never understand why I had taken someone's life, and he would never understand that I had gone to prison to save someone else. Unless he _did_ understand. It was possible that he would grow to believe I had done right. It was also possible that he would never love the murderous woman who deserted him in his infant years to go to prison for life.

"We have to help," I said, coming to a decision, "I understand why you're doing this, but I can't lie or hide something this big. Or anything really."

"Untrue," Daisuke said simply, gesturing to my phone, "You've been hiding something from me for weeks. I'm not asking you what it is, because it's none of my business. You keep denying it, but I'm not dumb. There's something you don't want me to know. I'm not sure that I _do_ want to know anyway. Keep your secrets, that's fine. You're good at it. So keep this one too."

I was offended, and I was hurt. But he wasn't wrong, so I had no right to say a thing. Hikari and I were both hiding things from everyone we loved. Something bad, but something good. Everyone was searching for Gaia, and while that was admirable and probably for the best, both of us knew where she was. We didn't really _know_ , but we knew. Or at least we could find out. There was a constant tugging in my chest, and Hikari described something the same in her own chest. It was as if someone—who I knew to be Gaia because she had done it before when we were trapped in the land of the white maze—was pulling at my heart with a fishing line, drawing me toward them.

Hikari and I kept this from the others out of fear. We were too frightened to use this because Gaia was painful. Everything about her hurt my heart, and made me feel like I was draining, or dying. But everything about me _craved_ that experience. Hikari felt the same. We could not tell anyone because we did not understand, but we had each other. We comforted each other and found strength in one another.

But Daisuke was right. I was good at keeping secrets.

I looked back to Haruki and nodded. They were right. I had to keep this one too. No matter how much it hurt me to do, no matter how much guilt I felt in regards to Sora taking the blame for something she did not do. No matter how wrong and bad it was to lie about something like this... I had to do it. I had to for Haruki.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Now that we've kind of settled into the routine of the characters, the plots are starting to fester and bubble and you'll soon see how they all come to a rather explosive conclusion!


	4. Big Spender

**Y/N:** I really enjoy writing as Ken when it involves his work environment. There's just something about it that makes Ken seem happier, or lighter. I'm not sure. He's where he wants to be, and that definitely helps—and it's a place that is exclusively his. I don't know what else to say, so I'll let the chapter do the talking.

 **U/N:** This is a Matt chapter and he was really weird to write so you'll notice how inconsistent his character is (as if it wasn't already because I was already having trouble with it) this time around. He's back and forth but that's kind of the point, so I hope that isn't too annoying of him... and I don't really remember what he does here, so I hope you like it anyway.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 04: Big Spender**

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

Paperwork was the bane of my existence. It was also all I was cleared for at work these days. I'd taken a two month, unexplained hiatus. It might've been unavoidable, but it wasn't as easily overlooked. Unlike the other newer recruits—Yakuin among them—I hadn't had the same length of active duty.

On the plus side, unlike the other officers in general, I hadn't followed Moretsuna's crazy demands, and therefore wasn't being watched quite so closely by the temporary chief. Our division was hosting a variety of substitute chiefs these days, as we scrambled to find _anyone_ worthy of taking up the mantle. Moretsuna hadn't deserved it, and the mistake wouldn't be repeated so soon after his death. There was no way another member of EVOLVE would be our chief, and the selection process was long and drawn out to ensure that this wouldn't be the case.

Chief Tekina was our current substitute, and I liked him far more than the last. The last's term was cut short when it was revealed that he, like Moretsuna, supported EVOLVE whole-heartedly. The woman that was here before him was pretty great though. For the most part, we had lucked out in terms of temporary replacements. I just hoped that we would be as lucky when we found our permanent chief.

The paperwork I'd been assigned was nearly finished, and as such, it was no longer holding my attention. I wasn't fussed on it in the first place, though, so it wasn't like it took much to distract me. Mai _was_ important though. She was continuously on my mind. Miyako, I knew, was _sure_ that I didn't care about our daughter, and she couldn't be further from the truth. I'd loved our daughter since I learned of her potential existence. We'd been trying to have a baby for so long, and we'd finally been gifted a precious chance. Of _course_ I cared about her. We'd met her a little earlier than expected—a _lot_ earlier actually—but that didn't matter. She was perfect in every way. It didn't matter that her lungs weren't strong enough, and that she was still in danger at this point. None of that made me love her any less. In fact, the strength our daughter was born with just made me love her even more. She was beautiful and strong as her mother. There was nothing in the world that could make me not love her.

I looked at the clock again, and saw that my shift was nearly over. I was going to get to bathe Mai again tonight, and while I knew that the only reason _I_ got to do it at all was because Miyako was too scared to try, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the time I got to spend alone with my daughter. I liked talking to her, and seeing the way her eyes try to follow the sound. She was still so tiny, and I wasn't sure if she could actually see me, or not. I didn't know anything about babies, really. I'd spent most of the pregnancy pretending I didn't know Miyako was pregnant. I couldn't read books about babies without causing Miyako to grow suspicious, so I pushed it off, thinking I'd get the chance to learn when Miyako finally shared the good news.

But she shared it too late.

By the time I was in the Land of Dreams, it was hopeless. Koushiro was probably the best chance I had at getting a book about babies created—since books there were compiled entirely of what you knew of a story or subject—but even then his knowledge of them was minimal at best. He wasn't interested in children yet—I wasn't sure if he ever would be either. I didn't know much about his personal plans for the future. I didn't know much about him at all, considering the two months we'd spent in close quarters.

Those two months had been the longest in my life, not knowing whether Miyako was alive or not, but this past month was really testing the record. Mai was taking one step forward and two steps back the entire way. I knew she would be okay. I just _knew_ it. She was a little fighter, and Spring was watching over her. She was using her power of life and vitality to bless our daughter. If Spring's magic couldn't help her though, the fact that she was developed in _five_ worlds probably would. Emiko's multiple world birth made her special enough that Sigma wanted her—and she'd been born in only _three_ worlds. Miyako's pregnancy had started on Earth, and then journeyed to the Digital World, and was sent to the Dark Ocean, escaped to Sidhendor and had a brief visit to the white world—which Koushiro _insisted_ was just called Theta—before coming to an end on Earth again. That's five worlds. Yes, one of those worlds was evil and the place where tainted spirits hung around for eternity, but the other four worlds and Spring's magic _had_ to balance that out, didn't it?

I could only hope.

Mai had gained another two ounces, the day before, and I was expecting to hear of a minor loss when I got to the hospital later, but I was hopeful. She was getting bigger and stronger every day. They put her on assisted breathing, which meant they had a tiny nasal tube that provided a steady stream of oxygen going to her lungs, but Mai was doing all the breathing of it herself. The oxygen was just there to make sure her blood got enough of the stuff. I was so proud of her, for the progress she'd made.

Miyako was probably proud too, but it was too shrouded by her worry. Miyako was a constant worrier. She worried when Mai wasn't gaining enough and she worried when Mai _did_ gain enough. She worried when Mai didn't cry, and panicked when she did. She worried she'd break Mai if she held her for too long, and she worried that Mai wouldn't know her own mother when she was finally out of the NICU. Miyako just couldn't find a solid middle ground.

"How's the munchkin?" Kimi asked me, settling down on a computer chair and rolling until she was across the desk from me. "She's five weeks now, right?"

"Let's see," I murmured. "It's the ninth? So she's forty days old, now, so she's closer to six weeks. Wow. I haven't thought about it like that. She's almost six weeks old. I mean, there's still almost nine weeks until her original due date, but still…."

"And she's still tiny?" Kimi asked, amused by my surprise. I sighed and nodded. "She'll make it through. She's got you as a father. You're as stubborn as they come. You fought against Moretsuna while the rest of us just stood idly by. If she's got _half_ your fighting spirit, she'll pass with flying colours."

"Thanks," I said. "But I wasn't always fighting the _right_ fight."

"The past doesn't matter," she told me firmly. "It's what you do with the present. You're fighting the right fight _now_. That's all that matters. You fought against EVOLVE before most of us knew what it was. You were able to sniff out the truth when we were so blindsided by the waves of hate that Moretsuna was giving off. I'm lucky enough to have caught on when I did. I wasn't completely brainwashed like some of the others into doing Moretsuna's wishes."

"They weren't brainwashed," I told her, completely positive of that fact. "I've been brainwashed. They were just swayed by his words. There's a difference. When you're brainwashed you don't ever question anything. You're trapped into doing someone else's bidding. But with Moretsuna, it was just his flowery words and his talk about peace and justice that convinced the others they were doing the right thing. Now that the wool's been pulled away from their eyes, they can see it clearly. It's a true testament to how strongly they took his words, as to who is fighting the right fight now."

"You're talking about Yakuin," Kimi said sadly. She glanced across the room at him, and I tried to prevent myself from doing the same. I couldn't. I had to look. He was angry. He didn't like Chief Tekina. He didn't like that Chief Tekina didn't put up with any of his bull crap. The chief wasn't going to let Yakuin get away with anything, and it ticked Yakuin off. When Moretsuna was around, Yakuin was the star. Yakuin would shoot anything, regardless of the target so long as Moretsuna told him to. The fact that he was so happy with our last temporary chief was the thing that tipped most of us off about the guy being an EVOLVE member.

I'd never seen Yakuin so upset as he was when that chief was taken away in handcuffs.

Yakuin had fallen so far from the academy. He was once a man that stood for justice and peace, and wanted to fight for the right reasons. He was a good man, a good friend, and somewhere along the way, Moretsuna took those good qualities from him, and he became a shadow of the man he once was, of the man he could be again, if he put any effort into it.

"Not _just_ Yakuin," I said defensively, even though it was entirely true. I didn't put much thought into the _other_ officers that still wanted to fight Moretsuna's fight. The station was divided fairly evenly between EVOLVE supporters and EVOLVE rebels. I was the unofficial leader of the rebels, which was both flattering and daunting. I was _far_ from the leader of the digidestined. I didn't know anything about being the leader. I didn't _want_ to be the leader. I'd accomplished too many bad things in my life to even qualify, but I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Things are a bit of a zoo around here," she agreed. "Sometimes, I just wish we could go back in time, and just _not_ go down this road. It seems like it would be easier."

"No, no, _no_ ," I said hastily. "We've done the time travel thing too. Well _I_ didn't, but Mimi did. You saw her in the movie I _wasn't_ in—which is just so unfair for so many reasons. She went back in time to change one single moment, and it ricocheted. Different people died, and the worlds were in complete chaos. Things happen the way they happen for a reason. Destiny's a thing, I think. It's a crest at least."

"I only understand like _half_ of what you're saying," Kimi said with a laugh. "I think I should watch this movie though. You're supposed to be in it?"

"It probably saved my life that I _wasn't_ in it," I pointed out. "But damn right I should have been in it. I was right there next to the lot of them, fighting for the safety of all the worlds."

"I'll look into it," she said, shaking her head. "Maybe _then_ I'll understand what you're talking about."

"Probably," I agreed, absentmindedly. I was too busy watching Yakuin. He was leaning close to a couple of superior officers. I caught the sound of Moretsuna's name, but it sounded different. Like they were talking about him, but _not_ about his EVOLVE activities, like everyone typically did. "What's going on?" I asked Kimi.

"They're reviewing evidence," she told me. "They really think they know who killed Moretsuna. I'm not convinced, but they keep replaying the same videos. I don't know where they _got_ the videos, and I didn't want to ask, just in case they were EVOLVE. I'm so tired of second guessing all of my coworkers. I should be able to come into the station every morning and just _know_ that we're all fighting for the same cause."

"What videos?" I asked, narrowing in on that part of her response. I had been there when Moretsuna died. I hadn't _told_ Kimi that yet, but I _was_. I knew exactly who killed him, and I didn't want them to blame Kurayami for anything. It wasn't her fault. It was Moretsuna's fault, for going as far as he did. He tried to kill Miyako and Mai. He nearly succeeded. Kurayami _saved_ my wife and daughter. She was the hero; Moretsuna was the villain, no matter _what_ his shiny badge told him.

"I can show you," Kimi told me. I realized then, though I should've realized much sooner, that her job required her to have access to the mainframes. I took her up on the offer immediately, and she pulled up the first video. It showed Miyako pulling the trigger and shooting him. She reached out and patted my shoulder. "He was aiming for the baby," she assured me. "No one's going to blame her."

"EVOLVE isn't always logical," I told her, worried. The second video was actually of me and Moretsuna. It showed that Moretsuna survived his encounter with my wife, which meant she was _not_ the killer they were looking for. I was so relieved, but at the same time, I wished I'd never saved him. I didn't want him dead, but saving him just gave him a second chance at taking my family from me. He'd almost succeeded the second time, and then the virus hit, and I thought for _sure_ that I'd lost them. If I had just let the virus get him sooner….

No.

Mimi had already gone down that road, I'd just cautioned Kimi against it. I couldn't go against my advice. It was _good_ advice. I didn't want to screw with the time stream. What if I did, and then the virus actually _did_ take them from me. No. It was better _not_ to risk it.

Another clip was pulled up, and I saw Koushiro and Sora breaking into Moretsuna's base—which I could have argued was illegally _there_ in the first place, but I knew no one would listen—and then another clip of Sora, _Taichi_ and Koushiro a second time. Adding to the fact that Sora was in the clip with Miyako, I was getting a bad feeling about this.

"There are also notes that Moretsuna kept on file," Kimi told me. "Don't worry. None of them mention your wife, or your child. They're all about some girl named Sora Takenouchi. There are also accounts of her accosting the daughter of a police officer, her name is…Veronica I think. Veronica has provided statements that implicate Miss Takenouchi with Moretsuna's case, as well as imply that Miss Takenouchi held a vendetta against Veronica as well. Somehow, though I'm a little foggy on the details, they discovered Miss Takenouchi's DNA within Moretsuna's base. I'm fairly positive that Veronica provided this evidence as well, but I have no proof of that. But you're fine. It's not your wife. She's not the suspect."

"But Sora is," I said hollowly.

"Oh no," Kimi gasped. "She's your friend? Is she fighting alongside you?"

"Yeah," I said, unsure what to think anymore. "She just got freed from her place as undesirable number two, right under the Digital Man."

"I'll bet you know who _he_ is too," Kimi said slyly.

"Yeah, but I'm not about to unmask him," I said, though it sounded strange. Yamato didn't wear a mask during the videos. And he was a prominent public figure…

"Everyone knows he's Yamato Ishida," she said with a laugh. "Isn't he like, your favourite singer?"

"Yeah, he played at my wedding," I told her, without thinking.

"No way," she gasped. "How did you manage that?"

"He pitied us and our sad, sad, disaster of a wedding," I told her.

"It can't have been _that_ bad," she said, shaking her head. "But that's a heck of a story to share with Mai when she gets bigger. How many people can say they've had the Teenage Wolves play at their wedding?"

"Watch the movie, and you won't think it's that big of a deal," I told her, rolling my eyes, even though I was still kind of freaking out about it inside my head. No matter how well I knew Yamato, the Teenage Wolves were _still_ my favourite band. It was a dream come true—you know, aside from the part where I was marrying the love of my life, and _that_ was the dream and all that.

"I've had enough of this!" Chief Tekina shouted. "You're always fighting among each other, and when you're not _actively_ fighting, you're doing it passive aggressively. You aren't accomplishing anything, except turmoil. I'm tired of this. If you can't do your jobs, then you're not cut out for the force. Get your act together, or you're all getting fired."

My eyes widened at the same time Kimi's did. We were both shocked. It seemed like the outburst came out of nowhere, but when we turned to look at the Chief, we saw Yakuin, and his fellow EVOLVE supporters grouped together, staring down some of Kimi's and my fellow rebels. They were in a stalemate, and none of them noticed the phone that was ringing. It could have been an emergency, and none of the operators were standing by to answer it.

It was despicable.

"He's right," I found myself saying, without intending to. Everyone turned to look at me, Chief Tekina included. "I've been on both sides of this fight. I was EVOLVE, once, before EVOLVE was a thing. I was against digimon, and I used them and abused them, and I spliced them together to create a hybrid that was far too powerful to control."

The EVOLVE supporters looked uplifted by that fact, while the rebels looked absolutely gutted—Kimi included. I'd only ever _hinted_ at my bad past, I'd never actually told her details before.

"I thought I was above them, just as Moretsuna did. The biggest difference wasn't that I was _eleven_ when it happened," I said, throwing that fact out there, hoping that Kimi wouldn't hate me for it. I'd already lost one friend on the force. I didn't want to lose another. "The difference was that I _learned_ that what I was doing was wrong. What _you_ are doing is wrong. Hatred does not bring the peace we swore to uphold. You need to accept the difference between fighting for a _just_ cause, and just fighting for a cause. Kindness, and peace and justice is what we're fighting for, what we hope to spread with our duties. Joining EVOLVE, and continuing to support it when the entire _world_ knows that it's _wrong_ , is just another way that you're failing the badges you carry with you. I learned from my mistakes. Kindness helped me through it, and I want to make sure this township, this _world_ is safe from the hatred and negativity. That's why I swore to wear this badge. I was eleven, but I will never stop feeling the need to fight against what I became. If you can't acknowledge your wrongdoing, and can't bring yourself to fight against what it turned you into, then maybe you _don't_ deserve the badges. The badges mean something, but they don't mean anything unless you _believe_ in them."

"Thank you!" Chief Tekina exclaimed. "Someone here had what it takes to be an officer. You've got guts kid, sharing what you did."

"I've come to terms with what happened," I said, with an embarrassed shrug. "I know my limits, and I know that there's no length I won't go to ensure this world—and more specifically in terms of my badge: this city—is safe for my daughter to grow up in. Moretsuna tried to take my daughter from me. You've seen the footage. That's my _wife_ that he's aiming at. I'm not going to let megalomaniacs get away with hurting innocent people. This station is messy and disorganized, but with a little hard work we can get back into shape."

"And you'll be able to lead them there," Chief Tekina told me.

"Three cheers for Ken!" Kimi called, and the majority of the officers started cheering. The chief didn't, but that was mostly because he was laughing too hard. Yakuin didn't either. He slipped out the door, and I wondered if he was going off to think about his actions, but somehow, I doubted it.

"What's going on in here?"

The cheering stopped suddenly, because they all thought we had a case coming in, but I knew differently. It was Miyako. She wasn't here with a case; she was here to meet up with me. I looked at the clock and realized my shift had ended six minutes ago.

"Ken's being a hero," Kimi said, rolling her eyes.

"He's always been a hero," Miyako told her, looking to me out of the corner of her eye.

"Except when he was a villain," a female EVOLVE supporter grumbled. I actually didn't know her name. She'd transferred in during my two month "vacation" to the Land of Dreams.

"His reasoning is far better than Moretsuna's or Arnold's any day," Miyako defended me. I sighed, and reached out to her hand. I squeezed her fingers, and she relaxed, just a little bit. She was away from Mai during the day. It was a first for her, and I didn't want it to be too stressful.

"You two go on," Kimi suggested. "Take pictures. I want to see Mai and the house."

"Sure thing," I told her, and I led Miyako out of the station. She looked upset at first that she wouldn't get a tour, since she'd never been there before. When we got outside, I saw Yakuin leaning against the hood of a car as he looked into the driver's window. He moved just slightly, and I saw Veronica was seated within it. I looked to Miyako, to ask what she thought we should do, but at the same time, I didn't want to bother her. She definitely didn't want to be away from Mai for longer than necessary.

And it _was_ necessary.

We wanted to find a home, a _real_ one, to bring Mai back to. We had some extra money lying around, since Hideto decided to _steal_ everything Mai would ever need. Miyako had been saving for those very purchases, and I had been saving for _this_ purpose. I wanted to buy a house. I knew we'd have to work out a mortgage, and that we'd have to spend sparingly for awhile, but we could make it work.

I didn't want to bring Mai home to the dingy, crappy apartment we lived in. And I definitely didn't want to bring her home into the apartment that Sigma had tortured my wife in. I wanted both Miyako and Mai to feel comfortable and confident in our home.

It didn't take long once we met up with the realtor for her to contact us with a list of houses that fit our budget and requirements. We were scheduled for a tour of those homes that day, and were going for a bit of a drive. The realtor was very bubbly, and friendly, and I knew those happy tendencies were a trap meant to lure me into buying whatever she was meant to sell—and in this case, it was a _house_.

To be honest, I was _sure_ that we wouldn't find a home that Miyako liked with as little touring as we did. But she surprised me. The very first house we came to caught her eye. It was an old house, with a wooden interior. I didn't think it looked all that great, but Miyako was absolutely enchanted by it. When I looked at it, I saw it as a list of things I'd like to change. But the changes were manageable.

"I want it," Miyako announced.

"You'll take it?" the realtor asked, needing clarification.

"I guess this is our house," I told her. I tried to imagine our family here, and it wasn't hard. I could see Wormmon climbing up the walls, and Hawkmon bringing Poromon up into the trees, so he could teach his pupil the names of each tree. Miyako and I seated on the lawn, while Mai plays with the dandelions.

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

It felt really good to have things change.

I couldn't understand how I had been so afraid of the general idea of alterations before now. It seemed foolish and maybe even childish. Change was everything. I could remember a girl telling me once—during my senior year of high school—that I was 'great' and to 'never change'. At the time I thought that was a compliment, but in fact it was a hindrance. I had taken the advice of someone I hadn't even known the name to because I thought that perhaps what she was saying was kind. That poor girl didn't know just how freeing it could be to change.

I felt like I was flying at all times. A smile was always plastered onto my face and I walked with a reinvigorated spring to my step. I had once seen a movie about a walrus that was living its life in a zoo, and in the end of the film that walrus was set back into the wild where it roamed free with other like-minded creatures. I _was_ that walrus.

I had my new bike parked in my father's garage because I didn't have one yet—I didn't have one because I had not yet picked out the place I wanted to live. I was narrowing in on some really cool ideas though, and that meant that things were on their way to changing even more. I added a new spunky element to the music I had been writing and I'd never been more proud of it before—even _Yutaka_ admitted to how great it sounded (after they verified that I was in fact in the band again). And really, he wasn't wrong. It did sound great. I dragged Mimi out to help me with some shopping because I didn't know who else to ask. We were there for hours and neither of us seemed to mind. It was weird because we seldom spent time together, but she was all for an impromptu shopping trip. Usually I would find them boring but somehow it just felt fun and fresh.

I was seeing this really adorable girl who, while I wasn't sure where we stood exactly, was just amazing. She was so fascinating. She wasn't like any other girl I'd ever met before. She wasn't a girly girl, nor was she a tomboy—she was somewhere right in the middle where she was able to just be _herself_ because what she identified with didn't seem to matter to her or to anyone else. It didn't matter to me at least. She was just Amai, nothing more and nothing less. And that person she was being was amazingly clever, thoughtful and original. There was no frame of reference in all of my past experiences that could relate to Amai. She was just _different_.

I did have this slight anchor in my chest though, trying to drag me down to the old me, something that was reminding me that I hadn't accomplished anything that I had wanted to do. Sure, the band was fun and I was beyond glad that I was still a part of something that had lasted through all of those ups and downs. Sure, the entire nation briefly referred to me as the seeker to peace—and they were still doing that too. It was kind of annoying having to be careful everywhere I went. Especially now that I was looking for a suitable place to live. More than once I had found someone who recognized me and I'd been forced to leave. It was weird because I wore massive sunglasses and dressed in clothes I wouldn't normally wear. Including a hat. They were supposed to think I was Takeru. The point—was that I hadn't done anything I'd set out to do. I had been steadily and mildly successful, which I was thankful for, but comparing me to the others was more than a little disappointing.

Of course I knew that comparing myself to others was a dangerous and harmful way to view the person I had become, but I was mostly comparing to the amount of dreams everyone had accomplished. Taichi was the ambassador of an entire world and had his own home in that land. Koushiro was a researcher and did he ever ask for anything else? Mimi had rebuilt her restaurant like six times, Hikari had become a teacher and Daisuke had his noodle cart. Everyone was living their dreams—and it was horrible that most of them had recently been crushed, but they were all fighting for it again—and there I was, never having tried.

I had accomplished all my training, though I was sure I would be required to do it all again, but I would be okay with that if I got to go to the moon at the end of it all. Sure it was all Taichi's lame idea to get me to go into those bizarre classes in the first place, but it was also true that I had planets hanging from my bedroom ceiling for years growing up. I had always dreamed of what it would be like to be endlessly alone, just for that short period of time. If being around other people was how you got to know and to understand them, then what might it be like to get to know yourself in all of that alone time? It was something I had always been interested in, and I could now _actually_ do that, but I hadn't. Why?

Going to the moon would also help conceal me from the people seeking the Digital Man. At least for a while. If I could even get into space without someone recognizing me. I was really starting to regret the decision to use my face for the cause.

Even if it had been successful.

"Maybe if he took his shoes off?" Mari suggested, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up from the sheet music in front of me and caught sight of Masa being chased around the library by Emiko who was holding a big dictionary, ready to beat on Masa who had apparently done something unforgivable. Masa's shoes were covered in mud and it seemed that was what Mari was focused on.

Chiziru waved Mari off, "Oh he doesn't mind."

"How great for him," Mari said, easily defeated. I didn't know her well but that seemed out of character. One time I asked Mimi for the number six combo at her restaurant but accidentally said 'condiment' and since then every time I had ordered at their restaurant Hideto gave me mayonnaise at Mari's request. She informed me that it was condiment number six and that it was my favourite. She didn't let things go easily.

Momoe rushed past the two girls, chasing Emiko in an attempt to stop the violence, but no one seemed too invested in helping her out.

The library was amazing. I couldn't believe Mari hadn't invited us to stay here before. The floor space was open and carpeted, and I did love a good carpet; there was a large kitchen area that used to be the check out area that was essentially closed in by a large rounded counter; there was a massive amazing bathroom that used to be two bathrooms separated by gender, but Mari had adjusted them and taken out the dividing wall to have one super bathroom that contained stalls (just to be cool and unique) a _hot tub_ , a ridiculously fancy shower and self flushing toilets. Basically it was the coolest building ever—and it was in Ebisu which was basically a really beautiful location filled with old beautiful buildings and greenery.

The walls in the open area were lined with shelves that were soon to be incorporated into the walls themselves. Each shelf was lined with books, which fit the term 'library' well, even if it was no longer a library.

Mari looked to me and glared, probably because I was lying on her couch, and so I rolled over and spun my legs around, smiling to her. She seemed pleased that I had adjusted myself, and I didn't mind anyway. I was just in a _really_ good mood. I was wary though because it definitely seemed like _something_ had to go wrong. There was no way a series of good things could happen to me without flaw.

Mari flopped down in one of the comfortable bean bag chairs and grabbed a stuffed platypus, holding it close to herself.

"Are you okay?" Yutaka asked, dropping his guitar and moving to Mari's side, "you seem upset."

She looked to him cautiously but apparently decided he was harmless enough, "I just wonder how permanent of a situation this is," she said simply, "I agreed to let you all in, but is this a... forever kind of deal?"

"Well," Yutaka said in a voice that immediately received three glares from Takashi, Akira and myself, "We'll go wherever you want us to, and we'll do whatever it is you need from us." It was his 'I'm-going-to-be-very-obvious-while-I-flirt-with-this-girl' voice that we all knew too well.

Mari seemed to think for a moment and then placed a hand on Yutaka's chest and pushed him backwards. Akira roared with laughter as Yutaka tried to compose himself from his most recent of _many_ rejections. I didn't want to over stay our welcome, but at the moment this was our best option for location. It was no longer a public place, and so I was completely safe from the public eye, there was plenty of room for anyone who needed to be present. All of the Teenage Wolves were here, Chiziru, Momoe and Mantarou often spent a great deal of time here, which was great because they were all friendly and intelligent individuals who could date whoever they wanted to. Natsuni frequented, often bringing along Goblimon and Iori. Hikari even joined them sometimes, usually bringing Takeru, though we didn't interact much outside of home. There was no need, we had enough time to bond there. Natsuni's father was here a lot too. He hadn't mentioned anything, but being in his house and seeing it so empty was obviously a foreign concept to him. He wasn't used to this separation from his wife.

Basically we had the whole team here, including my father, and we were still working on making videos. We had long since completed a video based on every crest, but we had never run out of things to talk about for even a moment. Lately we had taken to discussing the virus and how it affected the world, and what horrors Arnold had caused out of hate. We even showed them different parts of the Digital World that were still affected by the virus—that was slowly but surely being cured thanks to Jou—and it seemed to have the desired effect.

We didn't have to broadcast it and interrupt everything anymore though. We had enough of a following now that we simply uploaded the videos to an account on a highly trafficked video site. The view count was growing with each video—each one was helpfully translated by Babamon and Gigimon to many different languages—and even when people didn't see them, the videos were talked about on the news and in other videos and just _everywhere_.

Sure, the digimon interrupted the life of the humans, creating a _massively_ large difference from their normal lives—to the point where some people were referring to this year as 'year 1 AD'. 'AD' in this case standing for 'After Digimon'. I didn't think that would catch on, but they were making an impact and I didn't expect everyone to fall into a norm so easily. I was proud of the people who were so accepting and loving. Then there would always be those who were the opposite. Unfortunately digimon were very susceptible to human attack.

I noticed Akira staring at me like I was a horned pig flying over Tokyo city and realized I'd been staring into space. He returned to his guitar where he began to strum random chords together. I looked around the room to find Mari storming toward the kitchen area. I slid off the couch and was immediately aware that Takashi had stolen my spot.

As I neared Mari I heard her talking to Yutaka in a voice that was calm—but only just. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making some bacon," he told her, smiling proudly.

"Okay," she said nodding with her lips tight together, "I see that, why? How? Who even brought bacon in here?"

"I did," Yutaka told her with a deep laugh, "I love bacon! Everyone loves bacon, don't you want some?"

"Obviously not," she said, shaking her head, "I only eat lean cuts of pork or fish."

Yutaka's mouth dropped and his spatula hovered over the frying pan, "B-b-but bacon?"

Mari rolled her eyes, "Yes, bacon. It leaves a horrible stench trapped within everything the toxic air that it creates touches. At least open the window." Mari pointed with her thumb to the window above the stove. Yutaka smiled and propped it open. "Enjoy your slimy slice of pig fat."

"Oh I will!" Yutaka beamed brightly.

It was then that Gabumon ran past me with a speed and excitement that was unusual for him. Then Gabumon ran past me _again_ much more in character. I cursed myself under my breath for having mistaken him for Melga _again_. Then Warg was screaming at the top of his lungs with Tapirmon chasing him with a wooden spoon. He laughed maniacally and Mari seemed like she wanted to stop them but her eyes lingered on Tapirmon.

Obviously she did not want to interrupt his fun. Laughter was hard to come by these days, especially in those who lost their partners. Taichi told me that Pal and Pul had taken to a new vow of total silence. I knew Terriermon and Lopmon weren't doing much better. And of course Mari knew what it was like to lose a partner. She wanted them to behave, but she wasn't going to be the one to bring Tapirmon from his high.

"That's _mine_!" Hideto's voice cut through the air as he ripped a mixing bowl from Mantarou's hands, "What is this?" he looked inside the bowl and scoffed.

"It's cookie dough," Mantarou said, offended. "I'm making them for Sora."

Hideto looked up to me with one eyebrow raised and then he shrugged when I didn't return a look. I didn't know what he wanted from me, but I had gotten my closure with Sora. I needed nothing else now. "Needs more flour. Let me help." Hideto passed the bowl back to Mantarou who took it, pleased but Hideto snatched it back again, "This is still mine."

Katsue then popped up next to me, reminding me of what I wanted to ask her earlier, "Hey," I said tapping her shoulder, "Could you send me the videos that Tako gave us? I'd like to review them."

Katsue nodded and then rounded on Mari. "Mari," she said, "I think I downloaded a virus onto your computer."

"Virus?" Emiko shrieked, rushing to her mother, dropping her dictionary in the process. Masa actually began wailing, but instead of rushing to his mother he ran to his partner Kunemon, which Chiziru did not take kindly to, and she started voicing her feelings loudly.

Monmon began making his presence clear as well, swinging from the _very_ expensive looking chandelier, screaming at the top of his lungs. I glanced back to Mari whose eye was twitching. She slowly looked to Katsue and took her hand, "Let's get one thing done at a time. Come on beautiful."

Katsue blushed from the unexpected compliment and tossed her hair over her shoulder and let Mari drag her away.

As Hideto slapped Mantarou in the hand with his whisk it became clear to me that Alias III was very territorial. They had no reason to _not_ be either. We had not extended our hand to them nearly as readily as we had in the past. Ken was invited because he immediately fit in with Miyako, Takeru and the others. Kurayami latched on to Daisuke and Hikari. But Alias III stuck to themselves and there was no real bond between us. It was our fault really. I made a mental note to spend more time with the three remaining members.

Hideto didn't seem nearly as upset as Mari though. I was sure that had something to do with the glances he thought were subtle that he took every now and then, gazing toward Akira, Takashi and Yutaka. He may not have liked them much, but they were still the Teenage Wolves, and it was no secret that he was a fan.

" _Don't_ touch that," Mari was zooming past me, rushing away from Katsue who she apparently had already assisted. I noticed then that Mari was wearing enormous blue slippers that looked like big monster feet. I supposed she couldn't wear heels _all_ day _every_ day. She pointed up to Monmon as she passed Momoe and Momoe apologized profusely and continued trying to persuade Monmon off the chandelier. Mari grabbed the book that Takashi was holding and put it back on the shelf, "Not that one. It's my favourite."

"Maybe I'll like it," Takashi said.

"No." There was no question about it, she was frustrated. She glanced at the shelf and she gasped, "What did you do? These are all in the wrong order!"

"I-I didn't know there _was_ an order," Takashi admitted.

"Of course there is!" Mari snapped, "They're all separated by colour and organized in the typical rainbow spectrum, but kept alphabetized by the last name of the author for easy locating."

"How could I have missed _that_?" Takashi said sarcastically.

"Don't sass me," Mari held up a finger daringly and Takashi backed down.

Even though the library was a perfect fit for us, I wasn't so sure _we_ were a perfect fit for the library. I jumped when hands covered my eyes. "Guess who?" a dreamy voice questioned.

"Andromon," I said, firing off the first name that came to my mind.

"No it's me!" Amai shouted, jumping around to the front of me, she grinned and then looked over to Mari, "Your friend is really anal." I snorted and nodded. It was true. I had never seen this side of Mari before, but to be fair I had only been in their previous home once and I left quickly after finding Hideto's 'Teenage Wolves' shrine. She was reminding me a lot more of Neo and I was starting to understand why he may have chosen who he had for his team of 'evil'.

Amai and I moved to sit by the stairs where DemiDevimon and Gabumon joined us. Eventually Katsue and some of the others crowded around too and the conversation seemed to be killing some of the chaos around the library. Mari seemed to be pleased—at least partially, because Monmon was still at large—and I felt relaxed again.

Katsue was the last to join us, bringing news of a press conference that Rida was to be taking part in, "I'm going," She told us all, "You're coming too." She looked right at me, "We'll be sticking it to him."

"Could I come as well?" Amai asked, leaning forward to look at Katsue. Her curled red hair fell over her shoulder and she smiled, "I would love to witness this inevitable smack down." Katsue grinned at Amai and nodded. The conversation kind of went up from there, building to a point where we were all on the same page.

Until the conversation of Gennai came up. Amai had wanted to know how we all came about the team because she was new and apparently felt the need to get to know everyone's personal stories. It started with the Teenage Wolves and their story was pretty short. Then Momoe explained how Miyako and Jou got her involved and by extension Mantarou and Chiziru. Katsue told the story of how she dated this 'bozo' who was in love with someone else and she somehow just stuck around. Amai seemed really interested in Katsue's story—if only she knew _I_ was that bozo.

And then Gabumon started telling our story. When he reached the part where Gennai locked us out of the Digital World, Amai seemed concerned. "That's horrible," she said, shocked, "You had to say goodbye?"

Gabumon nodded, "Yeah, but the connection between the worlds was strong, so we could talk. It wasn't until seven years later that we had to endure some _real_ separation. Gennai sealed the worlds apart for _good_ that time."

"But not for good," Amai pointed out, "because here you are!"

"It should have been for good," I said bluntly. Gabumon sighed. He'd heard it before, but that didn't change anything. "Gennai wanted the worlds to be kept apart. He wanted peace, and that peace could only be brought about by separation."

"Oh, well I'm all for integration," Amai said, "It's the new frontier."

"So am I,"I assured her as Gabumon took my hand in his. "And I love all the time I've gotten to spend with Gabumon. It's been six years since we met up after that three year gap, and I wouldn't trade those years for anything. Gabumon is the most important thing that's _ever_ happened to me." I sighed, "But sometimes it's hard to ignore what Gennai wanted. He basically told us to go away, and we did. And then Sigma broke the barrier and peace has since to be found. Gennai had never been wrong before. He chose all of us for a reason and it worked. He had always guided us in the right direction and never _once_ did he make a mistake."

"Until he told us to stay apart," Gabumon said, nodding.

"I don't think that was a mistake either," I said quietly, "I think he knew what he was talking about and I think we made a mistake."

Gabumon pulled his hand away from mine. "Well we'll never know. Because he's dead."

Gabumon and I stared at each other for a while as everyone else seemed to ignore the tension. Then Amai, as graceful as ever, intervened, "Perhaps both of you are correct," she decided, "Perhaps this Gennai fellow knew that peace could be achieved by separation. But surely there is more than one way to find any solution. You seek peace, just like your friend Gennai. RISE is all about peace. Why don't you come to an event? You could see what we're like in action."

I looked back to Gabumon and he seemed pleased that someone might be trying to change my mind. I didn't think it was possible, but in the meantime, I didn't see anything wrong with conversing with like minded people, "Sure," I decided, "Of course." Then I paused, "Can I invite some people?"

"Absolutely," Amai smiled, "The more the merrier. Like father Christmas. Merry and fat."

"Huh?" Gabumon questioned, but I didn't think too much of it. I was trying to pick the _perfect_ group of people to bring along. It had to be right. Not too few people, but not too many—and I'd have to select carefully.

But I already knew who I was going to take. It had been a while since we'd all hung out together, just the seven of us.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Jou rises to the lead of the chapter as we get maybe a glimpse of what the RISE team actually does while Izzy has some other things on his mind.


	5. RISE

**Y/N:** Izzy's storyline takes a darker tone than a lot of what we've covered. There's no digimon involved, it's all reality, and it might be hard for some people. I don't want to spoil it, but just go into it with a bit of hesitation if you have any triggers. I never really go too deep into detail though, because I have no personal experience with the subject matter, and I didn't want to need to up the story rating, since they've all been T so far.

 **U/N:** I actually really liked writing Joe here because I just enjoy writing different energies, and that is pretty much the best description of this chapter for him, is the energy. I'm pretty close to running out of pointless nonsense to write at the top here but I don't like the way the chapters look without these notes at the top. Well, I hope you like it anyway.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 05: RISE**

 _ **Jou Kido:**_

"Where _is_ he?" Mimi asked, impatiently glancing at her cell phone and tapping her foot against the pavement. The rest of us were here, waiting for him but he didn't seem to be to be coming. He was never the last one to arrive, in fact he usually insisted that he and Mimi _both_ show up at least twenty minutes early.

It seemed though, that those of us who _did_ show up, were all in the same boat. None of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. Taichi was wearing a blazer, thinking perhaps this might be formal, but if it wasn't he didn't want to be too out of place, so he was wearing a long sleeved t shirt underneath. Takeru styled his hair a bit differently so it wasn't quite as messy as usual, while I did the opposite, messing mine up just enough to seem like it was on purpose. We were wary about coming and feeling too dressed up, or the opposite. Mimi was wearing a nicer dress, but hadn't gone out of her way to 'glam up' as she had said, and Sora was wearing tight jeans and a blouse. Yamato however just looked nervous, but had not changed his typical style for the event. He claimed that he and Mimi had gone shopping but the most change I could see was more colour in his usual clothes.

Koushiro was meant to join us though, and even though Mimi seemed so sure that he would not bail on us, it just felt like she was wrong about him. Just this once. We were all ready to forget that Koushiro was to come along and make our way inside like the rest of the RISE followers, but Mimi grabbed Taichi by the elbow and dragged him back when he had tried. She was just nervous, I thought, that she might feel embarrassment from being stood up. He had apparently promised her he'd meet up with her after work.

"He promised," she had assured us, checking her watch, "just after work."

"He left work hours ago," Taichi had whispered to Sora, just quiet enough so that Mimi couldn't hear him. She seemed oblivious to the awkwardness growing though, and soon I knew Taichi would be the one to make her go inside. I was just waiting for that to be honest. It was still summertime, though we were soon to enter the final week of the season, but the air was cool and the sky was covered with a thick layer of dark ominous clouds. It felt like the clouds were planning to rain and I just did not want to wait around to see the outcome of that decision. "Come on, Mimi," Taichi finally said, "It's Friday night, he's been working hard all week, maybe he just collapsed somewhere."

Mimi looked to Taichi and nodded, "Yeah maybe," but she didn't seem too sure. Taichi took that as permission to head inside, but Mimi wasn't quite done looking yet. She looked to each face of the stragglers who were coming in later than expected, hoping for one of them to be Koushiro, but it just wasn't the case. It was possible though that he had simply found himself to be lost. We were in a very secluded part of the city, one that I had never visited myself. The street signs were faded to the point that they were unreadable, the roads were filled with cracks and the every building looked like it could house a different kind of drug dealer. It didn't feel safe at all.

But I knew we were safe, because there were digimon _galore_ inside the building. The building that was an abandoned skating rink. It was weird because I didn't think skating was that popular here. Well, maybe it wasn't and that was why the arena was abandoned.

It finally seemed that Mimi was ready to go, or at least willing to. Sora took her hand comfortingly and walked with her toward the open doors where Biyomon, Palmon and Patamon were waiting for us. I had invited Gomamon to come as well because I still hadn't gotten over spending extra time with him since him coming back from the dead—at least in my perspective—but he wanted a day to just relax, and he had apparently decided to video chat with someone. I didn't bother asking who because I knew he would keep it a secret. Agumon and Gabumon were both busy back at the Temple taking care of some kind of fiasco in the kitchen of the council hall.

"What about Koushiro?" Biyomon wanted to know as we all stepped through the open doorway, "He was supposed to bring Tentomon!"

Mimi released Sora's hand to lift Biyomon into her arms, "I guess he thought he had better things to do than to hang out with us."

"Bully," Biyomon scoffed.

"Tell me about it," Mimi rolled her eyes and followed after Yamato and Takeru. The rest of us followed their lead, out of the entrance room and into a rounded room with a tall ceiling, following the sound of the voices. It was almost overwhelming, and as we came nearer it started to vibrate my bones from all the voices. Perhaps I was exaggerating, but Palmon understood my anxiety about it all because her poison ivy began wrapping around Taichi's arm tightly so she wouldn't get lost.

Yamato and Takeru—who had Patamon perched on his head—were waiting next to a wall that was made primarily of thick plastic, or glass. I would have guessed plastic to avoid having it break from roughhousing on the ice, but it just looked like glass so I wasn't sure. Through the transparent wall I could see a large open cement floor where the ice should have been. The floor was completely emptied with not a single person to be seen walking across its surface. The people who had come inside were all sitting in the stands around the empty floor and behind more glass walls.

I groaned and caught the attention of the others. I felt my face turn red and I shrugged, adjusting the crutches under my arms, "It's just that there are so many people," I explained, "It's going to be so hard to move around with these things."

Taichi's eyes fell to the cast and he seemed sympathetic, "When does it come off?"

"A month from now," I groaned again.

"Mine comes off next week," Takeru grinned excitedly, showing me the yellow cast on his hand, he saw my face and his excitement fell, "Sorry, I'm just eager to get rid of it."

"Oh, I understand," I told him seriously. He sent another silent apology but said nothing. Instead we all turned to look through the wall to see how many people there were. It was impossible to describe the immediate feeling of dread and claustrophobia that I felt, because even through the anxiety I knew this was a good sign. I knew that seeing every seat being filled meant that people just in _this_ area were starting to come along. Who knew how many people from other countries or even different regions in Japan were in the same frame of mind. Three months ago it had been too dangerous to even say the word 'digimon' aloud in public, but we had all just walked here with three of them of our own. I had never expected acceptance to be such a wide spread phenomenon.

I wanted to take credit for this, because I guess I was used to being a part of something special and helping things move along in terms of digimon, but this had nothing to do with me, or most of us Digidestined. I would say Yamato and Sora took a part in all of this, but overall it was the people themselves, coming to terms with the idea on their own terms and at their own speed. Every person had a digital counterpart and so everyone would, at some point, be faced with the decision to love and accept, or to ridicule and cast a living being aside. It was horrifying how many people we already knew had chosen the latter option but seeing these people here, like this, coming all at once to simply care and to show support was completely unexplainable.

"Greetings fellow digital supporters," A misty voice said from behind us all, "May I suggest you try the French fries? They taste like potatoes." We all turned as one to look toward a red haired girl with curly hair. It was clear to me that she was shy, but perhaps didn't much care what others thought. Her bangs were swept to one side to conceal one eye and she was wearing a baggy sweater, with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Floating next to her was an excitable DemiDevimon.

"Don't French fries always taste like potatoes?" Taichi questioned, looking to Palmon who just shrugged, unsure of how to answer.

The girl didn't bother responding anyway and she looked to Yamato and smiled, "I knew you'd come."

"Well I told you I would," he grinned back. He stepped toward her and turned to face the rest of us, "So this is Biyomon, Mimi, Taichi, Palmon and Jou." He pointed to each of us as he spoke our names, "And of course you've met Patamon and my brother." He turned to Sora, "And Sora."

It was weird to me to hear nothing behind his voice when he said her name. Frustrating almost. We'd all been rooting for them to come out of their respected messes _together_ but it honestly seemed like they were just done with each other now. There was no resentment, or awkwardness or even—well, anything. It was just Sora and Yamato, rather than _Sora_ and _Yamato_. If that made sense. It didn't.

But it definitely did.

"You're the girl who is dating Mantarou!" the girl exclaimed, making the connection in her mind, "I remember you now. Where is he?"

Sora stared for a moment and thought, "W-well he couldn't come."

"He didn't come because he didn't know what this was, right?" Yamato's friend asked, "That's what happens a lot. People kind of avoid the RISE meetings because they haven't got a clue what they're for." Sora laughed nervously revealing that the girl had been right and she was in fact lying about why Mantarou had not come along with her.

"Everyone," Yamato said gesturing to the girl, "This is Amai." There was a general chorus of us greeting her and she blushed but then moved toward Taichi to where she looked through the glass wall. She giggled as she watched with wide eyes. A Drimogemon was dancing to the music that was barely audible over the crowd, and a Golemon was coming out to join him. "So it's like a place where digimon can come and be safe?" Yamato questioned.

"Huh?" Amai asked, glancing over to him, "yeah sure. I mean, they feel safe, but it's more about the people. We're trying to get more people on board. We want them to feel compassion and care about the partner digimon. We speak and preach unconditional love."

"Sounds like my kind of place!" Biyomon said excitedly, "Do you think they'd mind if I joined their dancing? I'm very good, you see I've been practicing my belly dancing since the last time, so I promise I won't break anymore lamps—"

"The dancing will end soon anyway," another female voice interrupted us. My chest tensed up, worried about what the words might mean, and when I turned to see who had spoken I was confronted with a complete group of people and digimon. "The event is soon to begin."

"Oh, Tafu," Amai said, rolling her eyes, "let them dance. Dancing cleanses the soul."

"Sure it does," the girl who had spoken was very tough looking. Her red hair was cut short and it was visible from even where I stood that there were calluses on her knuckles. Tafu was standing in front of an excitable Candlemon who was hopping up and down to get a better look at the dancing.

"Hey..." Mimi said as she leaned forward to get a better look at the group of six. "You're the fight club." Sora gasped and clapped her hands together as if she were trying to place the faces herself.

Tafu looked to Mimi with raised eyebrows, "We typically call ourselves by our real names," she explained. Mimi apologized and sunk backwards, shrivelling up under Tafu's intense stare. "I'm Tafu," She explained, then she pointed to a dazzling man with shining hair holding the hand of a Starmon, "This is Jazz, and over here is Kai," a man with dark skin was beaming to the rest of us holding a Kokwuamon who was buzzing excitedly. "Then this is Dan," Dan looked like he just might be too cool to talk to us, but he graced us with a curt nod and then turned away again with Gizamon held in his arms.

"I'm Shoto," a jolly and short man said, patting his Falcomon on the head gently, "This is Jin," he explained as he pointed to a massive man who smiled kindly to us all. Jin looked incredibly strong—kind of like a super villain of some kind, and I would have been afraid of him too if his eyes didn't shine in such a way that told me he was friendly. His partner Hagurumon was floating around him.

Mimi cleared her throat, "I'm very sorry I didn't know your names," she declared, "But it's very nice to meet you."

But apparently they weren't done yet because one more member of their team came to join them, making seven. "Hey baby," Kai said brightly, scooping the girl that arrived into his arms. She was wearing a frilly pink dress and her hair was gently curled, she looked like a spitting image of her beautiful brother. I knew already that this girl and Jazz were related. They were both the most beautiful people I maybe ever had seen. Aside from Momoe of course. "This is Shuri."

"Oh hello," Shuri said politely, bowing her head gently. Mimi immediately relaxed upon seeing their newest addition, feeling much more safe knowing that they weren't all violent.

Shuri's ToyAgumon skipped along behind her and stopped when he saw me, "Hey doctor!" He piped up, "Long time no see!" I grinned at him. So these were the digimon from the Coliseum. I'd met each of them separately, but not spent much time with any aside from ToyAgumon. He was constantly falling apart and begging for assistance. I was sure he mostly wanted to get a good look at all the things I had in the infirmary because he was the 'healer' of his group.

It was good to see them in a public setting especially one that wasn't stuck in the middle of an immensely dangerous cloud of purple death. The virus was falling from its place of control. We still highly advised digimon to stay inside the barriers until it was verified that the entire world had been cleared up. We had heard from Catherine just this morning that she had received our shipments of the antivirus and she promised she would use them as soon as she could find digimon that could activate it properly. She wasn't the only one either. It was a constant assurance from chosen children across the globe that they were keeping the antivirus safe and cool, and some had even activated them immediately, freeing up much of their continents. Soon we would be able to take a look around ourselves and we would be able to clear up any remaining virus.

Koushiro however was working on something even better. He had the general concept in place but simply needed a massively powerful source of energy. The digimentals seemed to be the most obvious choice, but he had yet to understand how to access their power. The reason he needed power was for a barrier of course. One that followed Kiyoko's formula but on a much wider scale. The barrier was to cover the entire Digital World, and push the virus high into the sky so the ground and air was free to those who wanted to return to the wild. It would also prevent any further damage like what we had gone through, and keep the virus contained all on one general level so we could find it and eliminate it more effectively.

Amai cupped her hand around her mouth and pretend whispered, which came out quite loudly, "Tafu is my sister, she's a meanie." Tafu rolled her eyes and then motioned with her hand for Candlemon to be on his way. With Candlemon leading the fight club away, and with Amai following closely, the rest of us felt obligated to go along with them.

"Wait up!"

Mimi froze, spinning around with a smile on her face, excited to see Koushiro, but her face fell drastically when we were confronted with someone completely different. It was Takuya Kanbara and he was smiling at us brightly, "Have you seen Izumi? What about the others?" We all shook our heads and he seemed put out, "Alright, well if you find them, let them know I'm looking. I got held up at work."

"They're here though?" Sora asked, and Takuya nodded, "It's great that you support digimon still."

"Why wouldn't we?" He asked, but then he shook his head, he didn't have time for an answer, "let them know," he repeated and then he was off, heading in the door opposite to the one we were heading into.

I tightened my grip on my crutches and noticed Takeru shielding his broken hand closer to his chest nervously. It wasn't that I was afraid of people intentionally hurting me; I was just worried that perhaps people would not notice me and my broken leg and might accidentally shove me. I was sure Takeru felt the same way.

I noticed Amai work her way to the front of the group to lead the way. She hopped over someone who was sitting on the floor and pointed to where a bench was completely empty aside from one person. She had apparently reserved a front row seat for each of us. The person on the bench I noticed was Katsue, and as we came nearer she looked up to us and smiled. Amai hopped over to her, dragging Yamato and the three sat together. The fight club took their seats all in a row, next to Yamato and then Taichi, Palmon and Mimi sat down, leaving plenty of room on the bench for Takeru, Sora and I. Biyomon crawled up into Sora's lap and seemed happy. Personally I was impressed at how easily we had found seating. I cautiously sat myself down and laid my crutches down on the rest of the empty bench. Takeru pulled Patamon down from the top of his head so the people behind could see easier, not that they probably cared. They were all standing and shouting with excitement.

It was when the Drimogemon and Golemon were being ushered away from the empty floor that someone interrupted my quiet panic—the panic that was slowly rising from all the people and the noise. I looked up to see Tomoki, Izumi's friend. He pointed to the crutches asking if he could sit there and I nodded. I moved them for him and he took a seat next to me with three other men who I did not recognize. He leaned in and told me their names when he noticed my confusion. Kouji, Koichi and Junpei. A few minutes later Izumi and Takuya joined us at the end of the bench and Izumi's eyes were focused on the empty arena, excitement building up.

I looked back and saw that the arena was no longer empty. Takeru gripped my arm with his non-broken hand and gripped tightly. In the center of the arena was a man wearing a wooden mask. The man that the media wanted to get to the bottom of. He had a cape draped over his shoulders and he was wearing a tuxedo of sorts. The crowd was erupting into screams as more people caught sight of him.

My heart was beating fast now—too fast—were these good screams or not? Was this man bad, or good? I didn't know what to think, I just wanted to curl up. I wasn't used to such excitement.

When the man in the arena held his hands up, the crowd silenced themselves. It took a while for complete silence to overtake them all but eventually I felt comfortable again, and Takeru released my arm.

The silence was lasting an unusual amount of time, but no one else seemed to mind, it was simply building the tension. Eventually he did speak, pulling a microphone up to his face, even though the wooden mask did not allow room for a mouth hole. "Welcome," he said one word and dropped the microphone to his side to allow the cheers to erupt again. I winced having been surprised by the sudden noise and noticed Biyomon with her wings over her ears. "Welcome!" the man shouted this time. It hit me then that his voice was familiar. Even over the roaring of the crowd I recognized his voice from somewhere, but it was muffled and difficult to make out entirely. The sound of his voice was coming from above though, where speakers were installed around the wall so everyone could safely hear the man in the mask.

When the man's hands returned to the sky the crowd silenced again, "We are here to unite." He said boldly, "We are here to _RISE_!" the screams erupted again but this time I was ready for it. "We understand what it means to evolve!" he shouted over the crowd, "We understand what _we_ see when we see the digimon!" he then gestured to a Jagamon, his partner perhaps? "We know better than the group what EVOLVE stands for. It means growth—development! It means _peace_ because that's why our digimon grow! They grow to fight for what they believe in! They do not grow to tear down the lives that others have built up! We will not allow EVOLVE to take control of us. We will _rise_!"

The roar of the crowd was deafening this time and both Takeru and Patamon joined in, screaming long with the crowd. Tomoki looked to him and laughed, and the sound of his laughter—or the sight of it since I didn't hear much—seemed to lighten my mood exponentially.

"Have you ever felt beaten up?" The man in the mask asked the crowd, "Have you ever felt like the world is just against you? Have you ever felt like the world tore your heart apart? Have you ever felt defeated? Have you ever felt like you just _can't_ get back up again?" With every question everyone agreed, cheering that they had felt that way. I couldn't stop myself from smiling brightly, and I even started laughing. The adrenaline and excitement was starting to sink right into me, "Well you're not alone. I know you can get back up. Together we will _RISE_!"

Even I was cheering this time, clapping my hands along with the strangers surrounding me.

And then the crowd was much quieter as the man began to speak again. "I would like to welcome back our faithful followers," The man said and I could tell he was smiling under the mask. "And I would like to say a massive 'hello' to all the newcomers." There was a loud 'whoop' from somewhere at the other side of the stadium and I found myself laughing along with everyone else. "We are RISE. We are the dreamers of the world. We are those who see things for the beauty that they hold. When the world does not see what we see we rise from the ashes and we show them what they are missing. We show them the beauty these wonderful creatures behold." The Jagamon at his feet jumped up and down in agreement and I laughed again. "RISE. Revolutionary Internet Security Enforcement. We secure the digimon and their world. We will help them feel at home wherever they choose to live. That is only fair. We ask them to love us and to stay with us, to _complete_ us, and yet we let those who are unfamiliar with their beauty to stomp on them. We cannot continue on this path. We cannot continue to preach originality and yet kick every ounce of uniqueness we can find to the cub. The human race is _amazing_ and yet we are cruel. RISE is about finding a way to love everything unconditionally."

I could think of no better way to preach acceptance. It was simply a bubble of acceptance and happiness. The feeling that was seeping into my soul through my pores was _love_. The feeling that no one had words to describe, the emotion that would never be able to be contained— _was_ contained here. It was a group of people who came together to love themselves and to love everyone else too. I was _definitely_ going to bring Gomamon to one of these meetings.

The man in the mask started telling us stories of his life and how he met his partner, which was apparently days before the virus' attack. He was in the Digital World and had set up some kind of explosion for the enemies. He found the EVOLVE camp in the Digital World and he blew it up. Set it on fire. Though he did not stick around to find out what happened—because he was busy saving a Jagamon from some horrible people, I knew that it _had_ indeed worked. He _had_ blown it up.

After about a half hour of stories he turned his attentions to Yamato. "I heard the Digital Man was to join us today." Takeru snorted and leaned forward to look to his brother, laughing. Yamato's face was immediately reddening and he stood up, waving awkwardly. "I'd like you to come down here to talk."

Yamato groaned. I couldn't hear him, but I knew it was true. Amai was by his side laughing and jumping excitedly, taking his hand to lead him along the way, leaving Katsue behind, alone. She looked after Yamato, rolling her eyes. The crowd was cheering again as Amai dragged Yamato out into the arena.

Amai positioned Yamato in a specific way and then rushed back to join us again. The masked man grabbed Yamato's hand and lifted it into the air, resulting in an explosion from the crowd once more. "THE DIGITAL MAN, EVERYONE!" Yamato was more embarrassed now than I'd ever seen him before. "How are you feeling?"

"Great," Yamato said sarcastically into the microphone when the masked man held it closer to him. "I'm really excited to be here." That one seemed less sarcastic.

The masked man seemed pleased, "We're so happy to have you. You are an inspiration. You and your entire team of Digidestined. The crest bearers. We all aspire to be like you, and with you all standing for what you've believed in for longer than most of us, we are inspired."

The man held the microphone to Yamato again and he smiled awkwardly, "Yeah," he said, "Well thanks, but I think the digimon really deserve the credit." The crowd was screaming again but Yamato didn't stop, "They've done all the work, all we've done is support them. They're the ones who have always risen to the top and saved the day. The connections we share is one thing, but at the end of the day they saved the worlds. They put up with all of the hate, and it was _their_ home that was nearly deleted a couple months ago."

The man with the mask took the microphone back and waved is hand in a 'so there you have it' way, "Let's hear it for the digimon!"

The scream that erupted this time was not the same as it had been before. The love and affection was still there, but there was another element mixed in from our right. It was fear.

A blood curdling scream pierced through the rest of the crowds roars and everyone started joining in. Tomoki leapt to his feet quickly and stood on the bench to get a better look, "Police!" he hissed to Junpei who started running immediately in the opposite direction.

The crowds panic was instantaneous and unavoidable. The panic in my _chest_ however was completely overwhelming. I was reaching with my shaking hands toward my fallen crutches and kept fumbling with them, unable to grasp them firmly.

Kouji and Koichi were both at my side a second later, picking up the crutches and throwing my arms over their shoulders to lead me away from the police. I was grateful but everything was just going so fast. I could barely understand what was happening. I saw flashes of people I knew but they were all escaping, running in different directions. I wanted to join them. I saw Mimi and Palmon disappear into a crowd somewhere but I couldn't go back to help her. I knew Mimi would never let something happen to Palmon and I knew there were enough people here to want to help, but I just felt so useless.

I soon realized that I was hyperventilating, having an actual panic attack that I had barely even been aware of. Koichi shouted at me to breath and I tried to obey but I was just scared.

I closed my eyes for a while putting one foot in front of the other, stomping far too hard with my broken leg, but barely caring. The pain was hidden under my panic. I saw Kai and Shuri slip through some door dragging their partners ToyAgumon and Kokuwamon behind them. I was jealous that they could escape but I realized then that we were nearing the door too. We could get out too. But there were too many people.

Kouji and Koichi seemed to realize that and they spotted something off to the side. I couldn't see that far, my glasses had fallen from my face and Kouji now held them in his hand, having scooped them from the ground when he noticed them fall. There were less people here, wherever we were going.

"You alright?" I heard one of them ask. I nodded, but it certainly didn't sound like I was.

"Jou!"

It was Sora. "St-stop!" I shouted and the men obeyed. I tried to turn, to find her but I couldn't. "Where is she?"

"She's coming," Koichi informed me, "She's okay." Relief flooded through my body and then I saw a flash of pink slam into something ahead of us. It was a door! It opened to reveal the outside. Biyomon held the door for us as Sora grabbed the other one, making room. I hobbled through the door with them and we froze out in the cool air night. It was raining now, and I was soaked before I even knew what was going on.

"We have to hide," Sora decided, "Come on!" She grabbed Koichi's free arm and started leading him toward a line of trees. Biyomon was flying ahead, being cautious about who she passed by, and then she stopped and flew in the opposite direction. "Where are you going?" Sora shouted after her, but it didn't take long to discover that she had found Taichi. She led him back to us all and we collapsed behind the first line of trees.

Kouji handed me my glasses and I put them on to find that they were coated in dirt from hitting the floor.

"Is everyone okay?"

Sora screamed and I looked around, desperate to see who had snuck up on us. I wiped my glasses furiously, squinting through the dark night and the rain. I knew immediately that it was the man in the mask. I could see the outline of the wooden mask. He seemed concerned. When I wiped my eyes I caught sight of Jagamon who was hiding behind a tree with Biyomon.

"I doubt it," Taichi responded honestly. "Has anything like this ever happened before?"

"No," the man in the mask said. His voice sounded even _more_ familiar now. "We were really loud today. We've never had this many people."

"I hope they don't _hurt_ anyone," Biyomon shuddered, and I had to agree. It was one thing to arrest them or to charge them, but to hurt them—or to kill them, like they very well could do with the digimon was a completely different, and worse, thing to do.

Kouji leaned against the tree behind him and sighed as his brother checked to see if anyone was following us. "We're okay at least."

"What about Palmon and Patamon?" Biyomon asked, "And Mimi, Yamato and Takeru? What about everyone else?" She was scared and I felt Sora crawl over top of me to get to her partner to comfort her.

"I saw Takeru and Patamon hop a fence," The man in the mask said.

"You know Takeru?" Sora questioned. The masked man nodded, "Who are you?" Excitement built up inside me and I checked through my glasses again only to find them still too dirty and smudged from the rain. I watched with my blurred vision as the masked man removed the piece of wood that concealed his identity and heard some gasps. I wanted to know too!

Finally, when my glasses were clean enough to put back on and see through, I placed them on my face and stared into the face of my brother, "Shin?" I gasped.

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

 _Ping_!

I ignored the noise my phone made. I didn't have time to deal with whatever the sender wanted. I'd been receiving texts near-constantly for the last two hours, and there were several phone calls throughout that time as well. Clearly, someone wanted to talk with me badly. Unfortunately, for them, I was too busy to be bothered with something as trivial as communication.

There was so much going on all at once, and I could only focus on so much at one time. It was so frustrating. I wasn't doing _enough_ , I couldn't possibly do enough. There were only a set number of hours in a day. I couldn't remember actually _sleeping_ lately, but I wasn't too worried. The amphetamines were helping with that. They were keeping me alert. They were helping me focus. I had more time to do what needed to be done, thanks to those miracle pills.

I was running low though, and no matter how many times I tried to convince the doctor that I _needed_ more, he wasn't budging. He held firm in his belief that I couldn't have a refill of my prescription so soon. He obviously didn't have enough brain cells if he didn't realize I was smart enough to _know_ what I needed. The pills didn't help for long enough anymore. I needed to up the dosage. They were working wonders lately, with the increased dose. I was feeling freer, like my mind could do anything I wanted it to do.

That may have had to do with the lack of sleep, but that was fine. I didn't _need_ to sleep. My brain was continuing to function without it. I was making leaps and bounds in my research and logistics. I was able to coordinate the anti-virus shipping across the Digital World. I was in close contact with each of the Chosen from across the globe, and was receiving near constant updates from them. Catherine and the American Chosen were progressing the quickest. France wasn't all that big, really, but she had agreed to take on the position of responsibility I'd extended, which made her in charge of ensuring that _all_ of Digital Europe was freed from the virus' clutches. Michael, Tatum and Jenna were helping the American Chosen to spread the anti-virus, which was moving along quite nicely—with the help of Seadramon's ice abilities, and Sam's Flarerizamon's fire power. The reports from Russia were much less exciting. Yuri, Sonya and Anna were doing their best, and had even teamed up with the Siberian Chosen—and their Frigimon which _should_ have allowed them to split into three teams. But they were having a setback. They only had a single digimon available to them at this time that excelled with the fire element. Because of this, the rest of Digital Asia was left to Yue Hong, the Hoi brothers and Dien. Not one of their digimon excelled at fire _or_ ice. It was all very slow going. I was working on arrangements to send recruits their way, that could do what needed to be done.

And at the same time, I was putting the finishing touches on a new shield. This shield was the next level of Kiyoko's, and it was a much slower process than I would have liked. I wasn't quite as proficient as Kiyoko was at inventing things. He could _think_ of something, and find a way to make it a reality. I couldn't do the same. I had to tweak his existing formula, editing the coding _just_ the right way to ensure that the world would be enclosed in an enormous shield. This would eliminate the need for the antivirus on ground level at the very least, and allow the digimon some much needed freedom. They were growing anxious, antsy, being stuck within the shields while the virus was being depleted. I could understand their views. They could no longer _see_ the virus, so they assumed it to be safe, but it wasn't. It wouldn't be until we could be certain that the virus was completely dispelled.

Jou's anti-virus was working miracles, and was building the morale of most of the Digital World's inhabitants. Most were just excited about seeing the sky again, rather than the endless purple storm. Taichi was excited about that too. He often complained about the storm, having spent two months staring at it, while I was tucked away in the Land of Dreams.

 _Ping!_

I ignored my phone again. It didn't matter. I had a particular ringtone set for e-mail updates, which was where the Chosen sent their progress. It was all still coded in the Digital language to keep prying eyes out of our business. I was having an unnecessary amount of fun with translation. It was a nice treat, breaking up the constant numbers and information I was dealing with.

Taichi had big plans for the Digital World, and he had _me_ working out the minor details that he overlooked. There were a _lot_ of details that he didn't even consider. But I was only working on that when my other research reached a standstill. Taichi's plans weren't a pressing matter. He had yet to get them approved by the council, so any work I did this early on was entirely pointless.

But I couldn't allow my mind to idle. I needed constant projects. It was the reason I was working with Daisuke, on a five year plan that would have his noodle carts expand across the Digital World. He was rather excited about the prospect, and I was keeping busy. We were both winning. Mom and Digitamamon caught wind of _that_ particular project, and suddenly I was working on a _ten_ year plan with them, to expand Digitamamon's franchise as well. He was already putting feelers out there to see if there were any other Tapirmon willing to work for him. He was also looking for head chefs, but the Tapirmon thing had become a sort of trademark for him, and he was very particular about it.

I was doing my part to help with the audio of some of the Teenage Wolves' new music. The songs were in the very early stages, and they were mostly just playing around, but Miyako was unavailable at the moment—as she spent every waking hour with her daughter, and couldn't possibly dedicate the time to the band—I offered to assist them. It was mindless work really, but I was getting better at it. It gave me something to do while I tried to figure everything else out. I knew that my work wasn't necessary for them. They could do the same rough work that I was doing, but they enjoyed having the time to mess about with _new_ sounds and songs.

It was good that they were doing this, and _better_ that they were doing it in the library. It was something that was able to bring Hideto out of the funk he'd fallen into when news of Kiyoko's death had reached us. He was unable to function for weeks, but now that the library was full of people, he had his hands full, trying to deal with them. It was keeping him active, keeping him from being alone.

I was always alone, on the other hand. I simply forced all thoughts of Kiyoko out of my head at all times. I couldn't take the time to fully grieve just yet. I was still processing the grief from Gennai, despite my attempts to force _that_ from my mind as well.

I could grieve once I was sure we could make it out of the coming fight alive.

That was the problem. No one else seemed focused on the threat that was still looming in the distance. Taichi _remembered_ it, which was progress, but everyone else was too busy with their own transitions back to Earth. Mimi was dedicating her time to rebuilding her restaurant—again. Daisuke and Kurayami had their hands full with a baby, and were trying to build their lives back up so they wouldn't have to be in Sora's basement for the rest of their lives. Takeru was trying to get Yamato to move into a new home, and Yamato was too caught up on some girl. I _did_ understand that everyone's lives were busy now, after a two month hiatus.

I understood that.

I did.

I was just worried about how _much_ everyone was focussing on other things. I was trying to string the problem together, but it wasn't working. I didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. I was giving up sleep to work on this, but it wasn't working. It was putting me on edge, and the tension and stress was what had caused me to increase my dosage. If things didn't start falling into place soon, I was going to need to use _more_. The doctor wouldn't like that, but I couldn't be fussed with his opinions. I _knew_ what I was doing. I wasn't an idiot. I didn't need to be a doctor or take years of schooling to understand my own mind. I needed the stimulant. I couldn't function without it.

Those two months in the Land of Dreams were two of the worst in my life, but they were also some of my most productive. I grew accustomed to the long, quiet, lonely nights that I didn't _need_ to sleep through. It was exhilarating. Here though, without my amphetamines, I _had_ to sleep. The pills kept my brain active, kept me awake. They kept me productive. And that was something I sorely needed.

 _Ping_!

I ignored my phone _again_ , and continued to stare at the collage of papers I had up on the wall. Some were pinned, some were taped. Mimi wasn't too thrilled by the idea, but she didn't tell me I _couldn't_ so I didn't worry about it. I needed the space. I needed the visual. The pages I'd tacked up to them were all the information I had at my disposal about Gaia.

There had to be a connection there. I needed to understand how Gaia was connected to the bigger picture. The fairies hated her; Spring, in particular, _feared_ her. The only way my mind could place her into the problems the Digidestined were meant to face, was that she was a great evil. The main issue with that, was that she couldn't possibly be one. Winter had informed Miyako of the list, step by step, and Miyako had shared this information with the rest of us.

Unless Winter had somehow gotten her information wrong, then this explanation was incorrect. But I couldn't piece it together if she _wasn't_ a great evil. She'd done what no other great evil had accomplished. She'd killed two digidestined. Arkaidimon was the only other one that got close, but with the help of the time key, Sora was still with us today.

Arkaidimon wasn't a great evil though, and he'd caused quite a lot of damage. He was a glitch, created by Arnold himself. It stood to reason that Gaia could be something other than a great evil too, but it didn't make sense to me. Someone as powerful as she was, someone as evil and manipulative as Mimi told me she could be, _couldn't_ be just another villain. I needed to talk with this Merlin fellow, since he knew so much about Gaia. He was Mimi's source of information. I penciled it into my to-do list, wondering if I would _ever_ manage to get that far down the list.

I hit my head against my desk and just stayed there for a second, trying to get my head to stop spinning. The thoughts just continued to repeat themselves in my mind, in a loop. She wasn't a great evil, there was only _one_ great evil left, and it was up to Trust to defeat it—up to _Ryou_ to defeat it. That evil wasn't here yet, it was the only one left. But Gaia killed Kiyoko and Willis. Gaia was at large, somewhere on Earth thanks to Hikari's doorway. No one could find her. We weren't _ready_ to find her. We didn't have enough knowledge of her to win. We didn't know who she was, really, or how to defeat her. But she _had_ to be defeated. But she wasn't a great evil, and we may not have been destined to be the ones to beat her. We were destined to beat the great evils, but there was only _one_ left, and it was up to Trust—Ryou—to defeat it.

There had to be a solution to this madness. There _had_ to be. We couldn't continue in this endless loop forever. We were meant to be revelling in peace right then, not fighting for digimon rights, and Arnold's glitches, and fairy mothers. Where was the peace we'd been promised? Would we not get to enjoy it until Trust—until _Ryou_ defeated his great evil? Could we possibly wait that long?

Mimi couldn't.

In a way, I was doing all of this for _her._ She hated the fighting, she didn't _want_ a war, and I just wanted to make her happy. She couldn't be happy until all of this was dealt with. But I couldn't figure it out. How could _we_ defeat Gaia if she wasn't a great evil? She was too powerful. It was one thing to face off against the great evils, because we were destined to defeat them. We were meant to live through the experience, were we not? We bore the crests that kept the worlds turning.

But no, we didn't.

Our _digimon_ bore the crests, we simply supplied them with the strength the digimon needed in order to achieve higher forms of digivolution. We _weren't_ needed to survive through the fights. Terriermon and Lopmon could digivolve completely even without Willis, and Tapirmon had done it before, with Neo's serum. He _could_ do it again, if he felt he needed to. Willis and Kiyoko weren't _needed_ to continue to fight.

But Gaia _wasn't_ a great evil.

Why couldn't I wrap my head around that?

I dug my fingers into my hair and grit my teeth. I felt like I was going crazy. There was a simple explanation here. There had to be. I was just thinking too hard. I couldn't see the forest for the trees. But I needed to find a way to beat her.

She'd killed _Kiyoko_.

My eyes started watering, and I beat back the emotions. Emotions wouldn't help me now. I needed complete focus; the emotions would just clutter my mind. I would continuously think of ways things could have been different. I would ask myself "What if?" What if I had gone with Kiyoko, Willis and Mimi? But I knew that wouldn't have worked. Mimi _needed_ to get separated from them, in order to save Michael, Tatum, Lopmon and Hideto. I _needed_ to stay behind in order to save Hikari from the virus. I couldn't condemn those others _just_ because I wanted my cousin back.

Logically I _knew_ that.

But I couldn't help but wish.

He was my family. He was the closest _blood_ relation that I knew existed. I hadn't even bothered to look further before. I was too busy trying to convince Mom and Dad to keep me. I was trying to be the best child I could be, and then I realized they loved me, and I didn't _need_ anything else. I hadn't realized that I _wanted_ it, until Kiyoko showed up using a fake name, claiming to be my cousin. It wasn't until then that I'd even realized there _could_ be other family members out there. But I was content with just Kiyoko. He had lost his parents too—but they'd _chosen_ to disappear from his life in a way mine never had. We were similar in that regard, and we were both whizzes at computers, and had genius intellect. He was just as socially awkward as I was, though our reasoning was different. I'd never felt like I'd _belonged_ quite so strongly as I had with him. I didn't feel like I was the only one out there. Mom and Dad were great, but we weren't alike in any way. But with Kiyoko I found a kinship I hadn't known I was missing.

And now I had to go on without it, having experienced it, and it was going to be so much harder.

I'd wasted the time I had with him.

If I'd have _known_ what was coming I would have spent less time working while we were together, and more time just hanging around, goofing off and having fun. It wasn't something I normally did, but it would have made me feel better to know I'd had a more _personal_ relationship with him. We talked, a lot actually, but it didn't feel like _enough_ , now that we couldn't talk anymore.

 _Ping!_

 _Ping!_

 _Ping!_

 _Ping!_

I sighed, and turned my phone off. But then I thought better of it, and turned it back on, checking to make sure I hadn't missed any e-mails from the Chosen. I hadn't, and I sighed. I spun around in my desk chair, moving to look at the papers from a different angle, hoping _that_ could shine a light on the situation. When that didn't work, I opened my laptop. I needed a break from that, but there were other things I could be doing. I could never be idle. I looked at the bottle of pills on the corner of my desk and contemplated whether I needed one or not.

I had just decided I _did_ , when the front door slammed open.

I spun to get a better look, and Mimi was storming in, furious. Palmon was scrambling after her, looking a little shaken, but otherwise alright. Mimi didn't stop until she was standing right in front of me. She glared down at me, and silently demanded an explanation. The only issue with that was that I had none to give. I didn't know _what_ she was referring to.

"Well?" she demanded. "Don't you have a list of excuses you should be rattling off right about now? You _missed_ the RISE event, Koushiro. How could you _do_ that? It was so important to Yamato, and to the cause that we all be there. But you couldn't be bothered, could you?"

"What are you talking about?" I said, looking to the clock. Sure enough, the numbers were pointing in Mimi's favour. "I didn't know it was that late. I thought I still had an hour to go."

How could I have missed _hours_? I was caught up in this Gaia problem, yes, but that shouldn't have had any effect on my ability to tell time. I was usually subconsciously aware of time passing. I was a very organized and scheduled person. I'd mentally scheduled myself to attend _early_. I had just wanted to get some of this stuff out of the way _before_ I left.

Obviously that had been a mistake.

"Seriously?" she said, huffing and crossing her arms. "That's the excuse you're going with? You lost track of time?"

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I really did though. I was _sure_ it was earlier."

"Uh, huh," Mimi said, not sounding impressed in the slightest. "You were supposed to be there."

"Biyomon's very mad at you," Palmon added. "You were supposed to bring Tentomon with you. But he didn't come either. Where is he? I want to yell at him too, for not reminding you."

"He's at the Temple," I told her. "He's working too. We thought we could divide and conquer in order to be done in time to go to the meeting."

"That didn't work, did it?" Mimi snapped. "You should have been there, Koushiro. We had to run away from the police, and I didn't get to meet the masked man, but it was amazing. The atmosphere was perfect. He was preaching love and togetherness, and you should have been there to share in it. But you couldn't be bothered. And we were almost caught. And it was horrible, and I wanted you to be there, but you didn't come. I was so embarrassed, Koushiro. I was the _only_ one that thought you were still going to come. I was the _only_ one that had any faith in you at all, and you proved me wrong. You made me the fool. But I _still_ kept hoping you'd come, even if you were late."

"I'm _sorry_ ," I apologized. I eyed the amphetamines out of the corner of my eye. I probably should have taken another _sooner_. I wouldn't have missed the event if I had. I wouldn't be making the same mistake again.

"I know you are," she sighed. "But it doesn't change what happened."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" I suggested, knowing it was going to cut into my work time, but finding that I needed the distraction. I wasn't figuring the Gaia situation out anytime soon. I was also actually interested in RISE, which was why I agreed to go in the first place.

"It won't be the same," Mimi whined. "I can't do it justice."

"Biyomon told me something, that Gabumon told her," Palmon commented. "But it didn't _happen_ tonight. It happened at the library."

"Go on," I prompted. She looked worried.

"Yamato thinks that you guys shouldn't have gone back to the Digital World when Gennai sealed it off. Sigma _forced_ it open, and he thinks _that's_ why there isn't any peace anymore. He thinks Gennai was right. And he wishes the worlds _weren't_ opened up again," Palmon told us. "Gabumon was really sad, because that means that Yamato wishes that he never got to see him again. And he's scared, because Yamato is _convinced_ he's right, and that means that we'll all have to say goodbye again."

"I _won't_ ," Mimi declared, rushing over to hug her partner. "I will _never_ say goodbye to you again, Palmon. I never want to be separated from you. You're my best friend. I wanna keep you."

"I wanna keep you too!" Palmon cried.

"But…" Mimi murmured. "I do see his point. I don't want to say goodbye, but I do get where he's coming from. I want peace. We _deserve_ peace, after what we've gone through. And I think he's right. Sigma forcing open the gateway _did_ throw things off balance. But we can't change the past, and we have to look towards the future. I get it though. I can see that it would be a good thing, to have the worlds stay separate."

"I don't agree," I commented. She glared at me, still angry with my absence from the RISE meeting. "I think _everything_ happens for a reason. Gennai chose to seal the worlds and he probably had the best intentions, but Sigma opened them. It happened for a reason. Gennai tried _twice_ to keep us from coming back, but we always got there anyway. It's destiny. The great evils aren't destroyed yet, there's another one out there. Separating the worlds won't work, because that great evil needs to be defeated."

"But we could make _peace_ ," Mimi argued, desperately wanting it.

"We can make peace by figuring this out, and getting Ryou to beat his great evil. We get peace after that. It's been foretold," I pointed out. "We can only find peace when the great evils are gone. We can't cut any corners."

"I don't _want_ to separate the worlds," Palmon said, offering up her opinion on the matter.

"You guys don't want peace?" Mimi said, looking heartbroken at the thought. I rolled my eyes. She was taking it the wrong way on purpose, I just _knew_ it.

"We're finding peace," I told her. "We're not taking any shortcuts. We'll _earn_ it, not just for us, but for the rest of the worlds."

"I don't know," Mimi sighed. "It still makes sense though."

"A little bit," Palmon admitted.

I opened my mouth to counter their argument, because it _didn't_ make sense to me, but Mimi held up a finger and shook her head.

"I don't want to fight," she said. She wandered over to my wall of information. As she drew closer, I slipped my bottle of pills into my pocket. I didn't think she'd understand. I wasn't doing anything _wrong_ , she just might assume some things. I didn't want to have to deal with that. "What've you found out?"

I didn't answer, because I had nothing to report. I was ashamed that I still hadn't figured _anything_ out. I was working night and day on so many projects, but they never seemed to get anywhere. I needed more time. I needed to work _harder_.

"Fine," she huffed. " _Don't_ tell me. It's not like I'd understand anyway, right? I'm not stupid you know. You _can_ tell me things."

I honestly didn't know _how_ to respond to that. So again, I didn't say anything at all. I was too busy trying to calculate how much more work I could do if I increased my medication again. It was definitely sounding like a good idea.

"You know what? I don't care," she snapped. "I'm going to go knit a hat for Mai, and hopefully it will _resemble_ a hat. Palmon come with me, Koushiro has obviously got better things to do than pay attention to us."

"Can we watch Unicorns in Space?" Palmon asked.

"Of course we can," Mimi told her, looking in my direction, trying to be subtle about it. Mimi knew my weaknesses. I wanted to watch it with them. But I couldn't. She scowled when I didn't try and join them, and stormed off, leaving a confused Palmon to trail behind her.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Kari and Kurayami have been up to something lately, and Davis might just get a chance to figure it out. Then again, maybe not?


	6. Smack Down

**Y/N:** Daisuke has to face some hard truths this time around, and it was difficult to write, because I just really want things to start going well for him.

 **U/N:** I was really stressed about Kari's chapter here. I remember that I was struggling to bring Kari to a place where she was still Kari but also in the frame of mind that the story was forcing of her. You'll see it as you read it. She jumps pretty far out of character here, but there is a reason behind it all just as there usually is. Hopefully that reason works well and makes sense.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 06: Smack Down**

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

"No, no," Takeru said, shaking his head, pushing me gently from my shoulders. "Don't hug me." I was confused. "Shake my hand." I couldn't help it, I laughed. He had just gotten his cast off and he was using every reason he could come up with to use his hand in normal life. He reached out to me and I took his hand gently, because I was sure it had to hurt a bit, and we shook hands. "Good day, Miss," he said as his head bowed politely.

I took the skirt of my dress and curtsied. "It was a pleasure spending the day with you, Sir."

Takeru smirked as he scooped my face into his hands to kiss me. When he pulled away he was still smiling but then he backed up and leaned against the brick wall of the building we had arrived at. "What if we just ran away and never came back?"

"Well," I said, playing along, "We'd go on a long adventure probably."

"We could change our names and no one could ever find us again," Takeru added, "We would start a new life and just escape all of the nonsense and the hatred and just live in a bubble of understanding and warmth. Wouldn't that be great?"

I thought for a moment, because it certainly sounded like it _could_ be fun. "Wouldn't you miss everyone though?"

"Oh of course," Takeru said, shaking his head, "Why do you think I'm still here?" My eyebrows acted on their own accord and they flew up in a kind of annoyance. "I mean there are other reasons obviously!" Takeru insisted, pulling away from the wall to assure me of this. "I love you, and I love Patamon. I could never leave because I'm too invested in the wonderful life I have been gifted with."

I figured that was a better answer, and as Takeru took my hand I smiled at him. Then the door nearby opened up and the unpleasant face of Takeru's employer Ai, with his narrow eyebrows and squared jaw, popped out into the morning air. "Takeru," he hissed, pulling the rest of himself out through the door. He placed a hand on Takeru's shoulder and guided him away from me. "Stop flirting with the local girls and come into work. You're almost late."

Takeru looked confused, "What are you talking about? I—" he turned to me, "I don't flirt with local girls," he assured, and then looking back to Ai, "If I'm almost late that means I'm not yet on time. But I promise you I will be."

Ai looked to me and smiled kindly. I was confused now too. "Stop bothering the nice girl," Ai said through gritted teeth, keeping his smile, as though he were throwing a side comment to Takeru that he thought I could not hear. "Go to work."

Takeru put his hand on Ai's shoulder this time and stepped around him, and kissed me on my cheek, "You heard the man, got to get to work." He then stepped toward the door, but spun to face me, "Goodbye girlfriend."

I understood then what Ai had been confused about and I smiled, "Farewell boyfriend." Takeru winked at me before slipping through the doorway to get to work. I looked back to Ai who was staring blankly toward me. "What?"

"You're dating him?" he asked, trying to recompose himself. I nodded and he bit his lip, shaking his head gently, "I see," he said finally, moving to follow Takeru. "Well, if you ever need an upgrade, you know where to find me."

Again my eyebrows rose quickly. "By that I will assume you mean to purchase a larger coffee than the one I typically drink because surely you are not implying that you want me to cheat on my boyfriend." Ai threw his hands up as if to say 'you said it, not me' and I rolled my eyes. Before I could respond I felt a sharp and painful tug in my chest, like some dark claw had sunk itself deep into my heart to pull me toward it. "You picked the wrong girl, Ai. Go find someone you will find your devilish and demoralizing attitude to be charming because it isn't me."

Ai seemed relatively surprised that I had spoken to him in that way, but it was nothing to the complete _shock_ that I felt. Standing up for myself was something I was used to doing, but snapping at someone was definitely not. Every now and then I found myself angry with Taichi, but that was different. This had been _rude_ —to someone I hadn't even known. Ai eventually found that the conversation was dead and he turned to enter his shop again leaving me completely alone in the street to try to figure out what had just gone on with me.

The pull inside of me was clearly the work of the same villainous woman who had been trying to lure me toward her inside the maze as well. But I was not the only one who had been experiencing these feelings.

I pulled my phone out quickly and began typing a text message for Kurayami.

 _I just felt it again. It's getting really bad. Painful even. I just snapped at a man out of frustration._

I waited, but I knew it would not be long before she replied. She kept her phone with her at all times, just as I did. It was a safety mechanism, just in case we felt an attack. More often than not we felt the pull at the same time as one another, but every now and then it seemed that Gaia was after one of us more than the other.

My phone went off and I was quick to read the message.

 _You alright?_ _I felt it too and I almost dropped Haruki. This is getting to be too much. Remind me again why we're not telling Daisuke and the others?_

She had a point. The longer this went on the less sense any of our plans seemed to make.

 _Because it's dangerous to go near her. Until we know what we are up against it wouldn't be logical to walk right up to her. Besides, she knows we feel her, right? Most definitely a trap._

As I sent my message I got a look at the time and my heart lurched again, but this time it was my own brain who had done the pulling. I set off quickly—looking both ways before crossing the street obviously—to where I knew Iori would be waiting impatiently. I was late. Again.

I wove through the tired looking people making their way to their early shifts at work and ignored the lingering feeling of dread inside my chest. I couldn't be sure if it was guilt for being late and forcing Iori to wait for me, or if it was because Gaia's presence. Either way, it wasn't pleasurable. Finally I found the place where Iori was sitting, hunched over as he played idly with his phone. He was wearing a jacket, and a scarf. I couldn't blame him. It was pretty cold for early September.

"I'm so sorry!" I shouted out as I hurried down the sidewalk toward him. He looked up and tried to seem happy to see me, but he looked more irate than anything. He pocketed his phone and got to his feet. "I'm sorry!" I insisted when I finally met up with him.

"It's fine," he assured me, looking me dead in the eyes, "Honestly, I was hoping you'd bailed." That made sense. Both of us immediately looked like the dread that had been building up was now taking shape on our faces. Iori knew I understood and so he waved me on and turned to take the lead. I hurried to walk next to him because I didn't really know the way to our destination. "How was your morning?" he asked, making conversation.

I had a flashback to Ai and to Gaia and shook my head, "Takeru and I had breakfast," I told him, deciding the positive side of the tale would be more interesting to hear anyway, "And there was a big birthday breakfast being held at the other side of the diner." Iori looked like he felt bad that I'd had to experience that. I knew he hated when the places he chose to eat at were crowded, but I didn't feel the same, "No it's good. At first I thought it was a party for some little old lady, but it wasn't! She was celebrating her partner's birthday!"

Iori looked up, amused, "She has a partner?" He asked, "How old was she?"

"Like eighty at least," I said and Iori laughed, "Yuramon was her partner I believe."

"Such a little guy for such an old lady?" Iori asked, thinking. It was sad in a way that her partner was so young, but it was still such a sweet union. Both of them seemed innocent in a way, and although a person who was reaching such a far point in their life had seen and done things that would not add to their innocence, learning to keep going after everything you'd done is how innocence can be replenished—as long as you feel bad for it. "Wait," Iori said, "Her partner's birthday?"

"Yeah," I said nodding, "I think it was his _birth_ day. Like, day of birth."

Iori let out a soft "oh," and then thought for a moment. "You don't think Armadillomon knows his birthday, do you?"

"I wouldn't know, why?"

"Because we've celebrated my birthday every year but never his," Iori explained, "He would have said something, right?"

"I don't think Gatomon knows," I told him, "But she was alone when she hatched, she was too young to know better and too alone to know what day it was anyway. You could always ask Armadillomon though. Better late than never."

"Says the girl who was just late," Iori said with a soft laugh.

"But I showed up!" I exclaimed, "'Better late than never', I said!"

Iori did not laugh this time. Instead he stopped walking and I did too after a moment or two of ignorance. I turned to him and saw him staring toward a house on the way up the hill. It didn't take a genius to figure out that we had reached our destination. He took a deep breath of preparation and moved to enter through the gate. I followed quickly, taking note of the pond in the yard, and all the ornaments that helped decorate the otherwise simple property. Iori was already standing at the top of the wooden steps that led to the front door and knocking on the beautiful dark door.

By the time I had joined him the door had been opened and a friendly looking lady opened the door to greet us. She smiled, but it was clear there was a wall around her, like she was keeping out the happiness she tried to pretend she had. It was painful to see actually. "Hello," she said softly, "May I help you?"

Iori looked to me, hoping for me to take over, but when I tried, no words came out, "My name is Iori," he said finally, "I was a friend of your daughters. Noriko?" The woman's face fell and the sadness I knew was inside showed itself more clearly. "I—we came to—well if we could just—I just meant that—"

"Come in, Dear," the woman, Noriko's mother said sweetly, stepping aside to grant us entry. Iori bowed his head as he passed by and I slipped in after him. "It's nice to meet you Iori, and what's your name dear?"

I turned back around and shook her hand, "I'm Hikari." She smiled a squinty smile and gestured for me to follow Iori into the sitting room. He froze in the doorway.

"What do you want?" Impmon asked sharply. I knew it had been Impmon before I even saw his face. And when I did, I felt sadness rising again. He had lost the woman that had been his best friend for many years. More than thirteen years. Impmon was sitting on the couch, holding a sandwich made of visibly stale bread. Next to him sat Tomotsu, Noriko's fiancé—ex fiancé—who was holding out his hand with the television remote held tight in his grip. He turned the machine off and looked over to the two of us. "Hello? Earth to Iori."

Iori looked away from Impmon momentarily and then cleared his throat to speak, but Noriko's mother saved him from the attempt. She moved into the living room and turned to Impmon, "They were friends of Noriko, they've come to talk I think."

"Did you tell them we're busy?" Impmon asked rudely, "Because we are."

Mrs Kawada looked all too embarrassed at Impmon's behaviour and she looked to the two of us, "it's true," she said, "We were just getting ready to go on a trip somewhere warm. Somewhere Noriko would have liked." She pointed to where many suitcases were piled up, using the side of the couch as a leaning post.

"W-we can come another time," Iori offered.

"No!" Mrs Kawada insisted, her eyes flicking to Impmon, "Please, whatever it is that you came to say, by all means, say it."

Iori seemed to understand the importance of this to Noriko's mother, though it was impossible for her to know what we had come to say. More importantly, there wasn't specifically anything we _had_ come to say. Iori looked to Impmon before he spoke, "we have come to talk about Noriko." This did not come as a shock to any of the three individuals in the room and so Iori continued, "We understand you have had a funeral for her."

Mrs Kawada nodded quickly, "It was lovely."

"Ha!" Impmon spat angrily, "It was horrible."

I looked between the two of them, but neither seemed to want to break the glare they were giving one another. It was Tomotsu who finally spoke, "It was fine," he assured us, "there was no body, it was weird. It was just close family, I'm sorry for not inviting you."

"Don't be," I told him.

"Well anyway," Tomotsu said, glancing toward Impmon, "someone tried to take him away and hand him over to the DWD. Or I guess they're openly calling themselves something else now—what was it?"

"EVOLVE," Impmon said with a dramatic roll of his eyes, "As if they know anything about evolving. They're stuck in the stone ages with their block-headed opinions."

"While I agree," Mrs Kawada said, finally moving to sit with Impmon, taking his hands into hers, "You must not be cruel. It is unbecoming." Impmon stuck his tongue out at her and she relented, feeling defeated. She looked up to Iori and smiled again, "I remember you." She told him, "Noriko used to talk about you a lot." Iori looked startled and uncomfortable but when Tomotsu let out a choked sort of laugh Iori found himself smiling too. He nodded. "She had a crush on you, I bet. She used to do things for you too. She was getting help for herself, because she wanted to make you proud of her." Mrs Kawada had tears in her eyes now. "She just wanted you to know that looked up to you because of your i-ideals. Your honor. She wanted to m-make you proud."

"She did," Iori assured her, "She had a rough ride, but she came out on top." He looked emotional too, and even though I didn't think I'd be much help, I took his hand. The moment I touched him, I had a flashback to the vision we had seen in the maze, but I shook it out of my head quickly, setting it aside with the gentle tugging in my chest that I was trying to ignore in favour of what was going on here. "Noriko was brave—a hero. She died to save someone she loved. But I guess 'proud' isn't the right word. That would imply I had something to do with her transformation. I didn't. That was all her. Rather than proud, I was impressed, and inspired by the person she had become."

Mrs Kawada clutched her chest and smiled, her eyes watering as she listened to Iori's tale.

"She was wise," I added, "She was strong and clever. She was everything I wanted to be. She helped me make my dream come true—something she had no problem doing for herself. Noriko was a hero, just as Iori said. I don't think she knew that, and I don't think she ever expected that she would turn into the person she had."

Tomotsu shook his head, "No, she never knew of the perfection she was composed of." He said in a quiet voice, choked off with emotion. "She was everything good but it was because she had been taught that it would never be true. She could not see the light inside of her. I did not know her during the time she spoke of. 'The Dark Time' she called it." Iori breathed a humorless laugh. "But I didn't need to see her in her darkest days to know she wasn't perfect, because perfection is unattainable. But she was perfect to me."

In the silence that followed her words we all turned to Impmon because it seemed clear that it would be his turn to speak up. He hadn't felt the same though, and as he looked to each of us in turn he grew more and more nervous, until finally he said, "Noriko wasn't perfect." Tomotsu nodded, but seemed worried that perhaps Impmon might be acting rude again. "She was preachy, annoying and opinionated. Everything had to go her way or she'd whine and cry, and sometimes even if it did go her way she found that the way she wanted it to go wasn't as good as she thought it might be, so she'd whine some more. She was kind of spoiled, and usually bossy." There was another brief silence where no one, me included, knew what to think, "But she was funny too. She was grounded and always knew what she wanted. In her bossiness she found her ability to lead and in her opinions she found many facts to back them up and that only helped her grow as a person who wanted to teach. She was my partner... we don't need to talk about her like she was a saint. We didn't do that when she was here, so why would we do it now? She was annoying and you all know it. You still liked her even though she was, right? So why deny it. Noriko was _annoying_ , but I loved her anyway."

The silence was deafening somehow, and it seemed that Noriko's family had taken offense to that, until finally her mother let out a loud laugh, "She _was_ annoying!" and her laughter turned into a fit. One that she seemed unable to save herself from. Not that she wanted saving it seemed. Tears were pouring down her face in her laughter, and soon Impmon was pushing her away, trying to hide his growing smile.

Tomotsu however, stood up and began going through the open suitcase laying on the coffee table by the couch, looking all too annoyed. "We should go," Iori said, glancing toward Tomotsu.

"No, no!" Mrs Kawada insisted, "Wait," she wiped her eyes but was still laughing when she turned to me, "You worked with Noriko, right?" I nodded, "w-would you be able to pick up whatever she had left there?"

An uneasy feeling settled inside me, but I nodded anyway, "If they still have it I would be happy to bring it by for you."

It wasn't long before we were telling them all that we would be back with Noriko's things, and waving to them. Impmon seemed to be much happier than he had been before when we had arrived, but Tomotsu took an opposite track, seeming much less energized now. Mrs Kawada still had lingering tears in her eyes from her laughter and it seemed that in some capacity we had accomplished our nonexistent goal. In some way we knew we had simply gone to speak about Noriko, and to tell them what had happened, or to pay our respects. But ultimately it had never been clear what we wanted.

We had felt nervous because we didn't know what would come from the meeting, but now that we knew, the nervousness was gone. At least it seemed to have cleared up for Iori. I was still feeling queasy and anxious, afraid of what would happen walking into my old workplace. I had been fired without my knowledge when I'd been trapped in the Land of Dreams but I didn't feel sad about it at all. I felt _relieved_. I had been exhausted even thinking about working under the rule of a man so blatantly rude and discriminatory. Aside from that, the only two lingering lights that stayed on at that school, inviting me in were Noriko and Emiko and while Emiko had been kicked out of school for her two months of absence, Noriko simply could _not_ return even if they wanted her to.

"Are you coming?" Iori asked as he held open the door for me to step through. I thought about running, really I did. I thought about finding Takeru and picking up Gatomon and Patamon just to run away and change our names or whatever Takeru had planned. It seemed inviting suddenly. All responsibility would cease to exist at all if we just vanished. We could start our own version of life and make our own rules and no one could ever make me feel as small as I felt right now. Or no one _would_ anyway, because I heavily trusted the people I was with. Iori of all people would understand running away to accomplish something.

But instead of running, I stepped forward, walking inside the building and making my way down the familiar halls that would bring me directly to Principal Ikeda's office. Iori was right behind me I knew, but never once did I look back. I held myself tall, trying to feel more confident, and when I knocked on the door to his office the sound resonated well with my attempted persona. The sound was clear and strong. But the moment I heard the word "Enter," muffled through the closed door I found myself wishing I'd never knocked at all.

Iori noticed my hesitation and reached around me to push the door open. This time the feeling of running shot into my mind for a different reason. There was the pulling again. It was not gentle and steady like it had been before, but sharp and sudden. I _needed_ to find the source of this. I _had_ to find Gaia to put a stop to this feeling. But I knew I should not. So, after taking a deep breath, I stepped into the room, leading Iori inside.

The room was well lit and painted a dull green colour. There were two uncomfortable looking chairs that sat, facing the desk where the pudgy man sat, scribbling in a small black book. The desk itself was clean and organized with a single framed photograph sitting to the side to make room for the golden name plate that read 'Kota Ikeda'.

"Miss Yagami," Principal Ikeda said, shock filling his voice. He stood abruptly, nearly knocking his chair over in the process, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Noriko Kawada's personal belonging," I explained quickly, "Please do not make a fuss, we have come in peace." Iori elbowed me gently but I kept my stance firm. I didn't know what Ikeda was thinking, but I did _not_ want an argument. I just wanted to go home and rest. I needed to stop thinking about the grip Gaia had on my heart.

"A fuss?" Ikeda said confused, "I would nev—are you alright?" I nodded stiffly, "You know me, Miss Yagami, I would never put up a fight when unnecessary." I wanted to call him out, but I figured if he wasn't going to argue then neither was I. "I was _devastated_ to hear the news about Miss Kawada," Ikeda said as he lifted a telephone to his ear. He politely excused himself from the conversation and informed someone to bring Noriko's things to his office. "We kept her things out of respect, asking her mother to come pick them up."

"That's kind of you," Iori said when I refused to respond.

"I know," Ikeda said proudly, "I heard she died saving a child. I knew I made the right choice hiring her as a teacher at this school. To think someone would take their duty so seriously to genuinely risk their life for the people they promised to protect..."

Iori and I exchanged glances of confusion and I thought about letting it slide to get out faster, but that would be unfair to Noriko's name. She died to protect her partner, and she died to fight against the hate that Ikeda took part in, "She did not protect a child," I said flatly. Ikeda looked to me, shocked, "She stepped in the way when a horrible man chose to attack her partner. Her _digital_ partner."

Ikeda swallowed thickly before composing his answer, "Well I suppose you could say she died because she and this officer had different views."

"Yeah," Iori said bluntly, "She saw her partner alive, and he saw him _dead_."

Ikeda looked like he wanted to fight back, but the door immediately to Iori's left opened and a woman I did not recognize walked into the room holding a cardboard box marked as 'Noriko's belongings'. I figured she must be the new teacher to replace Noriko. Iori thanked her for the box and the woman looked over to Ikeda and winked. He blushed. I felt disgusted. And then she was on her way quickly. I decided I was going to follow her, figuring that there was nothing left for us to do here aside from finish our argument, and I didn't really see the gain in letting that continue.

"Miss Yagami, wait a moment will you?" Ikeda said sharply from behind me, I stopped in the doorway and turned as Iori backed out of the way so I could see the man behind the desk. "Noriko was your friend, was she not?" I nodded, "I am sorry for your loss."

"I don't think you are," I said honestly.

"That's not fair," Ikeda said in a defensive voice.

"Isn't it?" I asked sharply, "You threatened to fire Noriko because she told you that you were wrong. She finally had enough of you telling children that you were right and _forcing_ the rest of us to go along with your racist ideals. You did not like her and you told her that in your little meeting." He looked nervous now. "Yeah, she told me. She told me that you decided you could not lie anymore and told her that you didn't like her at all. You yelled at her, just like you yelled at me and all students who stood up for themselves. You think very little of anyone who thinks differently than you and so no, I do not think you feel bad for Noriko's death because it seems to me like you were pretty relieved that she had gone."

"What do you—?" he started.

"I'm not one to call people out," I said, annoyed, "but I happen to know you have a wife, and I happen to know the woman who came into this office is not her."

"What are you implying?" Ikeda stood now, angry.

"Hikari, stop," Iori advised.

"You know exactly what I'm implying," I said, ignoring Iori's suggestion. "I think you're a horrible role model for children and I think you should be fired."

Ikeda looked positively flabbergasted, and as my rage settled I felt the same way. I could not _believe_ myself. What was coming over me? I felt the sharp pain in my chest again and I knew what it was. It was a constant annoyance, a constant fear and a constant reminder that darkness was out in the world and it was my fault. "I was going to offer you a job," Ikeda said, "I thought I had unfairly fired you."

"You did," I pointed out, "but I understood that. I understand that when someone doesn't come to work for two months you can't hold their position."

"I fired you because of your teaching ethics," Ikeda said, enraged now and seeming to find enjoyment out of insulting me, "You taught them the ways of your sick nature, and you taught them that monsters are to be trusted."

"I taught them that good and bad exists in all races," I snarled, nearly jumping in start at the sound of my voice, "And just so we're clear, I would never have accepted the job back from you. Working under an oppressive leader is something I might have accepted if this were the 1940s, but guess what? That was almost eighty years ago and in this modern age, it is considered _cruel_ to tell someone that their beliefs, or social standing is wrong or negative. It is considered an _evil_ act to forcefully make them repress who they truly are. You are not a kind man, Professor Ikeda, and you should know that."

That was when Iori grabbed me by my elbow and started dragging me out of the office. He was looking at me like I'd gone insane, and maybe I had, but the tugging in my chest was getting worse and worse. By the time we had escaped the school I was gasping for breath. "Are you okay?" Iori asked nervously.

"Fine." I told him.

"Then _what_ were you thinking?" He asked, "What was the point of that? That's not like you at all."

"Iori go home," I blurted out, balling up my fists.

"Pardon me?" he asked timidly, "Why?"

"Just leave me alone," I told him loudly, "I'm fine, but please just go."

He didn't seem to want to leave so I did instead. I shot off, running away from him. I couldn't take it anymore. The pain was overwhelming and I had to go. I had to follow the string that was reeling me in. I had to find Gaia and understand why she was doing this to me. I had to give in to my insane cravings.

I didn't even know where I was going, but I knew I should have been paying attention. I tried to look but just saw storefronts. I didn't recognize the place, but I knew where to go anyway. I knew that the pulling would lead me to her. I knew that if I kept running and following my instincts that I would find Gaia before she crushed my heart with the pressure she was putting on it.

And then, with a sickeningly loud _thud_ I had crashed into someone running directly toward me.

"I'm so sorry!" I shouted, sounding a lot more like myself already. I winced as I remembered the things I had said to Professor Ikeda. I knew I would have to send him an apology letter even if I didn't feel that way.

When I looked up I saw who I had crashed into. "Hikari?" Kurayami asked, rubbing her forehead where I had hit her. "What are you—?" she paused and diverted her eyes. I understood. She had been following the pull as well. And yet, here we both were. We would be able to talk each other out of this and we would be able to go home, stronger than we had been before.

Or we could continue. Together.

When Kurayami looked back up to me she seemed to understand her options well, and together we took a glance down the alleyway that was calling to us. There were thick vines growing off of the walls, lining the passage. It was clear that Gaia was near now. I swallowed thickly. "Well," I said nervously, "What do we do?"

Kurayami looked to the alley, then to me, and then to the ground again, finally making a decision. "Come on, let's just go."

I wasn't sure which one she meant. I wasn't even sure which one I _wanted_ her to mean, but I was on board with either one.

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

"Are you _sure_ you can get enough of them?" Jun asked Mrs Takenouchi. We were in Sora's mother's flower shop, and Jun was asking the same question repeatedly for each type of flower she was hoping to have at her wedding. "The palace is _huge_. I don't want it to be too barren."

"I'm sure I can," Mrs Takenouchi told her, gritting her teeth. She was just as annoyed by Jun's questioning as I was. "It may help, however, if I was to go and _see_ the venue. I won't make any concrete orders until I see what it is that I have to work with. Is that agreeable?"

"Yes," Jun said with a beaming smile. It was her pure, unfailing excitement that made me _not_ gouge my ears out with a spoon. I was so tired of hearing about this wedding. It was meant to take place three years ago. It obviously hadn't, but I was done. Three years was far too long to plan a single event. If she wanted to take the three years, that was fine, whatever, but she didn't need _me_ there the entire time holding her hand, did she? My wedding barely had a plan at all. We picked everything in a week, and we're just as married, just as happy—maybe happier, actually— _not_ taking years to plan it. We got it out of the way so we could move on to the most important part: being married.

Jun wanted to be married so badly, and I couldn't help but wonder why she didn't just bite the bullet and slip away to the justice of the peace, and get married without any pomp and circumstance. She didn't _need_ to have the biggest, brightest, flashiest, _best_ wedding the digidestined had ever seen. I knew she _wanted_ to outdo Momoe's wedding—both of them—and she wasn't being subtle about it either. Momoe knew full well that was Jun's intention. Momoe also wasn't making it any easier on the rest of us, because she was continually pointing out that her one wedding was crashed by two of the deadly sin digimon, who proceeded to kidnap her daughter, and culminated in Mimi and Jou fusing digimon for the first time to save her, while simultaneously freeing those affected by sloth and envy while her _second_ wedding was a spur of the moment, romantic decision on Jou's part when they were facing certain doom, as the fate of the world rested on a single battle between the digidestined—and all of our allies—and Yggdrasil. They could have _died_ , but they wanted to be married before they did so.

I didn't think I would _ever_ hear the end of Jun's rant about how "damn romantic" it was and how "completely unfair" it was that it would be impossible to replicate, let alone outdo. But after that mess with the virus, Jun wasn't taking chances anymore. She wanted to be married, and she'd had time to think after being shot and before Jou saved her. She didn't want to die without getting married, and she didn't _need_ to outdo the _circumstances_ around Momoe's wedding. She just needed the event itself to be bigger, more beautiful, and _less_ traumatic. Momoe's weddings were eventful, but Jun didn't want the danger that came with them. She just wanted everyone to have fun _without_ getting hurt.

And to think it only took three years before she came to the same conclusion that Shuu and I had been preaching to her from day one. I was so proud.

"You have time," Mom assured Jun, who was starting to look frazzled. She was searching through her date book, trying to find a time when she _and_ Mrs Takenouchi—Toshiko, really, she'd told me to call her that, but it felt unprofessional when we were her customers—could visit ShogunGekomon's palace together. Mrs Takenouchi didn't seem to mind going on her own, but Jun really wanted to be there so she could paint the picture she wanted Mrs Takenouchi to replicate.

I was incredibly glad that I'd gone into the noodle industry instead of the flower one. I did _not_ want to deal with Jun's incredibly picky tastes. She was high-strung, and needy, and over the top, but at the same time, I wouldn't have taken her any other way. She was my sister, my _big_ sister, and she meant the world to me. She believed in me and stood up for me when Mom wouldn't. Jun wasn't afraid to go toe to toe with Dad if it meant keeping him off my back. And she had unfailing confidence that Kurayami and I could get back on our feet after losing our apartments, and our jobs. We were at rock bottom then, and there was nowhere to go but up. She was sure of it. And I needed that confidence. I depended on it, and would continue to do so until I could build some of my own.

"If you can't do it, I'm sure _I_ can," Shuu offered. Jun looked up from her book and looked at him incredulously. He held his hands up defensively and shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. I won't offer to help. I'll be good, and just sit back while you take on everything."

"Thank you," Jun told him with a smile, purposefully ignoring his less than subtle sarcasm. He rolled his eyes, but he smiled at my sister anyway. His eyes were full of love and I honestly didn't know whether that made me happy, or whether it made me want to vomit. She was my _sister_ ; I didn't want to really think of any guy looking at her like that. But at the same time, I knew he loved her. I knew he would _continue_ to love her, and that she loved him back just as much. He was a good guy, and he'd been around for ages, so my stomach should have gotten used to that particular sight. It hadn't, but that wasn't Shuu's fault. It was just something that would probably always happen. She would always be my sister, and he would always be that guy that wormed his way into her life, and would seriously regret it if he did anything to hurt her.

And I wasn't talking about _me_ getting revenge.

No. Jun could get revenge perfectly well by herself. I would be there to back her up all the way, but I would just be standing in the background, trying to look all menacing and failing. Let's be honest, Kurayami was the more intimidating out of the pair of us. I was a goof ball.

But I didn't think I really needed to worry about any revenge. The way he looked at her was the way I looked at Kurayami, and the way Jou looked at Momoe, and Ken looked at Miyako. It was beautiful, in a particular sort of way, I supposed. And I expected they would last the tests of time.

Haruki gurgled in my arms and I grinned goofily down at him. He started laughing—a sound that _still_ made my heart happy—waving his arms around as he wiggled a little dance. He was such a happy baby. And he was getting so big. He was sitting up all on his own, and he was starting to experiment with standing. He would jump around without getting his feet off the ground, and laugh and carry on without a care in the world.

He was also pulling hair, but that wasn't as exciting, and it hurt.

I had him today, because Kurayami was positive she was going to get a job. I didn't like it. But I couldn't exactly stop her. I didn't want to be a hypocrite. I was going out and restarting my job. My cart was nearly finished, and I just had to get some product, and I would be back in business. I would be spending long hours out on the streets cooking up noodles and selling them to the people. I wouldn't be at home spending all of my time with Haruki anymore.

And that hurt. I was more than a little attached to my son, and I didn't want to lose all of the time we had together, but I also wanted to be productive. I wanted to be earning a living so that we could help Sora in some way. I wanted to help her pay her rent, or buy groceries or something. However small my contribution might be, I wanted to make it. It wasn't fair for us to depend on her so heavily. She was providing us with food, shelter, heat, electricity…and a scapegoat so that Kurayami wouldn't get arrested for killing Moretsuna.

It wasn't fair of us to expect that from her, but she'd offered, and I couldn't help but latch on to the idea. I didn't want my wife to go to prison. I wanted my son to have her around always. If Kurayami wanted a job, that was fine, so long as she didn't go to prison. She would still be here, if she had a job. No, I didn't want _Sora_ to go to prison either, and I really didn't think she _would_ , but on the off chance anything came from these random interrogations, and suspicions, I wanted to have Sora as a shield for my wife.

I realized that made me a bad person, but I couldn't help it. Sora had a good head on her shoulders—most of the time, anyway—and she had a professional lawyer in her corner, as well as Iori. Taichi would always have her back too in whatever way he could provide as a sort-of-ambassador—he wasn't _officially_ back on the pay roll yet, and neither were any of the others that worked in the Digital World, but we were hopeful that it would happen soon enough.

No amount of excuses could really make up for my blatant horribleness though. I was _using_ Sora. It didn't matter that it was her idea. All that mattered was that I _accepted_ it, and didn't even hesitate in doing so.

Haruki laughed again, bringing my out of my funk. He was a perceptive little guy. He was always quick to make people happy. He didn't like it when people are sad, or scared, or anxious. He had a field day with Kurayami most days. Since he'd started laughing, Kurayami had smiled far more than she had in practically the entire time I've known her. She was always smiling at him. It was beautiful. His laughter was like a secret weapon. All we'd need to do is have him laugh and Arnold, and Gaia and the rest of EVOLVE would just _not_ be interested in fighting against us anymore.

I couldn't _do_ that, of course. That would be reckless child endangerment right there, but the idea was still sort of appealing.

"So it's agreed," Mrs Takenouchi said. I was startled. Clearly I'd missed out on the entire conversation. I was kind of in my own little world with Haruki in the corner. I really hoped I hadn't been given any sort of task. I didn't want to disappoint Jun when it didn't get done—on account of me not knowing what it _was_. "We'll meet next Tuesday at four twenty-six in the afternoon."

"Yes," Jun agreed. I rolled my eyes at the time Jun had no doubt given. She was always trying to jam things into her schedule, not wanting to waste even a single minute. She scheduled her _bathroom_ breaks. It was ridiculous. I couldn't live such a structured life—though a life with a little more structure wouldn't be too bad right about then. We were living in Sora's basement with all of her old junk. I didn't mind sharing with her stuff—it would've been nice if I _had_ any old junk. Dad threw a bunch of my stuff out when he'd kicked me out. Jun saved some of it, but Mom just let it happen. She was a giant pushover when it came to Dad. I'd be sad for her, if I wasn't the exact same way. When Dad was around, I panicked. I never knew what to do, or how to react.

Mom pulled on my arm and led me out of the flower shop, since I'd gotten lost in my own thoughts again. Haruki squirmed in my arms, not wanting to be held anymore, but he wasn't big enough to actually walk, and I hadn't brought his stroller, so he was out of luck.

"We should get lunch," Shuu suggested.

"But do we have _time_?" Jun wondered, pulling out her book again.

"Oh dear," Mom said, sounding both nervous and afraid. I looked at her and saw she was staring at someone that was coming our way. I followed her line of vision and saw my father walking towards us. He hesitated mid-step. He spotted Jun and Shuu and Mom, and he had decided to come towards us, but he paused when he saw me and Haruki. He didn't want to come over anymore, but Mom had already seen him, so he couldn't just _leave_ , because it would upset her—which he wouldn't usually care about, because he kicked her son out of the house and _that_ upset her, sort of, but Jun wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Even Dad didn't like arguing with Jun.

"Haruka," he said, cordially as he decided to just go with it and come over. "And Jun, it's so nice to see you sweetheart." He hugged Jun and kissed her cheek.

"Nice to see you too, Daddy," she told him, though I couldn't decide whether she was actually happy or not. Shuu shook his hand, and Dad gave him a once over, and I knew he decided he wasn't _quite_ good enough for Jun, but wasn't going to risk her fury by announcing it. He'd never really liked Shuu, but when Kurayami became a part of the family, he'd started liking Shuu a hell of a lot more. There was just something about the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful girl in the world that just rubbed him the wrong way. I couldn't understand it. But I didn't really care. His approval wasn't needed. He couldn't change my mind about my wife. No one could.

"Daisuke," Mom prompted me in a whisper. I wasn't going to say anything, but she looked so hopeful, and I gave in. I shifted Haruki on my hip and looked my Dad in the face. He refused to meet my eye—the jerk.

"Manabu," I said. Mom elbowed me in the side and Shuu slammed his hand over his mouth to cover up his laugh. Jun was smiling, and Haruki thought I was hilarious, laughing away. But I figured I didn't want to upset Mom—even if it _had_ taken her years to realize she was in the wrong before trying to reaffirm our relationship, leaving me with Yuuko as a substitute mother in the meantime. I _guessed_ I didn't want her upset. "Dad," I said, and she looked happier, so I figured it was a win.

"Daisuke," Dad said shortly, still not looking at me.

His eyes, I noticed, were directed towards the bundle of happiness that I was toting around with me. Haruki was looking at him curiously, and reached a hand out towards him tentatively. Dad made no move to hold his hand—which I was happy about, but it made Haruki grumpy. He huffed, and buried his head into my neck, playing shy.

"We were just going to lunch dear," Mom told him. And then she said the _worst_ possible thing she could possibly think of. "Why don't you join us?"

I was already making excuses to explain why I couldn't make it to lunch. Mom grabbed my arm though, as if sensing my plans and I knew the best I could hope for was to make a dramatic run for it, and hope I escaped with any sense of dignity.

Jun was doing her best to glare at Dad, to try and get him to be the one to come up with an excuse. He caught on pretty quickly, and he opened his mouth to give one—and I was so excited to hear it—but he made the mistake of looking at Mom before any words made it out into the open. "That sounds lovely," he said, looking just as shocked by the words spewing from his mouth. Mom continued to look at him, pleadingly, and he added "My treat" to the end. Mom beamed, and Jun looked shocked. I just wanted to get out of there. I didn't care if Dad took us to the most pretentious place around. I didn't care if he spent a fortune on my lunch. I didn't want my son to be around him. I didn't want Haruki to have to deal with any of the hatred that was almost physical between us. I didn't want him exposed to such vitriol emotions.

But it didn't matter, because Mom was a fragile flower and no one wanted to be the one to disappoint her. She dragged me with them into the lobby of some swanky hotel, where we were seated in an outrageously fancy restaurant—which I was _sure_ was chosen just because of my old jeans and sweatshirt that was all slobbered over thanks to Haruki's bout of shyness. I didn't fit in there. I was practically homeless, and couldn't even _begin_ to justify ordering an _appetizer_ with the cost of everything. I didn't feel comfortable here, and it was starting to have an effect on Haruki.

I had my son propped up in my lap, and as we ate, I fed him tiny bits of the mashed potatoes that came with a steak. Mom ordered it for me when it became obvious that I was going to order _water_ and leave it at that. Dad didn't react to her decision, and I _almost_ felt like we could make it through the meal. The conversation was held mostly between Jun and our parents, while Shuu and I felt awkward and out of place. Their conversation was interrupted quite frequently though, when people came over and asked about Haruki.

"How old is he?"

"He's seven months today, he's just getting so big, aren't you little guy?"

"What's his name?"

"Haruki," I answered dutifully every time. "I named him after my only parent."

Mom and Dad didn't like that particular answer, but I got a lot of sympathy from strangers, which went a long way in making me feel comfortable sharing a table with a man that despised me so much, even though he was half responsible for bringing me into the world. After having a son of my own, I could not possibly even come close to understanding what I that could ever have made him so angry with me. I didn't follow _his_ dream for me, so what? Haruki could decide to be a parachuting instructor for all I cared. I would love him regardless—and worry like mad because that job sounded so dangerous.

Other than the strangers, things seemed to be going alright. But Haruki got a little restless, so I set him on the floor so he could hold onto the chair I was sitting on, and bounce to his heart's content—and he screamed with laugher as he did just that— _and_ Jun decided she needed to use the washroom.

It was like a switch was flipped as soon as Jun entered the ladies' room.

"Pick that child up," Dad ordered. "He's causing a disturbance."

"He's a baby," I protested.

"He's making a mockery out of us. Get him off the floor this instant," he ordered. I wasn't about to upset my son _just_ because his happiness was upsetting my father. Dad was a freaking adult. He could suck it up. Haruki was a baby and didn't want to stay curled up anymore. He needed the exercise. I didn't make a move at all, and that obviously just ticked Dad off more. He stood up, and I looked to Mom, expecting her to say something, but she looked away from me, refusing to meet my eye. She stared at her food and forcefully ignored her husband's activities. She said she wasn't going to do that anymore. She promised me when she decided to come back into my life. She wasn't going to let Dad dictate who she loved.

Obviously her love for Dad was much stronger than the bond between mother and son.

Shuu didn't approve, but he was trying to marry this guy's daughter _and_ retain his approval through the ordeal, and he didn't really want to get on his bad side. I knew that he'd have a hard time explaining that to Jun when she got back, but it was what it was. He wasn't part of the family just yet. I couldn't expect _him_ to stand up for me.

Dad reached down for Haruki, and my son's peals of laughter turned into screams of fright and distress. I reacted instantly, taking Haruki out of Dad's reach, and pushed myself to my feet.

"I thought you didn't _want_ a scene," I told him.

"I want him quiet, so there isn't one," Dad said firmly.

"Looks like you're getting one anyway," I countered. I raised my voice, purposefully drawing the attention of the other diners, _just_ to tick Dad off, because he'd made me _royally_ mad. "You can do whatever you want to me, and that's fine. I can live with whatever crap you throw my way. I don't have to be happy about it, but I'll deal with it. But you attack my wife with your words, and you scare my son, and I'm not so forgiving. If you _ever_ lay another hand on my son, there will be _hell_ to pay. And Mom, you're going to have to rethink your priorities, because I don't want people in Haruki's life that won't stand up for him. You proved that you can't. You're going to have one hell of a time changing my mind _again_. Fool me once, shame on me, but you won't fool me twice."

She flinched as though I'd slapped her, and figuratively, I supposed I did. But my son was my first priority, and Dad had _physically_ laid a hand on my son. He might not have hurt him, but he _could_ have. And Mom just turned the other cheek. With the life Kurayami and I were dealt, we needed people that could stand up against anyone that was going to threaten our son, and if she couldn't even stop her _husband_ , then what good was she? If she didn't _care_ enough about Haruki, then she wasn't worth it. It was one thing when she ignored what happened to me. I was an adult, I could handle it now. But Haruki couldn't, and he shouldn't have to.

"Shuu, tell Jun I'll call her later," I told him.

"Don't go," he protested. "Jun's got the whole day planned out."

"I'm going to need a rain check," I told him, before turning on my heel and walking out of the restaurant. I could feel the other diners' eyes on me, but I knew they were looking to my family just as much. I was pretty sure I was the winner this time, but somehow, it didn't make me feel any better.

I didn't want to waste any money on a taxi, so I walked the entire way back to Sora's apartment. It was long, and tiring, but Haruki fell asleep on the way, so he didn't put up too much of a fuss. I knew I'd have to get his car seat from Jun at some point, or we'd have to carry him everywhere. We both had experience with that though, even if it wasn't preferable. Kurayami had carried him for the majority of his first four months, and I'd lugged him around for two more while he was in the Coliseum. It wasn't impossible, but he just kept getting bigger.

My arms felt like they were going to fall off by the time I got back to Sora's. I walked through the front door and headed towards Sora's living room, because I could hear the television. Sora was seated on the couch with Labramon curled up at her side. Labramon, like Haruki, was asleep.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked, falling into the couch, being careful not to jostle my sleeping baby.

"Biyomon and Veemon are playing with some old puzzles I found in one of my boxes," Sora said, smiling to herself. I doubted she remembered even _owning_ those puzzles, but I was happy that Veemon and Biyomon were getting along. Veemon had been upset for weeks when he realized he wouldn't be living with Patamon anymore. He'd taken his frustration out on Biyomon, practically making her jump through hoops before he decided she was worth living with too. It probably helped that Kurayami talked with him and made him realize he wasn't being fair to our friendly pink bird.

"And Kurayami?" I asked.

"I don't actually know," Sora shrugged. "She went out before you this morning, didn't she? She hasn't come back yet."

"Alright," I said, relaxing into the couch and focussing on the television. Sora was watching the news—something I never did because it was always depressing, heartbreaking or boring. I liked pointless action and random love stories in my television, not true events. But it was Sora's television, and she was watching it first, so I didn't voice my complaints. I was too tired to do so anyway.

" _In other news the investigation into the murder of Police Chief Sakana Moretsuna has had a breakthrough. Investigators believe they have identified a prime suspect to the mysterious death. They aren't revealing names just yet, but we'll be sure to keep you in the know the moment they do. Now, Moretsuna's case is especially interesting because—_ "

Sora turned off the television, staring at it in shock. I was too. I knew exactly what this meant, and I knew exactly who their suspect was. I was sitting with her. And I felt so guilty, knowing that Kurayami was the one responsible, but that Sora was taking the blame. But I also couldn't find it in me to do as Kurayami wanted and tell the truth. Haruki had already suffered through two months without his mother, I didn't want him to suffer longer while Kurayami went to prison needlessly—it was self-defence, not premeditated murder.

I didn't think Haruki could handle that.

I didn't think _I_ could handle that.

It was selfish, and it was unfair, but I looked to Sora—still shocked by the same realization that I'd just had—and was so thankful for her selflessness. I could never offer to do what she had done for us. And I was just so miserable by the fact that there was nothing I could offer to do to help her, when she was doing _everything_ for us.

It wasn't fair.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** The Digidestined aren't the only people recovering from the virus, and Tai and Cody are both here to shed some light on the world around the core group.


	7. Motherly Advice

**Y/N:** Cody and Tai narrate. Tai's struggling under the pressure that he's under, and Cody's got some new things to adjust to as well. We'll have to see how they fare with everything.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 07: Motherly Advice**

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

The Coliseum was buzzing. Everyone inside was excited about the possibility of leaving. It was catching too, because I became excited the moment I stepped inside. I could feel it in the air, I could hear it, and I could _taste_ it. I was so freaking excited about giving these digimon the freedom they deserved. And it wasn't even complete freedom yet. It was just a little extra space to walk around.

The virus wasn't completely gone yet. They couldn't go outside, just in case the virus started spreading like wildfire again. But we _could_ extend the barrier that surrounded the Coliseum—theoretically at least.

But the virus was disappearing at a rapid rate. Koushiro was keeping me informed as he was contacted. India was nearly virus free, thanks to Mina and her fellow Chosen, and France had gotten the all clear from Catherine, who had also sent word that Belgium and Switzerland were safe. She and her fellow European Chosen were extending their help to the other countries now—Germany, Spain and Italy were first on the docket. Russia was still slow going, but Mina had brought her Meramon to aid them, and the Hoi brothers were working closely with Yue Hong and Dien to continue the sweep through Asia. The last I'd heard, Dingo was leading the Australian Chosen on a slow but steady quest to rid Digital Asia of the virus as well.

It was the Americas and Africa that were the biggest problem now. They were _larger_ and had fewer Chosen to lend a hand. Michael was working to clear Digital North America with the other American Chosen, and had even met up with a few Canadian ones. Rosa was working well with the other Mexican Chosen, and from what I'd heard, Mexico was clearing up nicely. They had already decided to lend a hand to Digital South America once Mexico was cleared.

The only issue I could see with the way things were going now was that the air above the oceans weren't even being considered. And neither was Digital Antarctica. We needed to clear both places, just in case the virus decided to continue spreading.

But that was fine. It was just one more step on the path to freeing the Digital World from EVOLVE's virus. We could show that we were strong, that we could bounce back from whatever they threw at us and come back swinging. We were a powerful nation, and we could _not_ be destroyed. We could stand together and overcome the oppression EVOLVE was trying to bestow upon us. EVOLVE was in shambles, now that Arnold had been found out. It was _his_ organization, and the public could now see the man that was behind the curtain. They could see that they had been fooled. EVOLVE had fallen, but the digimon had not. It was just like Shin had preached. EVOLVE fell, but the digimon would rise from the remnants of the virus and continue living.

RISE was awesome, and I wouldn't have minded going back to another meeting. I didn't know _when_ I'd be able to, or when the next one would even take place. They were sort of panicking about the police breaking their rebel meeting up. I was a little freaked about it myself. It reminded me that EVOLVE, or Gaia, or anyone else against us and the digimon could come and attack at any given moment.

That was the reason I was here, at the Coliseum. I wasn't going to let anyone get caught off guard. Yamato's Digital Man team might've been working in Mari's library, but the rest of us that were fighting against all our foes were sort of just stuck between the Temple and the Coliseum. Our parents continued to reside there, even if they left during the daylight hours for work purposes.

Mom didn't though.

She left only for a few hours every couple of days. She missed Dad greatly through that time, but she refused to give up on the digimon. She wanted to put all her effort into helping them—into helping _me_. She was miserable, about losing Willis, Kiyoko and Rei. She—and the rest of Team Mom—were fighting in Kiyoko's honour. But Mom was also here to help hold me together.

I thought I was doing a good job at hiding it, but she could see right through me. It was her super-power. She'd _always_ been able to see right through my pretenses. She wouldn't let me throw myself into the cause alone. She made sure I ate, and slept when I should, even though it did it grudgingly. I wanted to keep myself distracted. I didn't _like_ to think about Rei, because I was always reminded of the fact that she was gone. I couldn't even think of just the good times, because she was gone, and I couldn't forget that fact. No amount of pretending could get my mind off of it if I thought of her at all.

And then, soon after, I would be reminded rather forcefully that I'd betrayed her by kissing one of her closest friends. I was a bad person, and Rei deserved so much more than me. She wouldn't get that chance though, and it killed me inside.

I couldn't think about that though. I had too much work to do.

"Taichi!" Mom called, coming over and hugging me tightly. "I didn't know you'd gotten here already."

"Just did," I told her. I looked passed her and saw a bustle of activity. The digimon were all rallying together to make the Coliseum nicer. They were adding new decorations that they'd made, but also, the bigger digimon were helping Masami and Kazuya to break down some walls in order to add to the building. They were being very careful of the structural supports, of course, but the digimon were all very happy to see some progress being made, even if the progress was just some minor reconstruction. "Have you seen Koushiro?"

"No," Mom said, shaking her head. "Yoshie said he told her he was coming an hour ago, but he's still not here. I don't know what's delayed him, but Yoshie's getting worried." I could see her from where we stood. She was continually glancing at her watch, and was biting her lip. She looked out passed me and through the open gates to the Digital World beyond. I was _sure_ she was worried about Koushiro wandering through the open air, in case the virus came back. We didn't actually walk anywhere without phones still though, so she didn't have any reason to worry.

Koushiro was growing more and more scatterbrained each day though, so maybe she _should_. It would've been out of character even a month ago, for him to forget something important like the phones, but now? He'd forgotten about the RISE meeting, and now the council meeting. I wasn't too concerned—mostly because I was sure it was just his injuries finally catching up with him—but I was definitely curious.

I nodded to myself. "Anything you'd like to report?"

"No," Mom said. "Everyone's getting a little antsy though. They really want the barrier to expand, so they can run around outside. Most of the arena has been converted into a garden. There's no longer anywhere for the children to play, or for anyone else to get exercise."

"Whenever Koushiro gets here, we'll be able to do that," I assured her. "He's the one that's been modifying the program. It's all on his laptop. Once he gets here, they'll get to play."

"Let's hope he gets here soon," Mom agreed. Mom was kind of the unofficial leader of the Coliseum. Everyone sort of looked to her, now that the Digidestined were on Earth, trying to take down our foes there. It was kind of cool that Mom was the one they'd voted in, practically unanimously.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I have to get to the council meeting."

"Don't let me stop you," Mom said, squeezing me once more, and kissing my cheek. She wasn't being subtle about her support _that_ was for sure. It was still nice though.

I left her to her work, and headed towards the arena. Mom was right. It was pretty much jam-packed with plants. There was only a narrow section left for the digimon acting classes. I spotted MetallifeKuwagamon seated in the stands, and found my way up to him. He was on one of the lowest levels, and he wasn't alone. Babamon was next to him, surveying the garden with a sharp eye. Tinkermon was talking animatedly with Andromon and Centarumon, while Leomon and Ogremon told their stories to Benjamin. Neo was absent, as I expected, and so was Koushiro. Agumon and Gabumon were there though, laughing loudly as they tried to catch the tomatoes that Warg and Melga were throwing up to them.

I froze momentarily when I saw Warg and Melga. If they were here, they didn't come alone. Terriermon and Lopmon were in the gardens, with Tapirmon by their side. And Mari was there too. She locked eyes with me, and I held her gaze. She looked lost, and it was horribly awkward. Then she shook her head and turned back to the vegetables she was working with.

It should have been obvious that she'd be here. She hated having so many people in her library. They were always making a mess, and she liked to be in control. She would want to escape the interlopers as often as possible—and I didn't really blame her.

"Am I late?" a feminine voice sang out. I turned and was met with the sight of a robotic, mermaid nun.

"Shinkoumon," I said, pleasantly. The others greeted her as happily as they could. None of us were thrilled at the idea of replacing Divermon, but he'd been gone quite a while, and we _desperately_ needed someone on the council that could relay information about the aquatic digimon. We couldn't go too much longer without one. And since we didn't want to claim her as a replacement for Divermon, exactly, since it was still such a sore subject, she was also representing all of the crest digimon, as she was the crest digimon of faith.

"You're not late," Agumon told her, always game to make new people feel welcome. Gabumon waved at her shyly, and she smiled down at him.

"I'm glad," she sang again. She had the most beautiful voice. Everything she said sounded like a melody. It was fascinating. I was entranced.

"Everyone," I said, turning to the rest of the council. "This is Shinkoumon, the digimon of faith. She's here to join the council." Tinkermon winced, and I knew it was because she was close with Divermon. MetallifeKuwagamon was as well, but he was trying to be friendly at least. He held his hand out for her to shake, and she smiled winningly at him as well. He looked embarrassed, and quickly sat down next to Babamon again.

"We need another member," Babamon said gravely. "We have darkness, but not light. We need the balance. We cannot hope to keep the peace without it."

"She's right," Benjamin said, looking at the garden, instead of anyone else. "D'Arcmon is gone, but she is not the only light digimon, surely."

"Patamon or Gatomon could work," Agumon suggested.

"We can't," I protested. "There are already too many on the council representing the digidestined. We need someone else."

"It was a good suggestion though," Gabumon assured Agumon. Agumon nodded in agreement.

"I would suggest Karumon, if I thought she was capable of accomplishing the duties that would be required of her," Shinkoumon told us. "But I'm afraid she isn't responsible enough for the job, even if she _was_ created by the crest of light. I suppose, also, that I am to represent my siblings, and that adding another would not be necessary."

"You'd be thinking right," Tinkermon said, in a snooty voice. Shinkoumon smiled at her, purposefully ignoring the spite Tinkermon was spewing her way.

"Tell us how Neverland is doing, if you want to run your mouth," I told Tinkermon. She gasped, and then looked ashamed of herself, apologizing to Shinkoumon with her eyes, before she launched into her updates.

"Neverland is doing splendidly," she informed us. "I never doubted it for a second. Pixiemon reminded us that the barriers could disintegrate, and suggests that we reinforce all of the ones in place. The virus may be nearly defeated, but he doesn't trust it not to throw a curveball at us."

"Good idea," Benjamin murmured. "Koushiro could instruct the others around the globe to reinforce the barriers, right?"

"He'd have to _be here_ in order to accomplish that," Babamon grumbled. "Why are we here, if the council cannot be whole?"

"It can't be whole until we have another member," Centarumon reminded her.

"And Neo can't come just yet. He was shot, he's still recovering," Andromon added. "Agumon and Gabumon had to take over the training of the Knights until he returns."

"You're all working hard," Agumon offered.

"It _is_ good to be training back at the Temple again," Centarumon told him. "You are good instructors as well." Agumon beamed, and Gabumon blushed, embarrassed by the praise.

"And how have you two been?" I asked, nodding towards Leomon and Ogremon. It was very good to see them. I hadn't heard a peep from them for most of the two months that EVOLVE had us trapped here. They were busy doing whatever they could to protect as many digimon as they possibly could. I was very proud of both of them, and pleased that they were members of our council still. I didn't know what I would've done if I'd lost the two of them on top of everything else. Leomon had helped us since the first time we stepped foot into the Digital World, and Mimi won Ogremon over before our first adventure was finished. They'd been our allies for a long time, and I was glad to call them friends.

"Tired," Ogremon said, causing everyone to laugh.

"It is good to be with the council again," Leomon said formally. "We feared what we would find if ever we were able to leave the safety of the barriers. We knew not whether you would still be here."

"We're here," Benjamin said. "But not all of us."

"I heard about your brother," Leomon said, bowing his head to him. "I heard tell too of D'Arcmon, and the two Digidestined, and your Rei." Everyone turned to me, and I tried to keep my mind off of Rei once more. It was hard. It was a lot harder than usual, since everyone was staring at me, waiting to react.

"Don't mention her around Neo, alright?" I said, not meeting anyone's eye. "I, uh, have something I'd like to run by you, if you'll let me." I didn't exactly wait for permission. "I want to build towns."

"Do we have any need for them?" Babamon asked, sounding more curious than rude—for once.

"We do," I said. "Or, I _think_ we do. It's not fair that there are so many homeless digimon. It's not fair that those who could not find a place to stay died in the virus. I want to ensure that it can't happen again. I want to make safe towns, so that the digimon will always be okay."

"He wants to put barriers around them as a safety protocol," Agumon added. "That way they'll be safe no matter how short of notice we have during another attack."

"Are we expecting one?" Ogremon asked, becoming more alert.

"No," I said shaking my head. Though it wasn't typical war protocol to attack once, especially not as brutally as they had done, and to not strike again.

"We just want to be prepared," Gabumon assured him. "It's so easy to fall into a false sense of security when there are no foes attacking us. But that doesn't mean that there never will be again. It would be better, I think, to be over prepared, than to be scrambling when EVOLVE or some other enemy comes to get us."

"I don't want us to _ever_ be caught unprepared again," Agumon said, shaking his head sadly.

"You don't think this is over," MetallifeKuwagamon accused me.

"Not by a long shot," I confirmed. "Gaia is still out there, and we have no idea where she is, or what she wants. Arnold wasn't the only member of EVOLVE, and yeah, they're kind of scrambling right now, but that makes them desperate, and desperate enemies are more dangerous and unpredictable than any others. I want to make sure we can get as many digimon through this to the other side as possible."

"Are you going to search for Gaia?" Centarumon asked.

"Not yet," I said. "Koushiro's working on figuring it out. He's at a bit of a standstill right now, but he'll find his way around it. He's also working out the logistics for the town idea, in case you all agree on it. There are a couple of other projects he's working on too. He's kind of swamped right now."

"I'll say," Tinkermon said. "He couldn't even be bothered to show up!"

"What will your towns entail?" Babamon asked, still sounding curious. I was hoping that meant I'd won her over.

"I was thinking that there should be a sustainable food source within each one, like this garden, and maybe a couple of shops, like a restaurant or a gift shop. I just want it to feel fun, so maybe I'll throw in some activity halls, or something, where they can have acting classes, or dancing classes, or some other type of learning experience. I want to build a sense of togetherness. I want a community that has a lot to offer those that decide to live in it," I said. "I'm thinking they'll be like the Coliseum, or the Temple, just on a less grand scale—but maybe a few the same size. Koushiro's working out the details, like I said."

"Can we put spas in them?" Tinkermon wanted to know.

"A pool would be lovely, I think," Shinkoumon offered.

"Some sort of defensive training would come in handy," Ogremon suggested.

"Schools for children," Centarumon said.

"I believe they should be tailor made for the type of digimon that will live inside them," Babamon decided. Everyone sort of murmured their agreement, but I shook my head.

"No," I told her. "I don't want only plant digimon, or only fire digimon. I want a community, not segregation. They'll be large towns, I don't want them to be filled with just _one_ type. I want to see the digimon come together despite their differences, like they do at the Temple, like they do here. Our partner digimon—the Digidestined, I mean—are an eclectic group of types, but they can all get along. It will be good, I think, to get the species all intermingling."

"It might be a bit of a harder sell," Benjamin murmured thoughtfully. "The digimon are pretty set in their ways, but I think the idea has merit. You're right. There is too much segregation going on in this world."

"There will always be digimon that don't _want_ to live in towns," MetallifeKuwagamon fretted.

"They won't _have_ to," I told him. "I just think that it would be safer to have them available. Digimon that don't want to live _in_ them, can live nearby, within running distance in case something should happen."

"We'll think about it," Babamon decided. Then she _smiled_ at me—actually smiled. "But I think you'll get your way this time, with little resistance."

"Thank you," I said, flashing a smile her way.

"Why don't you try to get a hold of Koushiro," Benjamin suggested. "We shall see if we can decide upon a Holy digimon to be a representative on the council. We cannot continue with the barrier expansion until he arrives."

"I'll do that," I promised, and pulled out my phone. I was pressing numbers as I walked down the stairs, not wanting them to listen in on the conversation—not because we were going to say something bad, but because I found the whole idea awkward and unsettling. I wandered down towards the garden, intending to look it over while I talked with Koushiro.

But Koushiro never picked up his phone.

I sighed and started dialling again, but stopped when I saw that Mari was looking at me again. She looked away quickly, and I was a little upset. No, I wasn't in love with Mari, and I probably never would be. I wasn't even really _interested_ in her. I was still in love with Rei. I didn't want Mari's attention in _that_ way. But I wanted her attention as a friend. We were _great_ friends during the two months we were trapped inside the Digital World. But now we couldn't even look at each other, and it was all because of a stupid kiss—a kiss that didn't even mean anything! We'd already talked about it, and we agreed that it was pointless.

So why were we still avoiding each other?

I didn't know, but I was done doing it. I walked over to Mari and knelt down beside her, picking some green beans off the plants. She turned her head slightly away from me and I sighed.

"Are you going to pretend that we were never friends?" I asked, getting impatient while I waited to see if she would speak. "I don't want to do that, you know. I like that we're friends."

"We're not good at being friends," she countered. I winced. Yeah, we weren't. We'd betrayed Rei with that stupid, pointless kiss. "But I guess I kind of miss it too."

"Good," I said. "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"Are you replacing the council members?" she asked, sounding nonchalant. I wondered how much effort she had to put into sounding that way.

"I don't like to think of it as replacements," I said, shaking my head—not sounding nonchalant _at all_. "I brought in Shinkoumon because she was Meiyomon's sister, _not_ because she would represent all of the water digimon. She can do that too, which is a bonus, but she's a crest digimon."

"So you're looking for someone who can replace D'Arcmon without _replacing_ her," Mari surmised. "Good luck with that. There aren't many digimon that have a powerful enough presence to fill her shoes."

"I know," I groaned. "But we can't just leave the council short a member. It needs the balance."

"You'll find someone," she said softly. "Even if you need to use a friend as a substitute, like Patamon, Gatomon or Lopmon, until you find who you're looking for. You're good at your job."

"I'm really not," I sighed. "None of what I do is in my job description. I just sort of wing it."

"Well, you're good at making stuff up on the spot then," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Are we friends then?" I asked.

"Yes, keep up," she said, smiling a little. "You know what you should do? You should hire some digimon to keep a lookout for any EVOLVE agents that want them—or us—dead. You'll need really stealthy ones though, that can just spy, and not get hurt in the process."

"It's a good idea," I told her. "I'll suggest it when I get back. You haven't heard from Koushiro at all, have you?"

"I've _never_ heard from him unless it was in a group setting and he had some 'pressing' knowledge that he needed to share," she pointed out.

"I'll have to try him again," I sighed, dialing on my phone again. "This really isn't like him."

"I wouldn't really know," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

I let the phone ring twelve times— _twelve_ —before I hung up, and tried again. There was still no answer. I didn't know what else to do. Why wasn't he answering? Where was he? He'd never been late for a council meeting before. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

There was nothing wrong.

He was just tired from all of the projects he had on the go.

It was the only thing that made any sense—but it didn't really make a whole lot of it. He _thrived_ when he had a lot of work to do. But he _had_ missed the RISE meeting too. I didn't know whether I was supposed to be worried yet or not, but I knew that if he didn't show up to something else, that I'd start to.

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

I woke to the smell of breakfast wafting through the bedroom door. I was still exhausted, having taken my final exams with my professor just the day before. Between him and Natsuni, they'd worked out a deal of some sort that allowed me an extension due to "unavoidable circumstances". It was good to know that my time in the Dark Ocean had been good for something. My years of schooling hadn't been a waste of time, thankfully. I'd had an exam filled week, and now, all that was left, was to await my grades. Once those came, I would know if I could practice law or not.

My fingers were crossed, but I didn't think I needed them to be. I _knew_ this stuff. I'd lived and breathed the law since the few months leading up to my first semester of law school. I was almost positive that I'd passed them. Almost, only because I knew there was always room for error.

This morning was a lot nicer than the previous one. I didn't have to worry about the endless pages of test material that awaited me—or that awkward encounter with Noriko's family. I was free from school, whether I was a lawyer or not, and it felt _really_ good.

I sat up and stretched my arms above my head, enjoying the way my muscles pulled. I grabbed fresh clothing out of the closet, and trudged to the bathroom. My shower lasted longer than usual, but I was enjoying the idea of not having a strict schedule to stick to, and decided to revel in the warm water. But, I knew I couldn't stay forever. Natsuni was making breakfast—and she didn't like it to get cold.

The air was filled with the warm aroma of pancakes and avocado, and I thought there was a hint of cherry too. I was intrigued, to say the least, and dressed quickly, pausing only to shave my face. There wasn't much to shave, but I wasn't about to go without shaving now that it was an option again. The marvel hadn't worn off just yet, despite the full month I'd had to get used to it again.

The table was covered in a bright spread. There was a pale yellow tablecloth with a white lace overlay—Natsuni's personal favourite combination of her many, _many_ table dressings—covering the tabletop. There was a three tiered stand in the centre of the table—white, just like the lace—that was playing host to Natsuni's breakfast creations. The bottom tier held the assortment of muffins she'd made the day before. She liked to keep an interesting variety on hand at all times, because Goblimon and Armadillomon liked to sneak them as snacks—Gatomon was more likely to find a can of tuna. I could see that there was only one of her chocolate-chocolate chip muffins left in amongst the pistachio-chai, the pumpkin-cranberry and the Tuscan lemon muffins. They tended to pick the sweeter varieties first.

The second tier held fluffy, freshly cooked whole wheat orange-vanilla Greek yogurt pancakes. Their name was a mouthful, but they were absolutely delicious. The avocado scent came from the top tier, where there were baked eggs in avocados. It was a favourite of Natsuni's, and I didn't mind it either—so long as I had the guacamole to top it off with. It wasn't my absolute favourite, but I wasn't about to tell her that. Not when she smiled that pleased little smile of hers, every time she had a bite of it. Goblimon wrinkled his nose at it though, and I had to hold back a smile, masking it with the sternest look I could. He laughed at me outright, because I was just in too good of a mood to be convincing.

The guacamole was in a fancy crystal dish off to the side of the tiered stand, and next to a pitcher of yesterday's handmade strawberry-mint lemonade, while a new pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice accompanied an array of sliced fruits on the opposite end of the table.

Each chair was set before a white plate set upon a pale, yellow bamboo place mat, which was accompanied by a teaspoon, two forks and a butter knife. There were two glasses above the knife—one was filled with a dark chocolate, cherry smoothie—and in front of the place mat, there was a teacup and saucer. I heard the kettle boiling on the counter, and Natsuni mumbled to herself about everything finishing at the same time.

I walked up behind her, patting Armadillomon on the head as I walked by. I kissed her cheek as I wrapped my arms around her from behind, and murmured against her skin. "I'll get the tea," I told her.

"You just want to start eating," she accused me playfully. "But I'll take all the help I can get. I have to get this fish out before it cooks anymore. You know how Gatomon is about burnt fish."

"She's a picky one," I agreed. She leaned down to get the roasted, whole fish out of the oven and the air exploded in a powerful hit of garlic and lemon. Gatomon was drawn out of her early morning catnap instantly, and crawled her way over to the table. Natsuni kissed the top of her head before setting the fish in front of her. I pried my eyes away from Natsuni in order to fill the tea pot with the boiling water from the kettle. She'd already put the tea leaves in it. It wasn't like I was helping _much_ , but I didn't like leaving her to do _everything_. I picked up the tray that the tea fixings were on—including the teapot, sugar dish, cream dispenser, honey, and lemon wedges—and settled it next to the lemonade and guacamole.

"I think that's everything," Natsuni said, fretting over the table setting. She shifted a knife, and kept double checking that it was a well-rounded selection.

"It's fine," I assured her, while I took the milk from the fridge and poured a glass for Gatomon, who purred when I handed it to her. Natsuni's arms wound their way around me, and I turned to face her. "Good morning, beautiful," I murmured.

"Good morning Mr Hida," she told me with a happy little smile. I might've returned the greeting, but I was too interested in kissing her at the moment to be bothered. Her lips pressed against mine, and almost _instantly_ there was a chorus of disgust coming from the peanut gallery around the table. I ignored them, and pulled Natsuni closer. Her arms moved up around my neck, and I dipped her down, as though we were dancing.

"Jolly good show, you lovebirds," Hikari commented from the doorway. I almost dropped Natsuni in my surprise. I looked up to her and knew that Natsuni was doing the same. I pulled Natsuni back up to her feet, and she straightened out her apron, and oven mitts before deciding better of it and removing them, tucking them into the drawer that was their home.

"I didn't know you were here," I commented, trying not to be embarrassed by my surprise.

"We waited up for you," Natsuni added. "But you didn't come. I figured you were staying at your parents' or something. We should have waited longer. I'm sorry. We turned out all the lights and everything."

"I have a light of my own," Hikari said playfully pointing to her heart. I smiled for a moment, knowing she could light herself up brighter than any light bulb if she really needed to. "Don't worry about me."

The fact that she didn't explain her whereabouts was strange to me, because Hikari was usually so forthcoming with information like that. The fact that she'd run off after giving her former boss a verbal smack-down was a little more worrying though. She'd disappeared, and wouldn't answer her phone, no matter how many times I tried to get a hold of her.

"Are you feeling better after yesterday?" I asked, sounding as casual as I could. She looked to me, and her face flushed with embarrassment. She nodded jerkily, and looked back to her teacup. She poured herself a cup and focused rather dedicatedly on putting honey and lemon into it. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, but she wasn't offering anything else. Gatomon looked to me worriedly.

"What happened yesterday?" Gatomon asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hikari said quickly, before I could explain anything. I silently promised Gatomon to tell her later, and she nodded. But her attention was officially drawn away from her fish. She picked away at it absent-mindedly as she watched Hikari. Hikari was finally done stirring her tea, and looked up from it, only to find that we were all looking at her curiously. Her face flushed again, and she looked away from Gatomon and me, focussing on Natsuni instead, choosing her to be the safest option. "What are your plans for the day?" she asked, trying to get the attention off of her. It worked for Armadillomon and Goblimon at least, but Gatomon and I weren't so easily fooled. Natsuni blinked and then looked to me, blushing.

"We're going to go see Iori's mother," she said, pausing her fork half way to her mouth. The egg-avocado combination fell back down to her plate with a squelching noise. Goblimon made a face at the sound, and started pushing his around on his plate. "We think it's about time we told her, you know?"

"I've only been suggesting that for weeks," Hikari said, with a laugh. "She's going to feel left out if you wait any longer."

"We haven't told anyone else," I pointed out. I was cutting Armadillomon's pancakes into smaller portions. Without any hands, he'd either have to eat with his mouth directly, or allow someone else to feed him. He was too independent and 'grown up' to be treated like a baby, so I did whatever I could to make it easier for him. "Jou's family and this one are the only ones that know. It's not like we left her until last."

"I know," Hikari said, perking up a bit, as she always did, at being called a part of this family. I rolled my eyes. I didn't know how much clearer I could be about thinking of Hikari as a sister.

The conversation slowed for a few minutes while we all ate our breakfast. Armadillomon had his face directly in his plate, and Goblimon was finished everything except his egg-and-avocado. He was poking it experimentally with his fork—which looked tiny in his giant green hands. Gatomon was more delicate than the other two, eating her fish at a slow but steady pace. I took a deep breath and shoved my own egg-and-avocado into my mouth whole, trying to get it out of the way while being a good example to Goblimon. Natsuni was smiling all happy-like taking tiny bites of hers so that it would last. Finally, Goblimon gave in and crammed his in his mouth, skin and all, and swallowed it after chewing only twice. He filled a glass with orange juice and chugged it down to get rid of the taste. The corner of Natsuni's mouth curled up at the sight of him. I knew she couldn't be _that_ oblivious about his extreme dislike for her favourite breakfast.

Hikari was eating a pancake drizzled with the tiniest amount of syrup. She'd mentioned not long after coming back from the Land of Dreams that she had had enough sweets to last a good long while, thanks to Takeru on her birthday. Natsuni felt guilty for forgetting about it, and she made a pumpkin cake with only a light dusting of icing sugar, so that it wouldn't be _too_ sweet, and held an impromptu birthday party.

When everyone was starting to finish up, the conversation started again. "We get to go to the Coliseum today, right?" Armadillomon asked. "I said I'd give more lessons. I don't want to tell them I lied. That's not fair."

"Of _course_ you get to go," Natsuni told him, reaching down to pat his head. "We wouldn't make you change your schedule for us. Don't worry about it."

"Oh good," Goblimon murmured, pleased. Gatomon yawned, having finished her fish and milk and stretched out in her chair.

"I'm having a nap," she announced, before jumping off of her chair and racing to the back of the couch, where she curled up in a patch of sunlight.

"Do you have any plans today, Hikari?" Armadillomon asked shyly.

"Not at the moment," Hikari said quickly, and I narrowed my eyes at her. She was acting so suspicious, but I couldn't put my finger on _why_. She'd never had a reason to avoid telling the truth before. I wasn't going to pry—I'd had plenty of secrets I hadn't wanted to share in the past—but I hoped she'd come to me when she was ready. I didn't want her to think she had to deal with whatever it was, on her own.

"You should come with us!" Goblimon suggested excitedly after swallowing a muffin whole. I rolled my eyes. He and Armadillomon loved to eat, and did so—often. Their stomachs were like black holes. It was nearly impossible to keep them full.

"Maybe I will," Hikari said brightly. She looked a lot more like herself, and I shook the suspicion away. I didn't _need_ it. Hikari was allowed to have her secrets, and it couldn't be too worrying, if she was still her sweet and caring self. I was being ridiculous.

"We should probably head on out," Natsuni murmured, looking anxiously at the dishes left over from her delicious breakfast.

"I'll do them when we get back," I promised her. She brightened up at that. I could suffer through the dishes for the sake of that smile.

"You guys have fun today," she told Armadillomon, Goblimon and Hikari. "Ask Gatomon to go too. If she doesn't want to, that's fine, don't pester."

"I think Hikari can handle it," I said with a quiet laugh. Natsuni turned bright red, and stammered an apology to Hikari. But Hikari was just smiling too. It was very much like Natsuni to treat the digimon as her children. It wasn't anything new to us.

"I've got it," Hikari told her. She was very sweet about it, because she didn't even look like she was holding back laughter like I was. Armadillomon and Goblimon weren't trying to hide anything and were laughing loudly. But Hikari was just smiling, and Natsuni soon got over her embarrassment.

Natsuni and I piled the dishes up on the counter, and Hikari waved us away, assuring us she could handle putting away the leftovers. I sighed. There was no more chance to delay matters. We had to go and tell my mother. I felt the anxious twist in my stomach grow, and had to push past it. Natsuni wound a pretty scarf around her neck, and handed me a windbreaker, before putting on one of her own. She looked in the mirror double checking that everything looked perfect. I kissed the side of her head.

"You're always perfect," I murmured against her skin. She blushed again, but let me pull her away from the mirror. She threw on a pair of sensible penny loafers, while I put on my own shoes. I didn't feel the need to dress up for my mother the way Natsuni obviously did. Mom had seen me through my worst—or _almost_ worst, now that I had the Dark Ocean under my belt—and hadn't been disappointed then.

We took a taxi to my mother's house. Hiroaki had moved out of the home, leaving her and Meiyomon alone. The curtains were all drawn tightly, and I wasn't sure this was a good idea after all. She was in a difficult place in her life at the moment. Did we really want to rub our happy news in her face? And what if Hikari was right? Mom could resent us for waiting so long to tell her. I didn't want to contribute to her sadness in any way.

Natsuni knocked on the door though, before stepping back and wrapping her arms around one of mine. I could feel her heart racing, and when a minute passed by and there was no answer, we heaved twin sighs of relief. We were just turning to leave though, when the door opened wide, and Mom smiled at us tentatively.

"Iori, Natsuni," she said warmly. I wondered if we'd found her on a good day. She was usually so quiet. She'd been through a lot, having to handle a divorce and the potential death of her son all at once. I knew she hadn't handled it well in the Coliseum, but I never asked her about it. I didn't want to bring up her bad memories. "Come in," she urged us, stepping aside and waving her hand. We did as she asked, and hung our coats up at the door, and kicked our shoes off, placing them on the matt. "Meiyomon and I were just watching some television."

She led us to the living room where Meiyomon was lying upside down on the couch. His head was nearly touching the floor and his feet were kicked up the back of the couch. His face was red, from all the blood rushing to it. He smiled when he saw us, and hastily pulled himself upright.

"Soap operas are _better_ upside down," he told us solemnly. I winced, remembering all the hours in my childhood that my mother had dedicated to watching soap operas. They were her guilty pleasure, and she'd tried so hard to get me to like them. It hadn't worked. It didn't look like it was working with Meiyomon either, but he was more willing to give it a go than I was. That was something at least.

"I'll bet," I murmured. Mom gave me a look and I looked to the floor.

"You're a grown man, Iori," Mom said with a sigh. "Stop acting like a scolded child." I looked up from the floor, and saw Natsuni's amused face. She was nervous too though, so she couldn't laugh at me. I was just so afraid of telling Mom our news.

"They've got a secret!" Meiyomon cheered. "I can see it. They've got a secret. You gonna tell us? You're gonna tell us right? There's no point in being here with a secret if you're not gonna tell us."

"Meiyomon," Mom scolded gently. He pantomimed zipping his lips but didn't stop looking at us with big, pleading eyes. We shuffled our feet, and looked anywhere but at their faces. Mom seemed to catch on that Meiyomon was right. She was curious now. "Well?" she demanded after a few minutes of awkward, nervous silence. "Tell me what it is."

"We eloped!" Natsuni cried out. "We're married."

"Oh," Mom said, falling to the couch. A myriad of emotions danced across her face. Surprise, hurt, understanding, hesitation, and happiness were among them. I hoped the happiness was the strongest, because I was damn happy about it, but I could understand if it wasn't. We hadn't told her. She hadn't been invited. Hikari had gone with us, and so had Jou and his family. Emiko was the flower girl that we didn't technically need, and Hikari and Jou were our witnesses. It wasn't a big affair. It was just us. No flowers, no pizzazz, no cake. It was simple and understated, which was what we both wanted. Natsuni didn't want to invite her father, because his marriage was dissolving, and I didn't invite my mother for the same reason.

"You got married without me?" Meiyomon grumbled. "That's not fair! I wanna get married now. Everyone else got a turn."

"You'll have to find the right person," Mom murmured to him. It was common news by then that Chi was really Chisikimon, so we knew that Meiyomon could have a chance if he _really_ wanted to. He just didn't seem inclined to actually try.

"Mom?" I asked, hesitantly, wondering if she had anything to say at all to my life changing announcement. I held tightly to my wife's hand, and she looked steadily at the floor. I could see tears welling up in her eyes, and I let go of her hand in order to put my arm around her shoulders. She leaned in to me, and held tightly to those tears. Not one had fallen, but the threat of them was still there.

"I remember you once said you didn't want a big wedding," Mom murmured thoughtfully. "You never wanted that. And it's fitting, I think, that the wedding was secret, since your relationship started in secret too." I winced. Yeah, we'd done that too. We'd spent three years dating in secret before Mom ever found out. I should've known she still wasn't over that. "I always thought I would have been invited. You were invited to _mine_ , however short it lasted."

"It's officially over then?" Natsuni said sadly. The tears started escaping her hold. She let them fall, not wiping them away. I didn't like her tears. "There's no hope?"

"No," Mom said. "I've signed the divorce papers. We're officially over. We weren't good together anyway. We tried so hard, but we couldn't keep each our selves happy. We spent too much time trying to keep each other happy instead."

"I thought you were both happy," Meiyomon muttered to himself. " _I_ was happy."

"I know you were, dear," Mom told him. "You and Takeru both were. Takeru wanted his father to have someone, and you wanted a father. But it wasn't enough to keep us together. Is it safe to assume the divorce is why I wasn't invited to share in your joy?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I didn't want to rub it in."

"You couldn't have waited?" Mom wanted to know.

"We could have," I admitted. "But I didn't want to. I knew the moment we were separated that I wanted to marry this woman. I didn't think I'd have the chance. She was on Earth and I was in the Digital World, and then the virus came, and I was trapped in the Dark Ocean. I thought about her constantly, worrying that she wouldn't move on, but afraid that she _would_. I didn't want her to, because I want to be with her always, but I knew it wasn't fair for her to wish for her to hold onto the past. But Winter took me and Miyako and Bengoshi to another world, and suddenly I knew there was hope, however little there was, it was enough for me. And then we went to _another_ world, and I kept wondering if we would get back to Earth so I could just see her again."

"And then he came home," Natsuni said, tears still streaming down her face. "And I knew there was nothing I would rather do than become his wife. I told Dad that. I told him that Iori was the future I had planned out for myself, and without him I was lost. And then he came home."

"I proposed immediately after the hospital released me," I continued. "They wanted to keep me longer, to question me, because I looked like I came from the wild, but I needed to get to her."

"You got on bended knee, and asked for my hand," Natsuni added.

"And you said yes," I finished.

"So you ran off without telling your mother, and got married, am I right?" Mom asked dryly. I looked to her, having forgotten she was there for a moment, having gotten so wrapped up in Natsuni. I flushed with embarrassment and kicked the floor with my toe.

"Yeah, that about sums that up," I admitted.

"And you're not pregnant, are you?" Mom asked. Natsuni flushed, and I looked away. "I'm just asking. I don't want you to keep _that_ a secret too. I've got to cover all the bases. If I don't ask, you don't tell me."

"I'm not," Natsuni said softly. "We've only been married a month. We're planning on taking it slow. We've already got Armadillomon and Goblimon, and they're a handful, you know?"

"I know," Mom said, putting a hand on Meiyomon's head. He scowled and shook her hand away.

"I'm not a handful," he pouted. I laughed.

"I'm going to put on some tea," Mom announced. "Natsuni, would you help me?"

Natsuni nodded quickly, eager to please her mother-in-law. She was still nervous though, looking back at me, pleading with her eyes for me to follow after them, but I knew Mom wouldn't let me. She actually glared at me when I tried, so I was stuck here with Meiyomon. I actually got the better deal, I thought.

"She needs someone to talk to," Meiyomon confessed to me. It took me a few seconds to realize he meant our mother. "Maybe she'll talk to Natsuni, but I doubt it. She doesn't want to burden us with her feelings. I'm her partner, but I can't be the only one putting forth the effort. I don't know how to help. I don't understand love, or divorce, or marriage. I don't know anything about any of that."

"She won't talk to me," I said, and he shook his head. "Natsuni's too afraid of upsetting her to be any help. There's got to be someone though."

"I know," Meiyomon said. "But I can't think of anybody. I don't want her to wallow anymore. I was so scared in the Coliseum."

"I'll think about it. There has to be someone that can understand her fears," I said, more to myself than to him. I just had to identify this person. It couldn't be _that_ hard, could it?

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Michael and Momoe get a chance to bring the story forward (even if only a little) in a bit of a lighter chapter than the past few have been!


	8. Audrey Hepburn

**Y/N:** Momoe's is random. She was the only person available. The chapter doesn't really have much to do with her, but that's okay. She's still nice to write as.

 **U/N:** Michael is amazing. The end. No, but I guess writing a different Michael was fun here because his character has come such a long way since even the start of 07. He's a little full of himself at the moment which you'll see right off the bat, but he's trying to find the comfortable place between self hatred that Mr Smith and the world had placed on him and also the rather pompous boy he can also find himself to be. It's really fun to work with both extremes because Michael is literally insane and it's just a lot of fun.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 08: Audrey Hepburn**

 _ **Michael Washington:**_

It felt a lot different to be back on Earth now that I knew Mr Smith was a douche bag. Sure I'd known it before too, but it still didn't make sense until I had come back from Sidhendor. Mr Smith had fired me or something, but dad made him take me back as a client even though he didn't want to. It was a great opportunity for me because I got to feel really good at the end of it.

" _Smithie," I had said, walking with Betamon into the living room at my dad's house. "I simply must talk to you."_

" _Yes, Michael..." Mr Smith said, hanging his head._

" _Actually," I said quickly. "I am a prince, so I would prefer if you referred to me as 'Your Majesty'." Mr Smith looked to me with pure hatred in his eyes and said nothing. I shrugged my shoulders and moved to where he was sipping tea. "I have come to talk to you about your position here in my presence." Betamon snorted but Tatum, who had been reading the paper in a chair nearby looked to me with eyebrows raised. "I'm not sure we're seeing eye to eye on, well, you."_

" _And what can I do to help you see more clearly?" Mr Smith asked smugly._

" _You can start bowing as I enter the room and you can sweep the floors where I walk," I suggested, mostly jokingly._

" _Because you're filthy and you ruin everything you walk by?" Mr Smith chucked at his own joke._

" _N-no," I stammered. "Because—weren't you listening? I'm royal now. Well, I always was, but now it's clearer to me. You were very rude during your previous bout of employment and since it has been made clear to you by my father—once a royal himself you know—that you are actually_ my _employee and not the other way around we have some things to talk about. No longer will you be controlling me. You are my agent and by that I mean you are to speak to potential employers about my future in working with them. You are not my publicist, which I do not even have. So you do not get to dictate the way I look to the public. That's my job. And while we're at it—I look_ great _in the public eye. If you don't believe me, come on down to Sidhendor where I'm the 'fairest in the land'."_

" _Not with that hair you're not," Mr Smith said, standing up quickly, nearly knocking his porcelain saucer off of the glass tabletop. "You have no right to speak to me this—"_

" _I'm sorry, I don't have time to talk right now," I told him seriously. "I'm getting used to being a royal diva and I have to go complain about the gummy bears in the cupboard. Doesn't anyone know I only eat the red ones?"_

So it was a little over the top, and the diva act got old pretty quickly, but it still felt _amazing_ to be in charge of myself for once. Many years ago I had given up that freedom when I had submitted to Mr Smith and found myself too afraid to speak up. Now I had every right to walk outside and go wherever I wanted.

Except that I didn't really have anywhere I wanted to go. I spent all of my time in Willis' house because there was nothing better to do. I enjoyed the simple memories that attached themselves to every room in that house. It was hard to say goodbye to him, and even though he had only been my brother for maybe four years, it felt like it had been a lifetime. He was pretty nearly my best friend, but instead of spending the rest of our lives playing stupid games together we had been separated and Director Arnold—though he wasn't a Director anymore—had taken his employee's life. He had taken Willis and now he was paying for it in prison for life. Probably for life. I didn't really know. All I cared about was that he was gone.

And that really sucked.

Knowing that I was beautiful, at least in Sidhendor helped in some ways. The self confidence issues I had been struggling with were gone now, at least gone to some extent because in some way or another everyone would always feel insecure sometimes. But now that I understood that different people thought different ways and that an entire kingdom thought that _I_ was the fairest of them all it sure made me feel amazing.

The memories of Willis were taking their toll though. There was only a week or so left of summer and it was already getting cold. Sure this would always be the worst summer of my life but that didn't mean I couldn't just go out there and do something—anything. I needed to breathe. I needed to know what it meant to get out into the world again. Shutting myself away, no matter how comfortable, was not the way to deal with things like this.

I had gone through a loss before. Lost my mother, separated from Betamon a few times and even was the cause of many deaths in the Digital World. Now Willis was gone and no matter how painful it was, I had to _do_ something.

Instead I was staring out the glass doors to where Jenna was watering the beautiful pink and yellow flower that grew in the backyard. Lalamon's flower. She and Kudamon were out gardening together. Willis actually had a gardener hired, but with him gone it just made more sense for us all to work together to make the most of what we could do ourselves. We didn't have as much money without Willis so throwing it away willy-nilly was no longer an option.

Monodramon was sitting in the dining room, gazing out the large window at the opposite side of the room, drinking a large bowl full of juice. I wasn't sure why he hadn't used a cup but when I made my way to the kitchen I found that the sink was full.

"Maybe we could hire someone to at least do the dishes," Betamon suggested. I turned to see him sitting at the counter on one of the large round chairs. "Nobody wants to be a part of that job. I would help but I don't have thumbs."

"You're also a foot tall," I added.

"I think I'm growing," he interjected, pretending to be offended. Or at least I hoped he was pretending. Because he wasn't growing. "Do you think Terriermon and Lopmon are gonna be okay?"

He asked about them almost every day, and there was nothing I could add to what I'd already said to him aside from. "I promise I'll make sure they're alright at the end of all of this. Losing a partner is hard. Lopmon never even met Alice and she took years to get over her loss. Losing Willis is different but I promise you I won't let them fall apart. I'll be there for them."

"Me too," he said, his voice distant again. "I tried to offer them something to eat but they just ignored me. They're in the theater again watching old videos from Willis' camera." I felt my insides twist up at the thought. I had once sat in with them and watched the videos and it was the worst decision I could have made at the time. I just hadn't been ready.

There were videos dating all the way back to his childhood with him and Terriermon and Lopmon, hiding from his mother. They talked about Diaboramon on one of the videos and how much they regretted what they had done to Lopmon. Of course they knew now that it hadn't been their actions that caused Lopmon to change and become dark, but rather Alice's death. I was thankful that Willis' death didn't do the same. It had to be because they were able to work together to get over the pain this time. Lopmon wasn't alone in this anymore. I was in some of the videos too. There was our parents wedding, random moments in the Digital World, and lots of Willis and Hikari when she was sick in Japan. It just wasn't something I wanted to see. I wasn't in the right state of mind to see him again. Not if he wasn't going to come back.

"So, Tatum told me you got a role in some television show," Betamon said as he pulled himself onto the counter to get closer to his sandwich. "She said you were excited."

"Sure, yeah,' I said monotonously. Mr Smith had gotten me a recurring role on some show where I played the jock character in a high school drama setting. It was awesome because it had been a while since I'd had a job so working at all was something I was looking forward to, even if it meant I had to play someone ridiculous. But what made me feel _really_ great was that several times throughout the script of just the first episode they talked about how attractive my character was. _I_ was playing the attractive guy.

And yet I hadn't been to set yet, so that didn't even count as something I was able to do. Not that I was particularly looking forward to it, but doing something outside the house would be nice. I could see that there was a single unused frying pan hanging above the oven and saw that it was Willis'. It wasn't just me that needed to get out of the house. But damn did I need it bad.

"Terriermon and Lopmon visited Willis' grave earlier," Betamon told me, "They went with Jenna—don't worry. They didn't wander off alone again. I think they know how unsafe it can be."

"They'd better," I pointed out. "Willis died because he was alone."

"He wasn't alone," Betamon said quietly. "He had Kiyoko."

"But neither of them were able to keep each other safe," I said flatly. "Always be with someone who can keep you safe." Betamon seemed nervous again because I had raised my voice. I sighed, "I'm sorry, I just don't want anyone else to get hurt." Betamon nodded, understanding. But Terriermon and Lopmon had the right ideas. They were dedicating their lives to Willis, even for the time being and they were working together to get over him but not forget.

That's something I could do.

"Betamon, you just gave me an idea," I told him, moving forward to pat his head. My fingers gently slid along one of his deeper scars and I froze, staring down to him. How much torture did we all have to go through until this war ended? Conscription had been abolished legally in the United States a long time ago. The last conscripted men for the army had been taken in 1972. That was seventeen years before I was born. So why had I been dragged into a war without consent? I wasn't okay with it as a child and I wasn't so sure my opinions had changed. I understood that we were fighting for peace and goodness, but each of us had lost _something_ in this mess and it wasn't getting better. It was getting worse. But of course, as they say 'things have to get worse before they get better' but I didn't really believe that. "I'm going to visit my mother's grave."

"Would you like me to come?" Betamon asked.

"Only if you want to," I told him, patting his head gently again.

He pushed his head harder into my hand like a cat might do and he hummed softly, "I think I'll stay here. I'm just tired." It didn't need to be said aloud, but Terriermon had had quite the fit the previous night. He was loud and angry. We all knew it was because of Willis, even if he wouldn't admit to it.

"Okay," I said softly. "I'll be back soon."

"Take your time," Betamon said seriously. "I'll be here no matter when you come back."

I decided to take Betamon's advice. I had no idea where Tatum was at that moment so I had no opportunity to ask her to join me. Instead I went alone and it was the first time I had truly been alone in months. I drove around in the crap-car that I just liked better than the shiny black one that Willis had bought. I had music playing loudly and I was enjoying the time I had for myself, catching up on the music I had missed in my time away. I got myself a pumpkin spice latte and decided it was disgusting so I wasn't so sure why everyone was so obsessed with them, but I drank it anyway.

I just drove around a while until I came to a red light and three teenage girls knocked on my window. I looked up to them and smiled, rolling down my window. "Hello!" I said to them. "Does anyone want my disgusting latte?" The one on the right screamed so loud I actually thought my ears might bleed. I didn't even know I _had_ fans let alone crazy ones. So that was cool. I handed them the latte and they started talking over each other about how much they liked my early movies. "Where do you live?"

"Here," one of them said exasperatedly. "In New York!"

"And you've never seen me?" I asked, confused. "I live here too." But I realized I really wasn't out that often.

"You're even prettier in person," the middle girl said, some of the latte dribbling down her chin. "So cute."

I felt my face turn red as I semi-consciously puffed my chest out and let my eyes flick to the mirrors to check my hair. I pulled on the cuffs of my jacket to be sure I was composed well and then looked back to them. "I've heard that before," I told them, flicking my eyebrows up. Then the light turned green it seemed as the cars in front of me had begun moving again. I saw Steve and his SnowAgumon—concealed in a cloak—looking to me from where they stood on the sidewalk, rolling their eyes. I blushed as I started driving again.

Steve just didn't understand what it meant to be beautiful. I had validation from everyone that my biggest insecurity—the one that had been forced upon me by an overzealous agent—was completely untrue. I wasn't ugly and my hair wasn't stupid and I didn't have the worst fashion sense. I was the fairest in the land. I was the new Audrey Hepburn! I had finally lived up to my idols name. I was beautiful too now.

I debated going to get breakfast at Tiffany's but it was nearly two in the afternoon. I'd have to wait until tomorrow.

I finally decided it was time to pull into my dad's driveway and I hopped out of the car. I would talk to him later if he was even home rather than in the Coliseum, but I was here to see my mother instead. I made my way toward the backyard and when I looked up to her grave under the beautiful tree I spotted three majestic women standing over the grave itself, looking down to the stonework.

I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets after the cool fall-ish air started pecking at the delicate skin of my hands and made my way across the weed free lawn. As I came closer, Summer looked around to me and smiled softly, stepping aside to make room for me. Spring saw me next and she waved rather animatedly even though I was nearly amongst them now and finally Winter turned and even she cracked a smile. "Have you come to see your mother?"

"I guess," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "I just don't come here enough."

"We had been thinking the same," Winter told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. It was weird because I didn't remember my mother being as tall as they were but maybe she was. They weren't too much taller than a normal human but they were each taller than I was. "Autumn has been gone for some time now."

"More than sixteen years," I agreed. "Which is a lot longer to me than it is to you, I guess."

"That is true," Summer said softly. "But it did not make losing her any less painful."

"Autumn was so nice," Spring added helpfully.

Spring seemed to invoke a sort of silence over us all and we all waited in that still sort of quiet with only the cool winds to be heard. I thought of my mother and the times I could remember spending with her. I didn't remember much from my childhood, but every memory I remembered was with her. She was the reason the memories hadn't faded, because I wouldn't let them. I knew I was holding on to them, but I wouldn't stop. "You all knew her better than I did," I said, shocking myself. "You knew her way longer."

"Well we're much older," Summer said, looking from me, up to the sky where thick grey clouds were quickly making their way together to form a solid blanket of darkness.

"Storm," Spring muttered. "Storm coming." Summer turned her attention to her sister and took her hand for comfort.

"Could you tell me more about her?" I asked, feeling my stomach flip with nerves. I didn't want to be pushy but I couldn't waste the opportunity to find out more about my mother. I rarely saw these three fairies, and I wanted to make the most of this accidental meeting.

Winter and Summer looked to each other as if speaking telepathically and they stayed frozen in place for a moment as Spring told me again how nice my mother was. Finally Summer turned to me and looked into my eyes with an expression that was easily read as apologetic. "I'm sorry; we don't have much to tell you. We don't know what happened to her. Not really."

"She died," I said, pointing to the stone.

"She did, she died," Spring agreed.

"I don't care about that though," I said, shaking my head. "I want to know about her life."

Again Winter and Spring looked to one another for a moment but it was Winter who spoke this time. "We spent very little time with one another as children. No time in fact. We were never children together. I spent my time with Morganna who taught me magic and taught me her ways of love and life."

"Merlin instructed me," Summer said gently. "And he taught me how to always question the answer even if all clues point to the truth."

"Aesop was very kind to me," Spring added.

"But Autumn," Winter told me in her harsh sort of way that I knew was caring even if she wouldn't admit to it. "She was raised by our grandmother. We knew very little about her because she was taught not to trust us. Besides, I spent most of _my_ time hating Summer and trying to find ways to ruin her life."

"She was horrid," Summer agreed, receiving a playful punch from Winter on the arm. "Really though," Summer said seriously. "She was." Winter looked ashamed. "We were all living our own lives and no matter what we knew about Autumn, it wouldn't be enough to make an accurate depiction of her. We did not know each other well. Not until the end."

I didn't believe them, or care. The 'end' as they called it probably lasted like a hundred thousand years. That was enough time to get to know her. They should have told me what they knew because now I would seem like a baby if I pleaded for what they had? Did I care? Not especially but I knew there were other things I could be asking that would be more beneficial.

"What about Gaia?" I asked. "Your mother. Tell me about her. How can we find her?"

"I do not know," Winter said bitterly. "I can no longer feel her presence here. Once she left through the door I lost whatever connection I had found. She could be anywhere."

"Did you check the other worlds?" I suggested. "Maybe you can't feel it because she's not here."

"Tried it," Winter assured me. "Believe me, if I could find her I would have. But I won't stop." Winter adjusted the crown on her head and looked proudly down to her sister's grave.

"I don't want to find her," Spring said flatly. "Don't find her. Keep her gone."

"Can you tell me what happened?" I asked, mostly to Spring who winced and turned away.

Then it was Summer who answered for her. "It's too difficult to talk about."

"But we _need_ to know," I told her. "You're going to have to tell us some time or another." They looked to one another as if they sympathized with me but they obviously didn't or they'd just give me some answers. "Can you just tell me why we're hunting her? Tell me what I'm looking for! What is she going to do? What should I prepare for?"

"Look, we don't have time for this," Winter said sharply. "Let's go." She reached for Spring's hand and together they began marching away, down the hill.

"Stop!" I shouted while trying to keep my frustration at a minimum. " _Please_! You don't understand what it's like to not know. You have to help me." Summer hesitantly began walking after Winter and Spring, the latter of the two was looking back to make sure she was coming. Summer looked to me with a genuine apology written all over her face and then she kicked off the ground, spreading her beautiful wings out as she flew after her sisters.

I balled up my fists and turned toward the house, storming away from my aunts. I was angry. I didn't get angry often but now wasn't the time to be keeping things from us because it was too hard to talk about. Maybe I was just being selfish. I knew it was true too. I couldn't force them to move on and get over their emotions if I couldn't do it myself.

As I was walking toward the front door of the house my phone began ringing. I answered it quickly. "Mr Smith, what do you want from me?"

"I got you an audition," he told me as I began knocking on the door. I didn't want to just walk in because I'd made that mistake before. I'd seen Mary doing something I never wanted to. Making _toffee_. I shuddered at the thought. I literally hated toffee and she offered me some and I had to eat it to be polite. "It fits you better than your other one."

The door was pulled open and I was shocked, "Tatum?"

"Oh Michael," she said with a tight expression. "You're here. Great." She stepped aside and let me walk past her.

"Why is that?" I asked Mr Smith.

"Because this character is a dorky protagonist—" Mr Smith started.

"I knew that's what this would be about," I said flatly, already regretting my outburst. The anger left over from the fairies was getting the better of me. "Look, I'm happy playing this role that will go nowhere and subjecting myself to torture to play this douchey attractive guy if it means you'll understand that I'm not ugly. I'm literally all of the princesses you've ever heard of all in one. I'm perfection. I'm beautiful. I'm Audrey Hepburn, Smithie and you would do well to remember it."

I hung up the phone in anger and turned to Tatum whose eyebrows were raised high on her forehead and her arms were crossed. She looked at me like she wanted to slap me and then she grabbed her coat from the hook by the door.

"I'm going to go now," she called out to someone in the house. I turned and saw Mary pop her head out.

"Oh, goodbye dear!" Mary called back. "It was nice seeing you! You too Michael!"

"Oh I think he'll be staying." Tatum said flatly. She slammed the door behind her and I followed, confused, slipping through the doorway and rushing after her as she stormed down the driveway.

"What did I _do_?" I asked loudly when I caught up to her.

"Michael," Tatum said flatly. "For the past month you've been ranting about how you're the most beautiful perfect person on the planet and it's annoying the _crap_ out of me." I stared at her blankly, not really seeing where she was coming from. Did she like me better when I was insecure? "Yes, you were the fairest in the land and I think you're beautiful, but you have to stop with whatever this is. Is it a coping mechanism to deal with the loss of Willis? I get it, it's sad but you can't keep doing... _whatever_ this is. It's pushing people away."

"Is that why you came here today?" I asked. "Without telling me? You're hiding from me?"

She looked embarrassed but then shook it off. "Fine, okay. Yes. I was hiding from you. Can you blame me? All you've talked about is how you are the most beautiful guy in the world. This television role is perfect for you because you've become pretty narcissistic and douchey yourself."

"Harsh," I shot.

"True though," she retorted quickly.

"So you want me to hate the way that I look?" I asked.

She laughed a hollow laugh and stepped toward me, pulling her hands from the pockets of her green woolen coat and pointing directly in my face. "You say you're Audrey Hepburn, and she's your idol but you don't seem to know a thing about her, Michael. Yes, she was pretty. But there was so much more to her. She was the granddaughter of a baron, the daughter of a Nazi sympathizer and she spent her childhood and teenage years doing ballet to secretly raise money for the Dutch resistance against the Nazis, and she spent her post film career as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEFF, winning the presidential medal of freedom for her efforts." Tatum took a deep breath and dropped her hand from my face. "And the world remembers how pretty she is."

"O-okay?" I stammered.

"So that's what you want?" Tatum asked. "You want the world to forget all you've done? You represent the strength of the human heart across all nine worlds and you've saved the world countless times, you donate to a dozen charities and spend your free time thinking up ways to help the starving children in Africa! All you're focusing on is how _pretty_ you are? Is that how you want to be remembered? That's all you care about? That's disgusting, Michael. Being beautiful is great, but it means nothing in the end."

" _Michael, do you think I'm beautiful?" Mom had asked me one day as she was putting her earrings in._

" _The most beautiful," I told her seriously. "Your hair is so pretty."_

 _She turned to me and looked me right in the eye. "True beauty comes from your heart, Michael, just like where the hero's strength comes from. The outside matters not when the inside is powerful and firm."_

Tatum spun on her heel and started storming away again. "Tatum!" I shouted, "W-wait!" She didn't even bother stopping.

"I just need time to cool off Michael," she shouted over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry!" I shouted after her, but she didn't respond. This time my voice came out in much more of a whisper. "I'm sorry..."

 _ **Momoe Kido:**_

I really needed to find another school for Emiko to attend. After getting her back from the Digital World, I was too hung up on the idea of having her with me all the time. She was here with me in the library, being an absolute nuisance to everyone around her. She and Monmon had taken the mashed potatoes that Mimi had whipped up for her lunch spread, and were running around the room, chasing each other, threatening to let large globs of the mashed spuds fly through the air.

Honestly, I didn't have the energy to get her to stop.

She was always around, all the time. I liked it. I did. I loved my daughter, and after spending two months of my life thinking she was dead, believing it whole-heartedly, I should want nothing more than to have her around me always. I wanted to hear her laughter, and the sound of her pattering feet. I liked to see her playing with her partner, and being so full of life.

But she _knew_ that, and that was a problem.

She understood just how much she was able to get away with when she first got back. I was honestly just too relieved to have my daughter with me—on her _birthday,_ no less—and I let her do a bunch of stuff I shouldn't have. Jou _warned_ me not to, but I didn't care. I didn't listen. I didn't _want_ to. I wanted to know that my daughter _could_ get up to mischief. She was alive, and that was all that mattered. It didn't matter _how_ troublesome she was. She was everything to me, and she was safe, and she was _with_ me.

She'd taken that inch I'd offered and taken _several_ miles. It was all I could do these days to keep up with her. Jou tried to help me, but he wasn't above pointing out it was entirely my fault. I knew that too. I got caught up in having Emiko alive, and being the _fun_ parent for awhile, so that she'd want to be with me all the time, that I couldn't reign her in when I'd finally caught up with my mistakes.

"Emiko," I scolded in a depressingly tired voice. I hadn't slept through the night in ages. I thought I'd done away with that feeling when Emiko was a baby. But nope, she was awake before dawn each day, giggling with Monmon, trying to pull some sort of prank on Jou and I. Bearmon was a popular victim as well. Gomamon was more apt to join in on her fun. He was pretty much her favourite for that very reason.

"I'm gonna get you!" Emiko squealed, chasing after Monmon. He leaped into the air, jumping over Mari's head. I watched, flinching, as her eyes grew wide. Of _course_ her eyes narrowed in on the mashed potatoes. She grimaced, but didn't say anything. She never did. I wished she would though. Emiko wasn't listening to me anymore, but she'd probably listen to Mari.

I couldn't be mad though. I was the one that let Emiko take too many liberties. It wasn't Mari's job to scold or parent my daughter—even if it _would_ be easier.

Monmon used his free hand to hold on to a floating shelf. The shelf was balanced on brackets, and was host to several knickknacks. Just above the shelf was a large picture in an even larger frame. It was like a poster, only it meant so much more. The picture was of Mari's family. Not the Goutokujis, but of Alias III. Hideto had an arm slung over Mari's shoulder, and Kiyoko was nestled up to him on his other side. Kiyoko's smile was blinding, while the other two pretended they were "too cool" for the picture. Their digimon didn't have the same reservations as them. Warg and Melga were grinning like there was no tomorrow, with their arms wrapped around each other. Tapirmon was in the back, half hiding behind his partner, but smiling all the same.

It was a beautiful picture, and really captured their personalities with one another. I couldn't remember seeing Hideto _or_ Mari so carefree and relaxed before, and Kiyoko was typically too shy without the other Alias III around to be so freely happy.

And he wouldn't get the chance to warm up to us. Not anymore.

Mari was holding a cup of steaming hot cocoa in her hands, letting the steam warm her face as she stared at the picture. Or she _had_ been staring at the picture. She was a little preoccupied by the green monkey with the mashed potatoes now.

My eyes widened as I realized exactly how this was going to play out.

Emiko was still racing towards Monmon, and wound her arm back, ready to let loose a flying wad of mashed potatoes. I got to my feet, but knew I was too late to really do anything about it. The ammunition had been fired. I squeezed my eyes shut, but realized I couldn't be so cowardly and opened them again, marching towards my daughter, steaming with anger that I knew I couldn't _really_ let her see.

I kept waiting for Mari to shriek as the mashed potatoes defiled her family portrait, but the shriek never came. Instead it was Taichi's voice that rang loudly through the library while everyone else watched with baited breath or twisted anticipation.

"Emiko, watch where you're throwing stuff," he scolded her. I looked to him and heaved a sigh of relief to realize he'd reached out with a file folder to catch the potatoes before they did unspeakable damage to something so precious to Mari.

"I _was_ watchin'," she insisted. "I was gonna get Monmon."

"Are you _supposed_ to throw anything indoors?" he asked her sternly.

"I dunno," she lied. He looked at her firmly, and she looked to the ground, kicking the floor with her shoes. "I didn't wanna hurt nothin'. _Literally_." Her lip started quivering, and her eyes started watering, and I wished the sight didn't tug at my heartstrings so much. She'd been naughty; I wasn't _supposed_ to give in to her tears. I was supposed to stay strong and dole out the punishment that she deserved.

"It's okay, Taichi," Mari sighed, though she seemed incredibly stressed, and not _at all_ relaxed about the situation, like her words were trying to convey.

"It's _not_ okay," Taichi insisted. "Emiko, you're going to apologize to Mari, and then you're going to find something less destructive to do. This isn't a playground, it's a _library_. Didn't you know there's a rule at libraries? You gotta be quiet."

"I'm _sorry_ ," Emiko said quickly. Mari smiled a little at her, and looked to Taichi, rolling her eyes as she did so. Mari knelt down next to Emiko, who hugged her—because she thought that's what Mari wanted. Mari's eyes widened, and she looked panicked. Emiko pulled back, and looked hopefully up at Mari.

"Have you ever played the quiet game?" Mari asked her. Emiko shook her head solemnly, not liking the sound of it. "It's fun, I promise," Mari assured her. "All you have to do is not say a word. If you need to say something, you have to act it out. That means everyone else has to guess what you want to say. It's like charades, but it's a _constant_ thing. I'll bet Monmon would be great at it."

"He doesn't talk," Emiko pointed out.

"Exactly," Mari said conspiratorially. "The question is: do you think you can beat him?"

"YES!" Emiko squealed. Mari looked at her, and Emiko mimed zipping her lips, before giggling to herself and nodding energetically. She looked over to me, grinning about her new game, before realizing she was in trouble, and ran off. I sighed, torn between wanting to chase after her, to punish her properly, and just letting her go play this 'quiet game' to see how long it could last. I needed a few minutes without her constant noise in the background.

"It was his birthday, you know," Mari said, to Taichi, and I suddenly felt like I was intruding. I'd _heard_ that they'd developed a rather strong friendship whilst trapped together for what they thought was eternity, but I hadn't seen it. I wasn't sure if I was _supposed_ to. It didn't involve me. I panicked though, and just sort of turned to stare at Emiko, who was irritating one of the Teenage Wolves, by trying to get him to give her a cookie.

"I know," Taichi said, his voice wavering for a moment as he continued. "It was the day after Rei's."

"He turned twenty-five," she said softly. "He'll always be twenty-five now."

"Yep," Taichi said. "Just like Rei will forever be twenty-seven, and Kiyoko will always be twenty-one."

"He was just a baby," Mari told him miserably, though she tried to contain her heartbreak. "They were all too young. Why did the virus have to take _them_? Why them?"

"Why not them?" Taichi asked hollowly. "It could have been anyone. It could have been no one. Fate picked them."

"Fate's a jerk," Mari murmured. I was struck then, by just how mean fate really had been to her. She'd lost Lalamon and her grandmother pretty much all at once, and her parents were the _Goutokuji's_. They'd been on the news talking down digimon alongside EVOLVE from the very beginning. They kept trying to get her house and her money. Marshall was constantly showing up in her life just when he wasn't wanted—not that he was _ever_ wanted—and then Rei, Willis and Kiyoko were all taken from her in one foul swoop—apparently on Willis' birthday no less. How cruel could fate be to any one person?

"She really is," Taichi sighed.

"Who said Fate's a girl?" Mari said, colouring her words with as much anger as she could muster. Taichi held up his hands, and I knew they were just trying to distract themselves from the emotions that were trying to drown them.

"You're not alone, Mari," Taichi offered, throwing an arm around her shoulders carelessly. Mari stiffened and sighed.

"I know," she said bitterly. "I never am. How am I supposed to get through this"—she pointed to the Kiyoko in the large picture in front of her—"or any of this, if I can't have a minute alone to process my thoughts? I haven't had a second to myself since we got back."

I left then, not wanting to eavesdrop on anymore of their conversation. I shouldn't have listened to as much as I did. I felt awful for it. And Yutaka was seriously getting close to guessing that Emiko wanted a cookie, and she just _shouldn't_ get to have one. She was hyper enough as it was.

"Okay, time to go play with someone else," I announced. Emiko pouted at me, but I made myself stay strong. She was upset that I wasn't giving her the cookie she so desperately thought she needed, but that didn't matter. I was back to being Mom. I could be fair and stern all at once. I pointed towards Masa who was playing with crayons at the coffee table at his mother's feet. She sighed and went over to join him. I followed after her _just_ to be sure she would play fair.

Chiziru was seated with Evelen, Mimi, Katsue and Amai. I plopped myself into a beanbag chair, and tried to make sense of the conversation that they were having, but wasn't having much luck. They seemed to be having fun though.

"And the roots just go to all of them?" Amai asked with wonder.

"Yup," Mimi said. "He had a pretty firm grip of the worlds because of those trees. He was a really hard one to beat, that's for sure."

"I think it's beautiful," Amai said dreamily. "He was holding the worlds so tightly, not wanting to let go for any reason."

"Isn't that sort of creepy, and stalkery?" Katsue asked skeptically.

"Not if love was involved," Amai assured her.

"Pretty sure stalkers 'love' the people they stalk too," Katsue stage-whispered to Evelen. Evelen looked confused, but let out a tentative laugh anyway. Mimi giggled and shook her head quickly.

"Sorry," Mimi said, still lost in her own thoughts. "I was just trying to picture Yggdrasil chasing down the worlds with flowers and chocolates, declaring his undying love. It's just too hard."

"Why would you even _try_ to picture it?" Chiziru said, laughing and scrunching her nose up at the thought. Masa looked to his mom and started laughing, just because she was. She smiled down at him and ran her fingers through his hair. He leaned back into her touch, and ran his own fingers over his Kunemon's head. The little insect leaned into Masa's touch too. It was adorable, so of _course_ Emiko had to throw a crayon at them, and then pretended to whistle to herself when he looked at her accusatorily. I put my foot up on the coffee table to catch my daughter's attention, and she looked at me guiltily, realizing I'd seen the whole thing. I gave her my best dramatic face, and moved my fingers between my eyes and her, signalling that I was watching her. She giggled at my silliness, and got back to colouring.

"How'd you even start RISE in the first place?"

Yamato's voice carried across the room, and I found myself paying more attention to him than to the girls. I wanted to know Shin's answer too. I'd known him for awhile. He was my husband's brother, after all. But not once in all the time that I knew him had he ever struck me as the type to start up a rebel group that would fight against a genocidal organization without worrying about his own wellbeing. He was always sort of a pushover. He'd do anything and everything that Isao told him to. That was pretty much the only reason he was a surgeon at all.

But Isao hadn't been there to tell him to create RISE, so I couldn't help but be curious.

"I've been rallying for the digimon forever," Shin told Yamato, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and really, it kind of was. "I've known how great they can be since Jou showed up from summer camp with a talking seal. He thought I didn't see him, but I could tell right away that the Jou that came home wasn't the Jou we'd sent away. Gomamon did that for him. Gomamon helped Jou become himself. Jou wasn't so afraid to stand up for himself anymore. He wasn't afraid to have his own hopes and dreams. He was more confident, and he had friends that he wasn't afraid of losing. He'd had Sora and Taichi for ages, but I always felt like he was scared that they'd get bored of him or something, but spending all that time in the Digital World—even if it felt instantaneous to me—helped him get over all of that. Gomamon completed him, and complimented him, and I knew he could never be bad, even if he _was_ a monster.

"I knew that digimon were good, but I didn't really _know_ the full extent of the bond a person could form with one until I met my own partner," Shin continued. "I'd known Gomamon for ages, and then Shuu met Meramon, and even _Dad_ met Unimon. I was feeling a bit left out, but I was also watching their transformations. Meramon brought out the more responsible side of Shuu, and suddenly he was around more often, not hiding away in his folklore research just to avoid having to be around Dad. With Unimon, Dad came alive again. I'm sure Aimi had _something_ to do with it, but Unimon wouldn't even show his face until Dad got his head out of his butt. Unimon didn't _want_ Dad as a partner until he changed and became a better man. But they did end up as partners.

"I was worried at that point, that there wasn't going to be a partner out there for me. I was afraid that Dad could have a partner, as mean as he was, but I couldn't. I wasn't suited for one, or didn't _deserve_ one. I wasn't good enough or something. It was around that time that the murmurs of EVOLVE were really getting traction," Shin said conspiratorially. "I kept my head down at first, sticking to my job and keeping my nose out of things. But then I heard whispers about the digidestined, and how they were being herded. I tried to get a hold of Jou, to warn him, but I could never get through. _Now_ I know that's because the phones were being used to take digimon to safety, but at the time, I thought Jou didn't think I was important enough during that time."

"He thinks you're important," Yamato corrected. I was thankful for that interruption. I didn't like that Shin felt so unappreciated. He was sometimes overlooked, but that wasn't a point against _him_ , it was just that Jou had so many other things on his plate all the time. I made a mental note to invite him to dinner though, just to reinforce Yamato's point.

"I know that," Shin insisted. "But I was vulnerable. I was really worried about Jou and the rest of you too. I went to see Shuu and Dad but they were both gone too, and I realized Jou had already taken them into the Digital World. I also realized that none of you knew how you were being collected to make it easier to get rid of the lot of you. I had to do _something_ , but I didn't know what to do. It was the…what do you guys call them…. _the Fight Club_? It was them, anyway, that gave me the idea. They were so angry, because their partners had been taken, been tagged and were being tracked. Their digimon were stuck at the Temple, but they wanted revenge. They wanted to do something too, and I realized that we could go into the Digital World whenever we wanted. It's not exactly that difficult. And since they all had digivices, it made it easier for _me_ , because I didn't have one at the time.

"So we went in, and messed around a bit, and they kind of accepted me, even though I can't fight to save my life—literally, I can't do that, I needed Dan to save me when the EVOLVE soldiers caught sight of me—and we started working as a team. Once we gained a bit of experience, I met my digimon partner, and we burned one of their bases to the ground. It was where their top men were hiding out—I set explosives anyway. The Fujimoto family saw me but couldn't stop me—well, not with the help of the others. We didn't know until much later that the base had in fact burnt down like we had planned for it to. We didn't know because we went home. We intended to keep going, but we found that we couldn't, because the gates were sealed off. We didn't know what to do, but then Tafu brought her sister, Amai, with her one day, and she asked why we stopped fighting. We thought it was obvious, but really Amai was right. Why should we stop fighting just because we're not in the Digital World? It didn't really matter where we picked to be our battlefield. The digimon needed someone to rally in their corner, and so we sort of spread the word that we were supporting digimon through word of mouth. We focused on people who seemed to disbelieve the EVOLVE propaganda at first, but now it's more widespread."

"I have to ask, you know I do," Yamato warned him. "What's with the getup?"

"I can't exactly go around showing my face," Shin said defensively. "You're famous already, and it _helps_ your cause. And you're a digidestined, so you're in this already, whether you chose to be or not. But I'm just a civilian. I can't _help_ if I'm in prison. I can't keep my partner safe, or help educate other people if I'm behind bars. The mask protects my identity so that I can keep fighting. It's also rather stylish, I think, but that's not why I wear it. I didn't even pick it out, actually. Tafu did."

Was it just my eyesight—which was actually ridiculously poor, but was better with the aid of my incredibly strong glasses—or was Shin _blushing_ at the mention of a girl?

"We're pretty much depending on you and your people right now," Yamato confessed. "We're not really making any videos anymore. We don't have much else to say. RISE is doing all the heavy lifting. I kind of feel bad that we're putting so much weight on your shoulders."

"Don't be," Shin said, looking at Yamato completely serious. "Do you know how many times we depended on you? You've saved all of our lives countless times. You fight all the time, risking your lives, and the lives of your partners and friends, just to keep the worlds safe. The humans took your protection, but couldn't offer affection to the digimon when they deserved it. It's the _least_ I can do— _we_ can do—to spread the love that _should_ have already been spread. People hating on everything is so irrational these days. The people are _finally_ thinking."

"And it's all thanks to you," Yamato said.

"No," Shin said, shaking his head. "It's thanks to you—the digidestined. You're the Digital Man these days, Yamato. You and your friends are a pillar of strength that RISE draws from, whether they know it or not, because that's where _I_ draw _my_ strength from. I look to Jou, or to you, or to Sora and Taichi, and all the others. I know I can keep doing what I'm doing, because you've been able to do it since you were children. If I can't handle my part _now_ , then I'm really not worthy of being Jagamon's partner."

"Um, well, thanks, I guess," Yamato said, sounding thoroughly embarrassed. I wished Jou was here to hear that. It would have made him so proud of his brother, and he'd totally have gotten even more embarrassed than Yamato, and it was always really cute when Jou got embarrassed.

"I _swear_ I will _end_ you if you don't put that book back exactly where you found it right this _instant_!" Mari shouted at one of the Teenage Wolves who was flipping through the pages of a well loved, old book. He looked up in shock. "I told you already, leave that book alone."

"You've never told me that," the band member said stubbornly.

"Then I'm telling you now," Mari said, as calmly as she was able, despite clearly being _beyond_ stressed. "I'm telling _everyone_ now. This is not to be touched. Anyone seen touching this book will be tossed to the curb like last week's trash, understood? I don't care _who_ they are. They're gone."

"Yes ma'am," the musician said, slipping the book back into place, and acting terrified—though I was sure that at least _some_ of that fear had to be real.

Mari's phone rang, and she jumped, surprised by it. She pretended not to be embarrassed as she answered it. "Mari," she said simply. Her brows furrowed. "Who's this?" She waited until the caller answered her, and was shocked enough to say: " _Bengoshi?_ " incredulously. "What do you want? I thought you weren't working for my parents anymore….oh, you're not? You're just working at the same firm….I don't think I really need to be too scared….I don't _care_ if they're ready to 'bring me down' this time….they've never managed in the past….I don't want to do this anymore! I'm _tired_ of them trying to take my home from me….I don't have time for this. There's actual stuff going on. The digimon are more important than my parents….can't you talk them off of their high horse? ...wait, they told reporters you were _dead_? How in the world did they get away with that? You know what, I don't even care. You can just do whatever you want. How about you call _my_ lawyer, he's the one that's going to be fighting them. I'm just going to show up when I'm supposed to. Thanks anyway….bye."

"They're seriously fighting you _again_?" Hideto drawled from the kitchen where he was doing the dishes from lunch still. There were a ton of them, and he was rather anal about cleaning them. They were _his_ dishes, and he was the only one he trusted, aside from Mari who just wasn't going to clean them, to do it right. He was practically caressing a pot lid as he spoke to Mari.

"They don't have anything better to do," Mari sighed. "And why should they? EVOLVE is basically in tatters, they don't have any evil schemes to take up their time. They might as well fall back onto an old plot. They're uncreative that way."

"They won't win," Taichi said firmly.

"It's more the fact that they're still trying," Mari said with a sigh. There were three tentative, but echoing knocks at the door. Sound really carried in the library. "You have got to be kidding me. That had _better_ not be them."

"I'll check," I offered. I got to my feet, casting another look to Emiko. She had her head down on the paper she'd been colouring on, completely asleep. I smiled, before realizing that meant she'd be up all night, and sighed.

I opened the door quickly, hoping to catch whoever it was off guard. I did. The blonde man with glasses was just leaving when I whipped the door open. He gasped and turned to face me. I recognized him almost instantly. He was there when Gomamon was taken. In fact, he'd been the one that took him. I narrowed my eyes at him, not trusting him for a second, no matter _what_ Gomamon tried to convince Jou and I of. I didn't care _how_ nice this Puraido guy had been when he'd held Gomamon prisoner. It was the fact that he'd _held Gomamon prisoner_ that I was personally hung up on—and I knew Jou was too.

"Is Gomamon here?" he asked, anxiously.

"No," I told him rather frostily. "Hideto's here though."

"Is he?" Puraido asked nervously.

"He lives here," I pointed out. His eyes widened, and he fiddled with his hands. Hideto came up behind me, having heard his name. He was wiping his hands on a hand towel and was looking to his brother in confusion.

"Do we…talk now?" Hideto asked, unsure.

"Not that I know of," Puraido said, risking a quick smile, before realizing Hideto probably wouldn't appreciate it and promptly vanished it, replacing it with that nervous grimace he'd been relying on before.

"Okay then…" Hideto said, closing the door slowly, not sure whether it was the right thing to do or not. It totally was in my opinion, because that jerk-face stole my husband's digital partner—and I'd been stabbed in the leg during that struggle. I wasn't pleased with him. But I could tell that Hideto was hesitant. He'd been the brunt of his family's jokes for years, and finally, one of his family members looked to be coming around. I could see the fear in his eyes though. He wasn't sure if he could really trust that this was _real_.

I couldn't trust it either.

"Is that _gum_ on the rug?" Mari asked in a loud, clearly frustrated, but pretending not to be frustrated, voice. Hideto and I looked to each other and sighed. Hideto moved quickly to Mari's side while I headed towards my daughter. It was probably time to leave….especially since I'd given her gum earlier which had mysteriously disappeared. And I was pretty sure Mari had found where it went.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Mari and Kurayami are letting their emotions get the better of them, but they have friends to keep them holding on!


	9. Family History

**U/N:** I know Mari is sad, but I'm not sure what the chapter is about... at first glance I think I can figure it out and you should probably know that where the court is concerned we studied strictly American laws but kept it loose to keep it simplified. This entire court drama arc was inspired by my recent obsession with Suits, How To Get Away With Murder and several other law themed TV shows, so I'm sorry if you're not into that but it was also kind of important for the characters and it was a nice way to keep drama and continuity going as well as getting some pretty solid points across. And then there's Kurayami. Her entire story is complicated to write, but I hope we kept the story compelling and confusing enough to keep you interested.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 09: Family History**

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

"Where's Taichi?" Sora asked.

"Why would I know?" I said sharply.

"I thought you two were close," Sora said defensively.

"Since when?" I asked too quickly, "Did he say that? Who said that? I'll beat them up, honest I will."

Sora looked shocked and she released Mantarou's hand to show that she meant no harm by throwing her hands up nervously. "I just thought I detected something, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

Oh, she had just been Sora and saw that there was something between us. But how much did she detect? Was the secret out of the bag? Had she found out about our massive mistake that I was pretty sure we had a silent agreement to basically never talk about again? "I guess we're friends," I said casually.

"That's sad," Miyako said as Lopmon adjusted herself in her arms. "You feel accused when someone might be your friend because we've all been distant toward you Allias III members."

"Miyako, you're one of my best friends," I pointed out, rolling my eyes.

"I actually just said 'we' so that it didn't sound like I was accusing anyone," she admitted and all eyes fell to Sora, the only other non-Alias III member of the Digidestined present. Hideto was standing next to Miyako with Terriermon sitting on his shoulder. Neo stood nearby, sipping away at some coffee and trying to pretend his arm wasn't in a sling, and of course Mantarou was standing with Sora. "I think more importantly than Taichi, is Iori," Miyako said. It was nice that she'd bothered to come to support me here, but it was very unnecessary for her to leave her tiny infant child in the hospital just so she could watch a boring trial.

"Yeah, where did the little guy go?" Mantarou asked, looking around.

"Watch it," Miyako warned, "Don't let him hear you say that."

"He _is_ little," Mantarou said, rolling his eyes, "I remember hearing him crying as a newborn baby, no matter how much time passes, he'll always be little to me."

"You're so _old_ ," Miyako shuddered.

It was then, thankfully so that Mantarou and Miyako did not get into a sibling row, that Iori arrived, slipping out from between two thick wooden doors. He caught my eye and motioned for me to head his way. I excused myself from the group and smiled to Hideto when he patted me on the back. "How are you feeling?" Iori asked me.

"I just want it to be over with," I told him honestly, trying to pretend I didn't feel like vomiting.

"Soon," he promised. "Professor Horitsu __is waiting for us, so we should probably get inside. He wants to run over some things before we start." I nodded and then looked back to the others. They were all facing the two of us now and giving us hopeful thumbs ups or smiles. I tried to smile back to show them I appreciated it but really I just wished they weren't here. I didn't want to fail in front of them. Even though it would be Iori failing—which made it worse. For the second time now everything I owned was in Iori's hands. I barely knew him.

Iori held the doors open for me and I sipped inside and waited for him. I adjusted the dress I was wearing and wrinkled my nose at it. I didn't like it much but Hideto was right. It wasn't right to go in wearing my usual attire. Sora had done my hair and as much as I didn't want to admit it, it looked very nice. Usually my hair was all too untameable, but now, due to some inexplicable magic, Sora had fixed it.

Iori stepped around me and led the way down the aisle. The benches were wooden and shiny, the walls were clean and beige, and the floor was grey and tiled. Everything seemed much more prepared than the last time I had been here. At least that made me feel decent. It felt like they just didn't care enough about my problems to be bothered cleaning the place. At least this time they'd put some effort in and it made me want to put some in too.

Horitsu was the only other person in the room at that point and that was nice too, it helped calm my nerves. I didn't want to walk in after everyone and have all eyes turn on me. Iori leaned over the dark wooden table to look down at the very organized notes that the two of them had been working on. Horitsulooked up when he heard my heels and he nodded, "Mari, good to see you," his voice came out calm and quick, "I just want to talk to you very quickly before the others return."

I found myself looking toward the empty table a few feet from Iori. That was where my parents would be sitting. I wrinkled my nose again and pushed through the pretty gateway that separated the audience from those actually involved in the trial and looked down at the notes that Iori seemed so interested in.

"Firstly," Horitsu said, "I've prepared a case, and while you know most of what will happen, I may need to throw them for a loop and if I do I'll need you to answer everything I say honestly."

"Sounds good," I nodded.

"Second," he continued, "I have worked with and against enough crazy clients to know that they are going to go for you specifically. They'll try to discredit you and they'll try to make everything you say sound preposterous and like you're deranged."

"But you're not," Iori assured me, "So we just need you to always be honest."

"And keep the crazy things to myself," I nodded, "Sure, I can do that."

Both of them seemed pleased with how calm I was. If only they knew how twisted my insides were. They could be calm because the outcome of this affected them very little. This was my _home_. It was more than that though. It was my integrity, the only thing left of my grandmother, and the last attempt I would ever have to see justice for my past. Maybe if this finally settled down I would be able to happily move on.

Maybe.

"Are you ready for this?" Horitsu asked. I nodded without thinking and he seemed pleased. The conversation ended there because the doors opened again and when we all turned we saw that _they_ were finally here. Batsu—or Dad—or whatever I was supposed to call him came striding into the room first followed closely by Itami, his horrendous wife. Her pale boney fingers were wrapped tightly around Aneko's wrist and she was dragging the poor girl behind her down the aisle toward us. My fists balled up and I wanted to punch her right in the face. Behind the three of them was a very well poised man, but he looked rather mousey. Mousey and _proud_ —like he'd already won the case. "I know him, he's cocky but for good reason."

"But," Iori cut in, "You said earlier that you were sure the Goutokuji's were stubborn and arrogant enough to do things their way and force their lawyer into doing what they say."

"It's possible," Horitsu admitted, "I was not present for their interactions, and I do not know their strategy. All our preparations have been composed of assumptions."

"Well you know what they say about assuming," I told him, raising one eyebrow.

"That, I do." He nodded. "Let's sit," he suggested. We all did as he instructed with me closest to my family unfortunately. I risked a look over and saw that my mother was whispering something to her lawyer and my father was flipping leaning back in his chair with his leg crossed over, scrolling along on his phone. Aneko was seated nearest me in a chair that she surely would not be seated in during the actual trial. She was looking up to the ceiling and I followed her gaze to a beautiful, ornate chandelier that looked like it cost more than I had spent in my whole life up to this point. When I looked back down to her I saw that she was staring directly at me.

I panicked and made a face to show how bored I was and she smirked before her father placed a hand on her shoulder. Fear filled her eyes and I looked up to him, seeing him look me dead in the eyes and shake his head. My eyebrows went up quickly and I turned away from them.

It wasn't long before the room was filling with the audience, and it had been the exact second that the doors had first opened that my nerves had really kicked in. I found myself rubbing my temples and leaning forward so my elbows were resting on the table. My stomach was in knots and I was pretty sure the room was legitimately spinning. Those who had come to support me were sitting directly behind us and I leaned back in my chair as they all spoke.

"Look at her face," Hideto snorted, "I didn't think she could get any less authentic."

"She's like a Barbie," Terriermon added, "Terrifying."

"You've got this Mari," Sora said brightly, "Just keep calm and breath. Remember to breath—don't panic."

"Iori is the best lawyer in the world," Miyako said, "And he learned from Professor Horitsu, so there's no way you're going to lose."

"Even if you do lose we'll all be here for you," Mantarou added.

"But she _won't_ lose, Mantarou," Miyako said sharply.

"She might," Lopmon said, "I'm pretty sure that the rules of logic state that before the case begins there is a fifty-fifty chance she'll win, even though the odds are stacked in her favour. That and there are alternate timelines in which both of you win. I wonder which timeline we're in."

"Where the heck did you learn all of that?" Terriermon asked.

"Willis' books," Lopmon admitted.

There was a silence that followed her words. The silence was formed by regret and sorrow and neither of them were the feeling I was hoping to be surrounding myself in before the biggest trial of my life. "Mari relax," Neo said before taking a sip of his coffee. "Seriously, they're doing this out of greed, what judge is going to buy their story?"

"He's right," Iori said, taking my hand gently and his ring was cold on my fingers. "Just keep calm and—"

The judge entered the room just then and we were all advised to stand. ' _Don't be afraid to make eye contact, don't give him a reason to think you have anything to hide'_ Horitsu's advice rang in my mind and I stared toward the judge. When he looked to me I bowed my head politely and waited for him to tell us to sit. Finally he did and I realized that my legs were shaking. I didn't _get_ nervous. Not like this.

And then we were going. Whenever there were enough people talking at once Terriermon would whisper encouragements in my ear and I'd look back and nod. He was stealthy enough that no one caught sight of him which I was thankful for. Whenever I looked to him I spotted a nanny, an elderly woman, sitting with Aneko who was playing with her fingers idly.

"And you say that you witnessed the death of Ruru Bengoshi?" Ioriasked calmly.

My mother, who was sitting in the small enclosed podium space nodded and wiped a fake tear from her eyes, "It was _horrid_! Oh my!" She held a hand over her heart, "Dear me, a large elephant _monster_ was involved. He crushed him right before my very eyes. My daughter was scarred!"

"Tragic," Iori said, playing along, "But I think I'll need your help to confirm something," Iori stepped aside and turned out to the audience, "A man came to me claiming to be the very same man you claim to have seen die. I'll just need your help to straighten things out."

Every set of eyes, including my own, turned to the seats where Bengoshi was standing near the back row. "Oh no!" He exclaimed, "I'm okay!"

"That isn't him," Mother said sharply, "That's not him." I looked to her lawyer and saw his nostrils flare as his eyes narrowed in on her. I couldn't help but smile now. She'd thrown her own team under the bus. This was what being a winner would feel like, I imagined. Not that I would know.

"Are you telling me," the judge said sharply, "That the man who you reported _dead_ is actually alive and in this room?"

"That _isn't_ him!" Mother gasped, "I swear!"

"Well," Iori said, "We did some research on your previous lawyer and we have pictures of him, his employment records and even a blood and DNA test." Iori handed a thin folder up to the judge and then looked to Mother again, "Just to be thorough."

"I swear," Bengoshi said, holding a hand over his heart, "I am me."

It was unfortunate that the rest of our points didn't go quite as smoothly as that one had, and when we talked about my rights in terms of the will my parents lawyer actually managed to argue against them well enough that he invalidated them. Apparently there was no legal proof that they had ever been disowned, nor that I myself had been disowned. They had covered their tracks which wasn't even legal. That was just one of the wonderful things I learned about how lawyers could work. They didn't have to be right, or follow the law. They enforced their own opinions and _created_ the law to suit them. It was twisted and argumentative and I was _so_ glad Iori knew that the _hell_ he was doing.

After quite a while of arguing, Iori and the opposing lawyer began debating as calmly as they could within their pent up frustration toward one another and the judge brought his gavel down on the table top three times—hard. The room was overtaken with silence as all eyes turned up to him. "If I am being _perfectly_ honest, I do not see why this trial is even continuing. I thought we settled this months ago."

There was small silence in which Iori took advantage of, "Your Honour, we did. Mari then took a two month vacation and when she returned, her family had moved into her library claiming it as their own."

"You mentioned that, yes," the judge said, irritated, "And I find that highly incriminating at worst and tactless at best."

"Your Honour!" Mother jumped to her feet, "We were informed that she was legally _dead_! We were taking what was rightfully our—"

"Silence!" The judge bellowed, slamming the gavel down again, "Who gave you permission to interrupt me?" Mother sat herself down quietly.

"To be dubbed as 'Legally Dead' you must be missing for seven years," Iori informed the judge who looked to him with raised eyebrows.

"I am well aware," the judge said sharply. Iori sunk under his gaze and backed away slowly. The judge finally leaned back, "I want answers."

"I have them for you—" The opposing lawyer jumped to his feet as Mother had previously done, but the way the judge turned on him made him practically implode and he disappeared much faster than Iori had.

"I want answers from..." the judge slowly lifted his finger and pointed directly at me. "Mari Goutokuji, why have you not taken the stand?" It took me a moment to register that he was speaking to me and when I finally did I couldn't find the words to speak and only stammered nonsense came out. My face turned red quickly and I cursed myself for not having my usual confidence.

"Your Honour," my parents lawyer said, getting to his feet, "it is in fact our turn to bring a witness to the stand and to deny us that right would be unjust." He winced under the glare of the judge but apparently the judge seemed to understand that he had a point and he leaned back in his chair, waving him on to continue. "Splendid," the lawyer said with a beaming smile, "Please allow Marshall Taft to come to the stand."

If my stomach had been twisted before, it was nothing to how I felt now. The doors opened once more and I turned to see him standing in the doorway. _What_ was he even _doing_ here in Japan? How did he always sprout out of the ground like a poisonous plant just to spread his stupidity around like the freaking plague? Iori looked nervous as he made his way to his seat between Horitsu and I. As Marshall made his way past me he looked down and smirked. He had stubble on his face now, and I was angry at how professional he was able to look. His hair was slicked back and his suit fit him perfectly. He looked like a normal member of society. It was scary how well monsters could hide these days.

As Marshall got himself settled at the stand, Iori whispered to me, "This is where they'll try to mess with your image. Stay calm."

"I can stay calm," I told him in a barely audible whisper, "I'm cool as a freaking cucumber." Iori noticed that my fists were balled up and he patted my shoulder softly.

"So how do you know Mari Goutokuji?" The lawyer asked Marshall.

"Oh, we were childhood lovers," Marshall said fondly. Iori gasped when I grabbed his wrist and I apologized quietly, releasing him to ball my fists up on their own again. "She moved to New York when we were young, maybe nine years old. She forced me to stop being friends with my best friend because she wanted all of my attention."

"And who was your best friend?" the lawyer asked as Iori looked to me, confused.

"His name was Willis Kennedy."

Once more I found myself grabbing Iori. I didn't know what Marshall was up to but I couldn't just _let_ him get away with it!

"He and I were best buds," Marshall said with an air of fondness again. "Mari was controlling and needy. She was always trying to take things. She got me suspended from school once because I took the blame for her."

"What did she do?" The lawyer asked.

"She stole money from the cafeteria," Marshall said, "She was a bad seed. My parents didn't want me to spend time with her, and so I broke up with her, but she didn't want that. She went crazy and tried to hurt me. I was scared for my _life_. That's when I started at the gym."

"Not true, not true, not true—" I repeated quietly.

"I object," Iori interjected loudly, getting to his feet, "Not only is his tale irrelevant to the case at hand, but it is my understanding that he is in fact _lying_."

"You'll get your turn," The opposing lawyer argued.

"I don't want a turn with a lying witness," Iori snapped. "He won't help me at all because he's not telling the truth."

"Is this true?" The judge asked, looking to Marshall.

Marshall looked up with wide eyes and shook his head and when he spoke his voice was higher than usual, "No, Your Honour! I would never lie. I just want to see justice served." The judge looked to Iori and waved his hand as if to say 'there you have it' as if Marshall's word proved Marshall's word in some backward way.

The lawyer turned back to Marshall and said thoughtfully, "You said that she stole from the cafeteria, what else might she have stolen?"

"I don't know for sure," Marshall said, shaking his head and squinting his eyes. He wasn't even a good actor! How was he getting away with this? "I know she wanted her parent's money." There were a few gasps from the crowd behind me and I turned sharply toward them. I noticed Miyako sending someone the stink eye and it at least made me feel good to know that she was backing me up. I saw that Terriermon looked just as angry as I felt and that Lopmon looked deeply offended. I couldn't believe this was happening. It didn't matter if they took my _everything_. Emotionally damaging these two digimon was too far! "She always talked about how much she wanted them to suffer and to feel pain."

"Is that true?" Iori asked quietly.

"Maybe," I shrugged, "I don't know, I hated them. I can't remember saying it though." Iori looked nervous and then turned to speak to Horitsu.

"If you were to describe Mari in one word, what would you say?" the lawyer asked.

"She was _disturbed_." Marshall said with a malicious grin that the judge surely could not see.

"Thank you, that will be all," the lawyer decided, turning his back to the judge and to Marshall as he made his way back to his seat. I followed him with my eyes as the judge asked Iori if he had any questions for Marshall. My parents looked to me with devilish eyes and I stared back with the darkest look I could muster.

"Very well," the judge said when Iori told him that he had nothing to add. "I think I have made my decision." There was a silence as he thought for a moment, "but first, I would like to hear Mari's story." My chest pounded immediately. I thought he was over that idea—I had relaxed a little from the nerves now, but they were back and this time they had a vengeance. "If you care to tell it, of course."

"You have to," Iori said flatly. I didn't hesitate at that. His voice sounded far too urgent and so I stepped to my feet and pushed my chair back, listening to the sound of the wood scrape against the tiles. "This is hardly common practice," Iori noted quietly. Horitsu simply shrugged and motioned for me to go along.

My head was spinning too much to focus on what was going on. I was sitting in the stand and they were talking to me and I repeated what they said, like they told me to, but my mind was focused on the crowds. Not a single person was hiding their emotions. Sora looked like she was remembering what it felt like to be in my position. Miyako looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Neo and Hideto both looked like they were ready to beat Marshall up and while I was happy about that, it only made me focus on the stupid, smug smile that was plastered on his face. My parents were worried, maybe confused, and their lawyer seemed to think he'd won the game. But more importantly, I noticed Taichi had arrived. He was standing in the back of the room with his arms crossed as he leaned back against the wall. He waved to me when he noticed I saw him and I just ignored him.

"Well...?" The judge said, prodding me into starting.

"W-what—" I paused to clear my throat, "What story did you want me to tell?"

"Tell the story of why this argument is happening," the judge said kindly. I nodded and looked back to the crowd. Where did I begin? I caught sight of Mother's eyes and I immediately knew where I needed to start the story.

" _You will do as I say, or you will never be happy," Mom had said when I was young, "I know what's best for you. Listen to me, and do as I do, because happiness comes from what you can make other people do under your command."_

I straightened my back and turned my head slightly. "Well," I said as clearly as I could "When I was younger my parents wanted everything. I remember them lying to get what they wanted and forcing their way to the top of corporations and tricking people out of their money. I remember several occasions when they promised me everything would be okay as if I cared. I remember their insane need to always have more than they did." I stopped and looked to them and seeing their angered faces somehow felt good. "They were trying to train me and tailor me into a person who could do the same for them, but I wouldn't let them because I didn't want to be like them. I was disgusted by the people that they were. I hated them. Marshall didn't lie about that. I never wanted to see them suffer—and I didn't want their money. I don't care about money. I care about doing what I think is right, and everything they did was _not_ right. I knew that then, and I know it now..." I trailed off for a moment and thought about what I wanted to say aloud and what I wanted to keep to myself. I found my eyes trailing over to Hideto and they lingered there a moment. I had kept all of my feelings from my past and the events that took place a secret even from him. He knew more about me than anyone else did. Could I really bring myself to be so open? When my eyes returned to my parents I knew I had to, for Aneko more than anything else.

"I knew what they were doing was wrong," I said quietly, returning to my story. I straightened my posture again and spoke louder once more, "I knew it was wrong, so I hid the bruises on my arms with sweaters, even in the warmer seasons. My teachers were maybe suspicious but I never let on that anything was wrong, because I was scared of what might happen to me if I were to be taken away. I was taught to do what I could do to climb the social ladder, and one memory I distinctly remember was my mother _screaming_ at me for getting into a fight at school. She twisted the event around and villainized me when I was trying to protect someone else. She found pride in that. She loved twisting my mind around, and sometimes I found myself obeying, like an obedient little puppy. Even if I knew it was wrong, I feared the strike of my father if I were to s—"

"I object," the opposing lawyer declared, getting to his feet sharply.

"On what grounds?" Iori asked with an irritated voice. "You don't like that she's _being mean_ to your client? And you can't object to the witness."

Their petty argument, however misplaced gave me time to look to the others. Hideto and Neo both stared, nearly blankly toward me as though they knew I would not want sympathy, but Miyako was not in agreement with them. She had one hand placed over her heart and the other hand held tightly to Sora's as the two of them looked up with empathetic watery eyes. One would think that empathy would be looked highly upon, especially by me, as somehow the concept was linked with my crest—or so says the ruins under the looking glass—but I only appreciated it one way. I wanted no pity in return for my tale, but I would of course dish it out if the roles were reversed. If only they knew that. Taichi, when I looked to him, merely nodded his head as if he were supportive, and ready for me to continue. It was when I turned to Terriermon and Lopmon that I noticed all eyes were on me, awaiting for me to continue again.

I looked around foolishly, from the lawyers to the judge and then to my own hands that were folded in my lap. When I had prepared myself to start again I looked up to the crowd of expecting onlookers. "When I was nine years old we moved to New York where my parents had made some kind of deal with an American businessman," I continued, "They were going to merge their companies to create an empire. To do so they reverted to traditional ways and thought the best way to seal the deal was to wed their daughter to the son of their new partners. Marshall was that son, and I was forced into a life where I knew my future before it had even begun. Marshall and I dated because I was told to love him. He was mean and he was aggressive. He hit me, but I was nine, I didn't care. I wasn't a 'woman' and I didn't feel the need to follow any social rules. But when I found that he was the school bully I tried to stop him. There was a particular boy with whom he tried to harm physically and emotionally. I was so sure it was because he was jealous, but now I'm not so sure there even was a good reason. That boy was Willis. And while I was in my somewhat real relationship with Marshall—which lasted until I was twelve—I managed to form a sort of friendship between the three of us." I was unfortunate enough to catch Marshall's eyes at that moment and he smirked almost fondly, but as though the memories had to come to him in a twisted manor.

"Marshall brought us to his favourite places," I told them all, "They were all illegal to get to, and I will admit to having fun feeling the rush of adrenaline sneaking into places that were out of bound. But as much as I loved the excitement, I hated Marshall more. I developed a sort of crush on Willis, and—" I paused, wondering about which information I should share, but I supposed it didn't matter now that Willis was dead. "Willis created a monster. Diaboromon. The monster that tried to destroy the internet back in 2000. Willis' sister died soon after that and when she did, her partner digimon fell into a sort of depression and she became dark. She started tearing apart the city in an attempt to receive help to return her to her normal state. That was my first experience with digimon and it helped me realize that Marshall was not the person I was going to marry, no matter _what_ my parents told me. I broke up with him and I told Willis, who I had been teaching Japanese to at the time, that I had a crush on him, but I ran in fear when I saw his partner digimon.

"My parents, who were afraid of the digimon attacks, moved us to Japan, away from New York where they were afraid of me dying." It was hard to keep from crying but I would do my best because it was no one's business but mine to see me in tears. "They told me—right to my face that if I died then their business deal would fall through. That was when I knew that they didn't care about me at all. It made sense suddenly. The way they hit me or insulted me wasn't because they were trying to make me into a good person—and it was _not_ normal as I had thought. It was not something I should hide from others out of fear of what happened to me, because _they_ were not as in control of the world as they pretended they were. They were only in control of _me_. When I took away that little bit of power they had, I think it set them off. What they were doing wasn't right. It was bad and wrong, and I couldn't let them keep doing it." I looked to the crowd and saw Aneko pull on her sweater sleeves and nervously look to her parents. I was surprised to feel fear and sadness fill me instead of anger at the sight of it. "So I pretended to be in a long distance relationship with Marshall and when the wedding date was coming I realized that I had very little choice in the matter. I went to Willis and told him I loved him, even though I was sure I was lying. He told me he cared for someone else, and I was left alone to choose to marry Marshall at the age of thirteen to merge two stupid companies that I didn't care about, or to run away and live alone. I tried to run away because I would be alone either way, and Marshall found me and he—" I paused and winced, "It wasn't the first time. He... and then he chased me. He had a knife and I was scared and I got lost in the woods. But then I wasn't alone anymore because I had a partner digimon, and when I returned to my parents Marshall had composed a story about how I had tried to harm him, and my parents didn't care enough to fight it. I was told to apologize or to leave and so I did.

"I went to live with my grandmother." I told them, "She took me in and as news spread her husband threatened to divorce her for housing the family outcast. She took him up on that offer and she never saw him again. Then all of the disowning nonsense happened and I had no family because my grandmother died."

"Once more I feel inclined to object," the lawyer drawled, "I think we have made it clear that the disownment was a fraud and in fact the family remains intact."

The judge turned to him sharply, which I was thankful for, and then motioned for me to continue my story. I didn't know if I was ready because I knew if I opened my mouth and took some of the focus away from keeping my tears back that they would begin to fall. "My partner Lalamon and I were the only two that attended her funeral. Her own family did not come to see her off." I had my hand balled tightly still and the tears were pouring from my eyes before I knew it. I was just hoping that I was too far away for anyone to see them. "She left me everything in her will and when my partner died I finally took what was left from her. I could not bear to be alone anymore. Three years later my parents found out she died—which is appalling in and of itself that it took them so long—and they are trying to take what is rightfully mine. And apparently they're still in contact with Marshall who has tried to kill both me and Willis on numerous occasions and he's been stalking me like an _insane_ person for years and no matter where I go he always shows up moments later. And everything they've ever done has been deceitful and illegal and honestly this entire case is stupid—no offense everyone—because my grandmother's name is on the deed and in her will it says it passes down to me. End of story. I get it! That's how the law works!" Iori barred his teeth like I shouldn't have said that, so I tried to take the attention from that, "So let's all start up an investigative case on my parents and how they are raising their new daughter Aneko because I just _know_ they're as bad to her as they were to me and they don't deserve custod—" Iori was shaking his head like a mad man and I stopped, staring toward him in silence.

"That is quite the tale," the judge said in a soft voice.

"But completely untrue," The opposing lawyer said snidely, "It goes against everything my clients have said."

The judge looked to him with his eyebrows raised and for a second I actually thought that we might have a chance to win this if he hated the lawyer as much as he seemed he did. When the judge looked back to me he said softly, "Where is Willis? Can he validate this story?"

I looked to the audience, to Terriermon and Lopmon in specific and then back to the judge, "He died."

"Is there no one else who can confirm your story?" The judge asked, seemingly desperate for a way to play along. It made me feel warm inside to know that someone was going to help me. He wanted to. I could tell.

It nearly killed me to shake my head. There was no one else that had been around that long to confirm everything I'd said. I looked to the judge who seemed upset that he couldn't just take my word because it seemed to be against some policy of some kind. I looked to Miyako and thought for a moment that she could help but she hadn't been there for most of the drama and I'd never told her anything. I'd only ever told Willis and unless there was an invisible man who had been with Willis every moment of every day to hear my tales—

My eyes fell slowly to the green and white digimon who was sitting in Hideto's lap. He looked directly toward me and cocked his head sideways, and pointed to himself wondering if he could help.

"Well if that's the case—" The judge started.

"Wait!" I shouted, getting to my feet, "There is someone." I looked to Terriermon again and nodded, "I don't know if you'll like it, but he was there since day one."

"And who is that?" The judge asked as Terriermon climbed onto Iori's shoulder and then onto the table. He rushed along the surface and leapt through the air, landing on the floor.

"Terriermon," I explained, "Willis' partner digimon."

"I humbly object," The opposing lawyer said snidely, "A monstrosity such as this serves no purpose in a courtroom."

The judge turned to him and smiled, "I disagree. My daughter has a partner, a Tsukaimon and I think he's just adorable."

"I'm adorable too!" Terriermon exclaimed as he climbed into my lap and cleared his throat. The judge turned to him, waiting for him to start but he didn't seem comfortable enough. He looked to me, "Could you please assist me?" I smiled and lifted him up onto the railing so everyone could see him. Once more he cleared his throat and put one hand behind his back dramatically, "I confirm Mari's story. Marshall be _trippin_ ' yo!" I heard Miyako and some of the others laugh and I couldn't help but snort myself. "He followed Mari all the time, beat on Willis all through school like a crazy person and once he actually tried to _eat_ me. Like actually with a fork and a knife— _eat_. He also thinks I'm a rabbit—the freak." He looked to the judge and then smiled, "And I can attest to the horror story about her parents as well. I met them a couple times—or at least Willis kept me in his backpack while he ran off to play with Mari and I heard them talking all the time. Once they were talking about _selling_ her. So yeah, they're all _crazy_ people and if they get the library I'll throw a fit."

"There will be no need for that," The judge said seriously, but as he turned back to the crowd a smile grew on his face, he slammed the gavel down and said, "I need no more time to deliberate. The case is over. Redi Goutokuji's fortune and library will be passed to Mari Goutokuji as stated in the legal will and testament."

"This is outrageous!" The opposing lawyer cried out in shock.

"I'm not finished," the judge said sharply, "The home of Batsu and Itami Goutokuji shall be investigated immediately by social services and during the next couple of months there will be four to six more visits to ensure that this home is a suitable home for a child, and if enough evidence is brought up against the Goutokuji family I would happily see to it that they find themselves in prison."

Iori's jaw had dropped and I knew why. None of this seemed realistic and in fact it seemed highly unpracticed but I didn't mind. He saw that they were unfit to be living in the public and I agreed.

It was just too bad that they got released mere minutes later. I didn't let them go though. After thanking the judge and thanking Iori and Horitsu I rushed after them out into the morning sunlight. "Mari!" I heard someone shouting after me, but I didn't stop. I saw the elderly nanny walking off alone so I scanned the parking lot for my parents and when I found them I felt anger rising quickly. Father was dragging Aneko across the pavement toward their car. I stormed after them and heard someone call after me again, "Mari you just won, don't make this harder on yourself!"

I didn't listen though. I strode right up to them and watched as Aneko was shoved into the backseat of the silver car whimpering ever so slightly, as if she thought that if she protested any louder she would find herself in more trouble. I wound up my fist and was ready to strike, but someone grabbed my arm and pulled sharply. "Don't do it." I saw Iori now and saw that the others were coming behind him. He was right. I knew he was right, but these people needed pain _now_. I also noticed Marshall pouting with his arms crossed by the door to the courthouse. When I turned back to the car I saw that Father had gotten into the vehicle and so had mother. I turned to Aneko who was looking to me with wide eyes from the back seat.

"I'll get you out of this," I promised her, "I won't let this go on forever. You won't be alone for much longer. I'll help you. I will."

And then the car was gone.

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

I could think of very few times in my life that I had ever felt as guilty as I felt right now. Was it wrong for me to do this? Yes. It was so very wrong. Did I know that? Obviously. What was I doing here? No idea. No freaking idea.

I was nervous too. There were goose bumps covering my entire body as I waited in the cool night air. This was simply ridiculous. I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if we ran home and just pretended we had never come at all. We could just go on with our lives and no one would be the wiser. Aside from the one we had come to see of course.

Gaia.

When Hikari and I had gone down that alley a week ago we had not known for sure what we would find. But somehow we both found ourselves to be right, even without really knowing what we thought.

I had slipped away from Daisuke and Sora, which didn't work in my favour because they both questioned me like I had done wrong when I had returned home that night. Of course, I _had_ done wrong. I had given in to the temptations. I remembered texting Hikari again and again, telling her it was getting to be too strong, and when she didn't respond I ran. I had to see what the woman wanted with me. She was pulling at my heartstrings—literally—and I couldn't just sit back and let her have her way by torturing me. I knew I wanted to face her.

When I had arrived, Hikari was there though. I had not known that I was expecting her until I saw her and did not feel shocked. I somehow knew that she too would give in to the enticing lure of Gaia's power. And I was not wrong. She was there and together we walked toward the woman we knew nothing of. We knew we were to fear her, and we knew that she had done wrong by her daughters, but the story was not told. The fairies were a secretive bunch and their tales seemed to be entirely concealed within themselves and they liked to keep it that way it seemed. Without knowing _why_ we were to fear the woman, it made sense that she might not be as dangerous as everyone thought she might be.

The alley was coated in vines and plants, thickly covering the walls of the surrounding buildings in vegetation, like Gaia found a burning distaste for the urban atmosphere. Her secluded cave of plants was mostly empty, aside from one beautiful and warm ball of light that hovered above the ground like a tiny sun delivering nutrients to the surrounding plants. The tugging feeling had gone away, and we were both left alone and feeling like an empty corpse who had just done wrong by everyone they had cared about. Like a person who was on a strict diet and caved, eating an entire cake. We knew we shouldn't have come, and we knew that our chances for getting out unnoticed were slimming the longer we waited.

But as we had turned to leave we had been confronted by a large man. I remember screaming in surprise and not being happy about it. He did not tell us his name, but I vaguely remembered Takeru talking about a man with a scar down his face. I knew this man could not be trusted.

But he did not harm us.

Instead he parted his thin lips and said, _"Gaia was not expecting you so soon."_ And he handed us a thick piece of cardstock paper that had been torn away from something else. On the torn paper was a messy scrawl of writing that contained only a date, a time and a location.

When the man with the scar had left, Hikari and I made it very clear to one another that we would not, under any circumstances, be attending whatever ridiculous trap this man was trying to fool us into coming to.

But it wasn't so easy. The pull in my chest, and I knew it to be true with Hikari too, did not stop increasing in strength. I had barely slept all week because it genuinely felt as though someone was trying to pull the organs from my chest. It was uncomfortable to say the least. But aside from the physical discomfort it was also sending waves of thought into my brain. I didn't want to come, I knew I shouldn't have come. And yet my body was tricking my mind. It was a torture method, it had to be. It was not _pain_ that I was feeling, but it was enough to make me _crave_ release from the feeling. To feel the release I would need to find Gaia.

And Hikari felt the same.

And so there we were.

Alone.

" _Are you sure you want to go alone,"_ Daisuke had asked merely an hour ago when I told him I was going out to pick up some bread, _"It's dark, we could go together and maybe pick something up as a gift to ourselves. We sort of skipped our anniversary you know."_

" _We were separated by a virus,"_ I responded coolly, _"And no, I'm alright. Maybe we could go tomorrow? I just need a moment. I'll be okay, I promise."_ Daisuke looked at me like he knew I was lying, his eyebrows came dangerously close to meeting in the center and then all at once he relaxed waving his hand.

" _Alright, see you tonight,"_

I felt _horrible_. Guilty—bad—dirty—spoiled—unworthy. I felt as though I could not possibly sink lower on a scale of 'Bad Wife' to 'Worst Wife'. I was lying to him, sneaking around and quite possibly putting him and his entire family in danger. Including our son. What if Gaia really _was_ dangerous. What if she did not want us to live and somehow that altered something? I didn't know how any of this really worked, all I knew was that I had a crest and that I was important in some way.

It was a mistake not to ask for clarification when Koushiro looked to me with those judgemental eyes and said _"Does that make sense?"_ Instead I had just nodded. I was young then and I didn't want him to think I was stupid. I knew now that I wasn't stupid at all and that he just liked to talk in ways that confused people. But it didn't matter! I couldn't die and maybe that was what Gaia wanted.

I wasn't ready to die. I hadn't said goodbye to Daisuke or Haruki or Labramon or Takeru. They were my friends and my family! What would Iori say if I just never showed up? He had always been the one person who told me right and wrong and didn't think lesser of me for my decisions. Daisuke was similar in that aspect, but when I had asked him for help he came along with me for company. I loved him for that, and I _needed_ that more than I would ever care to admit, but falling prey to the darkness was not the way to save me. In many ways it was Iori who done the rescuing of me, pulling me from the darkness. All I needed was someone to tell me that they believed in me. Miyako too. Michael. They all believed that I was strong enough to fight the urges to fall back into the darkness.

And this was how I treated their trust?

"Hikari—" I tried

"We have to go," she agreed, knowing what I was saying before I had gotten it out of my mouth. I took one final look around the darkening park, seeing the tall hedge-like trees that outlined the open area, and the abandoned swings that were swaying gently in the wind, creaking with every movement. The sandbox where the abandoned metal trucks sat on their side as though they had been long forgotten was dead still letting the shining of the moonlight illuminate the area around it and reflect off of the toys. The road to our left was barren and the silence of the night proved that there were no cars coming or going for quite a ways. We were _alone_.

So why did I feel like someone was watching us?

"Let's get to Mimi's," Hikari said quickly, "It's not far from here. Takeru and I come here a lot after we eat there." I wasn't familiar with Jiyugaoka. The only times I had been here were simply _for_ Mimi's restaurant. Hikari took my hand and together we turned toward the quaint stone path that led through the array of flowerbeds that sprinkled throughout the side of the park. I was caught up in staring at the colours for a moment, taking in all the shades of pink and purple. Hikari froze suddenly and looked behind her, and I knew why. I had felt it too.

A tug from behind. Someone was there.

But when we looked we saw no one. When I looked back to the flowers I was briefly caught up in their beauty again but when something flipped in the wind I squinted to get a better look through the darkness. Hikari's grip tightened suddenly and my heart lurched for a different reason than before. I was staring toward a woman standing barefoot in the flower beds. Her dark hair was pulled out of her face and intricately woven between vines and flowers to keep it up behind her head. Her dark skin shone beautifully in the night and her eyes reflected the light of the moon. It had been her loose fitting pink skirt that I had seen and somehow it matched and still looked good with the violet top she was sporting.

The silence that had surrounded us before did not dissipate even now that we had been confronted with the woman we had come to see. She simply stared toward us quietly for a while before taking a very slow and careful step forward where her foot gently slid along the smooth stone path.

With her first step toward us I knew I had to call Daisuke. I knew I had to tell _someone_ where she was and that she was about to kill us. Someone had to know how to find and destroy her before she got around to killing the rest of us.

I looked toward Hikari to judge her expression but she seemed calm now. When I turned back to Gaia I noticed just how close she was to us now. I winced, taking a startled step backward.

Gaia's round eyes found mine and she locked them in place like she was staring right into the heart that she knew so well. "I sense you do not trust me," her voice said through the silence. I had not expected her to speak and I winced when she did. "You need not fear me, child." I wasn't looking at her anymore, instead I was staring at my feet. "I will not hurt you." Suddenly her feet were next to mine and I felt her hand take hold of my free hand.

I looked up and saw that she was holding Hikari's hand as well, as though we were to play a fun child's game. We stood for a moment, silent and in a circle until Gaia looked down to her two hands, seemingly confused. She shrugged and dropped our hands, "I am sure by now you have heard about me."

"Just what we heard before," Hikari said, "In that white maze."

Gaia looked to her and nodded her head ever so gently as if to say that she cared more about Hikari's words just then than she had ever cared about anything ever. I was familiar with that look. Teacher's were skilled with that look. "So you have only heard the lies my daughters have told you."

"That's all we've heard," Hikari confirmed, seemingly not nervous anymore. She released my hand when Gaia strode past us and walked toward the sandbox in the middle of the park. "We aren't sure what we believe." Gaia smiled to Hikari as if to say that it was okay that we were skeptical.

She turned back to the two of us and gently prodded the seesaw with her forefinger and it slowly creaked and whined as the side she had touched made its way to the sand below. "I understand," Gaia said gently, sending a smile in our direction.

Hikari looked to me and with small movements gestured for me to follow along. I was nervous but I did as she suggested. I moved toward her quickly so I wasn't walking alone and then together we made our way after Gaia. "Why did you want to meet us?" Hikari asked.

"I needed to tell someone the truth," she said with a soft sigh, " _My_ truth."

"Then why didn't you just come to us?" I asked bluntly, realizing that my voice had much less grace and was heavier than both Gaia's and Hikari's. "Why did you pull and tug on our hearts?"

"I did not intend to," Gaia explained, "At least not at first." She finally made her way to the sandbox and she stopped. Using one foot she shoved one of the fallen trucks aside and made room for her feet to dig themselves into the soft ground. "Inside the maze it was clear that I had made a connection with others. I did not know who they were, and I did not understand the connection I had made. I now know that the connection was with the two of you. It was clear then that you both felt something as well. It was the only explanation for how the two of you knew your way toward me." I felt guilty about leading Yamato, Patamon and Melga toward her already, I didn't need her to remind me about it. Especially since Spring had been in our group too. I remembered with the force of a tidal wave the feeling I had felt seeing Spring in tears as Gaia stood over her. How could this be the same woman? "I then took advantage of this connection and gently pulled you toward me."

"Gently?" I asked flatly.

"I tried," Gaia admitted, "I am sorry for any pain I may have caused."

"To us or to Spring?" I asked, "She fears you. What did you do?"

"Kurayami," Hikari scolded lightly, looking embarrassed of my behaviour.

Gaia shook her head, "No, it is alright child of light," Gaia looked toward me with a genuine smile, "She naturally would have more trouble seeing the good in another as the child of darkness." My eyebrows slowly furrowed in irritation, but I said nothing. "As I said before. I am here to tell you my story."

"Go for it," I said. Again, Hikari looked to me in shock. I knew what she was thinking though. Or at least partly. She wanted to trust this woman for many reasons. One, if she was as good as she said she was then there would be no war, and no one would be hurt. And two, she wanted to know that the woman she had inadvertently released into Earth's plain was not cruel or horrible as she had been told, but actually nice and calm. Perhaps her mistake wasn't as great as she had thought it might be. Perhaps this time her mistake would not lead to years of torment for the digimon in the Digital World as it had when she and I—and Taichi—made the mistake of leaving the Dark Ocean doors open.

Gaia looked to me, one eyebrow slightly raised and she sighed, "It is not a good story," she admitted, "I did wrong." She looked... sad. "My husband, the man I had been told to marry, was a horrible monster. He was cruel and selfish. He was a danger to not only the world in which he ruled, but also my four daughters. His _children._ Sigma was bad, and when I tried to rid the world of him, which I knew I should not have done, I was banished from my home."

"You tried to kill Sigma?" Hikari asked, worried. "And that's why they banished you?" Gaia did not answer, and instead looked away, ashamed. "Winter killed him, I think. Then he tried to kill _us._ We tried to kill him too."

"Not us," I reminded her. "We had no part of that."

"True," Hikari said quietly, looking toward me, "But how is attempting to kill Sigma any different than Kiyoko or Miyako, or _Iori_? They actually _did_ kill him."

She wasn't wrong. But what she wasn't paying close enough attention to was the very obvious issue with the story. "That's not a full story," I pointed out. "You tried to kill Sigma. We know nothing about the past. We don't know if you're the reason he was crazy or if maybe you only tried to kill him because he was saving the world from you."

"We also don't know if she was only attempting to kill him because he was trying to kill _her_ ," Hikari added. I guess I could see her point. We both turned to Gaia who was staring up to the moon, seemingly not even paying attention.

We waited for a moment or two for her to speak and when it didn't seem like she was able to I started thinking about ways to escape. "The moon here is so far away," Gaia said in a soft voice. "This world is so different..." There was another silence, shorter this time, before Gaia added, "Child of light, please do not reprimand your friend for seeing that there may be more to the story. It is fair of her to feel this way." I felt a lot better suddenly, and I felt _bad_ about feeling good. I felt appreciated, I guess. "I sense that it may take time for me to win her over. But if I can do so, that is proof that I could win others over as well. Perhaps you and your friends will see that what I seek is good. Is _peace_." Hikari smiled to her and somehow I understood her feelings now. I understood that I wanted to comfort Gaia too, and I wanted to be on her side. "Ask me something, dear," Gaia said thoughtfully, finally stepping out of the sandbox, shaking the dirt from her foot, "I am a mother and I know when something is troubling my daughters."

Did she just refer to me as her daughter? Honestly, there were many things that were wrong and I wanted someone to really talk to about them. Someone to talk about my family with. I knew my father would never listen to me. He was too scared to speak of my mother or brother. My grandfather was now dead and there just weren't any others who would understand what I needed. They didn't understand the feeling. But I also knew I wasn't about to talk to a stranger about such serious issues, especially with Hikari around. "It's just that my husband is having family troubles," I told her, filling the silence with the first thing I could come up with. "It's a rather improbable situation. His mother won't stand up for herself or for her children against her husband who is, well, not very nice."

"Ah," Gaia said, "That's an easy one. I know that well." Hikari tilted her head and placed a hand on Gaia's shoulder to comfort her. "Tell this woman to look at this from an outside perspective. What would she think if she saw someone else treating his family that way? What would she think if someone else was treating _her_ family this way? If it is not okay for someone else than making excuses for a man who does not deserve them is only going to make the problems fester and grow into deeper, more permanent issues."

I stared back to Gaia for a moment, taking in everything she had said, and honestly I just found myself smiling. "I think I'll actually relay that message." I knew I would too. Whether or not Gaia was bad or not, which I really didn't think she was, that was good advice that I could give to anyone, and if it worked, then Daisuke would be much happier than he was now and that was something I always looked for ways to achieve.

Gaia smiled to me, and then shared a look with Hikari before stepping closer to me, "I am glad to be of service," she said, but I was nervous now. Why was she looking at me like she was? Why was she treating me like a patient at a hospital who only had a couple months left to live? "I sense there is more." Of course she did.

"It's nothing," I lied.

"It's something," she countered quickly, squinting her eyes and looking deeper into mine. "And I know what it is."

"I doubt—"

"Darkness is a dangerous place to be," Gaia said, cutting me off. I was too startled to continue because I just hadn't expected her to know what I had been thinking, even if it was vague at best. "One could fall from any place they feel they are safe and find that they cannot get back up again. And yet some walk willingly into the depths of the darkest caves to save those they love." Suddenly her statements weren't so vague. "There is much to tell you, child of darkness. Much. But where to start?"

"I'm good," I countered, "Really, I'm fine."

"Zeta," Gaia said, ignoring me completely. "Zeta was a beautiful girl who I only saw but one time. Her story was not held privately and so I heard it many times. It never changed. It was tragic enough, and exaggerations need not have ever been made."

Hikari looked to me, and took my hand, seeing that I didn't want to respond or even listen. "Who is Zeta, though?" Hikari asked. Curse her and her ability to see though the fact that I didn't want to hear more to the part of me that did want to hear the story. Gaia smiled to Hikari and took a step back.

Gaia waved her hand gently, keeping her palm parallel to the surface of the ground and, as though it had been on fast-forward, a massive flower had grown from the ground. It was as tall as Gaia's waist and wider than a basketball. Gaia bent over the flower and reached into the cup it made with its beautiful scarlet petals. She pulled out pale yellow dust—probably pollen—and she tossed it into the air. The pollen started falling to the ground, and it seemed the entire display was for nothing, but just before it landed in the grass it began to spiral and swirl in the gentle wind. The dust began forming something, like an image. Gaia was watching it calmly and so I kept my eyes firmly glued to the beautiful sparkling dust.

And then there was a woman, made of pollen standing before us. She was beautiful, but she looked sad. "Zeta," Gaia said, gesturing to the figure she had created. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Even in pollen form there was something very intriguing about her. A feeling somewhat like familiarity overcame me as I watched the girl move, walking slowly in place. "She was Sigma's sister. She was born from Yggdrasil's emotions, from what I've been told. She rarely saw the light of day until she was cast aside by Yggdrasil himself. She sought out happiness, and she nearly found it." Hikari looked nervous now, but I was simply entranced by this short story. Something about it was ringing true in my chest. "She found love, and she married. She tried to have children, but she soon discovered the curse placed on her. She could not bear children. However, after many failed attempts some power thought to give her one ray of light. And she was gifted with a daughter." The pollen figure was suddenly holding an infant, looking down to her with happiness. But then her face changed to fear, "Zeta did not live long after the birth of her daughter. She tried to protect her, but she could not. She was murdered." The woman in front of us burst into bits of pollen, but the infant slowly fell to the ground where she began to grow. "Her daughter bore six children, but each died at a young age. All aside from the very youngest—their last attempt before death overtook them as well."

"That's _horrible_ ," Hikari gasped, looking to me in a panic, "Who placed this curse on them?"

Gaia looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "Perhaps it was Yggdrasil himself." But it was clear she did not know. "The same chain continued for many generations, hundreds upon thousands of years. The family tree was doomed to remain infertile to an extent. The tree could not spread for only one child could survive the doomed life that was forced upon them. Only the child with the strongest heart, the heart that could withstand even the darkest of nights could survive." Suddenly my own heart was beating too quickly and my head began spinning.

"W-what does this have to do with Kurayami?" Hikari asked.

"Well," Gaia said, clapping her hands together. The pollen burst apart and began forming another figure. "The family tree never died away. It was destined to continue forever. There is a thin line of faces that lead all the way back to Zeta. At this point in time there are only two members of the family alive." And that was when the pollen had finished forming what it was depicting and I was looking to a familiar woman holding a baby, "Those two members are you and your son, Kurayami."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Matt takes his two new besties on a trip for some digimon rights and we get to see what someone else has been up to as well!


	10. Old Wounds

**U/N:** So this is the halfway point of the first arc, but we get a glimpse at some people we haven't seen in a while. Again, Matt was hard to write, but Katsue is always a fun person to be, and Amai quickly became one of my favourites. Matt here is distancing himself from his friends but he doesn't seem to realize he's making new ones, which we thought might be fun for him to accomplish. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and we have no idea when the next set will be up, but I'm sure it'll be soon. Like maybe tomorrow, maybe a week from now. It might be two weeks. We're not sure. But we're just about done writing it so we might just dump the whole story in soon. I dunno. Anyway, Merry Christmas (as if you could read all of these in the next ten minutes because Christmas is just about over...)

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 10: Old Wounds**

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

"I can't see why you like those things so much," Katsue said, with a wave of her hand. She was standing in that way she always did when she felt any emotion at all. Her one arm was crossed over her stomach and around the wrist of that arm rested her other elbow which gave her a world of possible belittling hand gestures. She was looking over the top of her green glasses frames to the bike I was still sitting on.

The rush of driving the motorcycle still hadn't escaped and I was pretty relaxed and comfortable just sitting with it until someone made me stop. I really missed having one and I was glad Amai had gotten me to get this one too. She was here as well. She stood near Katsue and she was smiling down at some bug on the pavement. I was pretty ecstatic to have her around more often now. At first I wasn't even sure if she liked hanging out with me because she was always looking off into the distance or thinking up some story about something that was entirely irrelevant to the topic at hand, but I realized now that she was just odd. She was pretty, intelligent and original. I liked her a lot. She had been opening up a lot more too over the past couple months since we'd originally met. She had been so shy, but she told me that was because she had no friends. Now that she had some people to talk to she was able to open herself up to other possibilities. Right now she wasn't wearing jeans and a bulky sweater, but rather shorts, a t shirt and a cool vest. She was being more Amai and less of her outer protective shell.

"I can't see why he does either," Takeru responded in a hazy sort of voice. He pulled himself off of the back of the bike and looked like he was ready to hurl. "I can't seem to get used to it again."

"You were never used to it before," I reminded him. Takeru, looking dizzy stumbled toward Amai who grabbed him by the shoulders and guided him around the bug she had found. He looked down and smirked when he saw it. "Guys, I'm starving."

"We know, Yamato," Katsue said. "That's why we're here."

I was thankful for that and I was quick to slide off of my bike. I had slept in and hadn't gotten anything to eat. I slept in because I was nervous about today though. I had been forced to come, and I would have definitely preferred to stay home with Gabumon and watch some movie or something else that was entirely irrelevant. I just didn't want to be in public in front of the man who was searching for me. We were here to attend Rida's press conference.

Well not _here_ but we would be getting to that point later in the day. I wasn't excited necessarily but I was interested to see what Katsue had to say to him. I knew she had been planning this since she heard about the conference two weeks ago.

Amai reached up to my head and adjusted my hair, paused and then smiled, seeming to find it to her liking. She then turned and skipped off toward the quaint little restaurant where Takeru was already holding the door open. Katsue looked to me, almost annoyed, and then followed after the two of them.

Inside was like a cabin with a fake fire in the center, protected by glass. It looked like a pretty authentic restaurant and I was confused for a moment how I'd never been here—then I remembered how adamant Mimi was that we always ate at _her_ establishment. We couldn't now, not until she fixed it again, so it was our only chance to get out and experience new things.

The food was good, but I was disappointed. Mimi knew how I liked things and I kind of missed that, almost to the point where I didn't think the food was worth the money I would have to pay for it. When Amai had been looking at the menu she pulled out all of her loose change and began counting it. I knew she didn't have much money, her family was apparently poor—or that's what she'd implied anyway—so she sat there counting all the money to see what she could afford to buy. I obviously agreed to pay for whatever she wanted and she was super happy about it, ordering more than she probably would have normally. I didn't mind.

What I _did_ mind was that my kind gesture was overshadowed by the man in the table next to us who got down on one knee and actually proposed to his girlfriend. Amai shrieked with excitement when the girl said yes and she, along with Takeru seemed very happy for the couple. Katsue clapped along with the others in the restaurant, but she was like me. Rather unenthusiastic at best.

When the restaurant had settled down, Katsue offered her coleslaw to Amai who thanked her and took it onto her plate. "Do… you want my bacon?"

"You love bacon," Takeru gasped.

I ignored him and slid the plate to Amai who looked confused. Katsue slid the plate back to me and looked to me like I was a fool, "She's a vegetarian dummy." I felt my face turn red and I looked down to my plate awkwardly.

Amai didn't seem to mind, she was busy staring toward the newly engaged couple. "Marriage is silly, but so sweet."

"Silly?" Takeru asked.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "A piece of paper to validate your relationship? Shouldn't love be enough?"

"I don't know," Takeru said. "I love marriage. It's a ceremony where everyone comes to celebrate the love that you share. The love is enough, but the marriage is just another way to show that person that you love and trust them."

"I don't see why it matters," I said flatly.

"Exactly," Katsue agreed. "None of us are anywhere near the concept of marriage."

Takeru looked between the two of us as if to question why we were trying to shut the conversation down and then realization washed over him. "Oh that's right!" he exclaimed. "You two almost got engaged."

"You _did_?" Amai asked with a hand over her mouth.

Katsue looked to me sharply and her face turned red and she looked away. We hadn't exactly gotten close to an engagement, but Katsue had been misinformed that it was coming. I had however _thought_ about marriage with Katsue, and that was pretty much close enough. She had so far been to two of the three weddings my friends had had and so she was kind of linked with the idea in my mind. Actually, she had specifically been to Momoe and Miyako's weddings, I wondered if she had a thing for Inoue vows.

Katsue looked to her phone as it lit up and I saw Yutaka's name. She ignored it and looked up to the rest of us. "Okay, here's the thing. Marriage is a serious thing and I thought Yamato and I were serious enough to want that. I later learned that I didn't even want it for myself—maybe ever. My mother always told me that the stars would align for everyone when the time came. I don't think I _want_ the time to come."

"Maybe she meant something different," Takeru offered. "Maybe she just meant that your life would someday fall into place—whatever place you want it to be."

"No," Katsue said seriously. "The reason I thought I wanted marriage was because my mother was so obsessed with making sure I did in fact find the right man to complete me. I think she was scared I never would, and I'd be unhappy—or maybe she'd be unhappy. I don't know—look, it doesn't matter. I think marriage is dumb."

There was a total silence until Amai dropped her hand. We looked to her and seemed confused still, and then finally she said, "Yamato and Katsue, sitting in a tree—" Takeru burst into laughter as Katsue hung her head.

"Eat your soggy cabbage," I said, rolling my eyes. It occurred to me then that I didn't know a damn thing about Katsue's life. But what she had just said, though I was sure she didn't want it to be true, had given me a lot to think about. Her mother had wanted her to get married so the reason she was excited when Hideto told her I would be doing so was because she sought validation from her. She was bitter because she never got what she wanted and instead always did as she was told, but did so out of love and admiration for her mother—and possibly father too. I didn't even know if he was in the picture. Though, the way I could remember Katsue talking about my parents' divorce I had always had the impression she'd gone through something similar. She was always seeking to please her mother and never herself—was she even aware of the person she really was, or was she just pleasing her mother with every aspect of her life?

I didn't think it was any of my business though, and when the check came, Takeru and Katsue conveniently left me to pay, so I was more focused on that until we had met outside and agreed to meet up once more at our final destination for the day.

"Can I go with Yamato?" Amai asked, looking over Takeru's shoulder to where my motorcycle sat.

" _Please_ ," Takeru pleaded, switching spots with her. Katsue looked up to Takeru and patted his back.

"Looks like it's you and me, little-Yamato," Katsue grinned, but Takeru looked amused at his new nickname and followed Katsue to where a cab was waiting for the two of them.

Amai was admiring my bike and waiting for me. She was honestly the cutest thing. "I trust you," she assured me as she grabbed Takeru's helmet and placed it on her head. Her pretty red hair was sticking out the bottom. "I'm ready!" she exclaimed, punching a fist into the sky. "Let's do this thing!"

And so we did. Amai held tight around my waist. It was a nice feeling—to have someone so close, even if she was only holding on for her own life. She cheered with excitement at every red light and shouted over the engine how much fun she was having. Eventually though, we found Takeru and Katsue waiting in a parking lot near a very large and mostly glass building.

I felt uncomfortable the moment we stepped through the glass doors and into the large open space. I could see escalators in the distance that could take us up to the higher floors if we so chose to do, and on those higher floors, behind protective railings, I could see people making their way around, busy and blissfully unaware that their lives could be in danger. It was too bad no one had bothered to find Gaia yet. The walls of the building were sturdy and made of large white bricks, while the floor contrasted that with clean black tiles that I felt guilty for even stepping on due to the dirt I had inadvertently dragged in from outside. There was a very cool globe off to the side of the room and it had many glowing lines tracing the continents. It reminded me of the globe Takeru had told us about from the maze. There was a wooden desk with a two women and one man sitting behind it, working diligently it seemed. I could see an area with seats lined up, and an area with payphones, and a place where one might go if they needed a cup of coffee. But none of the things I was seeing matched up particularly well inside my head.

"What kind of place is this?" I asked. When I received no answer I turned my head to the others only to find that they'd all run off. I caught sight of them, Katsue in the lead, making their way toward the lined up seats. Embarrassed for having spoken to no one, I didn't bother to look around to see if anyone had seen me and instead hurried off to catch up with the others.

"We'll sit right in the front," Katsue was saying, pointing to the nearest corner. "We may as well. No one is here yet."

"Why not?" Takeru asked. "What time does this thing start?"

"In an hour or so," Katsue said sheepishly, but when she caught my eye she knew she hadn't convinced us. "Okay so it's in about two and a half hours but I wanted to get here early."

"Just so we could get front row seats?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"I happen to adore sitting in front of everyone," Amai said with a cute smile. "I'm not much of a fan of trying to see over everyone's heads."

"Well yes," Takeru said, "That is typically the advantage of the front row." Amai smiled at him and took him by the arm, dragging him toward the seats. She left the two corner seats open for Katsue and I, and began chatting away with Takeru about the likelihood of dragons existing in real life and if perhaps the legends were just that of digimon.

I however noticed that Katsue was looking over my shoulder, trying to find something. "What's up?" I asked her.

"Nothing," she said casually. "I'm just trying to scope out the competition. If there are any other well known reporters here then I might not get a chance to get involved."

"Do you really have to get involved?" I asked while suppressing the nervousness that was building inside. Katsue looked to me sharply but I cut off whatever she was about to say. "It's just that annoying him might not work in our favour. You know that your original documentary didn't go over well—"

"I don't know that at all," Katsue said pointedly. "Yes, it's true that issues arose in terms of who and what was accepted for society, but it's also clear to me that things are getting better already. And they will _never_ have gotten to a place where digimon are accepted in society if the humans never knew they existed."

She had a point of course, but I wasn't about to remind her that the virus came as a result of that debate. I didn't want to win the argument enough to shove that in her face, and besides it wasn't her fault so it wouldn't be fair to accuse her of such a thing. "What if digimon aren't meant to be accepted?"

"Yamato," Katsue said, already knowing where I was going with this. She grabbed my arm roughly and looked me dead in the eye, "They used to live here in peace—"

"And that didn't work!" I reminded her. "It didn't go over well and the digimon were all sent to the Digital World that Gennai eventually created. After that they lived peacefully in a place where they could never die. It was like a perfect little purgatory world that no one had a desire to escape from."

Katsue's nostrils flared momentarily, "Yamato, listen to me. This is their home and it's only fair that we bring them back here!"

I ran a hand through my hair. I couldn't describe my feeling any other way than exasperated. Why was it that no one could see what I was saying? Was it so far off the mark of logic that not a single person was able to see through the poor word choices I made to what I really meant? "If a person was born on an island that housed only poisonous snakes, and then their mother dies and they are finally rescued would it be fair to return them to their home? No, because it is safer for them in their new home. They can be happier, live longer and have a better chance of expanding their homes."

Katsue paused for a moment, "That actually made sense." I had a small taste of what relief might feel like, but Katsue was quick to crush that, "But they can be happy here too. Yes, it's true that many humans want to hurt them, but so do many digimon. Either way, the argument is pointless because you and I don't make the final decision. That's for some all mighty powerful god to make."

"Like Taichi," I said, rolling my eyes.

Katsue looked up to me with one eyebrow raised, "I thought he was your best friend."

"He was," I nodded, "Maybe. It doesn't matter. What matters is that whatever he says goes, and I'm pretty sure he's stubborn and bull-headed enough to not bother looking at the facts or thoughts of anyone else simply to make his own life easier."

"He's always been that way," Katsue said. "That's how Rei described him to me when we started talking about boys." I was confused, and apparently looked that way too because Katsue saw it in my eyes, "Rei and I went to school together? That's how she knew me to set me up with Taichi in the first place. She had a crush on him but wouldn't admit it so I was testing the waters and went on a date with him, to your friend's wedding."

"So what boy did you have a crush on?" I asked with a smirk.

"That is none of your concern," Katsue said as a blush rose in her cheeks. "Maybe if you just talk to Taichi calmly you can explain what you think," she changed the subject quickly, "And then he can explain to you what it means for the digimon to live in hiding. Do you know what it's like to live in exile because of the way that you are? They were forced to hide themselves and even now they feel the need to blend in by using costumes or the spell that fairy placed on the world. They are trying to pretend they are not themselves so that people will love them. That isn't fair." Katsue seemed genuinely hurt and it struck me as odd that she was so invested in their lives.

"And that's why they should be in the Digital World," I said firmly. "I don't want it either, Katsue, but they don't have to live in fear if they're all together."

"The Digital World changed their entire make up," Katsue felt the need to remind me, "Can Gabumon have children?" I shrugged my shoulders, "D'arcmon had a son. She was able to conceive children and to love and to grow. What happened to that ability? It was eliminated in the evolutionary process because there was no need for it. By locking them away you have changed them in a way that they may not have ever wanted."

" _I_ did it?" I asked, feeling rather accused.

"I just mean people in general—"

"Could you two stop arguing?" Takeru asked, looking around Amai's head toward us. "Just sit down and enjoy the show." Confused and curious, Katsue and I shared a look but made our way toward the two of them to find that Amai was putting on a sort of play using her fingers as different characters. Katsue and I shared another look as we sat down, this time of bemusement at Amai's adorableness. Damn she was cute.

After Amai's play, which was about two people trying to find love in the face of adversity, mainly a horrible dragon creature who was meant to represent society apparently. It reminded me of the digimon and I felt bad for all I had said. It also caused a strong longing to tug at my chest because I just missed Gabumon now. I was going to be sure to spend the entire night with him when we got home. Except I knew Patamon would want to watch the television and Takeru would be pestering me about finding a new place to live… But he was right. I really should have been.

So, since Katsue had sat next to Amai and was now in a conversation with her and Takeru and I was out of the loop, I used the opportunity to use my phone to look at places to live. It was clear to me immediately that not a single one of them appealed to me. There were some nice ones, but they were small. They had nowhere for me to safely park my bike, and I just didn't feel like staying stationary in my life. Takeru was always telling me to move along and let go of the past. Maybe it was time to do that. Maybe I should follow his advice.

He wasn't the only one who thought that way either. And he wasn't wrong. It was clear to me now that I had planned out my life when I was young. I knew what I wanted and when I wanted it. I knew Sora and I would end up together. Hell, Taichi and I promised that we wouldn't live in our apartment for three years and that if we had not gotten married and moved out by that point then there had to be something wrong with us. I now lived in that apartment for a total of _six_ years, I was in a relationship now but I had been so caught up on the stupid plan that I made that I didn't know what to do when it didn't work out.

Sora and I were never going to be together, and knowing that really helped set things in motion. I didn't need to wait to be married to start my life. My life was _mine_ and mine alone. Two lives should not rely on one another, they should be firm and solid in their own right so they can grow and live together well. No matter who I was to end up with, I needed to get my life in gear. I had a vehicle, a job, some solid friends in Katsue, Jou and Iori—and maybe Taichi—I had hobbies and ambitions and that left only one thing to have. Then my life would be perfect.

It was a good thing I had so much money saved up from all of my singing and only paying for my dirt cheap apartment because my next investment was going to take a lot of money.

" _I really hope you get her someday."_ I shook Katsue's words from my head. If only I'd straightened my life out back then, I could be happy right now. Katsue and I _had_ been happy together. We could be married now. We could even have a child maybe, but we didn't because I was stupid. I'd missed my chance with a great girl—but I knew now that there were other girls. I mean, I knew that before, but it was different now. I didn't have to tether myself to one person forever. I'd only ever dated three girls—and then almost kissed Hikari that one time. I mean I'd been _on_ dates with other girls, but they weren't the same because there were no feelings.

The time we had to spend waiting passed by quickly since I was so distracted, and the seats surrounding us slowly filled with people. Katsue visibly stopped listening to Amai and Takeru's conversation because she was nervous now, and Amai seemed to realize that and she patted her knee comfortingly. Katsue jumped at the touch and nodded, reaching into her bag to pull out a note pad and a pen.

"How old school of you," Takeru noted with a smirk.

"I heard you used a typewriter to write your book," Katsue retorted quickly, "So let's not judge now."

"Hey now," Takeru warned jokingly. "Typewriters are cool."

Katsue smiled, but immediately tensed up when Rida made his way to the stage. He was surrounded by men and women wearing perfectly tailored black suits and sunglasses as if he thought he was in the secret service or something. The crowd reacted quickly, jumping to their feet and shouting out to him, taking pictures as quickly as they could. I pulled my hood up over my head to hide myself. It was true that people had trouble recognizing me, but I didn't want to risk it. Sitting in the front row was dangerous in itself.

Rida's assistant hushed the crowd quickly and spoke into a microphone, "All questions will be held after Rida's session. Circumstances have changed and the event will be shortened by one hour."

" _What?_ " Katsue was clearly annoyed. "That only leaves a half hour in total!" She was _more_ than annoyed it seemed as her eyebrows twitched. She looked back up to the stage where the assistant was making his way to the side to make room for Rida to stand tall in front of us all.

He cleared his throat and I realized that he was kind of short. I'd only ever seen pictures of his face before and it was impossible to judge how tall someone was in comparison to normal people by just a photograph, but I guess I just expected him to be taller. And less portly. "No doubt you are all aware that I am here to speak of the virus that our facilities crafted and sent out." He looked seriously to the crowd like he was trying to make a personal connection with every one of us. I made quick note to tie my boot as he looked around, I didn't want him to stare too long at me. It was obvious what he was doing though. I did it all the time in my shows. Showing everyone that you cared—it made them feel special. If they thought that Rida found them to be important they would be on his side. I knew Katsue at least wouldn't fall for it. "I am aware that the measures were drastic and perhaps pervasive, but they were crucial. We sent a message with that Trojan horse. The message read that we come in peace and we seek peace, and we do not accept dangers to our home. Our home is Earth, and we do not fear the Digital monsters. We have known about them for years, decades even, and it is clear to me now that we had waited far too long to take a stance. I am proud of the actions my team has taken part in because it will keep our home world safe from invaders. We, as a human race, have always feared the unknown, and we have feared a higher power, but what we never realized is that there is no higher power. _We_ are the highest in the chain of authority and control. I deeply regret any who were harmed in the process, but the virus was nothing but a message, and I stand by our decisions."

Rida looked over to his assistant who, like the rest of us, had been expecting the talk to be much longer than that, but when he realized Rida was finished he scampered over to the microphone and said in his high voice, "Now we will be taking a few questions from the crowd." People were immediately shouting out that they wanted to be the first to take the role of interrogator, but the assistant, as he reached into his bag, seemed nervous. When he pulled a separate microphone out, he dropped it onto the stage. It rolled until it fell down to the floor near Takeru.

Takeru reacted quickly and grabbed the microphone, and looked back to us. Katsue was motioning for him to bring it over to her, but he had a different idea. "Here you are," he said politely. Katsue was fuming, but the assistant blushed with how nice Takeru seemed. He looked up to Rida who looked irritated, so the assistant hurriedly made his way around him and hurried down the stairs of the stage. He scanned the crowd and Katsue was hissing whispers to Takeru who held up his finger to silence her and then pointed to Katsue with his other one. The assistant smiled and moved forward, handing the microphone to Katsue. So he was trying to make it their idea? I didn't know what he was up to exactly but I knew it made sense.

Katsue however straightened her back and thanked the assistant before turning to look up to Rida. "You say the virus was planned and that you are proud of the message you sent, but were you aware of the dangers you posed to the humans inside the Digital World at the time you sent the virus?"

"Of course not," Rida said, shaking his head fervently, "I never would have harmed a human intentionally."

Katsue did not miss a beat, "Would you care to comment about the threat to one Mimi Tachikawa?"

Rida hesitated, probably hating himself for forgetting that at all—or maybe he hadn't even been aware people had seen it. I didn't know, but either way he looked flustered, "It was not a threat to her specifically."

"It seemed pretty specific when you called her a stupid girl," Katsue said, tapping her chin with her pen thoughtfully, "Unless you meant that _all_ girls are stupid, and that just sounds offensive." Amai was holding back a giggle, but Takeru wasn't so lucky and found himself laughing quietly. I was biting my lip, more nervous than excited about it all.

The best part though, was that everyone was gasping behind us all and writing this all down as if it were a new headlining story. 'Sexist Ambassador Kills Whole Race and Insults Little Girl'

Rida leaned back and looked down to Katsue in a way that clearly read 'belittlement' and he said, "You're twisting my words."

"Were you a part in the virus?" Katsue asked, moving on quickly.

Rida rolled his eyes, "Of course."

"How many times have you taken part in a mass genocide?" Katsue asked. She was _roasting_ him. Firing down all the hard hitting questions and he didn't seem to like it much.

"Clearly you have no idea what a 'mass genocide' really is," Rida said through gritted teeth.

Katsue let out a soft "Ah," and then flipped through her notebook, "I've actually written down a solid definition just in case I ever forgot." I looked to her book and found that she in fact _did_ write it down. "'The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.'" Rida turned his nose up at the definition, particularly at the word 'people' but I was sure digimon counted as people. They were just as clever if not more. Other than the slight tilt of his head Rida said nothing to her this time. "Oh, okay," Katsue said, looking down to hide the malicious grin growing on her face. "You blocked out the ambassador of the Digital World—who you specifically sought out and hired—from your meetings with no explanation. You hired him, and you wanted this connection. What changed? What caused you to plot for months to separate yourself from a nation who was doing nothing to harm you, only to attack with a plague that had only one reason for existing, to delete?"

Rida stared, this time taken aback either by Katsue's knowledge or her nerve to ask such direct questions. "I was doing this to protect people from their nation."

"Which brings me back to the 'stupid girl' whom you knew to be inside the targeted world—" Again gasps erupted from behind us at Katsue's words and Rida seemed furious.

"Could we have questions from someone different please?" Rida shouted above the murmurs of the crowd. Katsue seemed content with her damage and happily handed the microphone off to the assistant who began searching the crowd for someone to hand it off to. I hadn't expected someone so close by to catch the assistant's eye. Takeru was holding his hand up, looking directly in the eye of the assistant, making that same kind of connection Rida was so familiar with.

And he got the microphone. Takeru stood up and looked to Rida with a smile, "Hi," Katsue looked to me, confused but I was his brother, not his other half. I hadn't a clue what he was doing.

"Hello," Rida replied stiffly.

"I'm writing a book," Takeru explained, "So I was just wondering if you could help me out by answering a few simple questions." Rida did not reply, so it seemed that Takeru had the permission to continue. "What's your first name?"

Rida looked startled, like he hadn't expected the question to be so straight forward, "Jouden," Rida answered quickly.

"Last name?" Takeru asked.

"Rida,"

"Date of birth?"

"The twelfth of May, 1958," Rida seemed proud of his age.

"Motivation for destroying the population of an entire world?" Takeru had asked it so casually that I couldn't help but snort as I tried to hold back laughter. I felt _horrible_ about laughing because it was not a humorous topic, but the way Takeru had delivered the line was perfection. Rida's face turned beet red and his grip on the podium in front of him tightened immediately.

"That is enough questions for this evening," Rida said sharply, "Thank you." He bowed his head gently and then turned to allow his guard system to form around him quickly. His assistant apologetically took the microphone from Takeru who looked back to the angry reporters surrounding us. We _had_ ruined this for them, but it certainly worked out in our favour. Takeru looked to the three of us and shrugged his shoulders, "Let's get out of here," he suggested.

 _ **Willis Kennedy:**_

My eyes snapped open as painful memories plagued my dream.

I found my body to be covered in a cold sweat and my heart was pounding _hard_. As my eyes adjusted to my surroundings I found that I had fallen asleep outside again. My eyes fell to the flattened grass next to me where I was sure Kiyoko had slept, but he was nowhere to be seen. I squinted into the darkness of the trees surrounding our hideaway but I could not see him out there.

Instead I ignored the dryness of my throat and pulled myself into a seated position, curling my legs up to my chest as I listened to the silence. It was hard to be calm around here anymore. Nothing seemed to want to sit still. Every resident of the world had something that was going on, and they were all trying to work together to see results. I didn't want to see results though. I just wanted to go _home_.

I ran my hand through my hair to pick out any stray leaves or twigs I had picked up while sleeping on the ground, and looked back into the trees. My heart leapt up to my throat when I saw a white figure slinking through the trees, but I calmed quickly as I made it out to be Gravimon. He did not stop or even look toward me, but instead kept moving as though his only purpose was to pace the forest floor.

But he _had_ a purpose and he _had_ a life. That was more than I could have asked for.

" _I need you to check on Gravimon," Kiyoko had demanded of Witchmon. "Please! I don't know what to do, he's in danger. He's hurt! Astamon tried to kill him and I can't watch him die!" Witchmon threw her arms around Kiyoko to comfort him but that wasn't what he wanted or needed. He pushed her away and she stumbled backwards, "I need him to be okay!"_

" _Witchmon," Zanbamon, the leader of the Wizards, commanded with his loud booming voice. "Do what you can for the fallen warrior. He did what he could to protect Kiyoko, it is the least we could do to do the same for him."_

 _Witchmon rounded on her leader with wide eyes, "What am I supposed to do? I'm no healer!"_

" _Find someone who is," Zanbamon suggested, turning away and making his leave. Witchmon looked nervously to Kiyoko, like she wasn't sure how to tell him that there was nothing she could do, but a moment later Mummymon had intervened._

 _He placed a hand on Witchmon's shoulder and looked back to Arukenimon, "Perhaps I could help," he offered, "I have been speaking closely with Terra about the healing process. She did not leave much behind in her wake, but I may be able to use what little supplies we have."_

" _Please!" Kiyoko pleaded loudly, tugging at a loose strand of Mummymon's bandages. "Please..."_

It had been a rocky process, but with the help of Mummymon and Witchmon, Gravimon had made his way back to full health, and there he was again, strolling through the forest he called home. Only now he wasn't quite as territorial. He did not overtly object to any and all who attempted to step past the borders, but instead he chose to allow visitors—if only for brief lapses of time.

I groaned and rubbed my sore neck thinking that sleeping on the ground surely wasn't the best idea, and tried to remember the previous night. I couldn't seem to piece much together aside from Kiyoko asking to watch the stars with me. We had talked—about what, I did not know—for hours, and fallen asleep together, watching the sky.

Kiyoko was my best friend now. I hated that. Not because I didn't like _him_ , but because it meant that I had been here too long, and that I could not return home to my family and friends. As it stood now, the shy and broken boy who I once knew very little about, was the person who I knew forwards and backwards. And there were many unpleasant stories to be told.

" _What's the most scared you've ever been?" I had asked, wincing immediately. It wasn't fair to bring up Sigma into the conversation again, not so suddenly like that. But Kiyoko's answer surprised me._

" _When I was eight," he said without missing a beat, like he had already planned to tell me this, or that it was always on the back of his mind. "I had tried to run away from home, like children do. I didn't tell my parents though, and they never found out I had gone. I'd never been outside alone, and I thought I would be lost forever." This had not been what I was expecting at all. "But I soon found my way. I found a building that I thought was abandoned, so I crawled through a broken window, thinking I could make it my new home. But I soon found that I was not alone. I was scared," Kiyoko said quietly, "scared I would be found where I wasn't supposed to be. But I didn't do it—I hadn't done_ anything _."_

" _What would they have thought you'd done?" I asked softly._

 _Kiyoko didn't answer right away and when he did, his voice had broken, "There was a man, and he had been shot." I sat bolt upright and looked down to Kiyoko who did not look away from the trees in which he had suddenly found o be fascinating beyond compare. "He was dying, and then I heard more people, and I ran. I don't know what happened to the man who had been shot, but sometimes I dream about him."_

" _What happened next?" I asked, worried._

" _Neo found me," Kiyoko shrugged it off. "Funny how a world with so many people can seem so small..." he thought back to the memories and smiled fondly, so at least that was something. "What about you? When were you the most scared?"_

 _I didn't need time to think or to deliberate because the answer was obvious and it would always be the same, "I was scared when I had created a monster, but that fear hadn't had time to settle in. The most scared I've ever been was when I couldn't return to my partners. When I wasn't sure if Michael was alive or dead. When I couldn't be sure that if I were to die in a separate world if I would join the same afterlife as my sister. The time I couldn't tell if anyone I had ever known would ever be present in my life again." I paused and Kiyoko finally looked to me with a sort of sympathy. "I have never been more afraid than right now."_

I'd also learned that Kiyoko had met Sigma at the age of nine when his parents had kicked him to the streets because of his preference in dating partners, which seemed _crazy_ to me, because my mom had never expressed anything against the likes of that. I couldn't imagine what a nine year old might think as they enter their new life _alone_. Apparently not good things because Kiyoko had accepted Sigma into his world moments later for protection. And I knew that he had developed a sort of fondness for Sigma that was never love, but something more twisted. It was an obsession—a _need_ to have him around and a craving for his validation. Kiyoko had begun to rely on Sigma out of fear that he would fail on his own. Until Yoshie Izumi came about and told him that his fears were pointless because with enough strength and love in your life, you could do anything you set your mind to. Cut down the line, and Sigma's trying to kill him. Kiyoko won, and the man was dead.

Only he was dead before too, so that didn't make much sense.

I tried to be as open with Kiyoko as he was with me, but it was just too hard. I didn't _know_ how to put my feelings into words, and whenever I tried I painted the wrong picture and had to ask Kiyoko to erase it from his memory. I had a past, and I could relay the events with ease, but what I could not do was explain the feelings that I experienced during those times. I knew Kiyoko understood, but he sometimes seemed upset like he thought I just didn't trust him. I just wasn't as in tune with my emotions as he was. I hadn't had the time or need to get to that place.

When Gravimon had finally made his way I got to my feet, looking around for Masks Square. I couldn't remember if we'd had it out, but upon seeing nothing aside from a grassy ground, I realized that if he _had_ taken it out, Kiyoko had taken it with him wherever it was that he had gone. I took one last look for anything we may have left behind, but came up empty handed and set off into the trees.

The grass we'd slept on had not been dead, but in fact _fresh_. It was interesting, because when Gaia had left, the world had begun to flourish. Perhaps 'flourish' was a bad word choice as it hadn't been long enough to see any really big changes, but seeing the world grow again was not uncommon here. The grass was growing in messy patches along the surface of the area, the trees had begun to sprout buds and their bark became lifelike again, shedding its greyish colour for something much more vibrant and there was even a single flower near the bonfires. The digimon had declared that flower as sacred, even though it looked a lot like a red dandelion to me, so I was sure it was a weed, but it had been the first wildflower they had seen in a _long_ time. It seemed to me, and Kiyoko agreed, that Gaia's garden had been sapping all of the world's energy. Like she could not create on her own, but had to borrow the power of other life to expand her little empire. It also explained why only this area was free of flora and fauna. The Veemon village had grass and even trees that lived and bore fruit, but to me it made sense that they were far away, so Gaia had not needed to use the life of their area.

It didn't matter now. The bitch was gone and she wasn't coming back. I knew she had promised Astamon that she would return to him, but it was clear to _me_ that she was never returning, and that she had never intended to. Astamon had served as a very loyal companion during her time here in a world that she did not call home, but it was now time for her to thrive on her own. She did not need him anymore.

If only he knew that.

As I walked near the prison he was held in, I remembered his final words.

 _Zanbamon and Tactimon had been working together, something I hadn't expected to see. Zanbamon swung his two thin blades toward Astamon who leapt aside and wielded his guns, ready to strike, but as he began to fire toward the Wizard's leader Tacimon threw himself in the way and used his massive sword as a protective shield. When one bullet travelled down, his armor caught it, though he had felt the pain. He cried out and staggered back where Zanbamon had caught him._

 _Zamielmon let out a wicked laugh as he spun on the spot, bringing his massive spearhead toward the opponent who ceased fire and dodged with a quick backwards jump. He flipped in the air and landed on top of one of the smaller huts in the bonfire circles. "You will not catch me," Astamon declared, "I am stronger than you all. I have lived longer and seen more."_

" _Snake bandage!" Mummymon cried out, sending his bandages flying toward Astamon who did not hesitate for one second. He wrapped his hands around them and caught them as they soared. He held tight and pulled sharply, bringing Mummymon forward, crashing into Reapmon and several smaller digimon._

" _Hey!" Arukenimn shrieked, "Spider Thre—" her voice had faded into a scream of pure terror as a bullet shot from Astamon's gun and tore straight through her shoulder. Witchmon joined in the scream as she ran to help the fallen digimon, sending her cat off after Astamon who wrapped his fingers around the throat of the feline and threw it back down to the pile of bodies Mummymon had caused._

 _As Tactimon and Zanbamon looked to one another, I knew they had a plan, and when they charged toward Astamon—this time together—his eyes filled with fear and he jumped straight upward only to be caught by Karatenmon who wrapped his arms around Astmon's waist. Phelesmon appeared next to them and grabbed Astamon's gun, pulling as hard as he could and pushing off of his opponent with his feet for leverage. And after enough pulling and shouting, he had taken the weapon away from Astamon, giving Karatenmon enough motivation to drop the digimon who came crashing to the ground near NeoDevimon. Astamon clambered to his feet, desperate to escape, but NeoDevimon silently reached down and wrapped his large hands around him, holding him in place._

" _What now?" Reapmon questioned as he pushed Mummymon off of him finally._

" _We put him in prison," Tactimon suggested, turning to Zanbamon who simply nodded._

 _Astamon let out a shriek so fueled by horror that Kiyoko grabbed my arm tightly in surprise and fear. "Gaia_ will _return!" Astamon screamed loudly, "She will come back for me!" he was struggling like a mad man against NeoDevimon's grip, "She will destroy you_ all _for threatening me! Mark my words! You have not seen the end of me_ or _my master!"_

And then Astamon had been thrown in a wooden prison that had been crafted long ago for anyone who needed a time-out basically. There was no escaping, no matter how hard he tried. He was also unable to pretend that he _hadn't_ tried, as he'd like to have been able to do. As I walked by I saw him in his very same position as he always was, leaning against the back wall, sitting on the dirty floor with one foot extended and the other bent. If I hadn't heard him trying to break free of his cage every night I would have assumed he was dead because of his lack of movement and because he had not said a single word ever since we'd locked him up. I thought maybe he was ashamed. Gaia had not yet come, and he had been proven wrong. Whatever the reason was for him not to speak, I didn't mind. I was not a big fan of him personally. And now, no one else was either.

They all took him _very_ seriously though. There was a constant guard of twelve digimon, big and small and their only purpose was to walk around the general area of Astamon's prison and report any unusual sightings such as a door appearing out of nowhere—which would signify Gaia's return—or Gaia herself.

As I passed the FlaWizardmon that was currently standing guard closest to Astamon he shot a glare at me, and lit his match on fire. He'd never liked me much. I didn't really care. I moved past the prison and the guards, a pair of which were laughing about something. It was nice to hear laughter even if it did sound like hyenas in the night time coming from two Strabimon.

The prison was not far from the bonfire rings, and so I was back quickly, listening to the chattering going on around me. With the moon always rotating in the sky like a massive orb it was impossible to tell what time of day it was. It sounded like mid afternoon judging by the way everyone was talking and acting, but I'd only just woken up and that didn't seem right somehow. I moved to the well near the center ring and found that Arukenimon and Reapmon were both there, drawing water up by the thick coil of rope that fell into the rocky depth.

"I was just saying the same thing to Mummymon," Arukenimon said with a friendly laugh, "Honestly, it's a nightmare." Reapmon merely nodded but said nothing. It never bothered Arukenimon much if the person she was talking to didn't talk back. _"More time for me!"_ she would always say. "Oh Willis!" Arukenimon said brightly, "come for some water?"

"Y-eah—" my voice was broken and thick and Arukenimon winced, as Reapmon finished pulling the bucket. Arukenimon used a tin dish to scoop some water from the iron bucket and handed it to me. I thanked her without words and downed the water. It tasted _awful_ , but that was because it came from a dirty well in the middle of an undead town. The well had the cleanest water around though. Typically speaking Kiyoko and I would take walks down to the Veemon's and fill up all the empty water bottles in Masks Square, but I didn't know where he was, or if there was any left, so this would have to do. "Thank you," I said as I handed the dish back to Arukenimon, "You seen Kiyoko?"

She thought for a moment and then shook her head, "No, sorry."

"S'okay," I decided, turning back to the huts. I made my way over to the newest addition to the inner circle and stepped around the bonfire itself. There were burning embers hidden under the ash and coal, and that gave me a better idea what time it was. I had to be early if the embers were still hot. When I came up to the building made of stone straw and wood I hesitated, then thought better of it, pushing aside the thick curtain that kept bugs out.

"Willis!"

I looked up to the bed at the far end of the hut and forced a smile onto my face. It wasn't good to see her like this, it wasn't _fair_. Rei sat in the bed with a thick quilted blanket cast over her, but she was smiling now. But it wasn't right. She didn't deserve this.

" _What do we do?" Kiyoko asked nervously, "how do we help?"_

" _You must stop the bleeding," Reapmon offered. We looked up to him and nodded. We needed something to stop the bleeding. Mummymon was quick to help with that, but all he knew to do was soak it up, rather than to stop the flow._

" _O-okay," Kiyoko stuttered, thinking fast with his eyes closed, "I-is her pulse fast?" I checked and winced, nodding. "Is s-she alert?"_

" _Rei," I said gently, "Hey."_

" _Willis," Rei said weakly._

" _What's going on, do you know?" I asked, keeping my voice low and calm even though I just wanted to scream in a panic. It wasn't_ fair _. Rei opened her eyes and gave me a look that was far too similar to her brothers resting face to be a coincidence. "Yeah I think she is," I said to Kiyoko._

 _Kiyoko opened his eyes and slammed his hands down to his legs, "Rei," he said sharply and she winced, "Are you nauseous?" she shook her head ever so slightly._

" _What does this mean?" Porcupamon asked loudly._

" _I-I'm trying to find if sh-she has internal bleeding or n-not," Kiyoko stuttered with shaking hands. He reached for Rei's wound, but I slapped his hands away quickly. It wasn't worth it to even try to do anything if he wasn't able to stay calm. And of_ course _there was internal bleeding. What else would the bullet have done? I didn't mean to be rude—even if it was only in my head—but I needed to vent somehow. I needed to find a way to make this all okay._

" _Maybe I can help?"_

"Porcupamon brought me toys," Rei said with a wink. I let my eyebrows rise as I looked to the pile of junk that Porcupamon had thought to bring for Rei. He was sitting on a stool next to her bed with a terrifying Barbie in his hand. The doll had been burned across her face, her hair was covered in grime and had been cut and dyed by some child, and she was missing a leg and half an arm. He looked to me with glee and then turned back to the pile of toys, holding up a deformed monster truck for me to play with. I shook my head politely and pulled a chair toward Rei. "We're having fun."

I didn't know if she was being sarcastic or not. It didn't matter, because this was what she had asked for. She refused to return to Masks Square again, because living in total solitude was not enough for her. She craved interactions and the least we could do was to give her that. Kiyoko and I still slept and lived in the Masks Square, and occasionally Rei would ask to join us, but more often than not she stayed here, in the home Zanbamon and Tactimon agreed to build for her. I swallowed thickly as I looked down to Rei's legs with a solemn expression. They were the reason she had to sleep out here at all. If they still worked she'd be able to come and go from Masks Square just like Kiyoko and I.

But her legs _didn't_ work anymore. They hadn't worked since she'd been shot. And that wasn't _fair_. She had been gifted a cure by Gaia, and mere days later that gift had been taken from her in the most painful of ways. She cried. A lot.

Rei took my hand and squeezed gently, and when I looked to her she had a faint smile on her face, "Where did you run off to last night?"

A flash of the previous night in which Kiyoko had fled in a hasty run after Rei started talking about Neo. "I just went after Kiyoko," I explained, "Fell asleep watching the stars."

"Cute," Rei cooed, and I rolled my eyes. "Where is he now?" I shrugged and she seemed to understand. Kiyoko was always off exploring now that he felt more comfortable in the world. There were many things he had learned that the residents did not even know. It was hard to know things about your world while living in such segregated ways. Gravimon's forest held antidotes to poisonous gasses that some of the fish spat out, and they'd never have known that if Kiyoko hadn't bridged their world. Using the church ground as a laboratory of sorts was an idea Tactimon had that Kiyoko was happy to go along with. He spent a lot of time there messing around with the things he found. He was probably there now, but I obviously had no proof. "Witchmon was here earlier," Rei told me, "I think the cat is starting to like me."

"Never been a fan of cats," I told her wrinkling my nose. Rei smiled but knew there was a connection there to Terriermon. I didn't say anything else for a while and chose instead to watch Rei and Porcupamon play. When I started to get hungry I thought to go out to grab something to eat, but didn't trust most of the berries or fish that were natural to this world, so I chose to wait for Kiyoko. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long because he was there after about an hour of waiting.

He came stumbling through the curtain, holing a large wooden bowl full of dead plants. Porcupamon jumped in shock, dropping the doll from his hands, but Rei was quick to calm him as she looked up to Kiyoko with a smile. He looked to me and grinned, but moved to the table instead, slamming down the heavy looking bowl and heaving a sigh of relief. "Found some more of those plants."

"Which?" Rei asked.

"Gaia had some in her garden," Kiyoko ignored Rei's question as he panted, trying to catch his breath. "More to come too." When he finally found himself ready to stand normally, he grabbed one of the plants from the bowl and removed the hard round budding shell from the top. He took the pale brown sphere and moved to Rei's side, slipping between me and Rei's bedside table. Kiyoko took the bowl that sat there and cracked the sphere in half, pouring the slimy green liquid that the shell was filled with into the bowl. "Gross," Kiyoko said, turning his nose up at the smell. I had already covered my nose, knowing that the stench of the slime was far from sweet. Rei didn't seem to mind, because she understood that the contents of the plant were to help her heal.

Rei tossed her quit away from her torso and she pulled up her shirt shamelessly to reveal the puffy scarred skin around the place where the bullet had hit. No one batted an eye because we had all seen it plenty of times. Too many times. The very first time we had seen it had been too many times in my opinion. Because it wasn't _fair_. Kiyoko was quick to use a clean sponge-like item to apply the serum to Rei's wound. It was lucky we'd had someone who was so accustomed to the world and to wildlife that had found such a useful healing agent. At first I had been sceptical to the point where I had resigned any lingering hope for Rei's survival, but seeing it work over time was astounding.

Before Kiyoko had finished, Norn had followed him through the door, holding a second bowl of the plants they had gone to collect. Her supply was smaller, but as she herself was smaller, that seemed fair. Norn had been useful in helping the world come to peace with itself. The wars and fighting had ceased with her guidance. Kiyoko really seemed to take to her too, since she wanted what he wanted. He was always seeking validation that what he wanted was reasonable and Norn, the guardian of all the worlds was the perfect person to give him that. Norn set the bowl she was carrying next to Kiyoko's on the table and turned to Rei with a pleasant and comfort filled smile.

This was our group now. Broken, crumpled and sad. Norn had fallen from her place as the queen of all worlds, Kiyoko was forced to learn to cope without the crutches of his friends to keep him up, Rei had lost her ability to walk and I was nothing without my two best friends. But I had made new friends too. And so had the others. We were all that was left of our previous life though, and that was what kept us so close.

But there was one other member of our little group too. And as I turned to look to the doorway I saw her slipping passed the thick dusty curtain. She spun around as the curtain hit her on her way in and she looked embarrassed over to the rest of us.

Lalamon.

I knew it was wrong to live in such disbelief, but I could not wrap my head around what I was seeing. Here she was, alive and breathing and—well, I didn't know how. She spun her little head piece and lifted into the air, fluttering forward and landing at the end of Rei's bed, holing a tall pink flower in her hand.

"For you!" she sang as she placed it gently at Rei's feet.

Rei looked up kindly and thanked her with just a look, and Lalamon crawled toward her and over the pile of toys that Porcupamon had collected. She sat next to Rei and sighed, cuddling up to her.

" _I don't know if she'll make it," Kiyoko said as he left Zanbamon's hut where we had chosen to keep Rei the night of the shooting. "Thanks for the advice, Lalamon." He looked to the small digimon who nodded, but looked worried for Rei's safety._

" _Mummymon thinks Gravimon is going to be okay." I filled him in, thinking he needed some good news, and relief washed over him quickly, but as he looked back to Zanbmon's hut, his face fell again. "Kiyoko, I know you want to worry, but that won't help. There's no one who ever said worrying could fix a situation." He looked upset and sat on the bench next to me, where Lalamon was sitting between the two of us. "Praying might help. Hoping might help. Anything could help, we don't know. But worrying won't."_

" _The flowers Lalamon found might help," Kiyoko added optimistically. "If they don't..."_

" _They will," Lalamon said with a curt nod, "They will if she can hold on long enough. If she's strong, she will live."_

" _And if she doesn't?" Kiyoko asked in a defeated wavering voice, "I can't lose her."_

" _Losing someone is never a forever arrangement," Lalamon said in a quiet voice, "One day you will meet again no matter the outcome of this event. Rei will not be gone forever."_

 _Kiyoko and I looked to each other and nodded, turning down to Lalamon again, "Speaking of which," I said quietly, "I don't know how to ask this, and feel free to leave the question unanswered, but it's something I think we're both dying to understand." She looked up and nodded, ready for the question, "H-how are you not dead?"_

 _She looked surprised at the bluntness of my statement and she flopped her head back and forth, thinking for a moment and humming to herself, but finally she seemed to have her answer prepared. "I died," Lalamon told us blankly, "Ogudamon killed me because I had been too reckless. I hadn't thought he would be that strong, but he_ was _. And then I woke up here."_

" _That's it?" Kiyoko asked. He, and me too, had been expecting a much more detailed story with an explanation of sorts, but Lalamon didn't seem to have a true answer._

 _She looked sad about that too, "I have thoughts," she said in her tiny sing-song voice, "I'm not like other digimon, you see. I'm... well, I guess I'm a fairy—or maybe I'm human. Or perhaps I really am just a digimon. I'm not sure."_

" _What do you mean?" I asked, confused._

 _I was surprised to hear Kiyoko fill me in with an answer, "When Summer gave Tapirmon to me, she created him with her magic. She used the emptiness inside of me to create a digimon that was meant to be my partner." I wondered if that was how partners were typically made. It didn't seem like it, and yet there was a partner specifically crafted for each person, so it made sense that Terriermon had been created out of the emptiness inside myself. But somehow I knew that wasn't quite true. "Hideto's self confidence was so two sided. On one hand he was so selfless and sad that people could walk all over him—which was where Warg was created, to pull him up to a place of warmth and confidence—and on the other hand, he had a very narrow opinionated mind in which he thought he was correct, and found that few things could prove him wrong—which was why he received Melga, who anchored his rampant arrogance and opened his mind to new horizons."_

 _I was sure I understood now, "And so Lalamon was created of Mari's emptiness," I said in understanding, "Mari needed someone who was open and thoughtful and kind to fill in the void of love, and yet she also needed Lalamon to simply understand." I knew enough to know that Mari had never felt_ heard _or wanted. Lalamon was clearly created by Winter for that very purpose to change. "So you're created by fairy, from a human in the form of a digimon?"_

" _I think that's right," Lalamon confirmed. "I feel a tether..." she stopped talking to reach in front of herself as if to show us where the tether might be. "I feel a connection to the place that I died. It feels—"_

" _The flower?" I cut in sharply, remembering the pink flower that had not wilted since Lalamon's death. It was growing right in my backyard, how could I forget? Lalamon however, did not know what I was referring to, and she simply stared at me. "There's a flower where you died."_

" _Is there really?" Lalamon asked, blushing, but I couldn't see why. "Well, whatever the reason, my data—or spirit—or_ whatever _became some kind of tether and since I did not truly die—perhaps because of my fairy lineage, as they can never truly die—I came here. Instead of dying and passing on, I simply found myself to be_ lost _. And I woke up here after a long time. I was floating through darkness for a while, needing to recover, and when I did, that's when I found the shore. I washed up with a bunch of silly broken things, and I found a mean woman—"_

" _Gaia," I nodded firmly, "Or Terra, she might have called herself."_

" _I've heard it both ways," Lalamon confirmed, "She did not want me around, but I do not know why. She brought me to her garden and it was_ beautiful _. I loved it there, but she tried to kill me. I ran and I hid, and I told whoever I could find—but when she found out who I had told she found them and she killed them. All of them. No one who was left alive knew of her attempts to take my life. But the reason the others had been killed was because... of_ me _." Lalamon paused in her story and looked to the ground. I didn't know how to comfort her, but Kiyoko seemed to understand. He put his arm around her immediately and drew her closer to himself. "I hid away in the Dump. I didn't want her to find me, and with me out of the way she didn't come looking. I think she knew where I was, but she never came to get me."_

" _Out of sight, out of mind," I said quietly and Lalamon nodded her agreement._

" _I didn't want anyone else to die, and so I kept my time with Gaia to be a secret." Lalamon's voice was wavering now as she remembered all of the other digimon who had lost their lives to the sociopath that called herself Gaia. "I saw you before Willis—and then both of you while you were arguing. I t-tried to tell you it was me but you both ran off—"_

" _I'm so sorry!" Kiyoko cut in sadly, "If you weren't wearing the scary cloak I would have stayed, I swear!"_

" _It gets cold at night all alone," Lalamon said in a quiet voice. It was then that her story really sunk in. All of Mari's bitterness and sadness had been mirrored in Lalamon and her separation from her partner, but Lalamon was_ alone _. She lived her life out in a dump filled with only broken or forgotten items, too afraid to speak to anyone who might learn too much and meet a terrible fate. "Gaia was making the two tribes hate each other. She wanted their love and if they had something to fight about, she could give that to them more readily. I tried to help them, but they never heard my whispered hints." She cuddled up closer to Kiyoko. "So I don't really know what I'm doing here, and I don't know why you're here either, but I sure am glad we found each other."_

" _Me too," Kiyoko said in a voice that was barely audible even to me who was so close._

" _Now," Lalamon said, pushing gently away from Kiyoko. "It's your turn to tell me something." We waited a moment and she straightened herself up and said in a very composed voice. "How is Mari?"_

Of course we had told her, but she never ceased her questioning, always thinking up more interesting or more outlandish questions, and we were happy to fill her in with what we knew, but Mari was private. _Very_ private. We didn't have any idea what she was _really_ experiencing, but what I did know, was that we had Lalamon. I knew that if Mari couldn't be with her, she would be happy that Kiyoko _was,_ being the next best option, and I knew she would be _happy_ that even if she wasn't here to see it, that Lalamon was alive and well. And that was all I could ask for really. All I wanted was for Mari to be happy.

And to see my partners again, but that one didn't seem likely.

And while that made my heart _ache_ again and again, I knew that someday soon I would find myself getting used to all of the oddities of Witchenly, and one day I would be comfortable with the way we ran our new lives, drinking from a dirty well and eating canned beans. I knew I would be okay because I had this group of fragile people who knew what it was like to be broken, and together we could put our pieces back together. Things weren't perfect, but they would be okay. _We_ would be okay.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Well now that we've seen our first glimpse of Witchenly we're going to jump back to where the story arcs are really happening and Neo and Izzy get to start off the next block of chapters!


	11. Your Love Is My Drug

**Y/N:** It looks like I'm Koushiro this time around. I'm not sure what he was getting up to, but it probably wasn't good. He's not in the best place right now. But it was definitely interesting to write this stuff from _his_ perspective, rather than just from outside viewers.

 **U/N:** And here we have Neo who is always super fun to write, and while I don't really know what this chapter is about I want to bet that Evelen is involved? Just searched her name and she showed up, so yeah she's here. That's fun I like her a lot. Anyway, I hope you like this and I'm sorry for the break between the last chapter and this one. We were busy and such, but here you are!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 11: Your Love Is My Drug**

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

"Are you _seriously_ not ready?" Mimi demanded. I looked up from my computer screen startled. She was wearing a dress—classy yet fun—that she definitely hadn't been wearing earlier. She was sporting freshly applied makeup, and her hair looked decidedly tousled. She wore bangle bracelets, and was clutching her purse. The only thing she was missing was her shoes.

"Are we going on a date?" I asked hesitantly, knowing that she would be very upset with my current attire, were that to be the case. "Isn't it a little early for dinner?"

"What?" she asked entirely confused. "Did you even sleep last night?" Her voice was cautious and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to answer that question honestly or not. I wasn't sure if I _could_. I didn't know _when_ the last time I'd slept was.

"It's like, ten o'clock," I said, glancing over to the clock, hoping against hope that I was actually right for once. My internal clock was _still_ skewered though, because the clock was telling me with glowing red numbers that it was nearly lunch time.

How had I managed to work an entire night away without even realizing it was happening?

"Seriously, Koushiro," Mimi said. "Come _on_. We're going to be late."

"To what?" I asked, still confused about her attire.

"We're meeting the others!" she told me impatiently. "I don't care what you look like," she warned me when I opened my mouth to tell her I'd have to change. "You just get your shoes, and get moving. I'm not waiting around forever, mister. Honestly, I can _barely_ remember the days you had to wait on me. I miss those days so much right now. I don't know how you did it."

"Mimi," Palmon hissed from the doorway. "Don't be mean."

"How am I being mean? I'm pretty sure that there was a compliment in there somewhere," Mimi said defensively. Palmon giggled, though she tried to stay strong. Tentomon sighed from the doorway. He was impatient too. I heaved a sigh of my own, and got to my feet. I needed to take a break from my computer anyway. I wasn't having any more luck finding Gaia than I had been last night, or yesterday afternoon. Come to think of it, I couldn't even remember when I'd started _searching_ for her at all.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to get my brain to function properly.

Mimi, Palmon and Tentomon were all getting impatient, so I told them to go on ahead, that I would follow them in a minute. They seemed happy, so I wasn't too bothered. Before I followed after them though, I took another of my pills. There weren't too many left, but I couldn't even _hope_ to follow along with a meeting of digidestined without my amphetamines helping me to keep awake. I was too caught up in finding Gaia to be able to understand the mindless gossip that was often shared at such events. I threw the bottle into my bag, and caught up to the others.

The pill didn't kick in until we were arriving at the library. It was a good thing too, because everyone else had already arrived. I threw myself in the nearest seat, not wanting to waste any of the energy that the amphetamines provided me with for loitering. It was best if my mind was the only active part of me. It allowed for optimum brain function.

Takeru and Michael were goofing off, competing to see who could get Haruki to laugh the most. They were losing to the tag team of Warg and Melga—but they didn't seem to notice their extra competition since they were making funny faces behind Takeru and Michael's backs. Kurayami was seated with Sora, but was constantly looking over to Hikari, anxiously. Hikari was sitting next to Taichi and Jou. Neo was there, possibly for the first time since getting shot—but I wouldn't know for certain. I was continuously losing hours; I couldn't even remember the last time I'd been to a group meeting like this.

Mimi left my side upon entering, and headed towards the open kitchen, where Daisuke and Hideto were already set up. Veemon and Palmon decided to help them, and Tentomon followed along, just to have something to keep him occupied, since I was too busy to entertain him. My mind was still whirling, trying to understand how a woman from another world could blend so seamlessly into our society. There should be large neon signs pointing in her direction, but there was never anything. She had disappeared. She could be walking among us in Japan, or she could be in Siberia by this time. I didn't know.

Why didn't I know?

Miyako was with Mari. Mari had her hand on Miyako's shoulder, and was trying to keep her mind occupied, but I knew Miyako wasn't able to pay attention to anything that was here in the library. She was still with her daughter in the hospital, mentally at least. She was probably running over every possible scenario of what could happen during her brief absence. It was what I would've done in her case.

Ken was seated away from his wife, with Yamato and Iori. I didn't know what they were discussing, but I didn't really care either. I doubted it had anything to do with Gaia, and she was the topic I was most interested in at that moment.

I cradled my head in my hands, and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out all external sounds. I didn't need to hear Wormmon's animated movie blaring in the background. I didn't need to hear the ruckus the digimon were making as they booed at the screen, unhappy when the bad guy seemed to be getting the upper hand. Emiko was over with Patamon, Labramon, Agumon, Biyomon and Gomamon. They were all watching the movie with greedy eyes, desperate for the next scene, hoping for the good guy to rise supreme and take out the villain.

Gabumon was sitting with Tapirmon, Terriermon and Lopmon. He was quiet, and I appreciated it almost as much as I was sure Tapirmon, Terriermon and Lopmon did. They didn't _want_ to be asked questions about their missing partners. They didn't want to have to think about it at all. Gabumon was wise enough not to do any of that, and instead sat quietly, offering his steady support for when they wanted it.

Hawkmon and Armadillomon were having a loud discussion about the best way to raise children. I was intrigued only for a few seconds before I realized Hawkmon was raving about his new Poramon, while Armadillomon was fretting over a fossilized egg that potentially would _never_ hatch. Any other day, I might've been fascinated with the subject, and made a few inquiries about the topic, but that day, Gaia was my only priority, and I wasn't going to deviate from it.

Not that my dedication was really helping in any way.

I still had no answers, and my head was starting to _hurt_. I couldn't help but wish I'd taken _two_ pills, instead of just the one. Two pills would have kept my head on straight. I would've been able to keep working through this problem. If I'd taken _two_ , I could work on _two_ problems at once and finally feel like I'd accomplished _something_.

"Do you think they'll have peanut butter?" Dracomon asked Neo, desperately. His whining voice cut through my thoughts of Gaia, despite my best efforts to simply not allow that to happen. I looked at him, unable to hold back my frosty glare. Dracomon didn't notice it though, and neither did Neo. Neo was too busy rolling his eyes at his partner to look my way.

"You can have some when you get home," Neo drawled.

"But I want it _now_ ," Dracomon whispered, afraid of offending the chefs.

"You'll eat what they give you," Neo said firmly.

"Don't worry Dracomon," Betamon said gently. "The food always tastes really good. You won't even miss the peanut butter."

"You say that, but you don't _know_ ," Dracomon said, sounding absolutely miserable.

 _I_ was miserable. I was letting an argument about peanut butter of all things distract me from what was really important.

 _Gaia_.

Gatomon plunked herself down on Iori's lap, much to his surprise. She joined their conversation, talking about Mai, and their jobs, and their futures. Ken complained loudly about how long it was taking to find a new head chief, especially with the Moretsuna case being so publicized. Iori expressed his anxiousness about his coming exam results. Yamato waxed in a poetic manner about his new muse, Amai, and how his music career was finally getting a breath of fresh air.

 _Gaia_.

"Who's got your nose?" Takeru cooed. Haruki roared with laughter.

"Who's got _Takeru's_ nose?" Michael countered. Haruki laughed some more.

Neither noticed Warg and Melga who were doing a jig behind them.

 _Gaia_.

"She'll be big soon enough, and then you'll get to bring her home," Mari comforted Miyako.

"But why isn't she growing as fast as the other babies?" Miyako asked, pleading for Mari to give her the answers she desperately wanted, but could not have.

 _Gaia_.

"Do you know just how many movies we missed while we were away?" Taichi asked Hikari and Jou. "So many. It's ridiculous just how many we missed."

"But it was only two months," Hikari pointed out.

"I _know_ ," Taichi said. "That's why it's ridiculous."

"But how many would we have seen if we _were_ here," Jou wondered. "Probably none of them."

"I don't know," Hikari countered. "You guys went to see Slug Attack. You'll watch _anything_."

 _Gaia_.

"Do you know where the oregano is?" Mimi asked.

"Here it is!" Veemon called, tossing it over.

"I need a strainer," Daisuke complained. "It's gone!"

"Warg's wearing it on his head," Palmon told him.

"Warg!" Hideto whined, embarrassed by his digimon's behaviour.

"I'll get it," Tentomon announced.

 _Gaia_.

"NO!" the movie viewer's shouted, as a dramatic scene played out before them. The hero appeared to have lost the battle, but would inevitably get back to his feet and win the fight. The climax was just about at its peak now. They wouldn't have long to wait for the victory they all craved.

 _Gaia_.

"You look bad," Sora said. I blinked. She wasn't talking to Kurayami anymore. The pair of them came over to sit on either side of me. I blinked again, wondering whether I really ought to dignify such a statement with a response.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kurayami wanted to know. I nodded jerkily, trying to keep the sound blocked out, but it wasn't working.

"When was the last time you slept?" Sora asked. "When did you last _eat_? You look like you got run over. You should be taking better care of yourself."

"I'm doing just fine," I snapped. I took a deep breath and ran my hands over my face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"I know," Sora sighed. "I'm a little testy too, you know. Apparently I killed Moretsuna."

"You _don't_ have to agree to that," Kurayami protested, but Sora waved her off. Sora had a habit of doing things for other people, and pretending that her acts of kindness weren't above and beyond what anyone would expect. She was acting so nonchalant about being accused of murder, but I knew it was freaking her out. I knew because _I_ was feeling the same way, and it wasn't even about me.

It was about her, and Kurayami, and Moretsuna—and lying about who killed him.

"How's your shoulder healing up?" Sora asked me. I shrugged, and tried not to wince. The wounds were still tender, but they were doing their best to heal without any help whatsoever on my end. I wasn't going to dedicate the time and energy into healing when we had a literal threat on our hands.

"Food's ready!" Mimi sang, and everyone sort of migrated to the tables heavily laden with food. I put something on a plate without looking, and ate it the same way. It wasn't important to me what it was I was eating. It wouldn't make a difference in the long run. I had a pretty iron clad stomach. I chewed and swallowed methodically, while the others chatted. For once, our minds were on the same topic.

"Has anyone seen _any_ sign of Gaia?" Taichi wanted to know.

"I haven't even heard a whisper of a rumour," Sora sighed.

"Do we know that she's actually a threat?" Miyako asked tentatively.

"Damn _right_ she's a threat," Hideto snapped.

"She killed our friends," Mimi pointed out. "That's more threatening than almost any of our past foes. We killed all of them without thinking about it. We have to at least take her captive for what she's done."

"I'm thinking worse," Hideto grumbled.

"I don't want her to get away with what she did," Tapirmon said softly. "I don't care if she's a sweet person now, she can't make up for her actions. Nothing can redeem her."

"We're going to treat her like we treated any of the great evils," Yamato said, sounding unsure of himself. We'd spent ages trying to find our humanity and simply _not_ kill everyone we faced against, but this was different. I couldn't find the humanity the way Miyako was still able to. This woman, this _Gaia_ , killed my cousin. My only blood family that had been left for me. She was going to pay for that. I was going to find her. I could do that much to avenge Kiyoko and Willis. I _had_ to. I couldn't sit around and do nothing. I needed to find her.

"I don't know," Miyako said miserably. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

"She's already committed _two_ wrongs," Neo pointed out. "We'd just be adding a third."

"I don't know how that's better," Mimi murmured.

I was done with the argument. I was going to find her, and clearly when I did, I was going to have to point Alias III and Taichi in her direction, because they seemed like the only ones that wanted to do anything about it. She needed to pay, and they were willing to do whatever it took to make sure she did. That's what I wanted right then. I didn't _care_ about anything else. I just had to do my part and find her first.

So I ran through everything I knew about her. She'd planted a seed that Yggdrasil grew out of. She married Yggdrasil's son Sigma, and bore him four daughters. She betrayed Sigma in the worst way possible when she tried to kill him, and failed, and was banished from the world along with the wild lands, which I assumed became Witchenly when it was a world of its own. Earth was banished whilst still in its Pangaea form, because of her actions, and then Sigma banished his heart, to rid himself of the last reminder of her.

"Sigma's heart is in a box somewhere," I muttered aloud, without really paying attention to it. Sigma's heart was somewhere. Maybe, that could provide me with some new information? I couldn't be sure. I wasn't sure of much when it came to Gaia. It threw me off balance, being so out of my element. I was doing my best to keep my mind in focus. I was spending far more time than I used to be able to, _trying_ to find her. I wasn't sleeping much in order to really optimize my chances of success.

I needed _some_ way to gather information about Gaia—even if it just meant I learned about other magical beings, in order to find similarities in their genetic makeup. Maybe I could find a weakness, or something. I had come down to the question of the heart numerous times, but I had no leads. I needed _something_ to aid me in finding any answer. A single answer would at least show me that my strife was worthwhile.

"Yamato and I found a box," Patamon said, startling me. Everyone was looking at me, and at the sight of my surprise, Jou, Sora and Mimi narrowed their eyes worriedly at me. I shrugged of their worries and looked to Patamon. "It was in that white world," Patamon added.

"Theta," I realized. "That makes sense. Where _better_ could there possibly be for Sigma to hide his heart than in the remains of his mother?"

"What are you talking about?" Taichi asked.

"Are you telling me there was a _heart_ in that thing?" Yamato asked, disgusted.

"Didn't you feel it beating like that?" Patamon questioned him, unable to believe Yamato was _that_ unobservant. Yamato shrugged at him. "It's a heart for sure."

"You know where it is," I realized. My mind was already churning out possibilities. I _needed_ to find that heart. If I did, then the problem with Gaia would be _that_ much closer to being solved. I was envisioning the wall behind my desk that was a collage of information, wondering just how many questions I'd be able to answer if I was able to study a fairy's DNA.

Then I was struck with the realization that Gaia wasn't _from_ Sidhendor, which meant she wasn't a fairy at all. She was from Pangaea, which became Earth. So, didn't that just make her an immortal human? How did her DNA differentiate from our own? I'd have to do research. I'd never studied my own DNA before, but I could always start. I speculated that Gaia's DNA would be closer to that of Sigma's than it would be to mine, but it was just a hypothesis. I needed facts and experimentation to confirm it. I was already speculating a way to return to Theta—perhaps Sigma's three remaining daughters could bring me back—when I realized Taichi was looking at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked, defensively.

"You didn't hear a word I said did you?" he said, getting angry at the thought. "You've been missing work, Koushiro. Do you have an explanation for that? You missed a council meeting too. You need to be there! Don't you realize how bad it is for the digimon to see that the digidestined can't be bothered to show up on time when our job is literally to protect them and their world?"

"I missed _one_ meeting," I told him.

"And the RISE meeting," Mimi added.

"And the last digidestined meeting," Sora felt the need to point out.

"I'm _working_ ," I hissed. "I can't drop everything just to bless you all with my presence. That's not worth it. I'm not getting paid to go to the Digital World every day anymore. I can do my work just as well at home. I can do it _better_ in fact, because there are fewer distractions. In case none of you realize, I've been working on this Gaia problem for a long time. I'm trying to understand her so I can track her down. Every second I spend away from my work is a second Gaia has to come up with a plan to end us all, and take complete control of our world, and potentially all other worlds as well. That's what her original goal was, by the way. I read about it in Theta."

"He's right," Michael sighed. "Merlin told us as much."

"She's greedy, and she has big goals. She's already proved that she is a deadly force. We can't pull punches when it comes to this one," I told them. "She's got the upper hand, because I can't catch up with her. I can't understand her, and there's not much to go on, but I'm trying. I'm doing the best I can."

"There are so many other things you should be doing too," Taichi argued. "You can't spend _all_ of your time on one project when you made the commitment to the Digital World, to your research team and to the Council. You're neglecting your duties."

I knew I was, but I was just one person; one person who was getting ridiculously bad at remembering to watch the clock and kept losing track of time. I was _trying_ to stay on top of all the other duties, but I couldn't keep up, even with my pills. I was taking as many as was feasible at that time. I didn't have an unlimited supply. They were going to run out, and I needed to know that I'd given this Gaia problem my all before they did.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to save all of our lives and avenge my family," I snapped at him, grabbing my bag and storming outside. Taichi called after me, but Hikari intervened.

"Don't be so rude, Taichi," she scolded. I couldn't hear anything after that, because I slipped out of the front door and threw myself on the stoop. My bag fell to the steps beside me, and I opened it with shaking fingers.

"Koushiro?"

Takeru's voice surprised me, and I dropped my bag. It rolled down the steps, and the amphetamine bottle rolled out onto the concrete stairs, and bounced down onto the sidewalk. I raced after it, not wanting to lose the only thing that was keeping me grounded. I _needed_ those pills to keep working. Taichi was _right_ , after all. I had so many things to do. I couldn't possible handle any of it without amphetamines. I didn't know how I'd managed before.

I was on my knees on the sidewalk, clutching a bottle of medication when I looked up to Takeru. He was definitely suspicious, to say the least. His eyes were narrowed on the bottle, but I didn't want to draw attention to them. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was intelligent, and I could manage the pills just fine. But he would draw incorrect conclusions that I just _didn't_ want to deal with at that time.

"You okay?" Takeru asked slowly.

"Yeah," I said. "I just needed some fresh air."

"We all do…sometimes…." he said, skeptically. His eyes were still on the bottle. I got to my feet and stuffed it back in my bag. Out of sight, out of mind—except it wasn't working, because Takeru was now looking at me like I was a skittish woodland creature, and might run away if he made too sudden of a movement. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about," I countered. "Taichi's right, and so am I. I'm just going to have to do both at the same time. It's not a big deal. I can handle that easily enough."

"Are you sure?" Takeru wanted to know.

"Absolutely," I said. "In fact, I think I should go tell Taichi now, don't you? I'm going to go do that."

"Koushiro," Takeru called, as I hastily walked passed him, back into the library's entrance. "You're not alone you know. I can help if you'll let me."

"There's nothing to help with," I told him, nonchalantly. "Unless you have a thorough understanding of Gaia's DNA, because _that_ would be incredibly handy at this moment in time."

"Sorry," he said apologetically. I shrugged, and walked inside, leaving him to come to whatever conclusions he wanted to. I knew he wasn't going to bring it up to anyone else yet. Not until he actually knew what was happening. He wouldn't want to risk the friendship we'd re-established after our fighting in the Land of Dreams.

Not that there was anything _wrong_ , so there was nothing that he could gossip about.

I went to the coat rack, intending to put my bags with the others. There was nothing suspicious about my bag, and keeping it close to me at all times was just going to make Takeru even more curious. As I was dropping my bag with the others, I couldn't help but pull out another pill. The last one wasn't helping me any, but I was sure this one _would._ I swallowed it dry, and zipped my bag up securely. I was just about to leave when I spotted Jou's work bag among the collection.

A rush of daring possessed me and I quickly found his prescription pad, writing out a quick prescription for myself from memory. I could clearly picture the one the doctor had given me after Summer's suggestion. This new one was identical, except for Jou's signature. I had to forge it, but I was pretty sure it was passable—not that doctors were known for their incredible handwriting.

"Koushiro?" Takeru asked again. He was behind me. I shoved my new prescription into my pocket, and stuffed the rest of the pad back into Jou's bag. "You should talk to someone if something's going on."

"Nothing's going on," I said quickly. "Everything's perfect actually. Don't worry about me."

Somehow, I didn't think he found my words encouraging in the slightest.

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

I hadn't been around this enemy camp since I had taken the mirror and 'betrayed' them all, and so I certainly felt bizarre about coming at all. It made sense however to investigate to the utmost detail that I could bring myself to be bothered by. The campsite had once been the home of Maugrim, and it was clear to Koushiro, as mentioned very hastily when I had last seen him, that Gaia and Maugrim had some kind of personal relations. Of course I had already made that assumption. Gaia was the woman he had spoken to through the mirror—the very same mirror that also connected to the Coliseum where Jou and I had interacted.

The issue I had run into however was that the people around here were not high in the ranks as I had been hoping they would be. Maugrim and his entire tent were gone, and so to me at least, keeping the other tents set up seemed meaningless. Not to mention the reality of the legality of the situation. It was true that this site _was_ in fact a campsite, and when I had informed Koushiro of where the enemies were keeping themselves concealed he informed me—or mumbled to himself—that it was the very same campsite that the seven original Digidestined had come to sixteen years prior to now. The assumptions I made, by myself because Koushiro had run off, was that this was actually an area that was sensitive to the boundaries the worlds set for themselves.

Of course I'd already known that to some extent. I could clearly remember Kiyoko—though really, it had been Sigma—informing me of that. He showed me the exact weakest location, and that was why this area had looked so familiar to me. I had been here before when I had instructed Sigma—the second member of my team of three—to break open a portal back into the Digital World.

I had of course recently been reminded of that very day due to Yamato and his ridiculous claim that this action was the cause of the grief the worlds were going through. It was ridiculous to quite a high level, and also it was cruel. To imply that _my_ decision had inadvertently caused the death of Rei, my _sister_ was beyond any place that Yamato had gone to before. The man was just asking for me to hit him. I was not much of a fighter truly, but striking Yamato across the face was not something I was entirely opposed to.

But of course, everyone expected me to thrust myself into all of their drama as everyone else felt inclined to do, but I had no desire to assist Sora in finding a way out of her cell. I did not care that she was arrested because it had been her _own_ decision. Kurayami had done the act of murdering a man, and while I suppose it was true that he deserved it, Sora could tell the truth and she would be set free. I did not care about whatever secret that Koushiro was concealing, and nor did I care to point out the obviousness of Kurayami and Hikari's deceit. I did not know what was going on, but I knew it was _something_. I did not feel at all bothered by Yamato's need for a new house, or Jou's confusion over his brother proving to be the terrifying masked figure. Mimi's restaurant being temporarily out of business did not matter to me as I tried quite effectively to avoid eating there when it _had_ been running smoothly—or as smoothly as Mimi could manage. None of their issues mattered to me.

What mattered was Mari and Hideto. Tapirmon, Dracomon, Warg and Melga were all going through the same feelings as the three of us, and together, as Allias III we would work through the grief. It was deep and it hurt to exist. And that was deducting the pain from the bullet wound in my shoulder. I had lost my sister, and one of my closest friends. And then Willis too, I supposed. Rei was everything to me. I had once deleted an entire world _for_ her, only to lose her when the next man tried the very same thing. Why had she run out of the Coliseum? Why could she not have stayed just _moments_ longer?

And if I was attempting to work through an ever growing depression, what was I doing out of the comfort of my clean and trustworthy apartment, wandering through a disease infested crowd of obese humans who spent weeks at a time camping in a rundown bug ridden field, who showered only when they deemed themselves 'dirty'. I deemed them all vile crusty piles of vomit by this point, and I couldn't see how they did not feel the need to clean themselves. And so the question rose once more, why was I here?

I was here simply to find Maugrim and get the answers to the questions that Koushiro desperately craved results from. I was not in his corner, and I did not care that he found himself stressed, but I did care about finding this woman who claimed to be 'Gaia'. She knew what had happened to Kiyoko and to Willis, and while I sought revenge for the simplicity of the statement alone, I wondered if perhaps she had come across Rei as well. As a whole, the world had been lucky to have so many survivors. The Digidestined alone had mostly survived by means of travel to a separate world, and it was true that even Willis and Kiyoko had gone off to Witchenly—or where we assumed to be Witchenly—before Gaia had killed them. So was it possible that Rei had made use of another mode of transportation? Had she used the Looking Glass before Takeru and Ken had taken a go at it? Was she lost somewhere? What if she had founded a new world after slipping through the melted iron door that once held the ability to travel through space and time?

Was it possible that my sister was alive somewhere all alone?

I knew it couldn't be true. But it was possible that Gaia knew the answers. She was the highest power that we had life status confirmation of. Norn of course would have been much more preferable and yet not a soul had heard from her since before the virus. I had been sure to inquire about such a thing, Kurayami had been distraught at the thought of Norn passing and of course I felt for her. I felt for her in the same way I felt for Terriermon and Lopmon. I was sad that they found sadness, but truly it did not matter to me, and it did not affect me. What mattered most was that there was no one who could confirm to me how, where or even _when_ Rei had died.

I needed that. I could not find it in myself to explain _why_ I needed such confirmations, but I knew that I could find inner peace if I could at least know these simple answers. It seemed as though Taichi did not care that she was gone. He made his way to work diligently and with ease, as though he had not a single care in the world. I knew it to be false, but it still worked away at my last nerves to know that such a possibility even existed.

I shuddered as a woman brushed past me, actually daring to _touch_ me even with the stench she so cheerfully threw out into the supposedly 'fresh' air. It was such trouble to stroll through crowds such as these. These people thought they mattered but they did not mean a damned thing to Maugrim and they were useless. I feared that he may use them as pawns if ever a battle were to rise, and I merely feared this because their numbers were growing. I feared this because they were _people_ , disgusting people of course, but they still existed as a loved one in someone else's perspective. Someone loved these people and I would not hesitate to kill them if they stood in my way of avenging Kiyoko and Rei.

I found myself scowling and trying desperately to avoid any further contact until my eyes fell to the beautiful blonde woman standing in the sunlight. She had round sunglasses on her face and a pretty bonnet like hat concealing most of her hair. She held a glass of wine in her gloved hand and stood with her knees together which I could barely see because of the length of her dress. She looked as though she had walked right out of a black and white movie, and as much as I found comfort in watching the films, I did not welcome the diva who had entered our world.

Of course I was tempted to make a timely escape before she caught sight of me, but I did not succeed. Her shoulders drooped as she used her free hand to lower her sunglasses down her nose. Her big blue eyes trained in on me and her red lips pursed. It did not take her long to decide that she wanted to come to me, and she was quickly striding across the flattened, thinning grassy landscape.

I did not fear her, though I did loathe her, and so I stepped away from the decidedly disgusting crowd of intermingling people and mimicked her dramatic strides.

"Good morning Mr Saiba," Yorokobi Fujimoto said with a tight expression. "What _ever_ are you doing in a place you do not belong?"

"You can cut the innocent act, Yorokobi," I said snidely, adjusting my posture and putting my free hand in the pocket of my tan jacket. I crinkled my nose in frustration at the thought of my wounded arm, still stuck in an ugly blue sling. "Once you show someone how much of a bitch you are, they don't easily forget."

" _Me_?" she gasped in shock, "You think _I'm_ the bad guy?" She held her white wine out, away from her body and put her free hand on her hip. "Now how did you jump to such a conclusion?"

I let my eyebrows rise because I wanted her to know how much of my time she was wasting, "You mistreated my best friend to the point of mental damaging him, and you took part in the 'Delete the Digimon' project which effectively made you to be simply the _worst_ kind of person who actually killed one of my best friends by joining in the fun, and not only him either. You killed my sister."

Yorokobi paused for a moment and looked astounded, unsure how to counter everything I had spewed to her. "Well," she said, evidentially she was dumbfounded. "You rejected me."

"And I'm doing it again," I said stiffly, making way to side step around her.

Yorokobi was apparently not finished yet and she cut me off quickly, "I'm not hitting on you. Not this time."

"If you say so."

"I'm really _not_ ," she said sternly. It was clear to me that she wanted to have the last word, and I was going to let her have it. I wasn't ready to take her down just yet, but I would be. She wouldn't get away with all she had done, but she would live to see another day at least. As I made to walk away she grabbed my shoulder roughly and spun me around. I winced in pain but did not let on how much she had hurt me, when truthfully the pain genuinely took my breath away. I felt several steady stings of pain sprouting from the wound itself creeping along my entire body. I felt sick immediately and my head began to spin, "And to be _clear_ , you were hitting on me too." I didn't respond. She could think what she wanted, "I only started flirting back because I pitied you. I didn't want you to feel upset. I was doing it for _you_. But now that I know what kind of a jerk you are, don't worry. I'll be telling everyone not to date you."

"I really don't care, Yorokobi," I said.

"I think you do," she said flatly, her nostrils flaring, as she poked my wounded shoulder again. I gasped and she smiled, pleased with her accomplishment.

"Okay," I said, barely finding a voice to speak with.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Fine," I said snappishly, turning to get away from her.

"Fine!" she yelled after me, just to get the last word. If it shut her up, then she could have it. The conversation was going nowhere aside from a longing to return to my apartment for more pain medication. She accomplished nothing and neither had I. All I knew now was that Maugrim, who had little to _no_ respect for Yorokobi, had obviously left her in charge of the camp. Putting this in perspective it made sense that he was not here. He did not feel as though this camp of foolish individuals was worthy of his time or any of his higher accomplices.

That train of thought helpfully led me to my next destination. Kansui. It was clear to me that if Maugrim wanted this camp to be run by those which he did not want in his presence that Kansui himself would be here as well. And I was quickly proven to be correct when I spotted him standing atop an overturned keg and shouting out commands at the top of his voice.

"My new system is very clear, and none of you are listening! I'm in charge here!" he shouted. "My father trusted me with such an important task of getting you all in shape for whatever is to come!" The people all ignored him and continued walking. He did not falter though. "Keep it moving! If you fail to complete your tasks I will report you to my father and he will surely rid of you in the worst way you could imagine."

One man stopped on his way past Kansui and looked up to him. "Hate to break it to you kid, your dad doesn't give a crap about who is in charge here. You have no more power than I do."

"That is simply not true," Kansui declared, though he seemed worried that perhaps it really _was_ the case. "I—I'm sure my father said..." he trailed off thinking to a previous moment in time, "Yes, surely he told me I was in charge of you all. He trusted me to get this task completed."

"If he trusted you so much, then why did he abandon you?" the man questioned. "And what damned task are we accomplishing?"

"Get back to work!" I jumped in surprise at the sharp voice from next to me. I turned to see Evelen coming to her brother's rescue. Kansui's chest inflated with pride again and he recomposed himself thinking the man had been wrong. Surely he had not been, but Kansui thrived on praise and he was back to shouting out orders. Evelen elbowed me playfully and smirked, "Sorry I'm late."

"There is a leaf in your hair," I said as my simple greeting. Evelen reached up and pulled the fallen orange leaf from her hair and looked embarrassed. I set off toward Kansui. It was clear to me that the man who had spoken of Maugrim's trust in Kansui was correct in that there was very little of it, but it was also obvious to me that if anyone here were to know the whereabouts of Maugrim or Gaia, it would be him. "Were you in the woods?"

"I—" Evelen paused and then said, "No, I was just on a walk."

"That didn't sound very convincing," I said.

"I thought we agreed we would stop prying into each other's lives," Evelen reminded me as we made our way to her brother, passing by the man who had spoken up. He looked to Evelen with a vile expression and made his way. I could not help but to turn my nose up at the smell of actual manure.

"I thought you were better at lying," I said to her, but she could not respond because we had made our way to Kansui already.

He looked down to us and a great big smile grew on his face, "Roomie! Evy!" he leapt off of his keg and threw his arms around us roughly.

"Release me immediately," I said coldly, "I have been _shot_ , you buffoon."

Kansui was quick to oblige and he leaned closer, taking a better look at my arm and the sling. He winced and pulled back, upset, "I forgot about that. Sorry, Roomie." He patted my other shoulder and looked to Evelen with another smile, "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in a while!"

Evelen looked affronted, and embarrassed that she had spent so little time with her brother, but I did not blame her. He was irritating, opinionated, rude and dramatic. He was _not_ a bad person however. He did pretend to be pleased with the spread of the virus but I knew that to be untrue. He thought his father would love him more for his barbaric thoughts and he would do anything for his father to show him that he was cared for. I thought perhaps that Evelen was nervous around Kansui because she was sensitive to my relationship with Rei, which she knew to have been terminated because of the virus. That thought was rather self-involved however and I was sure there was more to Evelen than pleasing me or worrying about my emotions. "She's been busy, Kansui," I told him simply when Evelen did not respond, "As have I. We are here now to talk to you."

Kansui nodded fervently, like a petulant child, "Oh you heard the news?" he leaned in closer, "It's true, she _is_ preggers. Can you _believe_ it? I didn't see that coming."

"What?" Evelen asked, "Who?"

"Whoever it is, I'm sure they'll be a lovely mother," I cut into their gossip session with a bored voice, bored because that was how I felt. "That is not what we are here to discuss."

Kansui seemed genuinely shocked, but then after a moment of thought he seemed to realize what must be the true reason for our visit, "You want to talk about Yorokobi and her fatuous rumours about how you tried to kiss her but she told you that you were ugly, so you kissed her anyway and you kissed like a lethargic dog with epilepsy?"

"She said _what_?" I asked through gritted teeth, but Evelen snorted, trying to conceal her laughter. The complete and utter animosity I felt toward Yorokobi was growing to be more distinguished as time went on, and sooner or later I would not permit her to continue on her egotistical frenzy. "No, we are not here for Yorokobi—"

"Then surely—"

"No, please silence yourself," I interjected. "We are here for none of your senseless gossiping or scandalous news, we are here simply to talk to you about your father. More specifically, his exact whereabouts."

Kansui suddenly looked superior again, as though he could only flourish while retaining information from those he deemed to be lesser than he. I attempted a condescending look but it did not have the desired effect. There seemed to be very little of my cold personality that was able to seep through my new stylish sling. It neared an impossible status to be viewed as threatening while only possessing one useable arm. "What would that information do for you?"

"It would make us happy," Evelen tried, but it wasn't enough for Kansui. Evelen looked to me and blinked once. It was clear to me that she was holding back sudden tears in her eyes. When she returned her intense gaze to her brother she said, "Neo's sister died, Kansui." Kansui gasped and turned to me, clutching his chest in mock sadness. If my arm was still able to I would have punched him in the face. My sister was not the subject of some kind of acting practice, and I could not see how I was meant to take kindly to him pretending to care. I couldn't find it in myself to be bothered by other people not caring about my sister—I would have _preferred_ Kansui to have no reaction at all—because the only concern I had between my sister and I was whether or not we cared for one another. And we did. Even now, I cared for her. More than I had ever cared for anyone else. "Dad is to blame, and Neo needs to find closure. You have to help us find that for him. Surely you understand what it means to need to move on."

Kansui thought for a moment and then nodded, "Yes, once my pet turtle ran off. He scampered away and there was nothing I could do but watch him go." He then looked to me very seriously, "I understand." He then looked upset and nervous and I found that to be rather unsettling. "Follow me."

Kansui was off and Evelen looked to me, leaning in to whisper into my ear. "I'm sorry."

"Are you?" I asked her, unafraid of being heard as she seemed to be. "I could not care less about finding Maugrim if it means I am to utilize the death of Rei to attain results. Rei is more than an object we can use to pull the outcome of a situation our direction and I trust you understand that."

"I do—" Evelen tried.

"I'm sure that's true," I said sarcastically, striding away from Evelen and toward Kansui. I could feel rage inside my chest and yet I knew it was not directed toward Evelen. It was a rage that was seeking escape from its prison, an escape it may never find, and directing this feeling toward Evelen was wrong. I had no intention to apologize, but I was sure Evelen could find it in herself somewhere to understand.

Kansui wove himself through the crowd, and I could not have been less excited about drowning myself in the woes and mediocre affairs of the chattering idiots that seemed to do everything they could just to stand in my way. I was aware of Evelen coming after me but I did not look back. Looking back would imply that I cared whether or not she was following, and if she knew that then she would know more about me than I did of her.

When we emerged from the crowd I spotted Kansui standing, with his hands on his hips, waiting for us to catch up to him. "Perhaps, if you're so inspirational to these clumsy halfwits you could instruct them on proper shower etiquette."

Kansui looked affronted and folded his arms across his chest, "Are you trying to imply that I'm not a bona fide leader?"

"I'm simply stating that your friends are repulsive." I explained.

"I could say the same about yours." Kansui rolled his eyes.

"Your resentment is delicious," I drawled.

"Could you two stop arguing to see which is more pretentious," Evelen pleaded having finally caught up with the two of us, "Just go in the damned tent Kansui." Kansui looked like he wanted to argue for a moment but instead he shut his mouth, looked upset that he could not continue whatever was going on between us, and then turned to his ridiculously bedazzled and elaborate tent. He threw the flap of canvass out toward us and I caught it with my uninjured arm. My eyebrows were enough to tell Evelen that she was to slip in before me and she sighed, upset. She was gone in a second and I followed her. Kansui was rummaging through something in the room to the right and when Evelen and I stood in the doorway looking to Kansui's back as something rattled on the wooden table in front of him. When he stepped back and spun around he was holding a detailed wooden box. He looked up to us with a smile like he was showing us his deepest and darkest secret. "What the hell is that?" Evelen asked.

Kansui looked to the box startled and then tried to hand it to her but he retracted it quickly, "W—well it's just—and I—I mean—"

"Are you having a stroke?" I asked with my eyebrows rising again. Evelen laughed.

Kansui, with a reddening face, shook his head quickly, "No!" he looked away as he thrust the box forward sharply. The sound of metal jangled inside and I was reminded of the sound of—

"Keys?" Evelen asked as she looked inside the box. I leaned toward her and looked down into the tiny wooden crate. Inside, as Evelen had suggested, were keys. House keys, bronze or golden in colour, they were accompanied by silver car keys with gaudy black plastic at the ends. There were tiny keys that looked as though they may open a child's diary, and silly plastic keys that looked like an infant's play toy, attached by a bright plastic key ring. Evelen looked up to Kansui expectantly but he was still looking to his feet nervously. "Well?"

Kansui looked up with wide eyes and then took a deep breath. "They're looking for keys," he told us simply. "Once Father sees how hard I've been trying to find the keys he'll surely understand how serious I am about his cause. I'll help him until the day he dies."

"Well that won't be any time soon," Evelen said, rolling her eyes. Kansui waved his hand nodded his agreement as if to say, 'well that's true'.

"It doesn't matter," Kansui decided. "I'm helping him find the keys they're looking for."

I took another look into the box and smirked at the ridiculousness of it all. "You should give them to him. I'm sure he'd love to see them."

"You think?" Kansui asked, excited.

"Mhm," I nodded. "Now, who is _they_?" I asked, making note to explain to Koushiro that Maugrim was seeking the keys that were kept safe at the Temple. "You mentioned that your father is working with someone."

"Of course," Kansui nodded. "Aesop and Bitoru." Of course that was true. I knew that already. "And that other girl."

Evelen and I exchanged a look and then turned back to Kansui. "Who, sorry?" Evelen asked.

Kansui shrugged his shoulders. "Never met her," he said. Of course Maugrim would be wise enough not to trust Kansui with this information. At least we had picked up what their goal was, and while that was not what I had come here for, it was enough to comfort me. It was enough to go on, and enough to help us find her surely. "Evelen," Kansui said, I followed his gaze down to Evelen's legs where a streak of mud was staining her black jeans. "I cannot believe Neo agrees to spend time with you. You're embarrassing. Why are your pants so dirty?"

Evelen rolled her eyes and took her own turn at looking embarrassed. She grabbed my arm and began dragging me away from her brother, annoyed. Kansui shouted his dramatic farewell, and we were on our way. I didn't mind taking a leave from the annoying boy, but what I did note was that he was still somewhat in contact with his father. This would not be my last visit to Kansui, and if I had my way, the next time I arrived to interrogate him, he would not be alone. Next time I came I would be reunited with Bitoru, Aesop and Maugrim himself. And finally, I would meet the infamous Gaia, and she would tell me what happened to my sister, because surely she knew the answer. And if she didn't, then it did not matter to me what happened to her, and I would gladly allow the Digidestined to do with her as they saw fit.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Sora and Ken narrate a duo plot chapter where they connect and whatnot. It's strange because Ken hardly ever intermingles with the rest of the group, but here we go anyway!


	12. Arrested Development

**Y/N:** Ken's dealing with the after effects of Moretsuna's death in the work place. There's more than that, obviously, but that's what I remember the most. I like writing Ken in the work place. It gives him a place to call his own, where he can grow as a character without having to adopt someone else's plot as his own. He has friends and enemies and it's all very different, but it's exactly what he needed to be a better character to me, and I was very pleased to have another shot at writing it.

 **U/N:** Sora's final plotline really starts here (and when I say final I mean I'm a bit bitter about her not having much plot in the second half of 08) and it's kind of fun, but also kind of sad. We've written so many stories about these characters, and probably twice as many for Sora as we did to anyone else, and this being one of the final stories is kind of a weird thing.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 12: Arrested Development**

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

"Do you feel anything yet?"

"No, Taichi."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing at all."

The two of them were on a loop, and while they both seemed irritated with one another, they somehow seemed to understand that it would soon pass. I didn't have a sibling, so I didn't know what it was like to be able to roll your eyes out of utter frustration one moment and be genuinely chipper and friendly with the same person a moment later. Takeru and Yamato didn't act this way, at least not as noticeably as Taichi and Hikari did.

It didn't make much sense that she couldn't feel anything though. It had been two hours and still there was no pull drawing her toward Gaia. But as she had said, she hadn't felt anything at all since we had left the maze of white walls. Winter said the same, so it made sense to be true. I couldn't help but look down and smile at Biyomon as she walked along with a little bounce to her step. She was pleased that we had gone to pick up Gabumon since she hadn't seen him in a while and the two were close friends, but she was also happy that we were walking outside on Earth without a disguise. It wasn't _safe_ necessarily but there were others that I passed every now and then on other days, people who thought that a statement was better than hiding away, shut up in a house with no fresh air. Biyomon _loved_ fresh air and she also had a lot of opinions. I trusted her now, and if I was allowed to walk around, so was she. I knew what it was like to be shut up somewhere.

Agumon had apparently said something funny because both Gabumon and Biyomon began laughing to his confusion. I loved hearing her laughter—any laughter at all was nice these days. We'd been through a lot and laughter wasn't the first thing on my mind most days. Instead I started every day with a cold sweat and painful flashbacks to Arnold and pressing the button. I had dreams about prison—even though I'd never _really_ gone—and then flashes to the virus. I had not seen the virus itself until after we had all made it out alive and that was only from a distance at the Temple.

Only we actually hadn't _all_ made it out alive.

It was too bad that Arnold hadn't been the one that had died. I knew it was a gruesome thought, but in a lot of ways I didn't even care. Willis and Kiyoko were both confirmed to have been killed by Gaia, the witch we were searching for now, but she, or whoever actually did the murdering of them, would never have been able to get to them had Arnold not sent the virus. The digimon who were killed by Moretsuna and his stupid league of idiots shooting guns they knew nothing about mattered too, and the same went for the digimon who were caught in the virus before they could find their way to safety. Etemon, Divermon, Yanmamon, Chicchimon, Otamamon, Gekomon, Jackie, D'arcmon… the list went on and on. And to top that off we had been forced to join in the blood sport by taking Behemoth's life. He was Arnold's pet and I could not believe we had saved him. I often found myself physically _angry_ at the part of me that had thought to save him. I knew it was right, and I knew it was what I would do if the situation were to rise again. But I didn't have to be happy about that.

I _was_ happy that Biyomon had mastered her Super Ultimate evolution, or whatever Koushiro was calling it. There was something involved in the Dot Matrix that seriously altered the genetic makeup of the digimon and gave them a path to a new evolution. What I was worried about is how that new path would affect Biyomon, and I had Koushiro do some very serious tests on her and everyone else who had been attacked by the Dot Matrix. There was a solid handful of them too. Agumon, Gabumon and Patamon had both been nearly taken for good when Arkadimon turned on Neo. Then Palmon, Dracomon and Biyomon all experienced that when Arkadimon met his match with ZeedGarurumon. And of course, more recently Gatomon and Gomamon were nearly wiped away by Behemoth's Dot Matrix. Luckily Koushiro didn't find any long term damages to be noted, and even explained that he had created a similar path with Tentomon to bypass his mega form into a form he was always meant to become, TyrantKabuterimon. It was not the exact same method, but the outcome was the same in itself. And that meant we had _four_ members of the team who had used their Dot Matrix alterations for their own benefit. Of course it was theorized by Koushiro that Dracomon's ability to jogress with himself from an alternate timeline was the cause of not only Neo's inane ability to fuse anything that moved, but also from the glitch that Arkadimon passed on to him. So that brought us to five of the nine members of our glitched team to activate the glitch itself. I hoped that we were never confronted with any need for Palmon, Gomamon, Patamon or Gatomon to ever make it that far.

I looked to Gatomon who was walking near Hikari's feet and wondered what she might turn into in the end. Her evolutionary line was rather chaotic as it was, starting with a cat, then moving to a dog only to pass back to a cat then an angel warrior to a queen. It was erratic and that meant that in the end she could be anything.

And then Moretsuna's stupid face crept into my mind, blocking all of my creative theories away. It was impossible to _not_ see his face at least once a day. It was _everywhere_. His stupid crime was trying to be solved and apparently _I_ was a suspect. As if that even made sense. I didn't want to think about it though because it was making me nervous already so I tried to pay closer attention to what was going on around me instead.

"And so he said 'knock knock' and—" Agumon started.

"He _didn't_!" Biyomon gasped humorously.

"Oh he did," Agumon said as Gabumon laughed between the two of them. "And of course I said, 'who's there' and he said 'Tapir'—"

"Oh no," Biyomon shook her head in despair, "don't do it!"

"And I said 'Tapir _who_?'" Agumon continued, "And he said 'Don't forget to Tapir noodles with you when you go!" Gabumon simply lost it at that point and was roaring with laughter, Biyomon seemed distraught however. She just couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I thought we were done with those jokes!" She cried out, "Can someone please talk to that boy!"

"I thought it was funny!" Gabumon said, still not entirely finished with his laughter.

Looking back to Taichi I saw that he was smiling. It was good to know that he wasn't completely lost. Taichi usually wouldn't laugh at a joke so simple as that, but just seeing that he hadn't lost himself away completely was something I was grateful to see. I didn't know what I would do if Taichi lost his footing. He was my rock. He was _everyone's_ rock. I knew he was much worse off than he would let on to any of us, but just to see that he was able to smile was enough to know that we'd all be okay. Even if we couldn't have Rei with us.

" _Now_ do you feel anything?" Taichi asked, prodding his sister with his finger. She slapped his finger away from her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him again. "I'll take that as a resounding 'no' then."

Hikari stopped walking and sighed, slouching her shoulders, "I don't think I'm going to feel anything, this is becoming more than just pointless, it's becoming tiring and I think we're wasting time putting so much faith in me because someone else might have a better chance of finding her."

"Like who, Hikari?" Gatomon asked, leaping up onto Taichi's shoulder so she could be closer to Hikari's eye level. "None of us even know who she really is. Only the fairies seem to know at all because they're related, I gather. They can't find her, so how can anyone else?"

"Besides," Taichi said, "Koushiro is on it. He's promised me results."

"He's promised a lot of people results about a lot of things," Hikari noted, "And—"

"And he's always delivered before," I interjected.

Hikari looked to me and nodded, "I know, I didn't mean to imply that he couldn't do it. Honestly I think that boy can do anything. But he doesn't know what he's looking for any more than any of us do. Shouldn't we be helping _him_ think of a way to find her rather than relying on some radar inside my body that isn't even working?" I could tell Hikari was hiding something, but the size of the secret was still a mystery to me. Was she simply trying to get away so she could take a break? Was she expected somewhere else, like by a certain boyfriend? Or did she know something about Gaia that she wasn't telling us. The latter of the options surely couldn't be true. Hikari would never keep us in the dark like that. She was, well, Hikari. Keeping important details from us just wasn't in her nature.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Taichi asked.

"Oooh!" Biyomon shouted loudly, fluttering across the sidewalk to where Taichi was standing, "I have _loads_ of ideas! Why don't we send Tentomon with Ken and Wormmon into the Fairy Land—She-den-door or whatever it's called, it has such as silly name, don't you think it's kind of like a foreign—oh right, sorry! Well they could go investigate Gaia and learn more about her heritage and then someone else can find the fairies and get a sample of their DNA because digimon are able to be detected by our digital structure, maybe the fairies have a different structure too. It's _totally_ possible that their DNA could help Koushiro form a link in the atmosphere and then he could use the information he might get from the sample!" Taichi stared down at her because honestly they were pretty good ideas.

"What if we find out _why_ she had a link with Hikari," Gabumon added, "Instead of trying to _use_ the link, we could find what Gaia wants, then maybe we could at least discover what she's up to. That might help us find her too!"

"We could also find some digimon with good senses of smell," Agumon suggested, "What if we could get them to pick up her scent from the Maze—because there weren't many people there—and they could follow the scent to find her."

There was silence as Taichi stared to the ground in thought. Hikari looked to Gatomon who was suspiciously looking to her partner, but Hikari broke eye contact as if to say she was feeling accused and hurt.

"Those are all really _good_ ideas," Taichi said, seemingly aghast as he looked up to the three of them, "Why didn't you tell us those thoughts _before_?"

"You never asked," Agumon said, shrugging his little shoulders.

"You're on the council," Taichi said, "You're supposed to give ideas then."

"We never get a chance," Gabumon said, "You ask the others how their time has been and if there is anything worth noting that is going on in their respected areas, and then we talk about ways to improve the world, but mostly we just agree with what you say."

"I thought that's what we were there for," Agumon admitted, "Just to have two more votes on your side."

Taichi looked hurt that they'd think that way of him, "But you were on the council before I was."

"And that's why Gennai put us on," Gabumon said, looking away from Taichi like he was being scolded, "he wanted us to vote with him."

"Not me though," Taichi said, kneeling down to the two of them, "You're my equals in the council, and my superiors on the battlefield. You both have every right to speak up. And don't worry if your idea is stupid, you'll know soon enough because Babamon won't let you get too far." Both digimon laughed, and Biyomon patted them on the back looking all too happy.

I looked up to Hikari and saw her and Gatomon, who was climbing down Taichi's back, give each other a serious gaze. I knew it had nothing to do with me, but I also knew how serious keeping secrets could be. We'd done that as a group, everyone doing their own thing, and it did _not_ go well. "Hikari," I said seriously, staring directly toward her, she looked up to me and knew immediately what I was doing.

"It's nothing," she said seriously, "Honestly it's just that I'm scared of finding her," I wasn't sure yet if I believed her, "Spring was just so scared of her. I know she hurt her and I don't want to find out what else she can do with her powers." I narrowed my eyes, letting her words wash around inside my head for a bit until finally I nodded. "That, and I still feel really guilty about opening the door and letting her out."

"That wasn't your fault," I said, feeling apologetic for accusing her, even if it was only inside my own head. "You were trying to get us out of there. Besides, for all we know you may have saved every one of us from death. It's like you said, we know nothing of Gaia's power. It is possible she could kill us faster and easier than we could even imagine."

Taichi got to his feet and turned to Hikari, nodding his head, "It's true. The fairies have powers that we don't understand. Gaia is the mother of the four royal heirs. Who knows what she can do." Hikari looked up to Taichi and nodded, and it was clear she was still nervous, but soon she'd see that it wasn't her fault.

I heard a faint ringing sound from inside my purse and I was quick to pull out my phone to answer it. All eyes were on me which I was almost painfully aware of as I pressed the little green phone icon. "Mom?" I asked, having read the name.

"I need you to come home," She said, though she didn't seem to be in any urgent danger thankfully.

"I didn't even know you _were_ home," I told her.

"Your father and I took some time away from the Coliseum," she explained, "I had a migraine—there are just so many children there—"

"I understand," I told her.

"Just come, I have something to show you," She said, and she was smiling now, then with a small laugh the line went dead.

"Rude," I commented as I put my phone away, "She hung up on me." The others were all still staring at me, "She wants me to go home."

"That's fine," Taichi nodded, "This wasn't working anyway," Hikari looked to him in a defeated sort of way as if she'd been saying that the whole time—and she had been. "I'm going to see if Koushiro might want to give the new ideas a shot."

"I'll take Gabumon home," Hikari offered, "Takeru and I haven't had much time together recently, so I'd be okay with that." Taichi pushed his sister's head lightly and she laughed ducking out of the way. "I'm allowed to want to spend time with my boyfriend, Taichi." Taichi made a disgusted face and then turned away from her. "Oh how _mature_ of you."

"No one ever said I was mature," Taichi noted, waving to me, "See you later, Sora. If Koushiro's too busy I might use your knowledge to try out Biyomon's ideas." I didn't think it wise to tell him that I had no idea how to go about tracking a new form of DNA in the atmosphere, because I just didn't think he wanted to hear negative thinking at that moment, but even so it was true. I just had to hope that Koushiro was on the ball.

Biyomon bid farewell to Agumon and Gabumon as Hikari and Gatomon left with the latter of the two. Agumon hurried after Taichi and Biyomon was flying next to me a moment later, talking about how she missed spending time with her friends, "Next time we do something can it be with Mimi and Koushiro again—we make such a good team and Palmon and I haven't had much time to talk since before the virus. The last time I spent any length of time with her was in the Temple in our little hotel room—I liked that room, it was nice. I guess Tentomon doesn't need to be there because I don't need to become Eaglemon anymore!" She let out a friendly laugh, but then stopped, "but I want him to come anyway. He's my friend. I miss him. I wonder what Gomamon's up to—do you think he's busy?"

"Do you ever breathe?" I asked her curiously.

"Yes!" Biyomon laughed, "Silly, Sora! Anyway—" And she was off again on some rant about how maybe the digimon should have a specific day once a month that they all got together because they missed each other just like us humans did—or at least she missed them. She had no proof that they missed her but she was such an optimist that she was just sure they did. I was sure they did too. How could they not? Whenever I was apart from her I missed her.

Her rant was only interrupted when a very dirty man spit on the ground and stumbled toward us, moving the opposite way to us along the sidewalk. He looked either homeless or drunk. Or both, perhaps. He certainly smelled revolting. He looked to Biyomon and sneered, barring his teeth in disgust. "Filth."

"Excuse me," I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving by.

Biyomon pulled on my leg, "Don't Sora, its okay. I don't mind."

"You should," I told her before rounding on the man again, "You have no right to insult any living creature. What does it get you? Do you feel satisfied, or do you just get that proud burning in your chest that dies out and burns all the positivity with it? You probably feel pretty damned superior strolling down the street with your heart void of love."

The man spit to the side and I removed my hand, he looked to me and leaned closer, "I wa'n't talkin' teh you."

"And yet you are now," I noted, feeling like maybe I should have listened to Biyomon's advice and just let him go. I wasn't really a conflict oriented girl. I didn't want to start a fight, I just wanted Biyomon to feel safe and like I wouldn't let anyone walk all over her.

"Righ' you are," the man said, "An' I think I rec-eh-nize you from the news. Yer the girl who go' outta jail by throwin' e'eryone else under the bus." I stared at him, eyes narrowing, and I was ready to just walk away because rumours were just that and no matter if I corrected him or not, the rumour would always be thriving.

Biyomon had different thoughts though, "You're disgusting," she snapped, "And it's not because of your race—or your appearance or any other dividing characteristic. It's because you're a mean, _mean_ man. I cannot allow you to insult my friend Sora. She was unjustly arrested, and she got out of it by using the general principals of the law in this country." She tried to snap her claws and move them in a sassy way but she sort of failed. She didn't seem to mind though. "Back of hater." I looked to her, amused and then the man, after staring at her for a moment, took a step toward her, "By the way," she added, "The laws clearly state that a citizen shall not be permitted to be intoxicated in public." The man was quick to look nervous now and his fingers twitched for a moment before he decided he was done with us, and he strolled off, stumbling away.

There were a couple people who had witnessed the display and while I was nervous at first that they would be against what Biyomon had done it soon became clear that she had impressed them more than anything else. They were mostly amazed at how a digimon was able to follow the laws of the human world. That was a good thing to be putting out there, I realized. Showing the people that they meant no harm and in fact wanted to follow the laws we had put in place.

When we escaped the earshot of the people Biyomon looked up to me and smiled up to me. Mostly with her eyes. Because she was a bird. "I think I'm gonna be a lawyer and enforce law more often. Or maybe a police officer! I just really like helping out and I think I have a lot of good ideas!"

"If you want a job," I told her, stopping her by grabbing her hand because the lights were red at the crosswalk we had come to, "I'm supportive. Why don't you try something like public speaking?"

"I can get _paid_ for _speaking_?" Biyomon asked in pure shock. "I'm gonna be _rich_!" I couldn't help but laugh, but it was the last thing I got into the conversation all the way back to my mother's house. Biyomon was ecstatic about her new job prospect and she was listing all the different ways she might go about it. Eventually she had to stop though because I was knocking on the front door of my mother's house.

"Ooh!" A voice from inside shouted, "Can I get it?" There was no answer because a moment later the door had been thrown open, "Hello Sora!"

I was staring back to Professor Miru, my fashion teacher from school. He clapped his hands together and then threw his arms around, he then looked to Biyomon and pulled her into a hug too, "It's good to see you both again!"

I didn't know what to say, but thankfully I had Biyomon for that. "What are you doing here? Aren't you a teacher? You can come back to your students' houses?"

"Ah well," he said, taking a step back and giving me the moment to see my mother who was standing by the kitchen doorway smiling to me, "I don't usually come to my student's houses actually, but I was trying to find Sora because I had a genius idea for using her fashion as a stance in the digimon campaign, but she wasn't at the restaurant anymore." He was using dramatic facial expressions to tell the story and I felt a strange sense of longing for being in school. He was always the most dramatic person, "Your friend Mimi told me you went home, but this was the address you had used in the school's database! I came here and much to my surprise, your _mother_ is _Toshiko_ Takenouchi?"

I looked over his shoulder to my mom who shrugged her shoulders, "You know each other?"

"We went to school together," Mom explained, motioning for us all to follow her to the kitchen, "Come along, I made dinner."

We all followed, but Miru wasn't finished with his excitement, "As you're obviously aware Sora, the school celebrates one student above all others for their poise and excellence and beauty and—"

"That's not even true," Mom said, rolling her eyes. I laughed as I hugged my father who was sitting at the end of the table chatting with Mushroomon. "The school recognizes excellence, sure. But it was only in grades."

"And the grades are given to the most skilled artisan," Miru said dramatically, "When _you_ won Sora I had no idea that you were living up to your mother's name!"

I rounded on my mom who was purposely directing her eye contact to the mashed potatoes on the table in front of her. "Mom?" I prodded, but she simply smiled to the potatoes, "I had no idea."

"She was just telling me," Miru said, "She always wanted you to live up to her name but you used to be quite the little tomboy!" I blushed, "I've seen pictures." I blushed even more. "Your mother may never have been the most open of women, but I know she's just so proud of you."

She looked up to me and smiled, but said nothing. She didn't have to. It hadn't been until that very moment that I really understood what my mother ever wanted from me. She just wanted me to be _me_ and she knew well enough to know that the 'me' I was looking for was so much like _her_. She always did know me better than I knew myself, even if I didn't like to admit that out loud. I wasn't proud that I had won that stupid school competition, and I knew my mother wasn't either. I was proud of myself for being the person I always wanted to be but wasn't sure if I had it in me. My mother had seen it though, all of my potential.

My emotions were having quite the day. Miru and Biyomon occupied most of the dead space with conversations—or rants really—during the dinner and the rest of us sat in peace and ate. I always loved visiting my family. It was nice to know that everything was falling into place in my life though. True love was those who touched your heart for the better and actually stuck around to see the result. I knew that now, and I knew that love and happiness were directly linked.

It was too bad the dinner had to be interrupted.

There was a very loud and harsh knock on the door and Dad was the one to go to the door. He excused himself from the table and was gone only a moment when loud voices filled the hallway. Seeing the look of panic on my mother's face twisted my insides up immediately. Miru was gasping and turning around as Biyomon prepared to fight, but when she saw the humans coming in she knew she wouldn't get the chance. Mushroomon ducked under the table to hide and I wished I could have joined him.

The men that had entered the kitchen were built rather largely and each of them was wearing a similar and familiar uniform.

"Sora Takenouchi," the nearest one said boldly, "You are under arrest for the murder of Sakana Moretsuna."

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

Once again, I was faced with a new boss. Thankfully, like the last one, this one didn't seem to be openly against the digimon. Unfortunately, this one wasn't quite so vocally against EVOLVE either. I was sure that he wasn't about to openly declare his allegiance, but I was disappointed to know that he wasn't going to vocalize his support of RISE either. I wasn't sure if he even _supported_ RISE. It shouldn't have mattered to me as much as it did. He wasn't Moretsuna, and that was all I could ask for. He wasn't even going to be permanent. He was just another temporary stand-in while the investigation for Moretsuna's killer continued.

It was difficult, knowing exactly how Moretsuna's death happened, and not being able to share the information. I couldn't defend Kurayami's actions without declaring her the guilty party. I couldn't talk about Sora, just in case someone thought I supported _that_ ridiculous theory. I couldn't explain just how necessary it was that Moretsuna was defeated when he was.

He had his hands wrapped around my wife's throat.

He was killing her and the baby.

If anything, it should be _me_ , not Sora, that was taking the brunt of the focus off of Kurayami. It wasn't fair for me to leave Sora to take the blame. Sora wasn't even _there_. But I was. And I could explain it away. I was an officer too. I worked _under_ Moretsuna. I knew it would make a mess of things, and I really couldn't afford to risk my job at this point in my life—what with our new baby and plans of getting a new home—but it still wasn't fair for me to put this on Sora's shoulders.

I was thankful though, that she'd offered.

She didn't want Haruki to grow up without a mother, and the one time I'd mentioned my uncertainty, she assured me she didn't want Mai growing up without a father either. I tried to convince her that the situation wasn't quite as dire as that, but the truth was that I didn't know.

Each of our temporary chiefs were intensely focussed on apprehending a culprit, and they weren't stopping to consider that perhaps Moretsuna wasn't actually murdered. They weren't stopping to consider that Moretsuna was very deeply involved with the EVOLVE nonsense that plagued both the Digital World and Earth. Once Moretsuna died, it was as if all the horrible things he'd done weren't real, and hadn't happened. It was as if he was a martyr instead of a torment.

I didn't know how to go about changing everyone's opinions of him.

I wasn't sure I really wanted to.

The man was dead, and Miyako was deeply upset by it even now, after three months. She awoke some nights with the memories of his dying seconds on her mind. I held her as she cried for that horrible man. I didn't have any respect for him, nor did I truly believe he deserved any sort of legacy, but for Miyako's sake, I kept those opinions to myself. To her, he was a mean man that didn't deserve to die. He deserved a second chance.

I understood that opinion, really I did. But I had the choice of wishing he'd gotten a second chance, and knowing that my wife and daughter were still alive because he wasn't.

It wasn't that difficult to me.

My wife and now my daughter would always come first. They were my top priority. My entire family was, really. Hawkmon, Wormmon, Mom, Dad and now Poromon too were among my highest concerns. I didn't want anything to happen to any of them. I refused to _let_ it.

So yes, I wasn't too fussed that Moretsuna wasn't with us anymore. It was an easy decision, since Moretsuna seemed to have it out for my wife. I couldn't understand why. Miyako was the sweetest, most caring, most _beautiful_ person I'd ever known. He had literally no reason whatsoever to want to hurt her.

"Hey," Kimi said, leaning against my desk. "How's the baby?"

"Good," I said. "It's hard, knowing that she's going to take one step forward and a couple small steps back. She lost weight again this morning. Miyako's distraught."

"I can imagine," Kimi sighed, saddened by the news.

"She's a tough cookie though," I said, trying to brighten her mood—and consequently my own as well. Kimi was really the only thing that made coming into the office worthwhile at this point. Our boss was constantly changing, and we weren't doing enough to support the digimon in the wake of the EVOLVE disaster that had spread across not just _our_ nation, but most of the nations around the globe. We should be out there in the streets doing our best to make up for the major screw ups the police force had committed whilst still under Moretsuna's command.

Instead, we were stuffed in our office, sending out minimal patrol officers in order to solve a "murder" that was pretty self explanatory.

It was well past the point of being ridiculous.

"How are you holding up?" Kimi asked.

"As well as I can be, considering Mai's health," I said, confused.

"Not with the baby, though it's nice to hear," she said, shaking her head and laughing a little. "I mean with being the big shot around here. After your big speech you're the talk of the town—or the office at least. Don't tell me you haven't noticed your increased popularity."

I _had_ actually, but I'd written it off as a fluke.

"Seriously?" she said, laughing again. "Everyone's convinced that you can solve all the office problems. They keep trying to put a good word in with the chiefs so that you can get out there and really start working again. I mean, the chiefs aren't buying it. They're insistent that you stay in the office until further notice."

"Because I disappeared for two months 'without explanation'," I said, rolling my eyes. There _had_ been an explanation, it just wasn't one they were willing to accept. Moretsuna and Arnold had locked me and all my loved ones in the Digital World. They seemed to be turning a blind eye a lot when it came to Moretsuna's case. I didn't like it, not one bit.

"I know," Kimi sighed. "But you've got the support of a lot of the office. Obviously not from the more involved members of EVOLVE, but you're pretty much top of the class otherwise. You should be proud."

"I haven't done anything to be proud _of_ ," I pointed out. "I just spoke my mind when I probably shouldn't have, and made Yakuin more invested in EVOLVE. It's like I can't win. How am I supposed to save him from Moretsuna's clutches when Moretsuna is _still_ able to influence him, despite being dead?"

"You can't save everyone," she told me gently. "Sometimes, they need to save themselves. Just make sure he knows that you're there for him if he ever wants to come around. It's got to be his choice, or he's never going to go for it."

"I know," I said, glancing over to Yakuin, who was also confined to desk work, though for a different reason than I was. He wasn't here because of a disappearance, and was instead being punished for joining in on EVOLVE's gimmicks. He wasn't trusted to be out there defending the city and all of its inhabitants. He wanted all of the digital ones dead, after all. They were hoping to bring him around, the same as I was. But he wasn't really putting in any effort. Sooner or later, they'd have to come to a decision. They would need to decide whether it was worth keeping him around or not.

I hoped he got his head in the game before they made their decision, because he wasn't going to make the cut in his current mindset.

Yakuin was attacking the stapler that wouldn't relinquish his paperwork when he looked up to the door with intrigue. I was anxious about just what was causing him so much pleasure. I followed his gaze and saw Sora standing there with an officer on either side. I got to my feet immediately. The officers sat her in a chair, and stepped back to give her the illusion of privacy, but everyone—Sora included—could tell that they were on their guard.

What was she doing here though?

She caught my eye, and pleaded with her eyes for me to explain what was going on. I couldn't. I didn't understand myself. I made a quick decision to grab a glass of water and bring it to her. The officers were watching my every move, but I couldn't help it. I needed to get to the bottom of this.

"What's going on?" Sora asked as carefully as she could. She wasn't moving her lips much, so the others wouldn't know we were talking. She was kind enough not to want me to be accused of conspiring with a felon. "I can't be arrested for this. I didn't _do_ it. You know that. _I_ know that. There _has_ to be proof of it."

"I don't know," I murmured.

Yakuin cleared his throat rather noisily, pointedly calling for my attention. I looked to him, and he raised his eyebrow conspiratorially. I suppressed a groan. He would rat me out if I stuck around to talk to Sora more. I understood the situation a little better now, at least. She was being arrested for killing Moretsuna even though she had no part in it whatsoever.

And she was right.

There _had_ to be proof of it somewhere.

"I'll see what I can do," I whispered as I walked away, leaving Sora alone to face whatever so called justice my police force wanted to inflict upon her. She was acting brave, but her eyes were watering, and her lip was quivering. She was scared, and I didn't know how exactly I was going to be able to help her. But I _would_. I would not leave her here on her own. She was doing us all a great service, taking the blame like this. I would make it up to her by helping to get her _out_ of this mess.

I headed directly towards Kimi again, feeling Yakuin's eyes on me, following my every move. I didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning like the cat that got the canary. He was _too_ smug, I thought, to be entirely innocent. I didn't know if he had something to do with Sora's arrest, or if he had some _other_ plan in the works, but I didn't like it. The idea settled uneasily in my stomach.

Yakuin was still watching me when I reached Kimi, so I walked passed her. I sat at the nearest desk, and stared at the screen. It wouldn't take much effort to enter my own password, but my password wouldn't give me access to what I needed. I needed to get into Moretsuna's personal files.

Unfortunately, unlike Koushiro, Willis or Kiyoko, or even Miyako, I didn't actually know how to go about _doing_ that.

I sat there, staring at the computer screen, trying to think up a password that Moretsuna was likely to have used—while pretending to be working, so no one would get suspicious about why I was just sitting there. I was wondering whether he would have been dumb enough to simply use: EVOLVE as a password when Kimi stopped by my desk once more.

"You gonna tell me what that was all about?" she hissed.

"It was nothing," I lied, pretending to be typing away on a report. She rolled her eyes and looked pointedly at the login screen.

"I have eyes," she reminded me.

"I can't get in," I told her. She looked at me skeptically, and I knew I wouldn't be able to lie to her _and_ pull this off. "Fine," I sighed. She looked pleased. "I need into Moretsuna's files." She looked worried almost immediately. "I know," I said quickly. "I could lose my job, asking you to help would be asking you to potentially lose yours as well. I know that. But I also know that Sora did _not_ kill him. I was there when it happened, but I can't prove it."

"You were there," she said softly. "Of _course_ you were. That makes perfect sense. Okay. She didn't do it?" I shook my head. "And you know who did." I nodded. "But you're not going to share."

"No," I said. "There were extenuating circumstances. He was trying to kill a pregnant woman. He'd lost his mind. I can't prove it, because _that_ would make this too easy. EVOLVE isn't going down without a fight. I'm going to fight back. The first step of that, is finding a way to prove that Sora and Moretsuna weren't in the same place during his speculated time of death."

"But you know the _real_ time of death," she pointed out.

"I don't have _proof_ though," I sighed. "There isn't even a body to prove that he died at all."

"Fine," she said, making a big show about rolling her eyes. "Move over. I'll fix it. I can't understand how you can mess this up so often. It's just a simple login. You've got a daughter now, right? So use her birth date as the password or something. Find something easy to remember."

She scooted me over and her fingers started flying over the keyboard. She kept up the charade though, of fixing my computer for me. She sighed when she finished and made a show of cracking her knuckles.

"Seriously, I'd think about picking an easier password to remember," she offered, before she headed back to the front desk. She was too good to look back towards me. She wouldn't show any signs of her actions, and I didn't want her to. Yakuin was still watching me, after all. He didn't look suspicious though.

I got closer to the screen and started sifting through the information I found there. He was still logged into his email account. I wondered if _he_ had problems with remembering his passwords, but shrugged it off. He was logged in, and that was all that mattered. I wouldn't have been able to hack in if he wasn't.

It looked like Director Arnold was the recipient of Moretsuna's final emails. There was quite the collection of them. I was tempted to print them off, in order to have hard proof of their involvement with one another, but stayed strong and didn't give in to that urge. I couldn't risk someone else getting the pages first. I didn't want any questions before I had answers to give in return.

I couldn't help but skim through the messages though, even if I couldn't print them. They didn't exactly tell me anything I didn't already know though. The two of them were working together in order to eradicate all digital life. It wasn't anything new or surprising, so I started to scroll further down his email list. There had to be someone _other_ than Arnold that he talked with.

My eyes lit up when they came across a different name: Chiryo.

I racked my brain, knowing that I'd heard that name somewhere before, but I couldn't place it. I started reading the email and was surprised to note that Kurayami's name was mentioned.

 _Sakana,_

 _I must request quite fervently that you not utter a single word of what you encountered in Mrs Kurayami Motomiya's file. It was not yours for the viewing, and as I allowed your eyes to view her progress during a moment of vulnerability, I must express upon you that my employment depends on your ability to hold fast to secrets._

 _If at all possible, please think of my potential unemployment before sharing what you've learned._

 _Dr Chiryo_

 _PS I would like to say thank you in advance, hoping that I'm not being pre-emptive and that you will agree to my simple request._

I pursed my lips. What did Moretsuna need with Kurayami's files? And did this Dr Chiryo _really_ think he was going to get away with revealing personal information about his clients—and if he _wanted_ to, why would he send an email? He had no way of knowing whether Moretsuna was going to delete it or not. Didn't he know that once something was on the internet it was up there forever?

Well, unless it was hit with EVOLVE's virus, but that was beside the point.

A quick search on the internet provided me with an address and telephone number for Dr Chiryo. After I found that, I logged out of Moretsuna's desktop, and quickly logged into my own. I pulled out my daily planner, and penciled in a visit to Dr Chiryo for some point during the coming week.

"Dr Chiryo?"

I jumped back in shock, and nearly smacked my head against Yakuin's. I didn't know what he was doing suddenly being in my personal space like that, but I didn't like it. I was also really glad I'd signed into my own account. It was far less suspicious that way.

"What do you need to go to him for?" Yakuin asked. I got the feeling that he knew who this doctor was. I wondered whether Moretsuna mentioned him at some point, or if it was simply a coincidence. I couldn't allow my mind to jump to every possible conclusion. Sometimes while unraveling a mystery, there were red herrings. I couldn't let myself latch onto such false leads. I didn't have time to back track. Not when Sora was counting on me to help fix things for her.

"He's a therapist," I told him. He nodded, because he knew this, though I still didn't know _how_. "My daughter was born early, I'm not handling her arrival as well as I should be. I was wondering if he'd be any help to me. I'm no help to Miyako if I'm freaking out all the time. I just need someone I can vent to."

"I'll be watching you," Yakuin said, as though my explanation wasn't air tight.

"You do that," I said awkwardly, letting him think he was making me uncomfortable, when in reality, he was just making me more determined to get to the bottom of things. I _needed_ to know exactly what he had to do with everything—and why Sora was the one that was targeted.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Jun's wedding is fast approaching and Cody has some serious work to do in order to help Sora out in her desperate times.


	13. Making A Plan

**Y/N:** Iori is one of my absolute favourites. I don't know how many times I've said that, but it's probably a _lot_. I love him though. He's easy to write, and Jun's always fun as well-and she's here too.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 13: Making A Plan**

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

I didn't even know what I was looking for. I knew my reasoning, my motivation. I was searching the house top to bottom trying to find proof, some documentation somewhere, that could prove that Sora wasn't guilty in the slightest. The only issue with that goal, was that there weren't any specifics. I couldn't find a picture that happened to place Sora somewhere else at the time of Moretsuna's death. I couldn't find a piece of paper that declared her innocent.

There was nothing to find.

Everything digital about Moretsuna was gone, including the murder weapon—which made the accusations so outlandish and baffling. We knew he hadn't been killed by Sora.

So why did the police seem to think he was?

My mind was whirling on a constant loop. The only solid and consistent thought running through my brain was that I had to help Sora. She was innocent, and it was my job to make sure she wasn't taking the fall for someone else.

But that's exactly what she'd wanted to do in the first place.

She had knowingly covered up Kurayami's involvement in order to ensure that Haruki had his mother with him always. She voluntarily took the suspicion off of our mutual friend, and placed it solely on her own shoulders. It was inevitable that the police would eventually catch on to the fact that the digidestined were involved in some way. Ken had made it plenty clear that there were still several corrupted officers in his district alone—I didn't like to think of how many were in all of Japan, or Asia, or the world.

There were still so many people that still held digimon in contempt. Hatred still ran rampant in the streets. We had so many allies now, but it only took a few to hold back progress. The few that remained solidly in EVOLVE's corner were enough to ensure the danger the digimon still faced when they walked the streets openly with their partners. Those few were enough to keep the public muddled. The general populace couldn't seem to make up their minds whether they thought digimon were good, or bad, or safe, or dangerous. They didn't _know_. They followed the media with a sheep like mentality. When EVOLVE was in control, their view was law, but now that EVOLVE had to contend with RISE, the people were confused. Was _RISE_ corrupted the way EVOLVE was? They didn't know, and they didn't want to fall into the same trap as before. They didn't know who to trust. They didn't know who to believe. And they wanted someone to blame for everything—because Arnold wasn't _enough_.

And the digidestined—the collected crest bearers that publicly saved the world from Yggdrasil in a wide-spread, popular documentary that Katsue produced—were always going to be the scapegoats. We were the most publicly associated with digimon. We'd been associated with them for years. Katsue's documentary broadcasted the relationships we shared with our partners, and expressed our digimon's severe importance in our lives. We were the biggest supporters for digimon. We were more widely known than RISE, which was just a growing concept compared to the _years_ we'd spent barracking for the digimon.

But we had a negative stigma attached to us, thanks to EVOVLE's manipulations. Yamato was the "Digital Man" and had become public enemy number one. The population spent so long fearing him, searching for him, and resenting him, that they weren't opening their arms so welcomingly to him now that the truth had been brought to light. They _should_ feel regret for their actions and feelings against a strong do-gooder like Yamato, but instead, they cover up their shame with indifference.

The same could be said for Sora, except it was actually worse for her. She'd accosted a police officer's daughter, and had been arrested for it. That was common knowledge by this point, even if the proper paperwork had never been filed, and technically she couldn't be held for anything because of it. The public _knew_ that she harassed the child of an officer of the law, in front of said officer. No one could be sure of Sora because of it. She escaped prison, and was part of the digidestined who brought Arnold to justice. She saved Arnold's life—though the public didn't know of it—even though she hated him more than she hated _anyone_. She still saved his life, because life is precious to her, and public had no clue of that. They didn't know any of the good qualities that created Sora. They only clung to the bad—she was arrested, she fled prison, she was a wanted fugitive of the law, she _killed the police chief._

The accusations that Sora was the one to get rid of Moretsuna weren't so out of left field to the public.

But to me it was, because Sora couldn't have done it. I knew she hadn't done it. I knew exactly _why_ she hadn't done it, but I had nothing to prove any of it.

So I was searching Sora's house, hoping for something, _anything_ that could prove to me where Sora had been during the time of the "murder" and something that could throw the suspicion off of her, _without_ putting it onto Kurayami instead. It was proving impossible, however, to prove that Sora had been taken from the place of her initial arrest to an EVOLVE facility, where she was held under lock and key at Arnold's request during the time of Moretsuna's death.

It was proving entirely impossible to decide _when_ that death occurred.

There was nothing to specify the exact time or location. It happened in the Digital World. Any trace of him, all records of his existence there, was erased along with his body and the murder weapon in the wake of the virus.

"Have you found _anything_?"

I turned to Professor Horitsu, who was standing in the doorway. He hadn't felt comfortable searching Sora's bedroom, and had left that task to me while he looked through the living room. Armadillomon was searching through Biyomon's room, and Gatomon had come along with us too, so we had her looking through Sora's workshop. She'd been lost in the fabric for hours.

"There's nothing _to_ find," I said bitterly. "This is pointless. We're wasting time looking for an imaginary needle in a haystack. There _isn't_ anything here that can prove her innocence. She wasn't allowed to _be_ here. She was in hiding right after Moretsuna's death. She was in the restaurant. We should be searching _there_ if we're going to search anywhere, but I doubt it will help any."

"We'll have to come up with another option," Horitsu said thoughtfully. "Come, we'll have tea and discuss it."

We called for Gatomon and Armadillomon to join us, and we headed down the stairs until we reached the first level of the house. I found it odd, that he was willing to use Sora's kettle and tea bags, but wasn't willing to step foot in her bedroom. I hadn't felt exactly _comfortable_ looking through Sora's private belongings, but I knew I would have felt the same anywhere in the house. I didn't enjoy the idea that this was necessary. Sora had nothing to hide.

Biyomon was seated at the dining table, looking to the hard wooden tabletop with fiery eyes. Agumon was standing on her left, patting her back in a way that didn't look particularly comfortable, but he seemed to think he was being reassuring, and Biyomon wasn't telling him any differently. Palmon was in the kitchen, pouring milk into bowls of oatmeal that she'd thrown together from scratch—cooking with Mimi must've started paying off, because it smelled delicious—and proceeded to use her poison ivy to put the finished bowls on the table. Agumon left Biyomon's side at the sight of his food, and slipped into a chair across from Tentomon. Tentomon looked exasperated by this point, and I could only imagine what they were talking about in order to get him into that state. Labramon was nodding his head eagerly and shaking his head enthusiastically depending on the response Biyomon required. Armadillomon and Gatomon gravitated their way upon entering the kitchen.

It was so nice to see the digimon rallying around one of their own in such a trying time. I wasn't sure they really understood what was happening—except perhaps Tentomon. I knew Aradillomon hadn't understood. Gatomon seemed to get the seriousness of the matter, if nothing else. But they agreed to come with me when I said it could help Sora. They all wanted Sora back. She hadn't exactly been gone _long_ , but it was too long for any of them—for any of _us_.

"She's in a cage," Biyomon said conspiratorially.

"No," Palmon gasped. "That's so mean. Why is she in a cage?"

"I don't know," Biyomon said ominously, listlessly playing with her oatmeal. "But she'll be trapped there forever if we don't help her get out."

"We won't _let_ her be stuck forever," Agumon said firmly. Labramon nodded his head rapidly in response. Biyomon looked up from the table to look fondly at her collected friends.

"It means so much to me that you're all here," Biyomon said. "I really like it when my friends come to visit. Sora says that you can visit whenever you want to, but I never want to ask, just in case you feel like you _have_ to come, just because I want you to. That wouldn't be fun for you."

"You're rambling, Biyomon," Gatomon pointed out.

"You're right, I am," Biyomon said with a sigh. "It's just that the idea of Sora being behind bars really makes me upset, and when I'm upset, or happy, or nervous, or bored, I just start talking uncontrollably. I can't help it."

"What are we going to do about it, though?" Armadillomon wanted to know. "How can we help her?"

"I know _exactly_ what I'm going to do," Biyomon said proudly. "I'm going to go super ultimate, and then I'm going to fly right up to that cage and I'm going to break it open. Sora's always saving _me_ from cages. It's about time I returned the favour, don't you think? Besides, the bars can't be strong enough to withstand my power. Sora will be so happy with me."

"Please don't do that," I said, wincing at the very idea.

"What do you mean?" Armadillomon asked. "Won't that help Sora get free?"

"It'll just make everyone hate digimon again," I sighed. "Sora was arrested. That means the police want to keep her for questioning, until a judge can tell them that she's guilty, and then they'll put her into a permanent prison for twenty or more years. Since Moretsuna was a police chief, chances are she'll be there for as long as they can possibly keep her."

"I'll never see Sora again?" Biyomon gasped. "Nope. I have to go get her right now. You're not helping one little bit. She doesn't want to be in a cage. She's a free spirit; she's a bird that needs to fly free, just like me. She can't survive in a cage. She needs me. I'm going to get her."

"You'll make it worse," Horitsu confessed to Biyomon. She collapsed into her chair. Agumon abandoned his oatmeal and hopped down to pat her back again. "We must use the law to our advantage. If you break her out of prison, you'll be hunted down as well as Sora. It will make her look guilty. It will give EVOLVE everything they need to take her away from you forever. You don't want that, do you?"

"No," Biyomon said, crying. "But I want Sora back. I miss Sora!"

"We'll get her back," I told Biyomon, hoping against all hope that I wasn't lying to her. I wanted to believe that we could get justice for her. She wasn't guilty. The law had to work in our favour. They couldn't pin something on her when she wasn't guilty in the slightest. We wouldn't let them.

"The only problem now, is that we don't have proof that she's innocent," Horitsu explained to Biyomon. "Without proof, we can't get her off."

"She didn't do it," Biyomon said firmly. "They can't keep her. She didn't do it. They can't have proof that she _did_ , because she didn't."

"Unfortunately, the police seem to think they _do_ have proof of her guilt, though we have yet to learn what exactly it is that they think they have found," Horitsu said. "That's why we're looking for something to counter their claims. We haven't found anything of use just yet. Iori, I want you to convince _me_ that she didn't do it."

"But you _know_ she didn't do it," Biyomon cried. "I just _told_ you."

"If he can't convince _me_ , then he won't be able to convince _anyone_ ," Horitsu explained. "Now, Iori, explain to me just _how_ she couldn't do it. Give me your arguments, and we'll start there."

"I _know_ she didn't do it," I told him, not enjoying this little exercise of his. I wasn't in his class anymore. I was still waiting for my test results, but I _had_ finished my schooling. I didn't need to do speculation work with him watching on as if I was still his student. It felt like he was looking down on me, like I was a child in need of his guidance. I _did_ need his assistance, but I wasn't that desperate little freshman anymore that craved Horitsu's praise. I _knew_ when I had a good argument now, without his help—just like I knew when my arguments were weak and useless.

It didn't help that I was frustrated beyond measure by that point.

"Sora wasn't _in_ the Digital World at the time Moretsuna was killed. EVOLVE had separated Earth and the Digital World by that point, and Sora was caught on Earth's side of that barrier. Therefore she could not possibly be the killer they're looking for. Additionally, his own gun killed him, using a concentrated dose of the virus that EVOLVE inflicted on the Digital World. There's no way to _prove_ that, because there isn't a body. Similarly, due to the location of his demise, there are no digital records of his existence. Only documents that weren't digital, or were already downloaded to personal computers remain of him. If we could _prove_ that he existed digitally at all, they might be able to make a case against Sora, but we _can't_ prove he existed, because he was hit with the virus. So how is it, then, that there's a case against Sora at all? Who is charging her, and what is going on?"

"There is always paper documentation," Horitsu reminded me. "They could be relying solely on that."

"But that doesn't make any sense, because he died in the Digital World. Any documentation that they _could_ use, wouldn't have been on Earth, and once it's in the Digital World, it becomes digital in and of itself, which means it wouldn't exist anymore. Moretsuna was in the Digital World for a while _before_ the worlds were separated as well. Chances are he didn't have any current documentation of his own on Earth," I argued.

"But he was working with EVOLVE, and they most likely kept their records up to date," Horitsu pointed out.

"Yet there is no mention whatsoever in this case of his involvement with EVOLVE. If they're getting their evidence from EVOLVE, then their evidence is spotty at best, what with the controversy surrounding the organization. They wouldn't want to make that gamble. Not unless the judge we'll be working with has ties to EVOLVE as well," I sighed. "They wouldn't take the chance otherwise."

"Unless their evidence is from an independent party, rather than the organization as a whole," Tentomon intervened. I was surprised for a second, that any of the digimon were keeping up with us, before realizing it was _Tentomon_. Of _course_ he was keeping up. He understood our world, nature and laws far better than most of the digidestined understood the Digital World. Other than Tentomon though, the digimon were shifting their increasingly confused gazes between Horitsu and myself as I tried to convince him of what he already knew. Biyomon in particular was growing more and more upset as her confusion increased.

"True," Horitsu said. "Iori, your rebuttal if you please?"

"There's video footage on the internet of Sora during the time of Moretsuna's death," I said. "She's on Earth, which effectively separates them."

"But is there proof on the internet that Moretsuna was in the Digital World at all?" Tentomon countered.

"Do you _want_ Sora to lose?" Biyomon cried, looking to her best friend with teary eyes.

"I want his argument to be air tight," Tentomon countered, looking upset that he had made Biyomon even more fragile emotionally.

"No, we don't," I told him. "We also don't have proof of _when_ he died either. But we _know_ when he died. Sora wasn't anywhere near him. She was pressing the button that released the virus at the time."

Horitsu winced. "That's an argument we'll try to keep to ourselves. It really doesn't do anything for the image we're trying to project of Sora."

"She was _forced_ though, by Arnold," Gatomon countered.

"But that won't be the part the jury focuses on," Horitsu said. "The powerful aspect of that sentence is that it was _Sora_ that released the virus. That makes her sound like the villain."

"She's the hero though," Armadillomon said sadly. "The law is hard."

"Law is easy," I countered. "It's the other lawyers that are trying to use the law to their advantage that provide difficulty. If we were able to just present our story to the judge without someone opposing us, then it wouldn't be so difficult, but while we're trying to prove that she _didn't_ do it, the others will be trying to convince the judge that she did. And at this point, their arguments are going to be a hell of a lot more convincing."

"You're right," Horitsu told me. "You haven't convinced me that it wasn't Sora at all."

"It wasn't," Biyomon cried out. "She really didn't!" Agumon was patting her back quicker now, and Palmon jumped off her chair to pull Biyomon into a hug. Gatomon glared at Horitsu for upsetting Biyomon more than she already was. Labramon rested his head on the tabletop and let out a whine. Armadillomon looked ready to burst into tears of his own. Tentomon kept a level head though, as he always did. I wondered momentarily why Koushiro wasn't here with his partner. Sora was his best friend. Why wasn't he here helping to get her off of the charges against her.

And then I remembered how unreliable he'd been lately, and though it was probably a blessing in disguise that he hadn't showed his face.

"What makes you so sure that Sora _didn't_ do it?" Horitsu asked, when I didn't provide a response. He was demanding answers from me, and I was starting to feel the pressure. I was glad this was simply preparation for the trial. I didn't want to face off against Horitsu. He knew exactly how to get me riled up, and off my game.

"I know who _did_ do it," I snapped.

"Lead with that then," Horitsu said, a smile blossoming on his face. "That would be enough to stop any lawyer in their tracks. You could catch them off guard and get the jury and judge thinking. Then they would need to put a pause on the trial in order to investigate your claims."

"I can't do that," I said firmly. "Sora won't let me—and I don't want to either."

I would not do that to Kurayami. Sora made this sacrifice _for_ her. I wouldn't allow Sora's trauma to be for nothing. She was going through hell right now for the sake of Haruki, and I would not do anything to jeopardize the future of that little boy. I couldn't. Sora wouldn't let me anyway. If I tried to accuse Kurayami in the middle of a trial, Sora would jump to her feet and confess to the crime, and take the blame _just_ to keep Kurayami out of prison.

"I want to tell them, Iori. It's _my_ choice."

I startled, and turned around. Kurayami was holding Haruki on her hip, and had a bottle in her hand. I guessed it was lunchtime for the little guy. Labramon growled at Kurayami's idea, and Biyomon just cried harder—prompting Armadillomon to let go of his restraints and he cried with her.

"No," I said bluntly. "That's not an option."

"It's _my_ choice," Kurayami argued.

"No," Biyomon sobbed. "Sora doesn't want that."

"But it will _help_ her," Kurayami said. "I want to help her. It's not fair that she's being targeted like this. She shouldn't be. I can _help_. It's my fault. I need to do something."

"You need to stay hidden, and keep your son safe," I countered.

"Haruki needs you," Labramon agreed. "Sora knows that. Sora wants you to be with him. Don't let her sacrifice be in vain. You stay with your son."

"Biyomon needs Sora too," Kurayami pointed out. "And so does everyone else. Sora is like the glue that keeps the digidestined together. Something's going on with Koushiro, but Sora's the only one that can help. Taichi needs her to hold himself together. Takeru and Hikari look up to her. They wouldn't know what to do without her. Without Sora, the digidestined fall apart."

"Without you, we'll fall apart anyway," Agumon said solemnly. Kurayami looked to him, confused. I was happy with his argument. She didn't see herself as important in the grand scheme of things, but Agumon—who she rarely had any contact with at all—could see it. "The digidestined are a delicate machine. We cannot function without all the pieces working together. We're already so fragile Kurayami. Don't break us anymore."

"By confessing, all you'd accomplish is losing us a digidestined," Tentomon agreed. "With Sora in the stands, there's a chance we can win. She _didn't_ do it. It's simply a matter of proving that. But with you there, there's nothing we could argue. You'd go away forever, away from Labramon, away from Haruki, away from Daisuke and Veemon. Sora has a better chance than you."

"But I only did it because he was killing Miyako," Kurayami countered. "That's defense. They can't fault me for that. He was going to kill a pregnant woman. If that doesn't get the sympathy of a jury, I don't know what will."

"We could build a case on that," I said suddenly. "If Sora admits to killing him, we could build a case against Moretsuna, and turn him into the perpetrator, rather than the victim. He tried to kill Miyako. She suffered a dangerously early labor, and her daughter's life is still in the balance. That wasn't _his_ fault, but since we can't pinpoint an exact _time_ for his death, I find it safe to assume that our opposition can't either."

"Except the worlds were separated," Kurayami pointed out. "There's no way Sora could have done it."

"Again, there's no _proof_ that he was in the Digital World at all," Tentomon countered.

"But there's proof that Miyako _was_ ," I murmured. "Isn't there? She was in the Dark Ocean with me. I'm witness that she was there."

"Were there any witnesses to the death itself?" Horitsu pondered.

"Yes," Kurayami said. "There were three."

"I'm not sure if it's safe for them to testify," I sighed. "Miyako was the victim, but they could probably turn it against her as well, since she's seen so often in the videos that Sora stars in. I'm sure we could convince the jury that Moretsuna was targeting Miyako, because that's the light the videos see to shine on the situation, but we don't have any motivation on his part. Miyako is with Sora in all of them, the opposition could sway the judge and jury into thinking Miyako and Sora were in cahoots, and that Moretsuna was the brave officer that tried to bring them to justice."

"Ken's job would be in the balance as well," Kurayami agreed, biting her lip. "And I don't want any of this mess to fall onto Takeru either."

"But we know that Sora didn't do it," Biyomon said firmly.

"And we know that Moretsuna died in order to protect a fetus," Tentomon concluded.

"Okay," Horitsu said. "You've convinced me that she's innocent."

"You're just taking our word though," I argued. "We have no proof."

"Your word is good enough for _me_ ," Horitsu agreed. "We just need a way to back it up. We need to fit the pieces together, in order to shine the right light on the situation."

"That's easier said than done," I sighed.

"Very true," Horitsu agreed.

A loud and obnoxious knocking at the door made Haruki burst into tears; Kurayami bounced him, trying to calm him down. Biyomon got to her feet, wiping her eyes with her feathery hands and headed to the door. I followed after her instinctually. There was something ominous about the knocking. I didn't like the feeling I got from it. It wasn't friendly.

"Hello!" Biyomon said, mustering up as much enthusiasm as she could manage, trying to hide her tears. A man walked through the door wearing a police uniform, knocking Biyomon off her feet as he pushed her aside.

"Watch it," I growled at him.

"I have a warrant," he said with a smirk.

"A warrant doesn't give you the right to attack people," I told him angrily.

"That _thing_ isn't a person," he said with a disgusted wrinkling of his nose.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"Officer Yakuin," he said proudly. "I'm here to investigate the home of Sora Takenouchi. You don't look like her, so I have to ask what you think _you_ are doing here."

"He's visiting _me_ ," Kurayami said boldly, appearing behind me. I noticed that she didn't have Haruki anymore. She must've passed him off to someone in the kitchen, to keep him from being exposed to such a horrible man. "It's _my_ home too. Look around if you have to, just know that I'll be here every step of the way, and I'll alert your superiors if you do anything out of order, starting with your treatment of one of the residents here."

"That thing has _no_ rights," Yakuin sneered.

"We'll let your interim chief be the judge of that," I told him, smirking at Kurayami's idea.

"Get out of my way," Yakuin growled. "I have work to do."

"And we'll let you do it," Horitsu said, stepping into the open. "Just know that I've been studying the law for forty years, and I'll know the _moment_ you do something you _can't_."

Yakuin wasn't happy with this idea at all. He was _angry_ that we knew the law and were going to make sure he was going to follow it. I was also sure that his interim chief _supported_ digimon—based on what Ken had said—and wasn't going to be pleased with Yakuin's treatment of Biyomon.

I knew we wouldn't be finding proof to support our claims for awhile yet, but somehow, it seemed like enough to ensure that Yakuin—a known EVOLVE supporter—wasn't going to make things worse for us. I helped Biyomon to her feet, and sent her into the kitchen, where I caught sight of Haruki in Agumon's arms. Agumon looked terrified, but Haruki was laughing.

"Shall we begin?" I asked Yakuin. The angry huff I got in response was oddly satisfying.

 _ **Jun Motomiya:**_

"And _this_ is where I'm hoping to have the banquet tables," I announced, holding my arms out wide, dramatically displaying the wide open area. "I think I can fit enough tables in this area so that the other half of the room can be used only for the dancing. I might even be able to get buffet tables in here too. I'm not sure yet, because I haven't done the math, and it's a bit difficult to _properly_ estimate…"

"I'm sure it will be perfect Jun," Kurayami said encouragingly. She was always so supportive. I wasn't sure at this point whether it was genuine anymore, or if it was just to keep me happy, but I didn't really care what her reasoning was. I just wanted the support, and she was pretty much my only steady supply these days.

"What _time_ is the wedding?" Momoe asked.

"Five o'clock," I answered promptly.

"Isn't the _sunlight_ going to be fading at that time?" she wanted to know. "It sounds to me like that's what you're depending on to light up the room during the ceremony. The candles will be nice for the reception, but really, the sun is what's going to make or break this event."

I narrowed my eyes at her, contemplating how genuine she was being. It was fifty-fifty with Momoe. She was my best friend, and would continue to _be_ my best friend no matter _what_ happened during my wedding, but she also didn't want my wedding to be better than hers. I didn't know if she was trying to psych me out, or if she was actually concerned about the lighting.

She opened her eyes wide, a bit _too_ innocently for me to take her seriously. I shook my head. "I think it'll be fine. I was kind of _hoping_ for the golden light of a setting sun to help accentuate the happy glow I'm bound to be sporting. It's my _wedding_. I've only been waiting for this _forever_. I'm thrilled, and Shuu and I will get to watch the sunset right after we say our vows. It'll be _so_ romantic. Won't it Shuu?"

"What?" Shuu asked. He was across the room from Kurayami, Momoe and I. He was with his brothers, and mine. Tafu was also there with them. None of the boys—or Tafu—were particularly thrilled with my step by step tour, and had taken to entertaining the children while talking amongst themselves, ignoring anything to do with weddings. Since we were _meant_ to be planning the wedding together, I found it quite irritating, but there wasn't much I could do.

I also wasn't too sure about Tafu yet. I'd only met her recently. She was part of a secret fight club and fought men twice her size on the regular. I didn't want to get on her bad side, but I also didn't want to put her on the spot. She and Shin were dating. Shin was glowing, he was that excited to have her here with him. He was so proud of his girlfriend, and looked more at ease than I'd ever seen him. With her, he wasn't afraid of having an opinion of his own. She encouraged it. She didn't like it when they _always_ agreed. She liked variety. She liked debating. She liked watching him share his opinions about digimon with large crowds of strangers, and spread the concept of love and forgiveness across the land with the organization he'd built up from the ground.

She was just as proud of him as he was of her.

They complimented each other quite well. She pulled him out of his shell, and he reined her in. She was wild, and opinionated. She was picky and weddings weren't to her taste—or at least _mine_ wasn't—but she came anyway, because he'd wanted her to. She wanted to meet his family.

They were _serious_.

Shuu was thrilled that Shin had finally found someone that made him be the man Shuu always knew him to be. Even Isao liked her—which I was frankly quite jealous about, because I was pretty sure he referred to me as a porcupine when my back was turned. She was a good fit to the family. She didn't _complete_ it, but she added to it. Eri, Cho and Kazue still needed to find their special someones before the family was completed, but I had every hope that it would happen someday.

For now, Tafu was enough. She was fun, and different, and just as loud as I was sometimes, even if she didn't get excited about the same things. She was so different from her sister, Amai too. I'd seen more of Amai than of Tafu, but I was hoping to change that. I liked Amai, but I had a real feeling that Tafu would be _family_ one day. She would too, if the way Shin's eyes sparkled when she laughed was any indication.

"Our wedding's going to be romantic," I prompted him.

"Yeah, of course," he said, as if it was obvious—and it was. He was so cute, trying to be cool in front of his brother's new girlfriend.

"Romance is overrated," Tafu said, scrunching up her nose. "I don't want flowers and ribbons, and lace. None of that is necessary. They don't make love any realer. Love is love, and it's just something you feel, you know?"

"Yeah," Shuu agreed quickly. "I get that."

"Do you now?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"In general," he said defensively. "With you, the sky is the limit, but that's just because I love you _so_ much that it bubbled over and became a physical representation. I can't keep the emotion to myself anymore. I _need_ to share it with you in the form of chocolates, flowers and jewellery."

"That would be nice," Momoe said with a sigh.

"I _get_ her flowers," Jou hissed to Shin, who laughed at him. "I get chocolate all the time too. It's not _my_ fault that Emiko eats it. She doesn't _hide_ it well enough."

"I don't think the items themselves are what's important," Kurayami murmured. I noticed Daisuke was looking embarrassed, and I knew he didn't have the money for those types of things at the moment, but he didn't need to be embarrassed about it. They'd all gone through a difficult time when EVOLVE was targeting their dreams. His was just a little harder hit than some of the others. His livelihood was entirely destroyed. But he was getting back on his feet. They were making strides back towards a better life. "I think it's the thought _behind_ it that really matters. It's why homemade valentine's day cards are the best. You really know that your valentine loves you when he takes the time to _make_ something to express his love."

"And _I_ think that we're here to discuss my wedding, and not compete over who's guy gives them the best gifts," I decided. "Shuu, where do you think we should stand when we exchange our vows?"

"Uhh…" he said awkwardly, looking around the big, empty room desperate to find _somewhere_ that might appease me. I was testing him. There was only _one_ place that would draw focus. It was _really_ hard to miss too. Tafu and Shin snickered as the time ticked on. Shuu really didn't want to pick the wrong spot. He looked to me, hoping I'd give him the answer. I smiled sweetly at him, enjoying the atmosphere. Emiko started giggling because her uncle was laughing, which caused Daisuke and Momoe to start up. Kurayami was able to hold it together until Haruki joined in, and by then even _Jou_ lost it.

"Well?" I asked, failing to suppress a burst of giggles of my own.

"In front of ShogunGekomon's throne?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sounds perfect," I told him, grinning because he'd picked the same spot as me, even without any hints. We were definitely meant to be. I leaned over and kissed him. Tafu and Daisuke started 'gagging' at the sight of it.

"Get a room," Tafu joked.

"Seriously dude, that's my sister," Daisuke whined, teasingly. "I don't want to see that."

"Then you really don't want to see _this_ ," Shuu said with a quick grin. He put his hand on my waist and dipped me down quite far—I was almost touching the floor—and all the while he was kissing me, loud and comedic.

"You're right," Daisuke said. "I don't want to see that. Cover your eyes Haruki. You're too young! Emiko, avert your eyes."

"You're silly," Emiko said, giggling away.

"Who, me?" Daisuke asked, as Shuu pulled me to my feet again. I kissed his lips again, not embarrassed in the slightest by his behaviour. I had very little shame. I didn't really _care_ what people thought of me. I didn't know if I ever did. My behaviour at the early Teenage Wolves' concerts—and my crush on Yamato in particular—was truly something to see. I'd been like that for as long as I could remember. I might not chase after rock stars anymore, and I might've tamed my wildness a bit, but shame was still something I didn't feel. It was actually kind of awesome. I was pretty sure it was a Motomiya trait, because Daisuke and Dad both shared it, but Mom didn't. Well….Dad _used_ to, before he got all uptight after receiving a promotion ages ago. He used to be more like Daisuke, he used to be fun, and the life of the party. Now he was he was a stuck up stick in the mud that didn't know the meaning of loyalty or family.

But I still loved him.

"Yes you," Emiko said. "You're silly."

"Just call me Sergeant Silly-Pants," Daisuke told her. She burst into peals of laughter once again, falling to the floor because she forgot to breathe—and that made her laugh _harder_. It was nice to see her in such a good mood. Having Momoe back in her life really made all the difference. No matter how much work Jou put in, or how much time Emiko spent with Shuu, Isao, Aimi or I, we couldn't fill the gap that Momoe had left behind. Now that we were free of the Coliseum, free to have Momoe with us again, I was able to realize the difference in _me_ that Momoe made. I'd known she was safe, but I hadn't known how dependent I was on Momoe's company until it wasn't available for me.

"Hello Sergeant Silly-Pants," Emiko giggled, when she finally caught her breath.

"Hello to you too, Major Laughter," Daisuke joked lamely. Shuu, Momoe and Tafu groaned at his bad joke, but Shin laughed, which was enough for Emiko.

"What's Haruki's new name?" Emiko wanted to know.

"Captain Giggles," Daisuke decided. I noticed then, the worry that was evident in the lines on his forehead. He was trying harder than usual to keep everyone in lighter spirits. Jou wasn't paying attention though. I knew their minds were on the same thing. I also knew it was the reason that Kurayami was so quiet.

They were worried about Sora.

I was too. I was trying not to let it get the best of me, but I was definitely worried about the Digidestined of Love. She was going through an incredibly rough and unfair time, and it was hard to know there was nothing I could do to help her. There was nothing _most_ of us could do to help her. Iori and Ken were doing all they could, and Michael had done his part in paying for her temporary freedom. But it was out of our hands now.

But I kept hoping and praying, just in case that little effort could do _something_ , even if it just lifted her spirits.

"And _this_ is the throne room!" Otamamon announced, hopping his way through the arched doorway. He was acting as a tour guide, with Gekomon's help. The two had clung together since our arrival, and had taken the digimon on a tour when they had all gotten bored with _my_ planned activities.

For the most part, the collection of digimon that came wandering in after Otamamon _still_ looked bored. Meramon definitely was, and Monmon looked like someone had taken away any form of happiness. He was dragging his little monkey feet as he walked into the throne room. He perked up quite a bit at the sound of Emiko's laughter, and bounded towards her—leaving an anxious Bearmon to chase after him, trying to tame him, to no avail. Gomamon laughed, but made no move to follow.

Labramon was looking politely interested, in the same sort of way Kurayami always did. I couldn't tell if he was _really_ interested, or just didn't want to hurt Otamamon's feelings. I appreciated the effort, no matter his _true_ feelings. Veemon just looked exhausted. He'd been working a lot lately, providing food to digimon in need. It was satisfying work, despite the lack of paycheck, but he worked _long_ hours. I felt really bad for insisting he came, but I also knew that if I _didn't_ he would have been offended, and would have worried that I didn't like him. He was an odd duck, just like his partner—but I loved them both dearly anyway.

Shin's Jagamon was the only one that looked genuinely _excited_ about Otamamon's tour, and was busy asking quiet questions, much to Gekomon and Otamamon's pleasure. They took turns answering Jagamon's inquiries, and Jagamon just kept asking them for as long as Gekomon and Otamamon seemed excited. He was so much like Shin, in that he was eager to keep people happy and make them feel loved. It was really sweet.

Tafu's partner, Candlemon, was the last to come through the doorway. He was chatting away to a woman that they must have found on their tour. I'd never seen her before in my life, but Jou obviously had. The moment he caught sight of her, his eyes were glued to her. I might've been worried on Momoe's behalf if I didn't know how much he loved her.

" _Iruka_?" Jou asked, shocked. The woman looked up to him, and I saw surprise flit across her face, before she settled with a timid smile.

"Hi," she said awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were with Piximon."

"I _was_ ," she said. "But they let me go. You were right, you know. I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I know it's not worth _much_ , but it's all I've got. I'm sorry for everything I did. I'm sorry for trying to _stop_ you."

"But you didn't," Jou reminded her. "And it's because of you that Jun's alive right now. It's because of _you_ that the virus is dissipating. It'll soon be gone, and it's all because of your help. I think that's a solid first step, don't you think?"

"It doesn't feel like enough," she said. My mind was reeling though. This woman had worked with EVOLVE, and it was _her_ that gave Jou the antivirus that prevented me from following Noriko on the path to deletion. My heart was hammering, and I couldn't process it all. This woman held my life in her hands, and she actively made the decision to give Jou the antidote. She saved me, even though she was part of the DWD, part of EVOLVE. It was hard to handle the amount of gratitude I felt to her, and to reconcile it with the fear I still held deep in my bones for anyone that had ever held one of those virus guns. She didn't _look_ scary, but knowing that she'd been a part of _that_ , made me second guess myself.

"Thank you," Shuu said, when my words failed me. "You saved Jun, right?"

"I wasn't going to though," Iruka said, shaking her head, denying the thanks. "I wouldn't have if Jou wasn't holding such a scary spear, or if he didn't have a giant bear on his side."

"You didn't shoot Bearmon though," Momoe tried. "That's worth some thanks. It's worth _a lot_ , actually. He's my partner, and Jou's my husband, and you didn't hurt him either, and that means something to _me_ , even if you don't think it does."

"Thank you," Daisuke said. "Jun's my sister."

"I'm Jun," I said, my voice a quiet whisper.

"I'm sorry," Iruka told me. Her lips quivered as she looked to me. "I'm sorry I wasn't going to give it to him. I'm sorry I never thought about my actions. I'm sorry that I never thought about the digimon. I didn't think at all. I joined EVOLVE thinking I was making a difference—mostly because of my father—and I was, but I wasn't making the _right_ one. I don't deserve your thanks. I made my choices. I should have formed my own opinions instead of listening to…others. I didn't though. I _never_ did."

"You have now," Jou offered. "The digimon let you go. That means something. That means that you proved to them that they didn't need to fear you."

"I didn't have a weapon anymore," she protested. "They didn't _need_ to fear me. I wasn't going to hurt them, I couldn't. But I guess I didn't _want_ to either. You were right, like I said. They were nice to me, when I was nice to them. They let me out when the virus cleared. They helped me out. They gave me provisions, and gave me directions."

"They sent you to ShogunGekomon's palace?" Labramon wondered.

"That's weird," Veemon agreed. Monmon grunted his agreement, nodding his head like a bobble head toy. Tafu had her eyes narrowed on Iruka who was still standing next to her Candlemon. I could understand her hesitation. I wasn't particularly thrilled by the idea that Otamamon and Gekomon and Meramon and all the others had been touring around with a girl that had fought against digimon not too long ago. But Jou seemed sure of her, and Jou was usually a great judge of character. He saw Momoe for the shining star that she was after all. He had good sense.

"It might be possible that I got turned around and thought this was the Temple that Wizardmon and Piximon were telling me about," Iruka said, completely embarrassed. "This place is great, I mean it's really beautiful here, but like, if I _was_ to _want_ to go to the Temple, would you happen to know where it might be?"

"It's quite a walk to get there," Jou warned her.

"I don't even care," she said, shaking her head, sending her dark hair flying. "I need to get home. I need a shower, I need clean clothing, I need _make up_. I don't want to live in the woods anymore. I want to go _home_."

"We can bring you there," Otamamon told her. "You saved my partner, and you didn't hurt _me_ , so I'll bring you all by myself if I have to."

"You won't have to, you silly goose," I said with a laugh. "We're all headed that way soon anyway. We won't leave you lost in another world. That's hardly considerate."

"Thank you," Iruka said looking for all the world like she was going to burst into tears—she was _that_ happy to be going home. I couldn't blame her. If I'd been lost in the Digital World for more than a month after being held prisoner for _two_ , I'd be pretty desperate to get to Earth too.

"No problem," I said, trying to ignore the uneasiness in my stomach. She was still part of EVOLVE before she'd seen the light. I knew this was what we were hoping for. We were hoping that EVOLVE members would realize the _wrong_ they'd been spreading and adjust accordingly, but EVOLVE had done so much damage to this world, and to me personally, and to Noriko. I found it hard to simply accept her.

But I would work on it, because that's what RISE was all about. Hating someone completely when they were _trying_ to do good was something EVOLVE would do, and I didn't want to be like them.

"So…." Tafu said awkwardly, when the silence started stretching too long.

"So," I agreed, trying to come up with something to add to it. "I guess you're going to be Shin's plus one to the wedding. I should make you a place card. Shuu, remind me to do that."

"Shin gets a plus one?" Gomamon asked curiously.

"Sure he does," I said. "All the single people do, just in case they want to bring someone with them."

"I'm single," Gomamon said. "That means I get a plus one too, doesn't it?"

"Huh," I said. "I didn't even think about that. Why didn't I think about that? Shuu, what if _all_ the digimon want a chance to bring a friend with them? Do you think that would change our numbers drastically? I don't know if we have the room for something like that."

"We've got plenty of room," Shuu said, calming me down. "Do you _want_ to invite a bunch more people to the wedding?"

"I don't think it's fair to offer the chance to the humans and to ignore the digimon," I told him. "I want to be fair. This day isn't just about _us_. It's about our family. It's about Otamamon and Meramon, and Gekomon too. We're finally uniting our family, and really, the digimon outnumber us."

"Then we'll invite them," Shuu said, shrugging his shoulders. "No big deal. We'll make it work."

"Who do you want to invite, Gomamon?" Bearmon asked curiously. I could see that the digimon were thinking hard on who they wanted to bring with them. Some were chatting excitedly about the chance—Labramon and Veemon in particular—while others were more thoughtful and quiet—Meramon.

"I wanna bring Puraido," Gomamon said matter-of-factly.

"The guy that _kidnapped_ you?" Momoe asked. Anger tinged her words, and her face was flushing. She really felt very strongly about this topic. I decided to _not_ intercede. Jou looked torn as well.

"Gomamon, he's one of _them_ ," Jou said, frowning.

"So is Iruka, but you don't seem to care about that," Gomamon said in a huff. "Puraido took me because he was raised to do anything his parents said without question, but he didn't _hurt_ me. He took care of me, and he listened to me, and he supports us now. I helped him with that. He needs friends right now. If I'm not there for him, then he's going to end up sucked back into his parents' world. He _only_ has his parents and his sister. They don't _let_ him have anyone else. He loves them, sure, but he also wants to reach out to Hideto a little, and to learn more about digimon from the source, instead of hearing the propaganda drivel that his parents have been spewing his way."

"I don't like it," Momoe said firmly.

"You don't have to," Gomamon snapped. "Puraido is _my_ friend. I will be there for him, because he needs help. He needs me to support him. He needs a guiding light, and he's accepted me for that position. If helping him means even _one_ digimon is saved in the future, then it's well worth the risk. I'm a Digidestined's partner. It's _my_ job to help lead the way for the other digimon. You and I aren't that different Jou. You saved Iruka from EVOLVE, and I'm saving Puraido. Don't be a hypocrite. Let me save him from their clutches. He saved me."

"But _why_?" Jou wanted to know. Emiko was frowning.

"Gomamon is funny," she said, as if that was all that was needed.

"I _am_ funny," Gomamon agreed. "But that's not why he let me talk. That was all Hideto. Hideto broke into an EVOLVE base to save me. Hideto risked his life entering their _base_ and that meant something to Puraido. He wanted to understand why Hideto would risk so much for something his parents called trash. That was my window of opportunity, and you know what? Puraido just needed someone to lend an ear. I did that. He kept me safe on Earth while everyone was trapped with the virus. He fed me, and talked with me, and we formed a friendship that I never would have seen coming. But he's got the potential to be a good person."

"Then show him the way," I told him, unable to stop myself. Momoe looked to me, feeling betrayed that I'd take Gomamon's side over hers, but really, there wasn't any hesitation. "Bring him, if you want to—if _he_ wants to come. Don't let him fall back into EVOLVE's clutches just because people are scared. He's reaching out, and we have to respect that."

"He doesn't want to help them," Daisuke agreed. "It's just that it's all he knows. We taught Norn about the good of all life when she was set on destroying everything alive, how hard can it be to offer an olive branch to a guy that's already had his eyes open."

"You offered that same olive branch to _me_ ," Kurayami murmured. "I worked with Fanglongmon. You offered it to Ken too, after he was the Digimon Kaiser. You offered it to Willis when he created Diaboramon—and subsequently gave Arnold the tools to make Arkadimon and Behemoth—and we took in Neo after he destroyed the Digital World. We have Kiyoko, and he harbored Sigma for nine years. We have Hideto too, and really, he was in the same boat as Puraido is now. He had Neo, and the rest of Alias III, that's all Hideto had, and Neo wanted him to destroy the digimon and their home world—so he went along with it. He needed the push the same as Puraido."

"You're right," Jou sighed. I knew he didn't like it, but he accepted it. Momoe was still frowning. She didn't like it either, but after Kurayami's speech, she realized anything she said from that point on would be a dig at Kurayami as well, and she didn't want that.

"Now that that's settled, is there any way we could head to the Temple?" Iruka asked.

"Yeah," Tafu said. "We should probably get outta here."

"Lead on, Shin," Jou offered. Shin puffed up, proud of the offer. He actually _barely_ knew how to get back, but that didn't matter. Jou and Shuu never left Shin in charge like this. This was huge for him, even if it seemed like it was just an off-handed remark on Jou's part. I knew Jou understood what he'd done though, because he and Shuu shared a look and a smile. Shin took Tafu's hand, and she rolled her eyes—not being one for public displays of affection, but not bothered enough to do anything about it—and started leading our procession away from the Palace.

I knelt down and hugged Gekomon tightly. "I'll be back in no time. And next time, I won't bring so many people," I promised him. "We didn't get _any_ work done. It's ridiculous."

"I'll help you," he whispered. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"See you soon," I promised again. He nodded, and turned to Otamamon. I didn't want to spy on their farewell, so I gave them some privacy, and walked over to Shuu. He put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple.

"We're going to be married soon," he said, looking out over the throne room.

"I know," I said, not able to stop my grin—and not wanting to stop it either. "I can't believe it's _finally_ here. We've been waiting so long."

"It's going to be perfect," he told me. "It would be perfect no matter what. We could be in a swamp with just mud cakes to eat, and it would still be perfect, because I'd be married to you."

"You sweet talker you," I teased, rolling my eyes.

"Hurry up, you slow pokes!" Daisuke yelled from the hallway. I rolled my eyes again, and walked with Shuu, knowing Otamamon would catch up when he was ready.

The wedding was almost here, and there was _still_ so much to be done.

But it would all be worth it, in the end.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Michael and Jenna are taking over the next chapter and doing their best to keep their lives in order by helping others and coping in whatever way they can to get out of their funks.


	14. Two Worlds, One Family

**U/N:** This is a very Washington focused chapter with both Jenna and Michael narrating. I love writing both of them honestly, it's so easy and fun. They're both focusing their lives on helping Sora at the present time, but they both have their own stories and lives going on so that's really fun to deal with too.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 14: Two Worlds, One Family**

 _ **Michael Washington:**_

I was not a selfish person. I couldn't be, I was raised to understand the value of others and told that money and material goods were simply created to cause superiority complexes within the people of the Earth. I was not one of the people who fell subject to that particular flaw. I had donated more money to charity than I had kept for myself. Mimi had helped me _create_ a charity when she lived in New York and I'd spent a lot of time helping homeless people have something to eat.

And so, when I had heard that Sora was arrested, I acted quickly and I paid her bail. Now, as long as she went to the trial I'd get most, if not all, of it back, but it still felt good to have helped her out in whatever way I could. I was no detective and certainly wasn't a lawyer either, so I couldn't help her in such a specific or serious way, but what I _could_ do was use my money to help her.

It was getting pretty cold out though, and while I was happy to help, I really wished I had timed my arrival more carefully. I was standing outside Sora's house with my hands crammed into my pockets as the air slowly changed from cool to bitter. I was usually a fan of the colder months, but I also had a well heated home to hide away in if things got to be too much.

I was watching the faint clouds of my breath rise when I heard a voice. I held my breath, freezing in place, both literally and figuratively, and listened closer for the sound. When I heard a movement I turned to face the sound and hurried toward it. I rushed down the walkway outside Sora's house and spun around the white fence, finding two men crouching behind the bushes.

"What are the two of you doing here?" I asked. It was Tyler and Ricky, and while I didn't want to be afraid of them, they only reminded me of my time held in captivity. Would they take me again? I knew they could. I wasn't strong. Well, maybe I was—but not on their level. Both men looked up to me and stared with a dumbstruck expression. "Where is Marshall?"

Tyler fidgeted and looked nervously from side to side but Ricky actually stood tall. "What's it matter to you?"

"Well," I said matter-of-factly. "I am chosen to defeat the Great Evil's, and as that encompasses Marshall it's my business to know where he is and to find his weaknesses. I would like for him to be punished for his crimes." Both men seemed confused, like they couldn't understand a word I had said which was more annoying than it was satisfying, though I did like seeming smarter than them, if nothing else it boosted my confidence a little. They were stronger than me, sure, but they couldn't outsmart me. "It doesn't matter. Whatever you think you're doing here, it's not worth it. Sora's not here so go spy on someone else."

"She's not?" Tyler asked. Ricky elbowed him sharply.

"We weren't spying," he said. "We just saw you and thought you wouldn't want to see us, so we were really being kind."

"How very polite," I said sarcastically. "Now go before I call the cops." I turned at the sound of wheels coming to a slow and steady stop nearby and grinned at the sight of a cop car. When I turned back to Tyler and Ricky they were both looking to me startled and shocked, so when I stepped suddenly in their direction they turned and shot off down the street. I laughed but when I turned back to the police car I stopped immediately. Sora was being helped from the car by Ken with one hand while his other hand kept his partner Yakuin away from her because he knew as well as I did that he wouldn't be gentle. "Sora!" I called out, rushing to her side. She looked up and tried to smile at the sight of me but couldn't. I didn't blame her.

"Step aside," Yakuin barked stupidly, but Ken put his hand on Yakuin's chest and pushed him away again. "I have just as much right here as you do."

"And you're unnecessary," Ken reminded him. "I can do this alone, thank you very much."

"I'll just be here in the car then," Yaukin said through gritted teeth. Ken sneered at him but otherwise ignored him and led Sora toward her doorstep. She nearly tripped once, but Ken caught her. It was weird to see her still in handcuffs. I didn't like seeing her in such a bad state. She looked like she hadn't slept in a couple days, _or_ showered. I was happy to have helped get her home at least.

I finally caught up to the two of them at the doorway and Ken used his keys to unlock the metal cuffs around her wrists. She immediately began rubbing them and I could see red marks under her palms from where her restraints had been too tight. "Have you been here long?" Sora asked, catching me off guard.

"Yeah I was waiting for you," I told her.

"You could have waited inside," she said, trying to smile again.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Didn't know where the extra key was."

"Oh," she said nodding. "Well Biyomon should be inside with Daisuke and Kurayami. And maybe even Labramon and Veemon, depending on their schedules." I immediately felt like a complete idiot. I had forgotten that they were staying here, and now the dryness in my skin caused by the weather was no one's fault but my own. "Michael," Sora said suddenly. "You paid for me, right?" I nodded. "You didn't have to do that."

"Sora," I said seriously, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're risking _everything_ for one of your friends. And it's my jogress partner at that—that basically means I'm required to help out in any way I can. It's like a law or something."

"You know," Ken said with a smirk. "I don't remember learning that one, but I'd be happy to enforce it."

Sora actually managed to smile now, but it was sad and it was pretty lifeless. "Thanks guys."

We all jumped in surprise when Yakuin began slamming on the horn of the car for Ken to hurry up. Ken rolled his eyes and turned to Sora. "You know how that works, right?" he pointed to her feet and when I looked I saw a black band around her ankle with an annoying red light flashing. It was an ankle monitor. I'd seen one before while filming, but never in real life. Sora nodded. "Basically don't leave your house. It's somewhat water-proof, so you shouldn't have any problems with cleaning yourself. If you leave, we'll know, and someone will come get you." His voice faltered at the end of his explanation. "I'm really sorry you have to do this, Sora."

"It was my choice."

"You're protecting all of us," Ken said quietly. "At least Kurayami, Takeru, Miyako and I. We all did it. It wasn't just her." He looked ashamed, turning to the ground. "She wants to take all the blame, but she shouldn't. She saved us all. Any of us would have done it. And yet you're the one taking the punishment." He looked up to Sora very seriously. "I'll do what I can to get you out of this, I promise." Sora made to hug Ken but he stopped her, pushing her away. "I don't think that's a good idea." He looked over his shoulder to see Yakuin and winced, looking back to Sora. "I'll call you after work, okay? Tell me if there's anything we can do for you."

"Just be with Mai," Sora insisted. "She'll need you." Ken nodded, and then he was gone. Sora stood by her door, watching him get into the car and leave, and then she looked up to me as the car drove off with Ken behind the wheel. "Home sweet home," she said sarcastically as she reached for the knob. She stepped inside and was immediately greeted by Biyomon who was hugging her tightly and telling her all about how mean Yakuin had been when he'd come to search the house. "He _what_?" Sora gasped, appalled. "I can't believe this!" she stormed around the living room for a while in a complete rage and then she grabbed her phone from the couch and plugged it into the wall. "Michael," she said sharply, "Make yourself at home. I'm going to shower."

"Good idea," I told her, holding my nose.

"Oh ha ha," she said sarcastically, but she actually cracked a smile which I was glad to see. Sora was gone a second later and Biyomon showed me around. The first thing she showed me was her bedroom which was _very_ pink. She showed me how her television worked, which was the same as every other television I'd ever seen, but I didn't tell her that. She showed me her collection of stuffed animals and then she pointed up above her door.

"That's my favourite part of the room," she told me proudly, "I found it at a car-house sale." I assumed she meant a garage sale but didn't bother to correct her. Instead I stared toward the picture that hung there. It was holographic somewhat and when you looked at it from different angles it changed. Inside the frame was a tree and as you moved from side to side the tree passed from Winter to Spring to Summer to Autumn.

I couldn't help be reminded of my aunts, because I'd been to see them earlier that very day.

" _I need your help," I told them. "Sora's in trouble and you can all do things that could save her from this. So let's start brainstorming." Spring looked up to the clouds, flopping back into the grass but said nothing. Summer and Winter exchanged looks that didn't look too good from my perspective. "Oh what now?"_

" _We really shouldn't get involved with your affairs," Summer said politely._

" _It's none of our business," Winter said flatly._

 _I stared at them in shock for a moment, my mouth was probably hanging open stupidly. "We helped you crown yourself as Queen of an entire world, Winter. That was none of our business, but you're_ welcome _. And what's making you stop now? You sure stepped into our affairs when you made the world forget about digimon! You did it before too, didn't you? When digimon were sent away the first time? That was you, right?"_

" _That was different," Summer said firmly. "You don't understand."_

" _What I don't understand is how you can pick and choose which of us to help," I snapped. "Sora's in trouble, but since she's not one of your beloved Holy Three she doesn't matter, right?"_

" _I think you are being entirely unreasonable," Winter said curtly. "What you don't seem to understand is that we are not gods."_

 _I rolled my eyes. "Sure, no. But you can see through other people's eyes. Find out who is framing her by watching them." I turned to Summer. "You could alter people's memories and help them forget this was an issue."_

" _It is already recorded on file," Summer explained. "My powers serve no purpose."_

" _Except you could screw with the opposing lawyer in her case," I pointed out. Then I turned to Spring, "And_ you _could use your empathy powers to alter the judge's perspective and change the outcome. You can_ all _help Sora, so_ why _are you not doing more to help?"_

" _Because you can do it on your own," Summer said kindly. "I promise, if you look hard enough you will find what you seek."_

" _Or you could_ give _it to us," I growled. "God you're all annoying."_

" _That's offensive," Winter snapped. "You're rude."_

 _I didn't really care honestly. I jumped to my feet and reached out for her crown. "Give me that, it's mine now." She slapped at my hands, shouting at me to leave it alone, "I gave it to you because I was being nice, and if you're going to be a big_ bully _you can't have it!" Spring began shouting in a panic and Summer comforted her, and I felt bad so I stopped pulling at the crown. Winter turned to me, affronted and I sighed. "Why can't you tell me things? Help Sora, help us find Gaia—tell me about my mother. Do_ something _."_

" _We cannot," Winter growled._

" _Whatever," I said sharply. "Go away."_

 _And then they all left my house._

Biyomon was waving her wings in front of my face and I snapped back to attention, apologizing. She laughed and then took my hand, leading me from her bedroom. She screamed as we slammed into a man and my body tensed up, ready to fight, but I didn't have to. It was Miyako's brother, Mantarou. "Oh, you _scared_ me!" Biyomon squawked out some laughter.

Mantarou smiled down at her and then looked up to me, "You're Michael," he remembered and I nodded. "Sora's here?"

"Showering," I told him and he looked upset. "She'll be done soon probably."

Mantarou didn't say anything at first and instead turned to the stairs. "I went to the jail," he explained. "They said she got out. Do you know what's going on?"

"I paid her bail." Mantarou stopped in his tracks and I bumped into him. He looked back up the stairs to me and stared for a moment. "It's not a big deal. If she goes to the trial I'll get it back." Mantarou still didn't seem to believe me that it wasn't a big deal, but it _wasn't_. I was rich. That was part of who I was. My father set aside money from each of his movies for me and for Jenna, and after that I'd been taught to invest it all and working myself in movies and television shows—and two music videos—I had saved up some of my own as well, which of course I also invested in things. I knew what I was doing—and when I got confused my dad was always there to help me out. I could afford to pay Sora's bail. Really, I could. "I mean, sure we have less money that we _did_ now that Willis is gone, but this is something I can do for a friend."

"I'm sorry about your brother," Mantarou said when we'd reached the bottom of the stairs. "Sora told me." He looked to me again and he actually looked genuine. "I don't know what I'd do if Chiziru, Momoe or Miyako died. I can't imagine what you're going through."

"It sucks," I agreed. And it really did. That was the easiest way to explain the situation though. No one would understand if I couldn't understand it myself, and so I never bothered to try to explain it away. "I'm just taking one day at a time."

Biyomon pushed me down onto the couch and climbed up next to me and hugged me. "How is Tatum?" I shrugged. "I heard you two were having some drama."

"Where the heck did you hear that?" I asked, confused.

Biyomon shrugged, "Hideto, I think."

Well, he wasn't wrong, even if I couldn't figure out _how_ he knew. But I suppose he'd only heard half of the rumour, because we'd fixed whatever was keeping our relationship at a standstill.

" _Tatum," I had said the moment she'd walked through the front door. I rushed out of the dining room and was by her side a second later. "I'm sorry. You're right. I was just so caught up in how good it felt to have my insecurities wiped away—"_

" _No," she said flatly. "I'm sorry Michael. You deal with the loss of Willis in whatever way you need to. It's not right of me to stand in the way of your healing process."_

" _Healing is one thing," I told her firmly. "But casting aside everyone else along the journey is another thing entirely. I love you and I'm sorry that I was acting so narcissistic. You're right. Audrey Hepburn is more than a pretty face and so am I. I'm also your boyfriend, and I wouldn't want to risk that for anything."_

" _I love you," she said kindly._

" _I love you too."_

"We're great," I told Biyomon with a shrug, deciding to keep all of my relationship drama to myself. "I don't know what Hideto was thinking, honestly." Biyomon seemed happy for me, but upset that the potential conversation had been taken off the board. Instead she started filling us in on some soap opera that she had begun investing her time into. She only stopped when Mantarou gasped Sora's name and hopped to his feet, rushing toward his girlfriend who was standing in the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her head. She was wearing a baggy t shirt and fuzzy pyjama bottoms and looked like she had never felt more comfortable.

She hugged Mantarou as he came to her and she kissed his cheek. "I'm okay," she promised, taking his hand and leading him back to the couch. "Michael," she said, addressing me. "I realized in the shower that I may have come across as ungrateful. That's not the case. Honestly, I'm so thankful for what you've done for me."

"No problem," I told her seriously. "Just don't run away from the trial." She smirked and it was good to see what a difference her shower had made. She flopped down and laid her head on Mantarou's lap, kicking her feet up and over top of my legs. Biyomon laughed and hugged Sora's legs tightly, happy to have her partner back. "How was your time in jail?"

"Would it be okay if we just didn't talk about it?" Sora pleaded. "It was pretty gross. It was dirty and wet and there were people everywhere." It seemed pretty cliché, and honestly it was her decision. If she didn't want to talk about it I didn't see any reason to ask her to.

Sora was quiet for a while as Mantarou ran his fingers through her hair. I felt pretty out of place in their relationship time—with Biyomon of course—and was even about to excuse myself when Mantarou finally spoke up. "I've been thinking," he said, though he was feeling pretty awkward it seemed. "What if we can prove where Moretsuna was before he went to the Digital World? If we can find his last location—and I mean _where_ he passed between worlds—we might be able to clarify that you were in captivity when he was still alive."

"We still couldn't prove that I didn't kill him after I ran off," Sora explained, not bothering to open her eyes. "I don't really want to talk about it. There aren't any obvious loops to jump through; I've already run through it all, believe me."

Mantarou nodded, "Okay, I may not be a lawyer, but I am a paralegal and I do spend all day around them," he said, removing his hand from Sora's hair. "I think I might be able to help if you'd let me." Sora looked up to him like she wanted him to stop but he didn't quite seem to understand where she was coming from. "Sora, I work in the same building as Teki Hanzai. He's working the Moretsuna case."

Sora was immediately sitting straight up and she turned to Mantarou. I could practically _feel_ the panic emanating from her already. "What did you do?" Sora asked, surprising me. I figured she'd been worried what he had found out, but instead she was worried about _his_ safety. Sora really was a very loving person.

Mantarou looked so nervous that he actually got to his feet and paced toward the kitchen before stopping near an elaborate lamp. He looked back to her and said, "I went into his office and looked through his things—"

"Oh my _god_!" Sora gasped, "You're going to get yourself arrested too!" He looked sheepish and she flew off the couch to punch his arm. He gasped, retracting and Sora stood firmly in place, "That is _not_ romantic—don't get yourself in trouble for me! If we're both in prison we'll be in _different_ places, you know?" I cleared my throat, trying to excuse myself from the awkwardness. Sora turned toward me quickly and then smiled, "Michael, stay. Please, I'm sorry for this." I sighed and crinkled my nose as I retracted back into her comfortable couch. "What did you find at least?"

"I—I—" Mantarou stuttered, afraid of what Sora's reaction might be.

When I heard a knock at the door I practically fell to my knees to thank God, but instead I slipped out of the room and threw open the door to find an elderly looking man standing tall and dapper. He was dressed in an expensive suit and he was holding a briefcase in his left hand. He cleared his throat and announced himself, "I am Horitsu, Sora's lawyer. May I come in?" I nodded and stepped aside in time to hear Sora cry out in shock. Horitsu and I moved quickly into the living room to find her on the floor. She was running her hands through her hair and was gasping for breath. Her skin was pale and she was hyperventilating with Mantarou instructing her to breathe. "What is going on?"

Mantarou looked up in surprise and then he became very nervous again. Biyomon fluttered down from the couch to land near Horitsu and declared, "Mantarou snuck into the bad guys lair and found out that the supposed murder weapon is a knife that had Sora's fingerprints on it!"

I felt dread rising inside my chest immediately and I looked to Horitsu to gauge his reaction but his face was completely blank and void of emotion. "We need more information before we can decide if this is as bad as it sounds."

Sora looked up, her face twisted and she pulled herself to her feet, "You want more information?" Horitsu nodded, but did not lose his cool under Sora's intense gaze. "It's a blue knife with metallic handle and it has the number five written on the end in golden writing."

"H-how did you know—" Mantarou stopped talking as Sora left the room, marching into her kitchen. The four of us exchanged nervous looks to one another and Daisuke popped up by the basement door after hearing all of the yelling. He looked happy when he saw Sora, but his face fell when he saw how angry she was. She was holding a black block with five colourful hilts sticking from it in a row. She placed her finger between a green one and a purple one. "Oh no," Mantarou gasped, getting to his feet.

"It's missing," Sora said sharply. "I—I thought that maybe i—it was—that _I_ —I don't know what I thought! It doesn't matter! Someone took the knife from my collection and planted it in an imaginary murder scene!"

"What makes them think the knife was the murder weapon?" I asked, not following entirely.

"It had Moretsuna's blood on it," Mantarou answered quickly, taking the knives from Sora's grasp so Biyomon could hug her. The two of them started crying but my mind was whirring. Who had taken the knife? Who had taken the blood? Who had _planted_ it? Who the _hell_ hated Sora enough to cause so much strife for her?

"And what were _you_ doing during all of this?" Daisuke asked, more protectively than angry I was sure, but it did not come across that way. Horitsu was the recipient of Daisuke's wrath and again he remained calm.

"I was busy," Horitsu said. "As her lawyer I am entitled to whatever information I can trick people into giving me."

"And?" Daisuke asked.

It was then that Horitsu backed down, but not because of fear, but it seemed he was in fact ashamed of himself. "I didn't find much," he then turned to Sora. "But if you could give them an alibi—the _true_ perpetrator, they surely could not hold it against you."

"I would _never_ ," Sora said, catching sight of Kurayami who was holding Haruki now, standing by the doorway. "I can't do that."

"If you _do_ ," Horitsu said. "They will know the knife is a fraud and that someone has been planting evidence. They will be searching for someone besides you."

"And who better than the woman I just accused of murder?" Sora snapped. "Living in my _house_? She has access to my knives as well, you know! I'm not going to throw my friend under the bus!"

"If saving someone else results in the bus running _you_ over then it's not worth it," Horitsu snapped. "We have to at least consider the option."

"No." Sora did not seem willing to debate the issue. "We'll think of something else." Her eyes fell on Haruki and filled with tears. "We _have_ to."

 _ **Jenna Washington:**_

"You look _fine_ ," Chi insisted as he leaned against my bedroom door, all the while looking like he was ready to pull his hair out. I wasn't usually the type of girl who put so much effort into her appearance—okay, so yeah I was—but this day was different. I could not simply say to myself 'I shall dress as a punk today.' No, today was _different_. I looked to myself in the mirror that made up most of the west wall of my bedroom and I stared at my reflection.

Obviously these steampunk boots did _not_ match my floral dress, but did I even _want_ to match? I had to come across as _me_ , as Jenna. I had to show the world who I was simply with my attire, and I also had to look good. Obviously the floral dress wasn't 'me' enough, and so I reached around to my back to unzip it. I couldn't reach and so I spun to face Chi and smiled sheepishly, "Could you—"

Chi smiled that stupid little half smile of his that always made my heart flutter and then he strode across the room, his big heavy boots made a clunking sound with each step. He was behind me a second later and he pulled the zipper down. "I don't see why you're making this into such a big deal," he said, almost in a whisper. He sent chills down my spine and I turned around and pushed his shoulders to make him back away.

"It's a _huge_ deal," I told him seriously. "Do you remember meeting my dad? And how you came out of the room feeling nervous, like maybe he didn't like you? That's how families are! They always think that the half of the relationship that belongs to them is better and that the other half is not good enough."

"They won't think that though," Chi said, rolling his eyes.

"They won't think it's weird that I'm a human?" I asked, folding my arms and raising my eyebrows the way Mary always did when she was annoyed with one of us. "They won't think that it's wrong that you're presenting yourself as a human to please me?"

"I'm not—"

"But they might not know that!" I insisted, turning away from him. He didn't seem to understand and we were already going to be late. I stripped out of the dress and left it in a heap on the floor around me. I turned to my closet for a moment and thought about what to grab. I wasn't taking these boots off because—oh god—they were so hard to put back on. So I'd need a dress. I pulled a blue dress with orange octopi on it out of my closet and smiled. That would do. I was quick to pull it on and had Chi zip me up again.

"We can go now?" It was cute that he thought that. I spent the next ten minutes doing my makeup and thought about curling my hair but instead I pulled it into a side ponytail. Then, when I was finally leaving the room, I backtracked and decided to curl the ponytail anyway. Chi genuinely looked like he was going to explode, but honestly, it was so important for me to be presentable. Meeting his family was something we had been talking about for a while. And it was something I was inevitably putting off. He didn't have a mother like he had led me to believe for so long. He simply had a series of 'siblings' that weren't even really his siblings but they were because why the hell not? "The only one who is going to judge you is Jun."

"Jun is your sister?" I asked sharply, confused. We'd run over the names and pictures of his siblings so I knew them all, but I didn't remember Jun being involved.

"No, not _Jun_ , I mean Jundomon," he explained.

"No, you can't call her Jun," I told him seriously. "We can't have any more similar names. There's already Katsue and Kazue. Don't forget Marshall, Mary, Mari and Mai, Miyako's baby and Meiyomon. And whenever someone talks about Gennai I get confused thinking they're saying _my_ name and I'm like 'no, I don't remember sacrificing myself for Iori.' No way can we have two Jun's."

"But Jundo sounds weird," Chi said thoughtfully. But he seemed to understand, "Jundo it is."

I sighed as I stared to my reflection. I wanted Chi to understand what I felt, and it wasn't good. I didn't think I had a way to explain it to him either though. When he looked concerned at my worried face I tried to take him away from the negativity. "So I was thinking," I said, "Michael said he ran into Tyler and Ricky yesterday, when he was coming from Sora's house, right?" He nodded. "Well, what if that wasn't a coincidence. It seems weird that they'd be there. They do everything Marshall says, and he does everything Veronica says. What if they're all up to something?"

"Something incriminating, you mean?" He questioned.

"Probably," I nodded, "And I know we shouldn't get involved but I'm nosey and also very stubborn. I think I'm going to get myself involved."

"If you think that's best, I'll support that," Chi said being a good boyfriend and making me feel worse about what I had to tell him. It was then that I decided I was ready. I just needed to grab my bag, find Kudamon and then we could be on our way. Kudamon was waiting by the computer, ready to go and I felt bad for making him wait. I felt bad for making Chi wait too, and I felt bad for making his _siblings_ wait, but I was just so nervous. Chi seemed to understand that. He took my hand and stepped in closer. "You're perfect."

"Chi wait," I said loudly, though it was going to have to be _me_ that brought us to the Digital World _anyway_ , so the dramatics were wasted. Chi looked down into my eyes seriously for a moment and saw how genuine I was when I said, "We can't do this."

"Do what?" Chi asked, startled.

I froze, releasing his hands. I turned away from him and stared toward the ridiculous statue in the middle of the foyer. "Us."

"Stop, Jenna," Chi said, sounding more annoyed than sad.

"Seriously," I told him, spinning around to face him.

"And why not?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips.

I faltered. "You lied to me." I decided. His eyebrows rose and he shook his head. "I know, I forgave you and I love you."

"Then what is it?" Chi asked. "Is this just so you don't have to meet my family? If you're not ready we can cancel. They won't mind. I mean, Meiyo will mind, but he'll get over it." I shook my head. That wasn't it. It was _part_ of it, sure, but that wasn't why I was scared or nervous. That was what I was nervous _about_ , sure, but the reasons that I felt that way were really the problem. "Jenna, just tell me." I looked up and Chi no longer seemed annoyed. He looked worried and sad and that was worse. I would have preferred him just walk away angry.

"It's Kudamon," I told him quietly, "He's my partner." Chi looked to Kudamon who looked like he would have preferred to be anywhere but where he sat. Chi looked back to me, confused now. "Kudamon is my partner, and I love him. He's so relaxed and he reminds me that not everything has to be eccentric to be comfortable or to be seen. I wouldn't trade him for anyone."

"I'm not asking you to," Chi told me, thinking he understood. "I know Kudamon is your partner, and I think that's amazing." He moved toward me and took my hands into his and I shook my head, pulling them back.

"But who is _your_ partner?" I asked flatly. "If I'm not your partner, then _who_ is? You're a digimon, Chi. That means there is a human out there waiting for you."

And then he understood. And he smiled. So maybe he didn't _quite_ understand. He gently took my hands again and pulled them close to his chest and he leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "Jenna, I know this isn't what you want to hear," he said quietly, "but you don't have to worry about that."

"Chi," I insisted.

"Do you trust me?" he asked simply.

"Of course," I nodded.

"Then let's go meet my family," he said quietly.

Of _course_ he would put me into that situation. This wasn't a game. I was worried that I would grow to be too attached to him. It had come to me only last night, realizing that he was destined to be someone's partner, and now he had basically put me in a place where if I didn't go with him then I'd be the bad guy. Of course I trusted him, and I wanted to be with him and I wanted to meet his family, no matter how nervous I was. But without an explanation I'd always be wondering. Who was I keeping him from? But I _did_ trust him, so I would try to not worry as he had asked. At least for today.

"Okay," I said finally.

"Yeah?" he questioned and I nodded. He grinned down to me and led me back to the computer where I threw my hand up and opened the portal, allowing my digivice to glow. The room lit up and in a second we were gone. The light faded to reveal the Temple. The light here was much different than the false electrical lighting of Willis' house—though I wasn't sure it was really called that anymore—and the air was different too. It was cool, but not even _real_ so that was a weird feeling altogether. The temple was very empty again, and that was something I was always uncomfortable with. I had not been in the Digital World when the virus hit so I wasn't really used to the setting, or the feel of the Temple or anything around it. I didn't understand what might be going through the heads of those who once lived here, but perhaps the fear of another virus was prominent. They could return home though, if they wanted to. It was safe now. But they wouldn't, and I guess I could understand why, but it seemed rather cowardly to me. But maybe that was insensitive.

Of course it was insensitive.

Chi, still holding my hand, led me down the hallway we had thrown ourselves into. Kudamon was lying around my neck and keeping perfectly still. I was getting more and more nervous as we neared the end of the hallway. I didn't know why, because it was just meeting new people—I was a social girl and I loved making new friends. It was just _these_ friends that were making me nervous. And the idea that Chi had a human partner out there somewhere that wasn't me was making me nervous too. I wanted to believe that because of his unusual state, not being created the way normal digimon were, he didn't have a partner. But Meiyomon was partnered with his mother, and that meant that Chi had a partner out there somewhere too. And it wasn't me.

What if she was prettier than me?

"Oh, there he is," Chi said softly, pointing down to a lonely tree in the courtyard.

"What?" I gasped, gazing down from the top of the stairs that would take us from the Council hallway. "Where? Who?"

"It's Meiyomon," Chi said with a light laugh. "He's going to take us to the Coliseum."

"Oh great," I said, forcing a smile on my face. I knew I was supposed to be happy. I was meeting the family of the boy who I was in love with, but I couldn't tell him if I was in love with him or not because I _literally_ couldn't remember if we'd said it yet or not. It had been so long, and I'd been so caught up in the drama of the digimon that my relationship took a turn waiting on the bench just itching to be up to bat, but now that it was I was just kind of lost. I was erratic and ridiculous in most cases but now I had just tried to break up with Chi sporadically because there might be someone else in his life. Sure it was a big deal—a crazy big deal—but if he said I could trust him, then I could trust him. But now that we were together and his big truth came out he was happier than I'd ever seen him. I barely knew this man—mon—and I wanted to be supportive and loving but I was just _lost._ With finding out he was a digimon, being able to return home, losing my brother and realizing that the drama was far from over—I just didn't feel like I could sit and be comfortable enough to talk to Chi about how far along our relationship had come. Like seriously, _had_ we said those three words that for some reason marked a large place in a relationship? Judging by the way he shifted uncomfortably in every romantic movie when they declared their undying love, it seemed we hadn't, but that didn't make sense because it seemed so natural that I loved him so why hadn't I said it? I'd never _not_ said something that had come to my mind before.

And then he was leaping off the side of the stairway and stretching his wings out to fly toward his brother. I was too nervous to react this time. I thought about turning and running. Chi would understand. Surely he could see in my eyes that I wasn't ready for such a big leap.

And then, as he landed, Meiyomon caught sight of him. He leapt to his feet. I'd met Meiyomon before, but never as Chi's _brother_. He was in his adult form, and as he embraced Chi I caught sight of my boyfriend's face, grinning foolishly at seeing his brother once more.

Before I knew it, warmth had spread through my chest and I was walking toward them, down the stairs. It didn't matter that I was lost, because I had just found myself in the happiness that Chi radiated. I couldn't leave now. Not when Chi was so excited to bring his two worlds together as one. I trusted him, and I knew he trusted me. Leaving would break that trust, and we'd had enough trust exercises with him lying about his species.

As I came up behind the two of them I noticed how _human_ -like Meiyomon really was. There were tattoos on his face and his eyes sparkled in a way that human eyes surely could not, but he was still very man-like. I wondered if I would get to see Chi in his digimon form again. He didn't reveal himself often and when he did he usually picked between specific attributes like his wings or his antenna for instance. Right now his wings had magically sprouted on his back as though his jacket wasn't there at all.

As I came around the tree, Chi looked up to me and smiled, his golden eyes shining with excitement. He spun Meiyomon around and the bells at the ends of his hat jingled as he spun around to see me. He leaned forward for a moment, looking closely and I felt my face heat up as I stood in his line of vision. I wasn't nearly as nervous as I _had_ been because seeing Chi happy was all I really needed to see to know that meeting his family was the right thing to do.

"Isn't she just the cutest thing?" Meiyomon finally said. "You know, octopi are my favourite animal." He told me in such a matter of fact tone.

"They're creepy," I noted honestly.

Meiyomon nodded, "They really are." He sighed. "They're just the best." Hearing Meiyomon talk so calmly helped me feel the same way. It was something else now that I felt was tugging away at me. Did he really like me, or was he just trying to for Chi?

"We should go see the others!" Chi said, clapping his hands together like an excited child. I couldn't stop the smile from spreading on my face as Meiyomon joined in his brother's excitement. Meiyomon then snapped his fingers and I couldn't help but scream. We were wrapped in a pillar of pink light that I had not seen coming. Kudamon tightened his grip on my shoulders in fear, but both Meiyomon and Chi were looking dead ahead, like they couldn't _not_ be excited. "So yeah," Chi said as he floated between Meiyomon and I. "This is Jenna."

Meiyomon reached out to shake my hand. "I'm Meiyomon," he told me boldly, "but since we're talking human terms here, my mom calls me Meiyo."

"Whichever you're more comfortable with," I told him as sincerely as I could. "I mean, my dad calls me Pookie-bear, but I don't expect you to do the same."

Chi caught my eye and winced but Meiyo just smiled brightly and shook his hair, "But it would be my _pleasure_ Pookie-bear." Chi snorted but I just smiled uncomfortably. Was this normal trickery? Was I now the subject of an inside joke? Or was Meiyo really just against me and enjoyed toying with me? "Hold on," Meiyo suggested. I grabbed Chi quickly and the pink light vanished. We were only about six feet in the air, and we had been travelling very quickly across the open fields, but finally we had found our destination.

Chi fluttered to the ground with me tightly in his arms—thank goodness—but Meiyo fell into a crumpled heap to the ground, laughing as he rolled away. He finally popped up and shook off the dirt before turning and pointing to a large empty space. "Home sweet home," he explained.

I looked again, thinking I had missed something, but still saw only emptiness. I elbowed Chi and leaned in, "What is he talking about?"

Chi looked confused but then realization washed over him, "Oh it's cool," he leapt away from me, "Jenna, there is a giant Coliseum right behind me."

I nodded. "And my grandmother invented the telecom," I said sarcastically.

"No, seriously," he explained. "You trust me right?" I nodded uncomfortably. Uncomfortable because Meiyo was looking to me with wide expectant eyes. "So look again, and this time, you'll see a Coliseum." It didn't make any sense, but I _did_ know that the others—those that had lived in the Temple—had been taken to a 'coliseum' of sorts, so it at least made sense. When I looked over Chi's shoulder I let out a startled gasp. A giant dirty slab of stone, carved into a round building, stood in the massive empty space. The building stretched high to the sky and there were several openings that led inside. "Isn't it weird?"

I took a moment to answer, still taking in the bizarre building. Then I looked to Chi and nodded, "Very." He reached for me and took my hand, dragging me toward the entrance that Meiyo had already begun running toward. The nerves had built up to a point where they had yet to explore inside me, but it didn't last long. The moment I stepped into the arena area of the Coliseum I was greeted with unconditional familial love.

Just past the elaborate garden that I knew Mari had a hand in creating stood several digimon who were all together after a long absence. I didn't have any time to be nervous or to think of what I wanted to say, which was good because I never did anyway, because there was just so much going on all at once.

"That is the cutest little dress," Jundomon, the purity fairy cooed.

"I have heard that you fought for your world," Aimon, the warrior bird of love said cordially. "I am honoured to meet you, Jenna."

"Cheese-brain over here," a regal man with bright, flaming orange hair said, "he's told us all 'bout you. He thinks you're the bee's knees." He grinned down to me and I smiled politely. "You get it? Because he's a bug, and that's a bug joke?"

"Oh I got it," I smirked, elbowing him lightly. I didn't recognize him from the lessons that Chi had helped me with. We had ensured that I knew their names before coming in because there were too many and I didn't want to seem rude by forgetting anyone.

Shinkoumon, the beautiful mermaid of faith simply smiled to me and embraced me before floating off to greet Chi. I was then left to stare toward the creepiest of his siblings that all seemed to find comfort in each other's company. Kiboumon, a terrifying reaper digimon, Ganboumon was just a cloud of black smoke with a mask floating near the top, and in front of the two of them stood Shojikomon which was an eye that seemed to move around with the deep purple nerves that were attached to the white part of the eye. They all stared to me, seemingly inviting me over, but I was thankfully embraced moments later.

"Karumon love little human!"

I shrieked in shock as I was hoisted from the ground and into a very tight and loving embrace. I got a look at the culprit through my peripheral vision and saw that it was a very large cavewoman with petals surrounding her face. Karumon. Of course, how could I have forgotten? Karumon gently set me down and laughed down at me, clapping her massive hands together. "Is little Jenna liking big family?"

"Well I don't—" my answer was cut off as I was grabbed sharply from both sides. Two rather energetic dog-rabbits were spinning me around hopping in circles and not bothering to release either of my arms. "I'm gonna throw up!"

"Cool!" they both shouted, releasing my arms. Kisekimon and Unmeimon watched as I bent over, trying to settle myself and reduce my dizziness, they were waiting for vomit, and I was sorry I couldn't give it to them. My stomach seemed fine a moment later and they seemed upset.

"Sorry guys," I told them with a shrug, "maybe next time." They laughed and with that laughter all of my uneasiness went away. For the next hour or so Chi, who had finally found a moment to return to my side—which I was grateful for, because I wasn't ready to take them on alone since I didn't know them well enough—told stories of our relationship to his siblings, all of which I had time to interact with. Now, I wasn't ready to pick favourites yet, but it sure seemed that Zuyamon was the most like me—or at least she was the least in my face.

The regal man with the flaming orange hair, and the red robes turned out to be Yuukimon, and it made sense now that I thought more clearly. These digimon were created by the crests, but more specifically by the human heart, and somehow they had the ability to appear more human than their true forms. I wondered if this human-like Yuukimon was his human form or perhaps just a lesser level than his massive dragon persona. He seemed to be the only member of the family that was worried about his true form—probably because of his massive size—because the others all stayed true to themselves. Yuujoumon was a beautiful dog digimon and honestly I found myself staring at his shining coat of fur more often than I should have been. If only real dogs were that pretty I'd seriously consider getting one. Kenkyomon, who was very hard to spot, spent most of his time around Yurushimon's feet because he was the only one that could always tell where the chameleon was at any given moment, and that was amazing because Yurushimon was blind. Supposedly at least. Shinsetsumon, the little mushroom of Kindness, and Shinramon, the adorable robot of Trust were inseparable and took the roles of the youngest in the family, though I knew them to be roughly the same age. Hokorimon, the two headed beast of Pride was bipolar, I swear, but he always had something to add to the conversation. And Tsyuo-samon was the largest of the group, standing tall in his dinosaur-like form, listening wisely to the conversations at hand.

It was when Meiyo suggested a game that I finally got a moment to speak with Chi who, over the course of the evening, had been slowly transitioning back into his digimon form. Somehow I didn't even mind. I thought Chi was cute and very attractive, but that wasn't why I was with him. I found him to be intelligent, fun, creative and unique. His antenna and wings weren't going to stop me from loving him. "So what do you think?" he asked timidly.

I threw my arms around his neck to wash away any reason for his shyness. "They're amazing. They're all different and not what I expected—I'm sure Jundo could stop talking once in a while—but they're great, Chi."

"Yeah?" he asked, but I could see the relief washing over his face. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "You want to play the game?"

I looked to the others and saw Karumon tackle Ganboumon to the ground, and I winced. "I think I'll watch the first round, if that's okay." He laughed and nodded. "I'm going to go find something to drink inside the Coliseum though, okay?"

"Sounds good," he grinned, and then he turned to rush off toward his siblings. It felt incomplete though. There was something I needed to say to him, something that after all of the ups and downs of today, I couldn't go without saying. But it seemed he was gone now. So I turned to the Coliseum entrance.

"Hey Jenna!" I turned to see Chi hurrying back toward me. He pressed his lips to mine and caught me off guard. My heart beat quickened and my face turned red, and when he pulled away, I could see he was nervous and blushing too. "It means a lot that you came here today," he said quietly. "I just... I couldn't ask for anyone better. You accept me, and you care for me and you're able to put up with all of, well, this." He gestured around himself and then sighed. "And I just wanted to say that I love you."

He somehow caught me off guard, but I didn't hesitate when I smiled up to him and shook off my embarrassment. I took his hand and nodded. "I love you too." Chi kissed my forehead again and then was rushing off to the others. This time it felt complete. This time I felt that we had taken a solid step in the right direction. This time I knew whether or not we had said 'I love you' to each other, and now I knew how I felt about the relationship and where we stood. I trusted him. If he said that we had nothing to worry about, then we had nothing to worry about.

Except that wasn't really true. We may not have had any relationship issues to worry about, but I at least had some fairly serious traumatic events I needed to iron out. And I was reminded of that when I stepped into the Coliseum.

Benjamin stalled me from heading to my destination with a question about my relationship. Apparently he was a clone of a man who was born from a man and a digimon, and while that was fascinating and I surely had every intention to speak with him about that, I needed to keep moving. I heard someone crying and I needed to get to her. I knew who it was because I had heard the tears enough to know. Then it was joined by a soft whimper and I knew who was by her side.

When I pulled the old curtain aside I looked to the bed where Mary, my new mom, sat with tears rushing down her face. I hadn't expected to see her. What I _had_ expected to see were the twin digimon curled up in her lap. They all looked up and instantly tears were in my eyes. Every time I was reminded of Willis I couldn't help but cry. For him, and for my mother, because somehow the deaths seemed related. Somehow I wasn't over losing my mom, and somehow I knew I would never be over losing Willis either.

I crawled into the bed with them and hugged Mary, crying with them. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing, but when Dad came through the door he knew what we needed, seeing us crying and he left to get some hot chocolate. I didn't think that would help, but maybe it was a start.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Hideto is mourning over the loss of his boyfriend, while Miyako prepares to bring her baby home to her new house.


	15. Postpartum

**Y/N:** Hideto and Miyako were both having difficulties this time around. Miyako was dealing with the life of her daughter, and Hideto was dealing with the death of his boyfriend. They were both emotional chapters, and it was hard to access the emotions necessary. I hope that the emotions come through.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 15: Postpartum**

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

"How's this?"

I looked over to Bengoshi, who was hanging a picture frame on the wall of my baby's nursery. It was the first family photograph that had ever been taken of Ken, Mai and I. It wasn't a permanent photo. We were going to take another one with our _full_ family once she was ready to come home. It didn't seem right to have a family picture without Hawkmon and Wormmon in it. We had _two_ children to celebrate this year alone. Poramon would be included too, because Hawkmon was so fatherly to her. Hawkmon had adopted her as his own child, and it would be rude to not include her.

Maybe she and Mai could be friends; that would be nice.

"It doesn't look right…." I murmured.

"But I've changed it four times!" Bengoshi whined. I heaved a long sigh. "Fine, but this is the last time."

"Thank you," I told him, as I watched him fiddle with the frame. It was crooked, but I knew that no amount of straightening it out was going to make it look perfect. It was missing our digimon. It was incomplete. And Mai had so many tubes sticking out of her that it just broke my heart to look at it.

"It's straight now, right?" he asked, and I shook my fears and worries from my mind.

Mai was fine.

She was spending the day with the nurses, who told me that under no circumstances was I to come in before noon today. Apparently they were worried about my health. It wasn't _healthy_ to spend all day every day in the hospital. It wasn't healthy to put off lunch breaks until I made it home in the dead of the night. It wasn't healthy to sleep only four hours nightly, before rushing back to the hospital. It wasn't helping Mai when I was so stressed out I could hardly breathe. I didn't want to hurt my daughter. I didn't want to put pressure on her. I didn't want to crowd her. I wanted her to get better. I wanted her to get strong enough to come home.

If I had to stay away a few extra hours once a week, I could _probably_ manage that.

Maybe.

Ken was at work, however, and I had very little to do with my free time. Wormmon was dedicated to keeping the Coliseum running. He started going there more often when he realized he'd be left alone in our old apartment with nothing to do. His movies were all still in the Coliseum, entertaining digimon daily. He didn't want to take that small happiness from them, and with Hawkmon in Primary Village most days with Poramon, and Ken at work, and me in the hospital, he got lonely.

That meant _I_ was lonely now that I'd been banished from the hospital for another forty-three minutes.

I was also lonely in our new home. We had a house that was absolutely beautiful. It was perfect, and for some reason it had been in our price range. It was like things were _finally_ going right for us. I hoped that it was a sign that Mai was going to be just fine, but I couldn't make assumptions. They were dangerous.

Bengoshi had called me to arrange a time that we could get coffee. Having spent two wretched months together in the Dark Ocean wasn't something we could forget easily. And we'd actually become fairly good friends during that time. He and Iori weren't _that_ close, but Bengoshi and I had a bond. It was also really nice to have someone other than the Digidestined that I could talk to regularly.

And when he'd called for coffee, I took advantage of his offer and invited him over to my new house. I gave him the grand tour, which wasn't very impressive, since Ken had enlisted Daisuke and Michael to move the boxes just the day before while I was in the hospital. The kettle was unpacked, along with two mugs, and our beds were set up. Everything else was still packed away.

But with Bengoshi's help, I had been able to put the nursery together.

Michael had insisted on helping Ken paint the room so it could dry overnight, and we had beautiful lilac walls as our canvas—we couldn't decide between turquoise and magenta, so Michael had to make an executive decision—with crisp, white crown molding. The floor was hardwood, with a fluffy white rug in the centre of the room. The crib was white, and properly assembled—which only took _three hours_ to figure out—and her changing table, and dresser, and toy box were all arranged, each white as well.

The walls were littered with frames that held temporary designs, showcasing butterflies, hearts and flowers. As Mai grew, we would be able to replace those images with actual memories, but I didn't want to advertise her stay in the hospital. It was heartbreaking, and stressful. I wanted pictures of her smiling. I wanted to snap a photo of her first steps, or learning to ride a bike. I wanted to see her grinning, having lost her first tooth, or all dressed up for her first day of school. I didn't want to see tubes and incubators. I didn't want nurses, or the hospital walls. I wanted a strong, happy little girl.

I wanted her _home_.

"Miyako?" Bengoshi called. It sounded to me like he was exasperated, as if he'd been calling my name repeatedly, and I hadn't paid attention. My face flushed, and I looked to him, away from the frames.

"It's perfect," I told him, even though it wouldn't be until Mai was home. He was pleased though, and proceeded to move on to the mobile that would hang above her crib. I'd assembled most of it, but I couldn't get it to hang properly. He was taking the initiative and taking over where I'd left off.

"She's going to be fine," he told me, knowing where my thoughts were, despite my trying to hide it. "The nurses are well qualified. They'd call you if you were needed."

"She doesn't _need_ me," I said, bitterly. "She's got them. But I need her. She's my baby. I carried her around with me. She was the only hope I had in the Dark Ocean. She's my everything. And I can't help her. She's got to do this on her own and she's just a baby. She's so tiny, and I gave her such a huge task."

"It's not your fault," Bengoshi insisted.

"If it's not mine, then it was Gaia's," I told him. "But sometimes, I wonder what Gaia meant. What if I killed my daughter and Gaia saved her? What if that's what she meant? What if the woman that killed my friends saved my daughter's life? I don't know what I'm meant to think of her if that's the case. She saved the person most precious to me, but she took two of my friends before she did that. She's evil, and the fairies are afraid of her, but on the other hand, Winter's so mean all the time, and wasn't very dedicated to saving my daughter, even though she said she was. She had the power to get us to Sidhendor after all. Why didn't she do that earlier?"

"Winter had her reasons," Bengoshi said quickly. "I don't want to hear you sympathizing with Gaia. She's a horrid woman that has done horrible things. She doesn't deserve your respect or your praise."

"I know," I said, shocked by his sudden vehemence.

"Good," he said, putting the finishing touch on the mobile. His hand faded out of view, and for a terrible second, I thought I saw it become overtaken by shadows. I let out a startled shout, and he turned to me, his eyes wide and searching for whatever it was that caused me a fright. His hand was flesh and blood once more. I shook my head. I didn't like it when my mind played tricks on me. He'd become a shadow once before, but that didn't mean he was ever going to become one again.

"Sorry," I apologized, and he shrugged his shoulders. "We should go down and get that coffee."

"I'd like that," he said, and he slipped passed me and out of the doorway. I turned to follow after him, and a haunting jingle filled the air. I looked sharply to the mobile and saw that it was dancing around, and sounded like someone was pressing random keys on a piano. It was a horrible sound, and my heart raced.

No one had touched the mobile.

Why was it moving?

Was there a button that Bengoshi had pressed? But no, the mobile needed winding. He hadn't spun the key, it shouldn't have started. And it definitely wouldn't have had such a delayed reaction. I didn't know what was happening, and I didn't know how to stop it.

Before I had even come up with any semblance of a plan, the mobile stopped moving.

I narrowed my eyes at it, and searched the room, wondering why I couldn't manage to calm my racing heart. Why was it that _I_ was the only one without a backbone after so many years of dealing with the unknown and increasingly dangerous foes? I should have been used to strange happenings, but instead of indifference, I could feel genuine terror growing in my stomach and spreading throughout my body in curling tendrils.

There was only one thing that had caused this sort of fear before, and his name was Sigma.

But Sigma was dead. He _was_. I'd been there to watch as his shadowy body was destroyed. My digimon partner—fused with Vikemon—had been the one to throw the final blow. Kiyoko had made the plan himself. If it didn't work, he would've known. He would've said something.

Maybe.

I couldn't know for sure. He was gone now. Maybe he was keeping secrets out of some strange and twisted loyalty to Sigma. Maybe he didn't even tell Hideto—which would explain why Hideto was so _sure_ that Sigma was dead—and maybe Sigma was actually out there, coming to get me, just as he had all those years ago.

I shook my head hard. That was crazy talk. Kiyoko would never do that, and he wouldn't have to, because Sigma was dead.

But if Sigma _was_ dead, then what was making that mobile move?

My heart was still hammering away in my chest as I moved on shaky feet out of my daughter's nursery. I wouldn't be able to bring her home to this room without having it thoroughly checked over. I clutched the railing on the stairs, afraid that my legs would give out under me if I didn't.

I heard the kettle boiling before I entered the kitchen, and was pleased to see that Bengoshi was making a pot of calming tea, rather than the coffee he'd been promised. I really needed something soothing.

We sat together, and I let Bengoshi fill the air with his chatter as I tried to calm myself. I was fine. The house was fine. Sigma was dead. There was nothing haunting my daughter's nursery. It was preposterous to even _think_ that.

But was it really?

I'd been haunted before. I knew it was a legitimate possibility.

"You don't know how _hard_ it is to regain your life after someone declares you dead. Honestly, they didn't even try to find proof. They just took Mrs Goutokuji's word for it. Some idiot named Yakuin signed off on it. I fear he's working for EVOLVE. I never would have thought that I would actively support Miss Goutokuji, but after discovering how little my life meant to her parents, I don't know what to think anymore. They didn't even try to look for me. They saw my missing status as a means to an end. It's absolutely horrendous to know that they used my name to help raise their rank in EVOLVE's hierarchy. I wonder just how many other claims they made. How many _other_ names have they dragged through the mud? I was wrong to have doubted you. You saw those wolves through their sheep's clothing. I was blinded by my paycheck and I'm the one that's paying the cost now. All of my belongings were commandeered you know. They sold them in an auction to raise money for EVOLVE, to 'avenge' my wrongful death. I just pray that my livelihood wasn't used to purchase any of the guns that killed the digimon."

He was a rambler, and I found it soothing to sit and listen to him talk. He was talking about anything and everything as it came to his mind. He didn't care if the conversation was linear, and neither did I to be honest. I liked hearing his stories. I liked knowing that there was another person here. I didn't _like_ to be alone.

My eyes instinctively glanced to the clock. Twelve minutes before I could leave to see my daughter. I couldn't wait. But I knew logically that I was stressed more now than ever before. I should stay far away from Mai—especially if this house really _was_ haunted. I didn't want a demonic spirit near my baby. I'd already put such a large burden on her shoulders, she couldn't fight for her life _and_ fend off a demon like Sigma. She would lose the fight, and I couldn't let that happen.

A long, drawn out creaking noise filled the air. My eyes flitted to the cupboard that was opening itself. I looked to Bengoshi, but he was still talking, not bothered by the noise in the slightest.

"I'll have you know I'm not about to pay a fortune to simply collect my belongings again. I paid quite dearly for my photograph collection and my laptop already, and I'm not going to pay any more. I _needed_ those, everything else can simply be bought again. My employers offered me a hefty bonus if I came back to work for them, and I thought about it. I did take it in the end of course because all of my money was taken away by EVOLVE after my 'death' as well. I just don't like the idea that it was just to shut me up. They didn't look for me when I stopped coming to work you see. They didn't think anything of it, but now that I'm a national name—the man that lived again—they didn't want me to cast a bad light their way. I wanted to though, quite badly, but in the end, money won me over. I need money for food and shelter. It wasn't simply greed this time. I think that's a step in the right direction, don't you?"

My eyes were still locked on the moving cupboard.

"Miyako?" he asked. He waved his hand in front of my face, and I turned to him quickly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"The cupboard," I whispered. He looked over and furrowed his brows.

"What _about_ the cupboard?" he wanted to know. I looked over to it, thinking it was rather self-explanatory, but found it was perfectly closed, as if it had never moved an inch. My mouth dropped open, and I was at a loss for words. How…?

 _Knock, knock, knock_!

I nearly bolted out of my skin at the sound. I looked around wildly. Where was it? Where was the demon that was ruining my only hope for a happy future for my daughter?

"It's the door," Bengoshi drawled.

"Oh," I sighed, smiling to myself. Of _course_ it was the door. There was no other explanation. I was just going crazy. I probably just needed more sleep. "I'll go get it then," I told him. I stood up and raced to the front door, wondering who was visiting me. We'd only just moved in. I hadn't really unpacked anything yet.

Pulling open the door, I revealed Mimi. She was grinning and holding a cardboard box piled high with pristine baby toys. I quirked my head at her, confused due to the fact that the toys were very old—some of them weren't even _made_ anymore.

"Howdy," Mimi said. "I've brought a housewarming gift! These are all of my old toys. I spent four hours sterilizing them yesterday. I would've given them to Emiko when she was born, since she's our goddaughter, but I forgot all about them. But Mom called me and asked what I wanted done with them, since they were redoing their basement, and I immediately thought of your little bundle of joy!"

"These are the toys you played with?" I asked, shocked that they'd be in such good condition.

"Yup," she said with a wink. "I had a cowgirl doll too, but I'm keeping that one. I kind of chewed on it a lot. But the rest of them looked okay. There's a lot of pink in there, but I didn't think you'd mind too much."

"It's really thoughtful of you, Mimi," I said, touched by the gesture. I nearly decided to lead her up to the nursery before I remembered about the possessed mobile and decided against it. I took the box from her and placed it on the very top of a pile of other boxes.

"It's nothing," she said, waving it off. "Do you need a hand in here?"

"Maybe another day," I said, looking at the clock again. "I've got to go see Mai soon."

"Really?" Mimi said, her eyes lighting up. "Do you think I could go with you? I really want to meet her." It was odd, really, that Mimi was the only one that hadn't come to see the baby. We shared a goddaughter. She'd interrupted my wedding, offering me _her_ hand instead. I thought we shared a bond. But it didn't matter anymore. She wanted to meet my precious baby girl, and I wasn't going to say no.

"Absolutely," I grinned. "Let me just let Bengoshi know that we're leaving."

"He's here?" Mimi asked.

I nodded, and headed back into the kitchen. Benoshi was still sipping away at his tea, but agreed to accompany us. He wanted to see Mai as well.

Between Mimi and Bengoshi, there was a constant stream of chatter, and I was never left to my own thoughts. Mimi made me _promise_ to look through the box when I got back home. Apparently, there was an assortment of handmade, knit articles that she'd created and was just _dying_ to hear my opinion of them. She was also worried about Koushiro. She kept saying he was acting strange, but Bengoshi reassured her that he was probably just stressed—and it made sense completely. Koushiro was _always_ under a lot of stress. It was practically a mandatory part of his personality.

Finally though, we came to the hospital, and I couldn't contain my excitement. My daughter was close. I couldn't wait to see her!

I raced through the halls, and ran into my favourite nurse.

"I thought you were taking it easy today?" she said with a wink.

"You knew I couldn't stay away," I accused her. She laughed and nodded.

"You never can, dear," she said. She walked with the three of us to Mai's incubator. I cooed at my baby girl, checking over her chart to see what progress she'd made while I was away. She was bigger again, and I grinned down at her. She was growing, and getting stronger. She was such an amazing little girl.

"Oh my goodness," Mimi gasped, moving up close to the glass wall that separated my daughter from us. Mimi's eyes misted up, and she was crying.

"What's wrong?" Bengoshi asked, terrified of what the answer might be.

"It's weird," Mimi said hesitantly. "But I just feel like she's… _me_."

"She's mine," I said a little territorially.

"I know," Mimi said quickly. "I know that. But there's something in her heart that is a part of my heart. I can't explain it, but it's there. I can feel it."

"Thank you…?" I said, still uncertain. Mimi was so strange. I couldn't understand what she was getting at. No one else had reacted to Mai this way—not even Ken, and Mai literally was part of him. I supposed she was being kind or something, and didn't think anything more of it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a shadow moving and, just like that, Mimi's strange comments were out of my mind. There were more important things to be worried about, like trying to figure out what was _real_ and what was just my imagination.

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

Kiyoko was dead.

It wasn't a fact I could forget, so why was it that everyone seemed to feel the need to remind me? I couldn't go more than a few hours without someone mentioning his name in a hushed tone. I could feel eyes flicker to me after each and every mention of him. It was like they expected me to break down at the sound of his name.

I wasn't going to.

I'd already broken down, more than once, but I sure as hell wasn't going to do it just because someone said his _name_. I cried when I make a cup of coffee and accidentally knocked over his Team Mom tea cup in the process. I cried when Mari made that first pot of stew after we'd gotten home. I had a tantrum when Akira tripped over someone's shoe and spilled spaghetti all over Kiyoko's notebook. I couldn't even go into the bathroom without remembering his first reaction to seeing it mid-renovation. And Mari had an enormous portrait of Alias III hanging on the wall, _just_ in case I even got close to having a decent time. I'd catch sight of Kiyoko's grinning face, and I'd be miserable all over again.

The mere mention of his name wasn't going to cause any harm. I was struggling enough as it was. But I'd been struggling for years. I'd always suppressed my feelings, and I was continuing to do so. I didn't need the Teenage Wolves to see me at my lowest. Katsue wouldn't get to see my weaknesses. I didn't want _Mari_ to see my tears either, but she was unavoidable. Everyone else went home most nights. This _was_ Mari's home. It was worse though, because we were still sharing a room. We didn't want to be alone, and because of that, we were making things harder on ourselves.

And after the trial with her parents, I knew that Mari couldn't afford to carry anything more on her shoulders.

I kept kicking myself. I should have _seen_ something, I should have known. There had to have been signs, but I'd been blindsided just like the rest of them when she told us her story. I wanted to plot revenge against her parents, and Marshall. I wanted to help Mari figure out a way to save her sister. But I couldn't bring myself to actually do it.

The _last_ time Alias III had plotted a scheme, we'd been a full set.

Without Kiyoko, I didn't know if we'd be able to accomplish anything. We were a fine tuned machine, and we were missing a piece. We couldn't function without him. We'd barely managed the repairs after losing Lalamon. And now we'd lost Kiyoko. It didn't help that Rei was vital to our little family as well, and everyone in their right mind knew that Willis would have carved out his own place as well, if he'd been given enough time. Even a blind man could see that he and Mari had been meant for each other.

But at least I wasn't alone in my misery.

We were all feeling those losing, each of us channelling varying degrees of despair depending on our connection with each of the deceased. Mari was practically crumbling, but she refused to let anyone help her; she refused to let anyone _see_. But now that I knew what she'd been through, I could see the signs more clearly. I knew what I was looking for now.

It was strange, how it felt like we were _closer_ now, even though we were missing so many. I knew more about Mari now than I'd ever known, and not just her story. I could tell how she was feeling just by looking at the tenseness in her shoulders, the slight crinkle of her nose, or the creases on her forehead. When she thinned her lips, she was furious. When she looked to the wall away from someone that she was talking to, she wasn't being rude, she was being self-conscious. She was a complex puzzle, but I felt like I was finally getting to know where some of the pieces belonged.

I just wished Kiyoko was here to make the discoveries with me.

He'd tried so _hard_ to make Mari his best friend. He was so _sure_ that they would've fused, and that they needed to bond because of it. Mari was stubborn, but so was he. He didn't want to give up. But eventually, he realized that she was _more_ than a best friend, and that she was family, and found his peace with that. He was content to have family, rather than a best friend—because it wasn't something he was used to. It wasn't something Mari or I was used to either. Neo had at least had Rei growing up, but that was _all_ he'd had. Alias III only had each other. And now we didn't even have that.

I scrubbed harder than strictly necessary at the countertop in front of me, trying to force my emotions back into the box I'd crammed them into in my brain. I didn't want to deal with them now. I was surrounded by morons that couldn't figure out how to clean up after themselves.

Mari had escaped into her— _our_ —room with her grandmother's favourite book—just in case anyone _else_ decided to touch it—and had locked the door behind her. I couldn't have gone after her anyway. Someone needed to be here to take care of the library.

There were crayon drawings on the newly painted walls that needed scrubbing, courtesy of two irritating children—Masa and Emiko had been fighting over who could draw the best, and now there was blue everywhere. Emiko seemed to think that Masa's pink flower was _nice_ , but she had quantity over quality, so obviously bigger was better. I was mentally penning a note to their parents telling them exactly where I thought they should send their children if they were busy—and it wasn't my home.

Neither Jou or Momoe were there, instead, they'd enlisted Shuu to babysit, and Shuu had decided to come _here_ , because he was escaping his wedding-crazy fiancé. Masa had been left in the care of Mantarou, since Chiziru and her boyfriend were both at work, and he decided to bring the kid here too. The choices had been made separately, but I couldn't help but think the two men were conspiring against me. God forbid I have _one_ day when I don't have to clean up after the constantly fighting children.

Their crayon war wasn't the worst of it though. No. Haruki was here too—but he was with an actual parent, since Kurayami was with him—and he'd developed a stomach virus. He'd unloaded his already previously unappetizing lunch all over my newly cleaned laundry. I nearly vomited at the sight of it. Kurayami was insistent that _she_ be the one to clean up after him, which was a blessing, but it didn't help with the lingering smell. She was also panicking, because her baby was sick, and was trying to get Shin—who came along with Shuu, dragging his new girlfriend along behind him—to check him over. Shin was trying to explain that it wasn't that serious, but Kurayami was _sure_ Haruki had the plague.

Tafu—Shin's girlfriend—had brought two other members of the digimon fight club with her. One was enormous, a real giant. I'd learned his name was Jin. The other was a beautiful man, named Jazz, but I couldn't be bothered to even look at his beauty for more than a second. I wasn't interested in appreciating the shine of his hair, or the sparkle in his smile. I used to be practically obsessed with other people's hair. I used to have the energy to do a lot of things that I didn't anymore.

The three fight club members were laughing loudly at something Shuu said, while Shin tried to shake off Kurayami's worries. They were crowded around the coffee table, taking up most of the space on the couches. Emiko and Masa were on the floor, playing a memory match game at their feet. Two others were on the couches with the lot of them. They were two of the original digidestined: Junpei and Kouichi. I didn't know which was which. I really only cared about Izumi, but she was still hiding away at the Coliseum. She and Tomoki seemed to really like it there. I wasn't going to judge them for it.

Junpei was laughing along with the others, while Kouichi played along with the children's game. The kids loved the attention, and he seemed happy to participate. Haruki's whines could be heard clearly over all of the laughter. He wasn't enjoying being sick one bit.

There was a nest in the middle of the floor made with blankets, pillows and beanbag chairs. There were several inhabitants of said nest, and none of them were being very quiet either. The nest was in front of the television, and a soccer game was displayed on the screen. Yutaka was sandwiched between Warg and Goblimon, holding an extra large bowl of popcorn in his lap. The popcorn obviously wasn't for eating though, because he didn't seem to be able to find his big mouth. Popcorn littered the floor, and there were grease stains on the television screen from where he threw popcorn when he disagreed with the referee's decisions. Wormmon was curled up on a pillow in Takashi's lap, who was being careful not to jostle him, but was also very into the game he was watching. He had a large glass of soda in his hand, and I eyed it warily. It was tipping further and further the closer the soccer player got to the goal. Akira had a bucket of chocolate covered raisins and pretzels, and candy coated chocolates, which Melga kept sneaking handfuls of when Akira wasn't looking. Veemon was on his feet, knocking over the vegetable tray and dip—which no one was eating anyway—cheering with all his might. Labramon snarled when the defensemen stole the ball from the guy they were rooting for. Jin's Hagurumon was completely lost, not understanding the rules of soccer, but he was caught up in the excitement. Jazz's Starmon was much more subdued, simply watching the game and piecing together the rules as the game played out before him. Katsue was throwing cheese and crackers at Yutaka's head, and laughing when he didn't notice. She didn't seem to be watching the game at all, yet she enjoyed the atmosphere all the same. Monimon was practically screaming with his excitement.

Iori was glaring across the room at the ruckus they were creating. He was hunched over a large law textbook, searching for anything that could help Sora win her case. His hands were in his hair, showcasing his ever growing frustration with the noise. He worked better in silence. He wasn't working alone though. Sora's father Haruhiko was seated across from him, desperate to help in any way, to ensure that his daughter wasn't sent to prison for a crime she didn't commit. Natsuni was directly to Iori's left, absentmindedly running her fingers up and down his arm, calming him without thinking about it as she continued to read the book in front of her. Gatomon was on top of the table, pouring over a book. Her eyes were narrowed, and her brow furrowed. She didn't understand a lot of what she was reading, and at times she looked incredulous at some of the stranger laws she'd discovered. Gabumon was lending a hand as well, wanting to do whatever he could for Sora. His face was much less expressive than Gatomon's, but he looked like he found the box to be dry and long. Mantarou was there too. He'd left Sora's side, leaving her in the capable care of Biyomon, in order to offer whatever insight he could to Iori, to ensure that his girlfriend won the case. Andromon had even taken time out of the Temple and Coliseum and his Council duties to assist in any way he could.

Hawkmon had brought his 'child' for a visit as well, and as showing him off for Tafu's Candlemon and Armadillomon. "I'm so proud," he kept saying, whenever possible.

"It's so amazing that he's a Poromon now," Armadillomon said in awe. "You're not the last of your kind. I think that's beautiful."

"You're not the last of yours either, anymore," Hawkmon reminded him.

"But I didn't _save_ my species with the power of love," Armadillomon said with a shy smile.

"I think he's cute," Candlemon cooed.

"I can hear," Poromon reminded them shyly, which prompted a series of apologies and a new round of questions that I didn't bother paying attention to. I had to finish scrubbing the counter, so that I could scrub the walls and sanitize the television and find some way to deodorize the air of all the baby vomit.

I wanted to rip my hair out, but at the same time I was grateful. I wanted to be busy, so that I couldn't dwell on my feelings. I also wanted to be able to relax in my own home though. It was a fine balance that I hadn't really gotten the hang of yet.

Taichi and Yamato were sitting in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, at the counter, not even noticing that I was trying to clean it. They were on their bar stools, looking down into the black coffee in their cups. I'd made it for them when they asked, but I was feeling spiteful—they _could_ have made it themselves just fine, thank you very much—and left the coffee black. They didn't drink it that way, and I thought it might put me into a good mood when they drank it anyway, just because of my _generosity_. But they weren't drinking it. They were just staring at it and taking up counter space, which wasn't funny. It was just irritating.

Behind me, Keiko—one of the Dark Spore children, or so I'd been told—was putting the finishing touches on a pot of tea. She'd reached for tea cups, to put on her tray, but was gently guided away from Kiyoko's hand painted collection by a wise Yoshie. I could feel her sympathetic eyes on me as she did so, and Keiko immediately complied with Yoshie's wordless suggestion and picked out an odd assortment of mugs instead. I cast a thankful look in Yoshie's direction and she smiled kindly to me.

Yoshie was one of my favourite guests to have in the library. She never pried, she never made a mess, and she loved Kiyoko so much. She'd taken him in, and watched over him back when he was still possessed by Sigma. She was one of his favourite people in the entire world, and she was the sweetest woman I'd ever met. She was a part of Team Mom with him, and knew more about Kiyoko than just about all of the Digidestined because of it. She never pried, because she missed him too, and knew how hard it was to _talk_ about it.

Wordlessly, she slipped passed me, on the way to the sink—which was always piled high with dishes these days—and squeezed my arm. I didn't look her way; I didn't want to break down in front of everybody. Instead I watched Keiko balance the tea tray on her way to the collection of downtrodden digimon that were sitting at the end of the counter, all bunched up close. She set the tray on the counter beside Terriermon and Lopmon—who were on the countertop—and sank into a bar stool of her own. Pal and Pul were flying unenthusiastically on either side of Agumon, who was on the chair next to Dracomon. Tapirmon was floating on Kotemon's left.

Keiko poured out cups of tea for each of them, but no one seemed in a hurry to drink any of it.

"Does it get any easier?" Terriermon asked in a soft, broken voice.

"Not yet," Keiko offered. "But it hasn't been very long for me either."

"I do not think it ever will," Kotemon said forlornly. Iori had brought him here from the Temple, having convinced him to spend the day with them. Gatomon had joined them too, for the fun of it. Hikari was always off doing her own thing now, apparently. "You simply need to find something you can dedicate your time and energy to. I am a Knight now, and it is enough. I know that Chikara would be proud of me, and I strive to be the best I can be in his honour."

"I don't know what to do without Willis," Terriermon mourned. "We always had him. He's all I remember. I don't remember existing at all before we were brought into his life."

"I've lost _two_ now," Lopmon whimpered. "Willis _was_ my new focus. I don't know what to do."

"The café isn't fun anymore," Tapirmon admitted quietly. "It was fun before. I used to come home and tell Kiyoko all of the stories of the day. No one else listens the same way he always did. And what if he still has nightmares wherever he is? Who's going to take them away for him?"

"I like to think that they've all gone to Heaven," Keiko said. "I don't think you can get nightmares in Heaven."

"Really?" Tapirmon asked, hopeful. "Kiyoko _always_ had nightmares. It's nice to think that he'll finally be free from them."

"It really is," Dracomon agreed. "Do you think Rei can walk in Heaven? Neo was always really sad that she had to be in a chair. It might make him feel better if she could walk."

"I don't really know," Keiko said gently. "I don't know if anyone really _knows_."

"Willis did," Terriermon said firmly. "He went there."

"We did too," Lopmon reminded him. "We saw lots of people there too," she added. "They were all happy."

"That's good then," Keiko said with a small smile. The smile was short lived though. "Did you see any _digimon_ there?"

"I don't think so…." Lopmon said, unsure. Keiko's shoulders drooped.

"But we didn't stay very long," Terriermon added quickly, knowing that Keiko was upset about her baby digimon who'd suffered a terrible fate due to an unfortunate digivolution.

"Kiyoko won't be with Lalamon?" Tapirmon asked sadly. "Won't he be real lonely?"

"He's got Rei," Agumon reminded him. "And he could always meet his parents again."

"I doubt they'd be there," Tapirmon said, his eyes going cold.

"I miss Rei," Agumon said. "Pal and Pul don't talk anymore. They don't have fun. And Taichi can't cook as good as her. He can't cook at all. And he's not as fun anymore. Rei was so much gentler than Taichi too."

"She was a real good babysitter," Dracomon added. "She let me have peanut butter whenever I wanted. Neo doesn't. And she'd play any game I wanted."

"She was always so happy, even in her chair," Tapirmon sighed. "She made Kiyoko happy too."

"A lot of things made Willis happy," Lopmon told them.

"Mostly us," Terriermon put in. His audience attempted some laughter, but it fell short.

"YukimiBotamon loved bread," Keiko said, her voice breaking. I could _feel_ her sadness as the tears started to fall.

"Find a way to honour that," Kotemon suggested. He'd had a few years to get used to the idea that he didn't have a partner any more. He was the most level headed of their group. But I could see that he wasn't unaffected

"We always talked about opening a bakery together," Keiko said, still crying. "I guess I could still do that, maybe?"

"I think that would make your partner _very_ happy," Kotemon told her. Keiko nodded, and started sobbing.

"I know what would've made Rei happy," Agumon sighed. "She would've wanted to see Pal and Pul being true to who they are, but I can't really make that happen."

"I don't know what Kiyoko wanted," Tapirmon said. "He hid things a lot. I don't know what made him happiest."

"He was happy being alive," I said through gritted teeth. "He was happy that he was _free_. But I guess neither of those are an option anymore, are they?"

I noticed that the noise of the room was gone. My angry remark had silenced the entire crowd. The fact that I'd let my emotions get out just made me angrier. I didn't _like_ that I'd been such an open book. I could feel a lot of _pity_ being sent my way, but I didn't want that. I threw my sponge at the counter and clenched my fists.

"Go for a walk dear," Yoshie told me. Her voice was calm and kind, just like it normally was, but she also wasn't leaving any room for refusal. I shook my head anyway. "I'll take over the cleaning. In fact, I think it's about time _everyone_ lent a hand. Taichi, you go with him."

I noticed that Taichi's hands were clenched just as tightly as my own. He wasn't enjoying their conversation anymore than I was. I wished _he_ could have been the one to react first.

"I'll go too," Yamato offered, before Taichi could protest. I sighed, knowing that there was no way to get out of this. Warg and Melga looked to me, silently asking if they should come along, but I didn't want them to. _I_ didn't want to go. I just wanted to stay and get that damn counter clean. Was that _really_ too much to ask for?

Evidently it was.

Also, Warg and Melga completely disregarded my desires and came along for the trip anyway, followed closely by Agumon and Gabumon. I was almost ninety percent sure that they were only coming because Yoshie had mentioned that there was cleaning involved.

Once we were out on the streets, we walked as a pack. They kept me in the middle—though I wasn't sure it was _actually_ intentional—so I couldn't flee. We didn't talk for a while, simply letting the cool autumn air fill our lungs and wipe our anger away.

It was Agumon that broke the silence.

"I'm sorry Taichi," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It wasn't _you_ ," Taichi sighed. "It's just that I miss her too, you know? And I keep thinking about all the 'what if's. What if I'd gone to the Coliseum sooner? What if someone could have stopped her from leaving? What if we'd run into her when we were running from the virus? But none of that means a damn thing, because none of it happened. She's gone, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"You can't dwell on the past," Yamato said sagely. "You have to focus on tomorrow."

"Says the guy that took the Time Key to save the love of _his_ life," I muttered bitterly. It was a true testament to my misery that I was upset with _Yamato_. He was still the lead singer of my favourite band, but I just couldn't put up with him right then.

"Sora's not the love of my life," Yamato denied, and I was unconvinced. I _knew_ when people belonged together, and I'd known from the start that Sora was it for Yamato. "And we _needed_ Sora to beat Yggdrasil."

"I need Rei for so much more than that, man," Taichi told him. I could see that even _Taichi_ was in agreement with me. It was so annoying that Yamato and Sora were doing the whole relationship-drama thing again when we were suffering so many disasters. Logically, I knew it was their decision, but it was also logical to me to think that they were being idiots.

"I know that," Yamato said defensively. "I'm not saying we _only_ needed Sora for that either."

"Don't fight," Gabumon pleaded. There was a moment when I thought they weren't going to head Gabumon's advice, but Warg came to the rescue when he pointed off into the distance.

"What's going on?" he asked. Melga looked off and tried to identify the mob of people that were blocking the sidewalk in front of us.

"It looks like reporters," Yamato said with a shrug.

"But what are they looking at?" Melga wanted to know.

"Do you think it's Rida?" Taichi asked with a bloodthirsty look in his eye. I almost felt bad for Rida— _almost_ , and only with a tiny portion of my mind at that. The rest of me wanted to join him in his quest for revenge. Rida worked for EVOLVE, and he was still trying to sway the public opinion in EVOLVE's favour. EVOLVE had killed Kiyoko, Rei, Willis, Noriko, Keiko's YukimiBotamon, countless digimon—literally countless, because we couldn't find proof they'd ever existed, and therefore could not count them—and nearly killed Jun. And _then_ they had the audacity to say that they "came in peace". I'd like to see how he'd react to my peaceful fist in his face.

We moved towards the crowd, and forced our way to the front. We were disappointed to see that it wasn't Rida at all. I was horrified to realize it was my mother and sister instead. And they were preaching EVOLVE's praise, just like always.

"What you have to understand about Rida is that his actions were a quick decision in a dire situation," Mom was saying using a sickeningly sweet tone with her hand resting on her heart. "He acted with the best interest of his country and of his home _world_."

"What he did was not wrong," Yorokobi added. "He was daring, yes, but it's unwise to assume that his actions were terrible. You're being swayed by the minds of the uneducated who obviously cannot see it for what it really was. He was _protecting_ us. There was a call for war, and he was there to protect us, all of us, and the entire planet too."

"But what of those that were killed?" a reporter asked. I could see the subtle narrowing of my mother's eyes that marked her irritation, but I was sure no one else could. My eyes were trained in the art of her disappointment—I'd been the cause of those looks my entire existence.

"They were warned of the virus. Rida made a very public announcement," she said simply. "I don't believe that there was any vicious intent when the virus was sent. He deeply regrets any and all death that his stand caused, but it was for our protection. The people in charge sometimes have to make the hardest choices."

"Any further questions?" my sister asked.

"I've got one," I said, surprising myself with my boldness. Usually I felt two feet tall when in their presence, but the way that Mom was saying that Rida felt regret for the deaths—for _Kiyoko's_ death—got to me. It was like a punch to the gut. Rida didn't care about any of them—any of _us_. He was just trying to cover his butt so that the public wouldn't boot him from office. "I'm your son, your brother, and _I_ was targeted by the virus. Rida tried to _kill me_. What do you have to say in his defense now?"

The reporters all started whispering, scratching their pens on pads of paper, and double checking that their voice recorders were on. Mom and Yorokobi glared at me while they were distracted, and tried to come up with some form of defense that would praise Rida without making them out to be completely heartless wretches.

"Sweetheart," Mom started with that same sickeningly sweet tone of voice. It made my skin crawl. "You _know_ that Rida wouldn't intentionally hurt you. He loves our family; he cares for you very deeply."

"I've never met the man," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Of _course_ you have," Yorokobi insisted. "He holds the Fujimotos in high regard."

"Not this one," I said flatly. "He killed my boyfriend."

"He means his _girl_ friend," Mom hissed quickly, trying to cover up her disgust with her smile. It was one of the many, _many_ things that she disliked about me. I was the black sheep of the Fujimoto family. I liked girls _and_ boys, I didn't like school, I wasn't athletic, I supported digimon fully and completely and would never stop trying to protect them. I was a stain on the family honour. I was doing my family a disservice by existing, and I was running their name through the mud each time I referenced another male romantically.

"Nope," Yamato said. "Pretty sure he was a guy."

"What would _you_ know," Yorokobi said coldly. "You're the _Digital Man_."

The reporters gasped again, and once more their pens were flying. Yamato's face flushed and he looked from the reporters and back to Yorokobi. He clenched his fists and took in a deep breath, centering himself. Gabumon patted his back, and Yamato seemed to find his courage.

"I think you'll find that the public have been disillusioned to EVOLVE's propaganda," Yamato told her nonchalantly. "I do believe it is common knowledge that it was _EVOLVE_ and not RISE that was after world domination and mass genocide."

"It wasn't meant to be genocide," Yorokobi insisted. Her left eye was twitching as she desperately tried to save the reputation of her chosen organization. "It was an act of _protection_."

"But it _was_ world domination you were after," Yamato said. "You're not denying that."

"We want global protection!" Yorokobi snapped. "We're the protection the world needs from freaks like those!" She pointed angrily to Warg, and my partner flinched away from her. I pulled him towards me and held him close. Melga joined us only seconds later. Agumon and Gabumon both moved closer to their partners.

"I am Hideto Fujimoto," I said clearly, for the sake of the press. "I'm the youngest of the Fujimoto family, and my family tried to kill me and the people I love most, and succeeded in taking the lives of four people and countless digimon. They are not _good_ people, and they are not kind. They fully supported Arnold, and continue to support Arnold's partners."

"They're also not very smart," Yamato muttered. Yorokobi heard this and wound her hand back, slapping Yamato across the face. The sound of her open palm slamming into his cheeks practically echoed.

"You watch your mouth, Ishida," Yorokobi warned him. "Before you say something you won't be _able_ to regret."

The press was having a heyday. First she assaulted the Digital Man—who they seemed to now see as a hero, rather than a vigilante—and then she very openly threatened to kill him. Adding all that on to the fact that they supported EVOLVE at all—and had knowingly tried to kill their own family member—and they had a hefty serving of humble pie. They wouldn't be able to climb back onto their high horses after that. They'd be left in the mud, scrambling to put the pieces of their life back together.

They obviously weren't in the mood to stay in public anymore, and they fled through the reporters. The reporters looked like they were ready to follow after them, but one woman narrowed her eyes on Taichi, and made an exclamation that caused the others to stay where they were.

"You're the Digimon Ambassador," she realized. Silence fell around her. Taichi shook his head.

"Not anymore," he said. "Ride eliminated the position when he decided to launch a virus at us. No, that's not quite right. He got rid of my job a couple of months earlier. He didn't give me a reason, but I know now. He wanted to get rid of the population in the world I represented."

"Do you know _why_?" the woman asked.

"Not really," Taichi said with an awkward shrug. "I think they might've wanted to take the Digital World and use it as another home for the human race. It's beautiful there, and the resources are out of this world."

"Literally," Agumon joked. There were a few polite laughs, but the air was too tense for much more. They were finally getting a chance to hear the other side of Rida's story. They were hearing from the victims of the virus. It was probably pretty huge for their careers.

"What about the war?" a different reporter asked, male this time.

"I….I did _kind of_ threaten war against Earth," Taichi admitted, after panicking a little. The reporters were very curious, to say the least. "I _warned_ Rida that one might be possible if he didn't stop shutting me out. But he didn't listen, and the digimon were rightly furious. Rida and the rest of EVOLVE were killing their people without cause. They weren't able to defend themselves. And then he threatened Mimi during her broadcast, and I got defensive. I told him he'd get his war. But I couldn't do anything. We were trapped in the Digital World and he knew it. They were empty words."

"What do _you_ want?" someone from the back asked. "We've heard what Rida wanted, but what about you?"

"Me?" Taichi asked with a humourless laugh. "I want peace. We've _always_ wanted peace. I just want Earth's inhabitants to understand that the digimon have every right to live, just as we do. They've got the capabilities to think, learn, _feel_. They're alive, and they're not fighting you. They don't _want_ to fight. They just want the killing to stop. There is no war. There is no counterstrike coming. We don't want any more people to die, no matter their species."

The reporters hung off his every word, and I wondered if this simple speech of a tired, worn down, _broken_ man would be enough to turn the tides. Rida was playing the game well, but Taichi's raw, emotional confession _had_ to knock that madman off his perch. _Something_ good had to come from Kiyoko, Rei and Willis' death.

 _It had to_.

Or else, what was the point?

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Takeru and Daisuke are both worried about their loved ones and the secrets they have been withholding, and they may finally get the results of their search.


	16. Hardy Boys

**Y/N:** Daisuke was so much fun this time around. He and Takeru have been an interesting pair to explore, and I really wish we'd spend more time with them at some other time.

 **U/N:** I love the friendship between TK and Davis in a lot of ways, and so while this chapter doesn't focus around them exclusively, it still features their friendship and I think that's awesome. These two parts were originally supposed to be in different chapters but ultimately I think it still kind of works in one chapter, and hopefully I'm right.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 16: Hardy Boys**

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

It didn't seem like Hikari to be late. I was worried. I knew it was probably nothing, but knowing one thing and fearing something else was something I was getting pretty good at. I didn't want her to be late because I didn't want to know what was keeping her. Now, I wasn't some crazy jealous boyfriend who craved to be by her side every minute of every day and would snap at anyone else who spoke with her, because that would be insane. I loved when Hikari spent time with other people. It meant that she had a life and that life did not necessarily revolve around _me_. But I _was_ starting to feel a little jealous... or maybe a lot jealous.

It had been a long time since Hikari had been _with_ me. Sure she'd been sitting there watching a movie, or we'd eat dinner together, but she wasn't really _there_. When I spoke to Daisuke about the issue he assured me it was probably nothing.

" _I assure you, it's probably nothing," he had said, but then he had smiled and watched as Kurayami left the room with Haruki, "but, keep in mind that Kurayami is doing the same things and I'm pretty sure it actually is something."_

So that really set me off. Not in an angry rampage or anything, but rather in a 'I'm going to find out what's going on in her life if she won't tell me' kind of way. Daisuke sure felt the same way I knew, and so together we had tried to theorize.

" _Okay so I read Kurayami's diary," Daisuke said without sounding ashamed at all._

" _Daisuke, that's horrible," I objected._

" _No, it's fine," he assured me, "she's only been writing about cabbage and buying a new salt shaker because she broke Sora's."_

" _Well that's not very interesting," I pouted. I didn't want to admit it then, but I was really excited to find out what was going on with those two girls and if reading Kurayami's diary would help I was all for it, even if it was a massive invasion of privacy._

" _No, you're right," Daisuke nodded, "but when you read it like an acrostic poem, down the side... see what it says?" He handed me the thin black book and I felt uncomfortable immediately. It was one thing for her husband to be reading her inner thoughts, but for a boy who was nothing more than her old roommate? It was something entirely different._

 _I read it anyway though. I looked where Daisuke had intended me to and I began reading down the page, just the first letter of each line. "Daisuke stop re—" I flipped the page, "—ading my diary." I looked up to Daisuke with wide eyes in shock._

" _Exactly," Daisuke said, nodding fervently, "Do you see what this means?" I shook my head "it means she has something to hide, or she wouldn't assume that I would read her diary to try to find it." That actually made a lot of sense. It also explained why, on the page of the diary I was holding, I could see the words 'I really do love cabbage, I wonder if it would taste good with paprika.' "So I did some more digging," Daisuke said as he took the diary back and glanced toward the door to see if Kurayami would come in. He returned the book to the nightstand and motioned for me to follow._

 _I glanced back to Patamon and saw him playing with Veemon who really seemed to have missed him, and then followed after him. It was clear to me that Labramon was only pretending to sleep, but he couldn't assume we were doing anything wrong, could he? Aside from the fact that he could obviously hear us. Daisuke stopped though and pointed to the floor boards inside the basement closet. "What? It's a floor."_

" _You would think that, wouldn't' you?" he fell to his knees and pried up one of the boards to reveal a hiding hole underneath. "Voila!"_

" _It's still a floor though," I noted, but fell to my knees anyway and craned my neck to see inside the hole, "What's in there?"_

" _That's the interesting part," Daisuke said, reaching around and into the hole. It took me a moment to make heads or tails of the black blob that he had pulled from underneath the floor. It was a boot, but coated in thick wads of mud. "I went through Hikari's blog pictures and found that these were in fact Kurayami's boots, the ones she bought just before the virus. She wasn't wearing them in the Digital World though, so they should be relatively new. What are they doing under the floorboards? Where did she go that was so muddy and why are her boots ruined?"_

 _I paused and stared at them for a moment and then we heard movement from the stairs. Kurayami was coming back! Daisuke dropped the boot back into the hole and covered it up with the board he had removed and we both flung ourselves out of the closet in time to see Kurayami's face appear from the stairs. She looked over and smiled, "Do you boys want something to eat?"_

" _I do!" Veemon and Patamon shouted with glee._

" _Sure, Honey," Daisuke nodded, blowing a kiss in her direction. She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway and she made her way upstairs._

 _When she was out of sight, I turned to Daisuke and sighed, "I don't think Hikari and Kurayami are up to the same thing. Hikari doesn't have any muddy boots or secret messages in her diary."_

" _Have you checked?" Daisuke asked quickly._

" _Well no," I admitted, "But it I don't have to." Daisuke looked put out though. "I'll still help you with Kurayami though! If I find anything out, I'll let you know." He smiled up to me and then I paused, staring to the diary again. "There is a picture of her dead brother."_

" _Mhm, she pulled it out a couple days ago," Daisuke said, "Weird right? She usually feels too upset when she looks to his pictures." He suddenly realized he may have found another clue and he looked up to be with delight._

So Daisuke hadn't really been much help in discovering what Hikari was up to, but he had made me curious about Kurayami as well. He'd also given me horrible ideas about reading Hikari's diary and the last time I was there I had been so tempted to give it a glance.

 _There it was. Pink, floral and inviting. Why did so many of my friends keep diaries in this digital age? It seemed so old fashioned, but that just made it easier to read, right? Surely just opening the book and looking for any signs of trouble wouldn't be_ _invasive—not if my motive was to protect her._

 _As I moved forward to grab the book I heard a knock on the door. I spun around to see Iori, his hand hovering by the door. His eyes fell to the book then returned to me, "Have you seen Hikari?" he asked nervously._

" _She's in the bathroom," I said blankly. Iori nodded and then started to back away, "Iori wait!" I called out, "I—I wasn't really going to read that." He stopped and looked back into the room but said nothing, "Why would I read her diary? That'd be silly. Dumb even. I don't need to k-know what she's thinking."_

" _Right now she'd be wondering why you don't trust her, actually," Iori said flatly. "I know you won't read it Takeru. I just don't understand why you thought the need to do it at all."He then shrugged his shoulders, "better I find you than Hikari though, right?"_

" _R-right..." I nodded, and he was right._

Iori was so smart. He knew me pretty well too. I was glad that he had faith in me that I wouldn't read her book, because I didn't need to. I felt no desire to force myself into her mind. I loved the way she slowly let me see more and more as time went on. There was no reason to ruin everything we had just to find out more of her secrets, even if I _was_ ridiculously worried about her. Iori had faith in me, so why couldn't I have faith in her?

I knew it was a giant leap, but I had to bridge things together somehow!

" _Miyako," I said, looking through the glass surrounding her little infant child. The baby was weird, but still cute somehow. I was so happy she was alive, so whatever she looked like, she'd be beautiful. "When you and Hikari got Aquilamon and Gatomon to DNA digivolve did you feel a connection with Hikari's heart?"_

" _Of course," she said politely, "Why? Didn't you feel that with Iori? He does have a heart, doesn't he?" she paused and shook her head quickly, "I was joking, that was a bad joke. Don't tell him I said that. I know he has a heart. He's the sweetest."_

" _I—I won't tell him" I stuttered, "I just... I just wondered if maybe you could help me convince Gatomon to use her tail ring to power the DNA fusions again so you could feel a connection with Hikari's heart and tell me what's going on in there?"_

 _Miyako looked to me with a slightly open mouth, her eyes were completely blank for a moment and when she finally spoke her voice was quiet, "first, I think we might be able to do it without taking her tail ring. I mean, she has it on her anyway, it should work. Second, how would we explain that to Hikari? 'Oh hey Hikari, I was just wondering if you wanted to help me reach my ultimate form again, even though I can do it by myself now'?" okay, she had a point, "And Hikari's heart is far too deep and elaborate for me to understand let alone read clearly enough to relay a message to you."_

" _She does have a really big heart," I noted._

" _Why don't you just ask her what's up?" Miyako suggested as she stood up to get a better look at her daughter. Asking wasn't getting me anywhere though, "And if that doesn't work," Miyako added, "try the jogress form. Shakamon, I mean. You and Hikari jogressed by feeling each other's hearts and crests. Or at least that's how Iori and I did it. Surely you could just try to search Hikari's heart on your own."_

I felt pretty stupid for not thinking of that myself, but when it came time to the actual test, Hikari didn't seem to understand the purpose of it at all, and it was a major failure. We, to be safe, digivolved on Earth and then jumped into the Digital World. Patamon had given me the idea before. But then, when we entered the Digital World with Shakamon Hikari just seemed confused. We stood there with our super-mega-awesome form digimon and sure there was a connection between the two of us, one that was different from the normal connection, but Miyako had been right. It wasn't possible to _understand_ , just to _feel_.

And so I was no closer to understanding the workings of Hikari's mind than I had been before. And that sucked because I just wanted to find answers to one of the problems that were so obviously weighing me down. It was selfish to think of myself at a time like that, but I was just so worried about all of my friends that I wasn't getting much sleep. Sora had been _arrested_ , and sure she was at home now—but she wasn't allowed to leave until we convinced a judge that she _hadn't_ killed anyone. Kurayami was up to something weird, and had actually been the one to kill the man. The previously mentioned _murder_ had been something I had witnessed and was also contributing to my lack of sleep. Miyako and Ken were stressed more than they'd ever been as they watched their baby try to grow, but she was alive for now and that was something. Mimi was _terrified_ to spend too much time in her restaurant and had actually created a prediction schedule for the next time it was to be burnt down. As it had been nearly three years, she did the math to check when the next strike should come, and since there was a margin of 8.3% she doubled that and placed the next fire on February 20th 2018. Mari was in a long standing trial against her parents who she wanted nothing more than to never see again, and was now dealing with the loss of three of her friends. We were all dealing with those losses of course, and I'd woken up several times from dreams in which they were okay, only to be painfully reminded each morning that they were gone. Then of course there was Koushiro and while I didn't _know_ what was going on with him... well, I knew. I just did, and I wouldn't say anything because it was his life, but I was starting to think that maybe he didn't see the problem the way that I saw it. I would keep his secret, because I was sure he was perceptive enough to know that I knew, because I did not want to ruin the friendship we had recently rebuilt. I couldn't risk damaging something like that.

And it was Koushiro's problems that really worried me. It was a loose comparison at best, but he had been late and the reason for that, as I know knew, was something very serious. I didn't want Hikari, who was also late, to be subjected to the same troubled fate. I cared very much for her and if she was sick or... worse, I didn't want to find out too late.

Whatever it was that she was hiding from me was serious. It wasn't that she hated my most recent present, or anything petty like that she had kissed another boy. This secret, _whatever_ it was, was something that was putting genuine strain on her, and by extension, me. This was feeling all to similar to three years ago when we kept secrets from each other to the extent that it sent Sora running to her death. Literally. I wasn't willing to risk this again. Whatever secrets Kurayami, Hikari, Koushiro and whoever else were keeping, they had to come out. Even if that meant Kurayami and Sora switching places. I was _sure_ we could find a way to keep everyone safe. We were all determined not to let anyone else fall prey to suffering or death and so I was confident that we could come out of this okay.

I knew Taichi had the idea to take Sora to the Digital World if she lost her trial, and Yamato had the news playing daily, just for any new information about her trial, even if he wouldn't admit to caring. Mimi wanted Koushiro to be back to normal, and so did the others, but they couldn't help him if he didn't tell them what was wrong...

I groaned audibly and looked up as someone called my name, "Takeru and Hikari?" I looked up from where I was staring to the clock on my phone. I was in a waiting room. It was rather boring, the walls were off-white, the chairs were beige and kind of lumpy, and the overhead lights' fluorescent glow was flickering. The woman who had called my name even seemed bored and she was tapping her foot like she simply couldn't wait another second.

"Hikari isn't here yet," I called out to her, "Could we stall for just a moment?"

The woman looked to her watch and then back up to me, "No."

I pulled myself to my feet and awkwardly followed along after her, checking my phone clock again. Hikari was twelve minutes late from being on time, and twenty-two minutes late from the time we had agreed to meet up. I was more than worried now. I was a little hurt. What was she doing that was more important than joining me in fixing our current life problems?

The woman held open the door for me and I slipped inside. She followed me and gestured to another uncomfortable looking seat inside her office. The walls were a dull greyish blue, and there were several potted plants that at least made the room more interesting to look at. I sat in the wooden chair facing the matching desk and looked to the bored woman with the dark hair who began typing at her computer. I listened to the clicking of the keys for about a minute, trying to not feel uncomfortable in the silence, and then finally she turned to me.

"So it is my understanding that you're in the market for a career," she said in a monotone voice. "Then you've come to the right place. As a job councillor it is my job to encourage you to make a new start," she sounded so much like she was reading off of a card that I turned to see if she had taped her script to the back of the door. She hadn't, "Here is my card, and a free coupon for adult diapers." She slid an envelope across the table and I took it, thanking her politely and folding it before putting it in my pocket. "So what kind of career are you interested in?"

I spent the next twenty or so minutes talking about how I needed a career that could keep up with my girlfriend's just because I didn't want her to feel like she had to pay for everything, but as it stood she herself didn't have a job. She had a teaching degree though, and she was required to pay off her student loans which she couldn't do without a job. I worked at a stupid coffee shop and I wanted to fix that as soon as I could, but until I had another job lined up I knew I would be going in to see Ai every day for the next week before I even had a day off. The woman wasn't much help, but she had me answer some questions for a survey which told me that I would be best suited for a job in the creative writing field.

As if that was helpful at all. How much was I paying for this meeting again?

It was when she turned the computer to face me so I could read my other options that I heard a sound from outside. I turned and saw the door opening.

"Thank you so much," Hikari was saying to someone behind the door as she slipped inside. She turned around, looking breathless and when she caught sight of me she winced. I apologized with my eyes, I hadn't meant to seem so stern. She sat next to me and took my hand, "I'm so sorry I'm late."

"It's okay," I told her, "You're never late. It's a onetime thing, right? I can forgive that."

"You still have to pay for the whole meeting," the bored woman said.

"That's fine," Hikari said flatly. She smiled but seemed uncomfortable still, possibly because she was hiding something and possibly because these chairs were ridiculous. She looked to the computer curiously though. "So what's this?"

"My future career options," I told her dryly. She smirked at the sight of the first one and nodded as if to say, 'well that's obvious'.

Then she pointed to the screen, "Wait this sounds fun!" she was pointing to 'art consultant for children' and while I didn't think I knew anything about art, it was still an option at least. An option that required little to no prerequisites. The bored woman began listing all of the job openings in that particular field and I sat back, trying to find a way to be interested in what she had to say. I just kept flashing back to when Ken dragged me to see a play his mother was in where she became so nervous that she had to bring her script on stage and she read from that as though she were robotic. Ken apologized profusely after the show, but I assured him I had had fun. I hadn't though, and that was why I was reminded of that day now. Because I was not having fun now either.

When it came time for Hikari to take a turn the woman had her answer the same questions I had answered and was surprised to find that Hikari had a degree in her number one option. After she found that out she insisted that Hikari get back out there and teach, and even when Hikari declared that she had no interest in trying something she was a failure at, the woman continued to tell her to get back onto the horse and try again. Hikari seemed upset by this, but I was actually happy the woman was telling her this. I wanted to tell her to try again myself, but I was worried she'd get upset with me. You couldn't just give up your dream after one kind-of-failure, especially when that failure was not your fault and in fact you were just whisked away to another world where all of your nightmares came true. Hikari would have encouraged everyone else to try again, so why couldn't she encourage herself to do the same?

It was as I summoned a taxi to stop by us after our very pointless and particularly expensive session that Hikari decided to speak again. "I'm really sorry," she told me as I held the door open for her. I waited until I was in the other side of the cab before I responded.

"It's fine, Hikari," I promised, taking her hand, "Do you need any adult diapers?" She laughed, but was confused and as I was explaining myself I started to feel queasy. I felt this way multiple times throughout my life, and it was like a recreated version of my stomach while on a roller coaster. I felt like it was flipping and twisting when it really shouldn't have been. The usual cause of this feeling was when I was lying to my teachers or my mother, but sometimes I felt this way when I was forcing some of my feelings aside.

I didn't want to feel this way.

I shouldn't have _had_ to feel this way.

As I held open the door to her apartment, Hikari caught sight of my face and I knew that she could tell something was up. She hung her head and walked through the door, glancing in the nearest rooms for any sign of life. When she came up short she moved to the kitchen and sat at the table. I followed her and sat across from her. "Where were you?"

"I slept in," she told me, and I could tell she wasn't lying. There may have been more, but she _wasn't_ lying. Was that enough? I broke eye contact with her to think. Omitting the truth was the same as lying. At least in a sense—that's what my mother always told me. Was Hikari lying to me then? "What's wrong?"

"What's going on?" I countered. She looked affronted but I didn't back down. I stared right into her eyes, "You can be late sometimes, I don't mind. You can even downright stand me up if you _really_ don't want to go. I don't want to force you to do something you're not comfortable with." She nodded, but seemed unsure where my frustration was coming from, "And you know that I love and trust you. But I... I just need to know what's going on. Why are there so many secrets blocking you from me? Why are you sneaking around and hiding your phone. You've never had a password on it before—and no, I haven't tried to get on, I just see you with it a lot. You've never been so attached to it." Hikari looked away this time, and stared to her folded hands on the table. "Is this about Sora? Are you trying to help her? Or Koushiro?"

"What about Koushiro?" she asked, worried.

"I—it's nothing," I faltered, cursing myself mentally for even bringing it up. Now I was keeping something from her which was just as bad. Suddenly it dawned on me what _might_ be the issue. "Are you keeping someone _else's_ secret? If you're not able to tell me because it would break some kind of trust with someone else I can understand that."

Hikari's eyes widened and she nodded, "That's it," she agreed, but she winced as she said it, "Kind of anyway."

"You're not lying?" I asked. She shook her head, "I trust you," I said flatly, but I still felt there was something else going on. "If you can't tell me, I understand. But please just try to help me understand. I don't want to lose you, and I feel that you're slipping away—"

"No!" she gasped, "I'm not slipping away, I promise! I'm just—I'm a _horrible_ person."

There was a pause as she shifted in her seat. How could she think she was a horrible person?

"Hikari, that's not tru—"

"Yes it is," she said, abruptly getting to her feet. "I—I'm worried. I'm scared." My heart immediately lurched and I got to my feet and quickly hurried to her side, taking her hands. She looked to me in a way I had never seen her do before, and I knew I was about to find the answers I'd been searching for. "I have been sneaking off to follow Gaia's power and I found her and I've spoken with her several times."

I felt like she had slapped me right across the face. I didn't answer right away and instead let the memories of Gaia's story flood back to my mind. She had attempted to destroy her husband, betraying him after he grew to trust her, and then she somehow tricked her daughters as well. She tricked people who trusted her, that was what she _did_. It was who she was!

"Hikari, you can't."

"I don't expect you to understand—" she tried.

"I don't think it's _me_ who doesn't understand!" I said loudly. She winced upon hearing my voice and I felt horrible immediately. I lightened my tone and took her hands once more. "Hikari, she's dangerous—"

She looked up to me and shook her head ever so slightly, "I'm not so sure that she is," she said softly, "She... she helped me, and she helped Kurayami—"

"Kurayami is going too?" I asked flatly, thinking about Daisuke's desires to know what his wife was up to. Hikari nodded, "Did you guys meet her in some muddy swamp somewhere or something?"

Hikari shook her head, "We met along a bike trail once, but it wasn't _muddy_ , why?," she seemed confused.

"Doesn't matter," I shook it off, "Hikari, Gaia is going to betray and trick you like she has to everyone else. You have to trust me."

"I trust you," she nodded, "But you don't know Gaia. You haven't met her before. She's very sweet. She's _kind_."

"She's _wicked_ ," I snapped.

"Because she fought against Sigma and Yggdrasil?" Hikari asked, "Then why don't we join forces with her because I seem to recall doing the same thing!"

"She _killed_ Willis!" I said, my voice rising again, "And Kiyoko! They are your friends, Hikari, and she took their lives."

"She..." Hikari faltered, thinking back and she winced, "We don't know that for sure. I'll ask her, I'm sure there's more to the story—"

"I'm sure there is," I said sharply, "But I'm not sure I want to know the details of their deaths. I cannot believe this. I cannot believe _you_." I was in a _rage_. As a writer I often prided myself on my ability to see through other's eyes and had the ability to understand why someone might do what they have done, but this was something that flew clean over the top of my head. I could not for the _life_ of me understand what she had done or why she had done it. I released her hands and moved toward the kitchen sink, turning my back on her, "You can't go back," I decided, "Promise me you won't go back."

"Promise me you won't _tell_ anyone," Hikari countered.

I spun back around to face her and froze. How could she ask me to keep a secret like this? Gaia's whereabouts could save the entire world—maybe all of them! And I certainly couldn't _not_ tell Daisuke what Kurayami was up to. But I couldn't betray Hikari either. She had to see who her real friends were and that was something I would _always_ be, no matter what went on.

"Okay," I said finally.

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

"Daisuke I've solved the mystery!"

I looked up to see Takeru running down the basement steps. He tripped down the last four steps, and fell flat on his butt. He was still smiling though. I tossed Kurayami's diary aside. I didn't need _that_ anymore. Takeru scrambled to his feet and threw himself on the couch—on top of my feet. I was too excited about finding out what the mystery was, that I didn't even care how much it hurt.

"Tell me," I demanded.

"Okay," he said. "I still don't know what the boots are about; you'll have to solve _that_ on your own. But I got the answer out of Hikari. I told her I wouldn't tell anyone, but I _have_ to tell you, because it's actually so serious and dangerous that I don't know how to handle it on my own."

"Wait, it's _dangerous_?" I asked, not liking the turn this was taking.

"Yeah," Takeru said. "But it'll be okay, because I got Hikari to promise she wasn't going to do it again. But you can't tell her I told you, because that was the promise I had to make to get her to agree to _my_ promise. I'm such a horrible boyfriend. She can't trust me at all."

"But you're doing this for a good reason," I reminded him, desperate to get the answer out of him at this point. If my wife was involved with some dangerous new pastime, then I wanted to know what it was. I needed to know what the risks were. Every decision we made at that point wasn't just about ourselves anymore. Haruki mattered, and was the most important part of all decision making. He was the reason Sora was facing murder charges instead of Kurayami.

We needed to do what was best for him.

"I really am," he said with a sigh. "Okay, you know how Taichi's been trying to use Hikari to find Gaia? Well, it turns out Hikari's been lying to Taichi about not being able to sense her."

"That's it?" I asked, hopeful. I didn't like the sound of this. I didn't want to hear the name Gaia at all, let alone in the same conversation about my wife's mysterious secret.

"I wish," Takeru said. "But no. They've been lying about being able to find her _and_ they've secretly been going out to meet with her. She's talking to them. She's got Hikari mostly convinced that _she_ 's always been the good guy. Hikari doesn't really believe that Gaia's the reason Willis and Kiyoko are dead, even though Gaia told us herself. She's twisting Hikari's mind, she's manipulating her. I don't think it's Hikari's fault, really, but she can't be exposed to Gaia's lies anymore."

"And you're _sure_ Kurayami has been going with her?" I asked, hoping beyond hope that Takeru was wrong, and that Kurayami had secretly just taken up gardening and was embarrassed about it, so she hid her boots under the floorboards in the closet.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "Don't hate me, but I'm glad that she is."

"Why?" I asked, honestly curious. I knew Takeru would never wish anything horrible onto my wife. Kurayami and Takeru were too close for that to happen. We'd lived together for years. We were practically family.

"It means Hikari isn't out there alone," Takeru said. "She's so strong, and I know she is. I trust her to take care of herself when she's thinking clearly. But she's not. She's letting Gaia do all the thinking. I don't like it. It's not as bad as it was in the Land of Dreams, but it isn't good either."

I let his words sink in. Yes, Kurayami was going behind my back, meeting with a horrible woman— _monster_ —that killed Willis and Kiyoko. The very _sight_ of this woman brought Spring into a terrified panic attack. But she wasn't _alone_ when she went. It was the smallest of comforts, but it was _something_. She was with Hikari. The two of them cared so much about each other I knew they wouldn't let anything happen to one another.

But it wouldn't always be their choice.

And if Gaia was manipulating Hikari so completely, who was to say Kurayami wasn't similarly drawn in? I didn't like hearing about this. I didn't like that Kurayami was sneaking off to meet with an evil woman. Didn't she appreciate what Sora was doing for her right now? Why was she consorting with a known enemy when Sora was facing charges for Moretsuna's death? She really ought to be doing whatever she could to enjoy her freedom, and honouring Sora's sacrifice. But instead she was keeping secrets and sneaking off to fall prey to Gaia.

I wondered if she realized what danger she was in.

I wondered if she would've been safer if she'd just confessed to Moretsuna's death when she wanted to.

"I thought they were smart," I said, heaving a deep sigh and pinching the bridge of my nose. I was glad Haruki was with Biyomon—on a tour of the house, even though Haruki wouldn't be able to understand any of her descriptions. He was a sharp little guy. He would've picked up on my emotions. I didn't want him to see me like this. I felt so old, so tired. I was worried and confused. "How could anyone follow Gaia?"

"While you two were playing Hardy Boys, you missed the fact that Kurayami went out again this morning," Labramon said, startling me. He was sitting at the top of the basement stairs. He'd been listening in. I felt guilty, for not including him in this mystery from the start. "Maybe, if you were less focused on her diary, she wouldn't be in danger right now."

"That's not fair," Takeru defended me instantly.

"Isn't it?" Labramon asked desperately. I knew it was his fear and his worry that was fueling his words. We loved each other, like a proper family should. But he was always going to be Kurayami's partner. She was the one in trouble, and I'd done nothing to really help with it. I'd treated this like a game.

"I thought she was getting a job," I said miserably. "She said she was going to. I took her word for it."

"I know," Labramon said, his voice breaking. "But I don't want her to get hurt. I'm scared. I don't want to be like Terriermon and Lopmon and Tapirmon and Pal and Pul. I don't want to lose my partner."

"We'll keep her safe," I told him, motioning for him to join us on the couch. He raced down and jumped onto my lap. I curled my arms around him, and felt his body shake. I pet his fur, and tried to keep from panicking.

Kurayami was out there right now.

Maybe _today_ she would be doing what she told me she always was, and was trying to get a job. But there was a greater chance that she likely was meeting up with Gaia.

"Hikari promised to never go back," Takeru reminded me, reading my fears on my face.

"But Kurayami didn't," I said, my voice a whisper. I couldn't make it louder. I was so anxious. My wife was out there voluntarily meeting with the woman that killed two of our friends. This woman had Spring on her knees with just a _look_. Winter and Summer were both wary of her as well. The three fairies had helped us exponentially during our adventures. We knew them, and we trusted them. Without them, we wouldn't all be on Earth anymore. We'd still be stuck wherever we'd been sent during the virus.

So how was it that Hikari—kind, sweet _Hikari_ —and Kurayami—who was always so level headed—were trusting _Gaia_ 's word?

"We'll keep them safe," Takeru insisted. "There's no way Kurayami would go without Hikari. And Hikari will keep her promise. She _always_ keeps her promises."

"The same _could_ have been said about you," I pointed out.

"This is different," he said, shaking his head. "I'm telling _you_ because your wife, the mother of your son, is in danger. That's a big difference. It's not like I walked up to Catherine and spilled Hikari's biggest secret. I didn't tell _Taichi_ who's desperate to find Gaia. I told _you_."

"And now I get to worry about the supposed kindness of a madwoman," I sighed. "How did Gaia get so deep with them? How did she manage to manipulate them? They're good. Gaia's not."

"You don't know her."

"Kurayami!" Labramon gasped.

My heart was pounding. How long had Kurayami been standing there? And instead of continuing to eavesdrop, she felt compelled to defend the woman that took our friends from us. How was it that she couldn't see what was _wrong_ with this situation?

"Kurayami," I asked, trying to keep my voice level, when all it really wanted to do was break or yell. She looked to me, our eyes connected. I couldn't see remorse, or regret. She didn't think she'd done anything wrong.

"Do you often gossip about me?" Kurayami asked. "Do you sneak around with Takeru, conspiring about my freedom and pastimes? I thought you trusted me."

"I did," I snapped, the anger winning out over the hurt and fear. "I _did_ trust you, and then I find out that you're sneaking around with an evil woman, lying to me about getting a job, and hiding secret messages in your diary _just_ to keep me up at night with worry."

"Dairies are _private_ ," Kurayami defended. "That note's been in there since I _got_ it. You don't get to read my secret thoughts. When I'm ready to share them, I'll _tell_ them to you."

"And the muddy boots?" I asked.

"We're not talking about my footwear," she said. "We're talking about your breach in privacy. I'm my own person, Daisuke. I can make my own choices. You're supposed to trust me and support me and love me unconditionally—which you promised to do in our vows—and let me come to you when I need you, not stick your nose into my business before I'm ready."

"This is _not_ what those vows were about and you damn well know it," I growled. She stepped back, and I felt guilty that I'd scared her. But she wasn't seeing this from my perspective at all. She was only seeing it from Gaia's—and we _knew_ now that Gaia was manipulative. She'd dragged _Hikari_ over to her corner, after all.

"I—" she said, starting to defend herself, but I wasn't done.

"I'm _trying_ to trust you, Kurayami," I told her. "But it's really hard right now. You hid from me for two months. You let me think you were _dead_! I'm already struggling to trust you. You abandoned me and our son—"

"And I'm _sorry_ about that," Kurayami interrupted. "We talked about this. You said you were okay, that _we_ were okay."

"I know I did," I said sharply. "Because I'm _trying_ to get over it, trying to get passed that, but it's really hard when the woman I'm trying to trust again is sneaking off to meet with our enemy for tea and cookies!"

"You don't know anything about her," Kurayami insisted. "You'd like her if you met her. She gave me advice for your mom, and it was _good_ advice. You don't know her like I do. She's really gentle and kind, and she's always villainized. She's not what everyone says she is."

"She killed Willis," Labramon said in disbelief. "She killed Kiyoko. Do you have _any_ idea how hard it is for Taprimon, Terriermon and Lopmon to continue to see us? Do you know how badly they feel? I don't want you to put me through that. I don't want _anyone_ to have to go through that."

"She's not going to hurt me," Kurayami said, shaking her head. "She won't. She's nice. She wants to teach me about my family. She wants to _help_ me."

"Fanglongmon wanted to help you too," I reminded her.

"Gaia is _nothing_ like Fanglongmon," Kurayami hissed, looking betrayed that I would dare to make the comparison, and I felt bad at the sight of water welling in her eyes. "I would know. Gaia _cares_ about me. She's not using me. My mind is my own."

"Is it though?" I demanded. "Because you're sure as hell not thinking clearly."

"You're being like all the other people that Gaia ever came in contact with," Kurayami sighed. "You're making her out to be the villain just to have an easy out. You don't want to have to _find_ the true enemy, so you're all targeting her. It's happened before. She warned us that it would happen again."

"She killed our friends!" Takeru shouted, unable to keep himself quiet any longer. I was surprised he'd lasted as long as he had. He didn't typically want anything to do with our family squabbles. I usually appreciated that, but I was glad he was so solidly in my corner now. It made up for the fact that Veemon was out with Patamon, and couldn't back me up. Our partners missed spending so much time together, and Patamon had volunteered to help Veemon with his noodle cart—which was still just a soup kitchen on wheels for now, since we didn't feel right about taking payment when everyone was still trying to piece their lives back together after the virus.

I was _sure_ they were having more fun than I was.

"You don't know that!" Kurayami cried.

"We do," I snapped. "Because she _told_ us. You're forgetting that little detail, because you're so caught up in her web of manipulation. You're being controlled again, but you don't even see it."

"She's not like Fanglongmon," Kurayami repeated.

"No," I said. "Fanglongmon was more direct. You _knew_ when he had you caught in his trap, because you could feel his presence. But with Gaia it's different. It's a subtle, slow change in your perception. She speaks, and she twists your opinions, forming them into something that suits her better."

"That's not true," Kurayami insisted.

"Kurayami," Labramon pleaded. "Think about what you're doing. You promised yourself you wouldn't fall prey to evil again. You _just_ learned to appreciate your darkness, don't twist it into evil again. You made it a force for good."

"I'm not turning evil," Kurayami said firmly. "I've done that, I won't do it again, and Gaia won't _make_ me. I know who the enemies are. I'll help to defeat them."

"But what are their names?" Takeru asked. "Are you going after Gaia, Maugrim and their friends, or are you going after _our_ friends?"

"You don't understand," Kurayami told him desperately.

" _You_ don't understand," I snapped again. I wasn't really mad though, I was desperate. She was irritating me, and being completely stupid, but it was the _danger_ she was so willing to thrust herself into that was causing me to lose my temper. I didn't want her to get hurt. But she didn't seem to care that that's what was going to happen if she continued on this path. "Can't you think of anyone _except_ Gaia? Can't you see that she's creating a rift between us, between you and Labramon, and you and Takeru? She's tearing at Takeru and Hikari's relationship, and causing a gap to grow between Hikari and Taichi. She did _something_ to Spring that scarred her for life, and she could do the same to you at any moment."

"She _won't_ ," Kurayami assured me.

"You don't know that!" I told her. "You're being selfish, and not thinking of others. You can do whatever you want, that's fine. I don't care. Don't think about _me_. But think about Labramon and your father, and our _son_. Sora's already taking your place in the trial to protect Haruki, to make sure he still has a mother when all is said and done. But you're throwing all of that away."

"I'm not," Kurayami said softly.

"You are," I countered, not waiting to see whatever argument she could come up with. "You're risking your son every time you go out to meet with Gaia. She could kill you at any moment. She wants something, and she'll twist your mind around until you give it to her, and then she'll be done with you. You'll get to join Kiyoko and Willis in her potentially _long_ list of people she's killed, and I'll be here with Labramon and Veemon and Haruki, trying to piece our lives back together, and trying to figure out how to be a single father. I don't want that Kurayami. I want you to _be here_. I don't want to lose you. I thought I lost you once, and those were the hardest two months of my life. Don't make me relive them. _Please_."

"Please," Labramon repeated, nodding emphatically. "Don't make me lose my partner."

"Haruki needs his mom," Takeru added.

Kurayami looked at each of us, and her shoulders shuddered. It was the only warning she gave for the wave of tears that followed. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I don't want to leave."

"We don't want you to either," I said, pushing myself to my feet and rushing to her side. She collapsed against my chest, and I held her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly. Her breath was coming in short bursts, and her tears soaked through my shirt. But I didn't care. I had her back. She was thinking clearly. She finally understood the dangers. It was all well and good to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but when that woman could potentially kill you at any given moment, then it was a bit crazy. "I'm sorry."

"You're okay," I told her, kissing the side of her face. "We're okay. You're not leaving. You'll always be here. Haruki knows that."

"Promise us," Labramon said, rubbing his head against Kurayami's leg. "Promise us that you won't go back to her. I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to be in temptation. She's too manipulative. I want you to be safe."

"I promise," Kurayami said, tears still streaming down her face. "You're right. I know you're right. I thought the exact same way when I first met her. But she changed my mind. I don't remember how. I don't remember _when_."

"You're okay," I repeated, rubbing her back, and letting her get her feelings out. I knew she was smart cookie. I knew she couldn't have trusted Gaia as inexplicably as Hikari apparently did. Kurayami was naturally more skeptical. It only made sense, what with the whole Fanglongmon debacle.

"Oh good, you're here."

I looked to the stairs once again and saw Sora waltzing down them. Mantarou followed behind her like a lost puppy. I'd forgotten they were even _in_ the house. I hoped they hadn't heard our argument. I didn't want to inconvenience Sora when she was hosting us.

"I need you to back me up," Sora told us, not seeming to notice that Kurayami was crying, _or_ that we'd had an argument at all. I wasn't sure what to make of that. Sora was usually so observant.

"What's up?" Takeru asked, his voice was bright and cheery—in a forced sort of way. Sora didn't seem to notice that either.

"Mantarou seems to think we _shouldn't_ tell the truth when I get on the stand," Sora announced. "And I think that's ridiculous. Now tell him you back me up."

"I don't think you're being fair, Sora," Mantarou said quickly. "You didn't even explain my reasoning. The idea sounds stupid when you put it like that."

"Because the idea _is_ stupid," Sora told him sweetly. He sighed.

"No, I want to know _why_ ," Takeru offered. Sora looked disappointed in him, as if she'd been expecting him to blindly follow her lead. We'd just been arguing about not being able to see both sides of a story though, and Takeru wasn't about to make a decision without actually understanding it first. It would be hypocritical.

"The truth won't matter if we can't offer proof," Mantarou said, pleased that he'd get to explain his choice. "Without proof, we have no hope of winning whatsoever. What judge would believe her story if she didn't have any way to back it up? None. But we don't have any proof that could stand up in court that supports the truth. What we need to do, in order to ensure her win, is contort the story around the evidence."

"But I still think telling the truth is the best bet," Sora added in quickly. "If I'm caught in a lie—like Mari's mom was when _she_ was on the stand—I'll be seen as guilty, no matter _what_ the truth is. It'll make me look like I have something to hide. I don't want that. I'd rather go to jail, knowing I'm innocent, than lie to the judge and have my name smeared through the dirt."

"Sora, I don't want you in prison," Mantarou said softly.

"I don't want to lie," Sora insisted.

"I don't think you should have to," Takeru said, continuing to be the most emotionally stable of their audience. Labramon was still rubbing his face on Kurayami's leg, and Kurayami was trying to cry silently, so that Sora wouldn't notice. "There has to be _some_ way that you can find support for your story. You didn't do it, so it can't be _that_ hard."

"Oh, it is," Mantarou said darkly.

"But we're not going to give up," Sora said, glaring at him. "Because we're going to stick to the truth. That's the best choice. I won't lie. I didn't do it. That should be enough."

"If it was enough, then no one would be arrested," Mantarou muttered bitterly. " _Everyone_ says that they didn't do it."

"But I _didn't_ ," Sora said firmly. "And they're on _my_ side, so we're done talking about this."

" _Sora_ ," Mantarou sighed, but Sora wasn't listening anymore.

"Are you _crying_?" she asked. Kurayami shook her head quickly, but the lie wasn't good. Tears were still streaming down her face. "What's wrong?" Kurayami looked to me in a panic, and I knew she didn't want to tell Sora about Gaia. And I wouldn't force her to. It was her secret, and she'd promised not to go back, so it shouldn't matter.

"I…um….I can't find my baby?" Kurayami said hesitantly. It came out more like a question, but with her breathy voice and tear stained face, Sora didn't seem to notice.

"Don't worry sweetie," Sora said, reaching over and squeezing Kurayami's shoulder. "Biyomon's just taking him for a tour of the house. He's still here. He's fine. She just adores the little guy. I do too, you know? We're not going to let _anything_ happen to him."

"I know," Kurayami said, wiping her face. "I won't either."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Tai and Mari take themselves to the most emotional places they can go in order to find some inner peace and maybe even move on from the tragic losses they've gone through.


	17. Make You Feel My Love

**Y/N:** Taichi's chapter was heartbreaking and it was definitely the hardest to write out of all of them.

 **U/N:** So Mari got super emotional in this chapter because that's just the way to develop her. We're going to bring her to a place where she is finally expressive. There's also an Alias III flashback which is awesome because I kind of miss them being evil.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 17: Make You Feel My Love**

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

There was a lot of yarn in my house. That was something I learned as I sorted through the stuff that cluttered my home. I had it all tucked away in boxes. The flaps were taped down, and I'd written "YARN" in large font on the side of the boxes. I knew that Miyako had gotten into knitting recently, and that Mimi was trying her hands at it. Sora could knit like a pro too.

I could give it to them.

But I wasn't ready to part with it. It was just balls of yarn, and they seemed so vitally important to me. It was ridiculous, but I couldn't change the way my mind worked. I wanted to keep everything that belonged to Rei. I wanted to remember every little detail about her.

I just wasn't ready to see it every day yet.

That's where the boxes came in. I was putting away everything that belonged to Rei. I was going to stuff all the boxes into our bedroom, because I couldn't go in there at all without thinking about her, and wasn't using it anyway. I couldn't handle it.

I took the magnets off of the refrigerator. And I put away her favourite mugs. All the coasters were hers too. I didn't care if there was a ring left behind, but _she_ did. She didn't want the tables to be damaged.

Any time I thought I was making any headway, I'd realize that I could remember a time when she baked cookies with _that_ cookie sheet, or when she got _really_ into canning, and made her own jams and jellies. I put them away, with her chilli sauces and applesauce, and stewed tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce, and salsa. She made her own hot sauces, and chutneys—which I _still_ found confusing no matter how many times she'd explained them. She spent _months_ exploring the traditions of salting, fermenting and pickling, and made her own miso, and we had varying pickled vegetables coming out our ears.

She would've _loved_ Mari's garden in the Coliseum.

Now that it wasn't needed quite so badly, the vegetables weren't always getting eaten. She wouldn't have liked that. She would have found a way to save them for later, and we would have had even _more_ jars stocking our shelves.

They were in boxes now.

Everything was going in boxes.

It was _hard_ to realize just how many things reminded me of Rei. I'd stayed away from our house longer than strictly necessary, trying to avoid the initial onslaught of memories. I thought waiting would lessen the blow. If anything, it only made things worse. Now I just avoided home for anything except sleep. I ate at Veemon's noodle cart daily, so I didn't need to spend the time making a lunch in the kitchen at home. That had always been Rei's domain. Mom didn't exactly teach me proper cooking. I could make a fantastic omelette though.

I used to surprise Rei with breakfast in bed. She loved it. She wouldn't even complain about me waking her up. She'd just smile brightly at me, and pat the bed beside her. We'd sit for an hour or two, just sharing breakfast and talking to one another.

That was my favourite way to start a day.

And I'd never do it again.

I grabbed the toaster—Rei liked toast with her breakfast, so it _had_ to go—and threw it at the wall. It bounced off with a loud clattering, skidded back to my feet. I fell to my knees. I hit the floor hard, but I didn't register my physical pain. The pain in my chest was trying to rip me apart.

I couldn't _breathe_ anymore.

Everything reminded me of Rei.

Rei was everywhere, but she _wasn't_. She couldn't be. I was driving myself crazy, trying to rid myself of every reminder of her, but nothing was helping. Even if I packed _everything_ away, and bought all new things, it wouldn't help. Because I would still _feel_ her.

I would walk into the kitchen and _feel_ the time at her birthday when we'd danced to no music.

I couldn't walk into the living room without _feeling_ the many times we'd sat about with Agumon, Pal and Pul and had a 'campout' on the floor, pitching tents and going the whole nine yards in the safety of our home.

I couldn't even look at the front door without remembering the arguments we had about needing to change the wreath seasonally. Rei was all for it, and I'd argued that the seasons in the Digital World were all the same, so we didn't need to worry. I'd let her win. Now I had _four_ wreaths to tuck away in boxes.

I could still _smell_ her.

She wore the distinctive scent of vanilla every day. She smelled sweet and reminded me of home. And when I'd knocked the bottle of vanilla out of the cupboard, it had exploded all over the kitchen, and the smell just _would not_ leave me alone.

I ran my hands up over my face and into my hair, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to hold onto my sanity. Rei was gone, she wasn't waiting just over my shoulder. She wouldn't be smiling at me when I came home from work, and she wouldn't nag me about putting my shoes in the proper place, rather than just kicking them off. I wouldn't be able to tease her about whatever new hobby she came up with. We wouldn't share any more dinners, or dates, or _time_.

I was out of time.

And it hadn't been enough.

I picked the toaster up again and threw it at the wall, letting out a loud, strangled yell. The toaster broke into pieces as it hit the wall, and fell to the ground. Useless and broken, just like me. I heard Agumon's racing feet coming towards the kitchen, and I just lost it.

"Taichi?" Agumon called, sounding worried. He came through the doorway _just_ in time to see me fall to pieces, mimicking the toaster. I hated crying, but I couldn't stop. "Taichi." Agumon sounded lost. He didn't know how to help me. He didn't know how to comfort me. He knew better than to say it would all be okay. It would've just made me mad.

Nothing was okay. Not yet. Maybe not _ever_.

"She's gone, Agumon," I said, my voice thick and deep thanks to the crying I was doing. "She's _gone_."

"I know," he said. "I know."

"I don't know what to do," I admitted, choking on my sob.

"I don't either," he said. "Rei was the one we went to for advice on serious things. I don't know what she would've told you. I don't know how to help you."

"I don't know if you _can_ ," I cried. "I….I just…I _miss_ her. I'm scared too. I don't want to forget anything. I already can't _see_ her very well in my mind. I don't think I'm remembering everything."

"We have pictures," he offered.

"I can't," I said, shaking my head vehemently. "I can't look at them."

"Taichi," Agumon said, lost again. He put his arms around me, and knelt on the floor in front of me, so that his large head was leaning against my chest. "I miss her too."

"I know buddy," I said. My tears fell onto the top of his head, but he didn't seem to mind. I put my arms around him and pulled him closer. "She was special. God, she was so special. She was practically _perfect._ "

"She _was_ perfect," Agumon argued. I let out a choked sort of laugh.

"I don't know what to do without her," I confessed. "I don't have a future anymore."

"That's not true," Agumon countered.

"It is," I said, shaking my head and looking down to him. He met my gaze. His eyes questioned me, so I elaborated. "I don't have a job anymore. EVOLVE took that from me. I don't even know _how_ many digimon are dead because of decisions _I_ made. My girlfriend is dead, my house is in shambles. I don't know where to go from here."

"Where were you _going_ to go?" Agumon asked, obviously thinking I could pick up the pieces of my broken life just by continuing to look forward.

"I was going to marry her," I said miserably. "I bought the ring and everything. Now she'll never get to wear it. And she wouldn't want to anyway. I kissed Mari, Agumon. _Mari_. She's one of Rei's best friends. I betrayed her."

"Well, think about something else than," Agumon suggested. "What are you doing to do with your life? What job do you want? You can do _anything_ now."

"No I can't," I said, feeling bad for always raining on his parade. "I didn't finish _school_ Agumon. I quit school when I was offered the ambassadorship. Even if I _did_ finish it, it'd be of any use now. Who would want to hire a politician that screwed up as bad as I did? I started a war, even if I didn't mean to."

"I…don't know what else to say," Agumon admitted.

"Just, don't ever leave me, okay?" I told him. "I wouldn't be able to handle that. This is my limit. No. This is _passed_ my limit. I don't know what to do. I can't eat without thinking about her. I can't _sleep_ at all. Everywhere I go I'm reminded of the digimon that I killed by acting rashly. I'm a failure. A no good idiot that thought he could have it all. Now I have nothing, Agumon and I just _can't_."

"I won't ever leave you Taichi," Agumon promised. I felt bad instantly, because I'd made _him_ cry, and so, of course, _I_ had to cry harder.

We sat like that on the kitchen floor, wrapped around each other, drawing what little strength we could from each others' presence, flat out _sobbing_ for over an hour. I couldn't seem to stop once I'd started, and Agumon's sadness was being fueled by my own. And once we'd _finally_ gotten a hold of ourselves, and started _crying_ instead of sobbing, I was surprised to find that I felt lighter. I didn't feel _happy_ at all, but I felt a tiny bit less miserable, which startled me. It also made me feel like a bad person, and like I was forgetting Rei, no matter how miniscule the improvement was.

And I felt hollow inside again.

The crying didn't stop, but it was silent now. Agumon untangled himself from me and dug out the broom and dustpan—which I noted would also have to go into storage, because Rei had won the argument for the flower patterned handle, just like she'd won with the wreaths—and started cleaning up the mess that _was_ the toaster.

I pulled Rei's ring box out of my pocket, and opened it. I stared at the ring, watching the way the light hit it for a long time, trying to imagine what it might've felt like to actually have gotten the chance to ask her to marry me. What would she have said? How would she have reacted? Would I have lost the nerve halfway through and awkwardly tried to get to my point while trying not to get hurt? Rei wouldn't have hurt me though. I was _sure_ she and I were in the same place.

But obviously, that was debatable, if mine and Mari's kiss was anything to go by.

I liked to think that she loved me enough to want to be with me for the rest of our lives. I just wished her life had been longer—even if she had chosen _not_ to marry me. I just wanted the comfort of knowing that she still existed out there.

But she didn't.

"Taichi," Agumon said, interrupting my thoughts. He looked down at the ring, but it didn't mean anything to him. He didn't understand human customs. I wasn't exactly in the mood to explain this one either.

"What's up?" I asked him, wiping my face with my sleeve. The tears were slowing, and as such, my vision was clearing. I tried not to look around too much though. I didn't want to accidentally spot another thing that reminded me of Rei.

"Someone's at the door," he said slowly. He obviously was underestimating how completely my mind was able to draw me in. But sure enough, three quick knocks sounded for what I supposed was a second time.

I sighed, and got to my feet, closing the ring box and holding it tightly in one hand. Agumon had his hands full, trying to clean up the mess I'd made, so it was only fair that _I_ went to answer the door. I wiped hastily at my face, trying to get rid of any traces of tears. It wouldn't work, and I knew that it wouldn't. My eyes were red and puffy. That was pretty much the universally recognized sign that someone had been crying. But I was going to do my best anyway.

My mother's face greeted me when I pulled the door open. She was smiling, and happy, and was holding a pot of soup. She looked down to it and then back up to me.

"Hi sweetheart," she told me. "I brought you some lunch. I noticed you weren't eating much, and thought I'd lend a hand. I looked all over the Temple for you, until Babamon took pity on me an hour after I'd started and told me you'd taken today off. I'm happy you've finally started to take care of yourself. You've been under a lot of stress young man. You're not invincible you know."

She stopped talking abruptly once she'd walked passed me, into my home. She looked over the walls and at the bare furniture. She saw the empty picture frames, and turned to me, questions brewing in her eyes.

"Spring cleaning," I told her, hoarsely.

"Taichi it's the second week of October," she said pointedly. "I find it hard to believe this _isn't_ about Rei."

"I don't want to talk about it," I said sharply. She raised an eyebrow at me and turned towards the kitchen. I sighed. She wasn't going to leave this alone now. I wouldn't be able to get out of talking. I'd talked enough with Agumon already. We hadn't really said anything. We hadn't found anything that could make me feel _better_ either. But we'd talked, and then we'd cried. Couldn't that be enough?

I followed after her, regardless. She would've just tracked me down if I hadn't. I was just in time to see Agumon emptying his dustpan into a trash bag, and to watch Mom on a fruitless search for bowls.

"Rei made the bowls when she was into pottery," Agumon told Mom gently, looking to me, in case I was going to break at the mention of her name.

I did.

I couldn't believe it. We'd been talking about her not long ago, why couldn't I hold it together _now_? Then I realized I hadn't made it through that conversation without bursting into tears either. I never could. I was being more mature about the crying thing this time around. I managed to stay on my feet at least. Only my face crumpled this time.

Mom dropped the mugs she was thinking of using as substitute bowls, causing them to shatter on the floor. They were just _my_ mugs though, so I couldn't be bothered to care. She had her arms around me only seconds later, and Agumon had his arms around my legs.

"Honey," Mom said, her voice sounding dangerously close to tears as well. "You'll get through this."

"I don't want to 'get through this'. I want _Rei_ ," I cried. "It hurts, Mom. It hurts so badly."

"I know, baby," Mom cooed, reaching up and petting my hair. "I know. But you're not alone. Don't ever think you are. You have Agumon and me, and your father, and Hikari. You have friends, and think of Neo too. He lost his sister. You have so many other people that are trying to get through this at the same time. You've got plenty of support."

"He won't talk to anyone," Agumon tattled to her. I sighed. He was supposed to have my back. Instead he blabbed on me to my mother.

"You can't lock yourself up," Mom chastised. "That's not healthy. It's not healthy to hide away from everyone and keep the pain to yourself. You're never alone. If you're having trouble being _here_ , then come and stay with your father and I, or stay with Yamato. Don't torture yourself. You can't hold too tightly to the past, Taichi. It's not good for you."

"I don't _want_ to let go," I growled defensively.

"Maybe not now, and maybe not anytime soon," Mom allowed. "But at some point, you're going to have to loosen your hold. You need to _live_."

"I wanted to live alongside her," I said. My shoulders shook with the force of my emotions. I was angry at the world, angry at Rida and all of EVOLVE. They'd taken our chance at happiness away. "Now I can't, and it's not fair!" I threw the ring box at the wall without thinking about it. I realized the second it left my fingers what I'd done, and let out a startled shout, scrambling to get out of Mom and Agumon's hold. They let go, confused, and I fell to the ground, scooping the damaged—but still intact—box off the floor. "It's okay."

"Taichi?" Mom asked, in a choked voice. "What is that?"

"It's nothing," I said, shoving it in my pocket. But the damage had already been done. She saw it, and she knew what it meant. And now _she_ was crying. I didn't know how the sight of the ring could make it _worse_ for her. She knew how I felt about Rei. She should have known it was headed in that direction. I made no secret about it. I praised Rei in every one of our conversations.

But the ring made it _real_ , I supposed.

It was supposed to make it real for Rei too. I'd had all sorts of visions of our future. I saw the moment when I would get down on bended knee, and then I saw Neo give her away at our wedding, threatening me if I didn't take care of her, because he was protective like that. I saw our eventual decision to have kids, and if I was feeling particularly happy, we'd have a dog too. The Digital World was always prosperous and happy and peaceful, and Rei would've found whatever it was she wanted to do, because she was always super happy too. Pal and Pul were always themselves, instead of the silent, sad little digimon they'd become, and they'd always mess with Agumon, who took it with ease.

We would've been together.

We would've been a family.

We would've been _happy_.

But none of those things would happen now. And it was the most painful thing I'd ever had to know. I'd lived through being separated from Agumon not once, but twice. I'd been electrocuted by a manmade monster. I'd been responsible for starting a one-sided war against the digimon, because of my big mouth and lack of forethought. I'd nearly lost my sister several times at the hands of our varying foes, and nearly lost my mind when Kurayami created the demonic version of Sora. I'd come out on top after all of those things. But this…I didn't know if I could. At the end of it, all those other situations ended with hope. Hikari was always alive, she'd saved me from demon Sora. A lot of digimon died, but EVOLVE hadn't won, so there was still hope for our future. I'd lived through the electrocution, and Agumon always came back.

Rei wouldn't though. Death was more final and hopeless than anything we'd ever faced before. Even during that near twenty-four hour period that we thought Sora was dead wasn't as bad as this—because she'd been returned to us not long after she'd been taken.

It had been more than twenty-four hours though. No one had gone back in time to fix this, and no matter how tempted I was, I knew I couldn't either. Rei would never forgive me if I did. To save a life another had to be lost in its place. Sora's life had been exchanged with Arkadimon's. It was an offer we were willing to make. But I didn't know if Sora _knew_ about the exchange at all. She'd never mentioned it. And I wasn't going to be the one to tell her, because I knew she wouldn't be happy with it. No matter how evil he was, he was still alive, and his life had been _his_.

Rei would feel the same way.

She wouldn't want to know that I'd thought her life was more important than anyone else's. I _did_ think that way though. She was worth so much. I wanted her here more than anything else. But I couldn't be sure how I'd change events, if I _was_ to give in to my desire for time travel. What if saving her killed Hikari, or a hundred more digimon. I didn't know. What I _did_ know, was that Mimi had tried to do the same for Gennai, and it hadn't changed the future for the better.

I couldn't change _anything_.

I was going to have to live with this.

Somehow.

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

Being helpful wasn't in my inherent nature. I helped those who _needed_ it, and otherwise let people fend for themselves. I've had very little help in the past, but over the past couple years there were moments when I felt as though owed the Digidestined. Michael would listen to my problems every now and then, Taichi had been there for me during the virus, Mimi fed me when we sat in her restaurant, Miyako had bought me a chai tea once and of course Iori had brilliantly won me my home. I was thankful for all of these things, but it also made me feel that I owed them. And so here they all were, sitting in my library.

I had stopped trying. They had been here long enough for me to know that there would come a time near sundown when they would all go home and I would be free to fix the messes that they had caused. And I knew it would take me too long to clean those messes, but it was better to wait until the end and clean it all at once.

I could see the freak-show that was the Teenage Wolves sitting in the messiest corner, with half eaten battered chicken sitting on porcelain dishes smeared with ketchup. The floors were strewn with crumpled paper and discarded articles of clothing. It was exhausting to _look_ at. Why did they even have a right to be here? I wasn't going to kick them out. That would be rude, but they weren't even doing anything useful. Katsue, who sat at the counter, was accomplishing something. She sat on her computer and prepared an anonymous news feed and, with the help of Takeru's mother, was keeping the blog maintained, and finding time to respond to the other chosen across the world. There were no propaganda videos being filmed anymore, and their equipment was useless. Why couldn't they leave? I wanted them to leave.

Emiko was being scolded by her mother, who seemed to be one of the only people around who understood that I didn't want my home to be destroyed, but it was too late to even bother. Emiko had left a trail of horror, with a book that had been torn to pieces, and a several splatters of tomato sauce on the walls. Monmon was crying as he received a great deal of Momoe's scrutiny as well, but his wailing only made the place seem more chaotic.

I would never voice my frustration with the untidiness of the counter across from Katsue where Iori sat with Natsuni and Tentomon. The three of them were working together to find a solution to Sora's prison problem. I would let them work as long as they needed to because, even if I didn't really know her, it didn't seem fair that she went to prison for something she didn't do. It wouldn't have been fair even if she _did_ do it, because there was in fact a difference between killing someone and murdering someone. War had been declared, and Moretsuna saw that opportunity to take a stand, and he died because of his own rash decisions. I had asked Iori if he thought that was an argument worth looking into, and he was currently trying to find a way to justify Moretsuna's death without accusing Sora of killing him at all. I wanted this to be over because not only was it stressing everyone out, including me—as if I wasn't stressed out enough, it was also keeping everyone from staring at the bigger picture. The bigger picture that was the crazed sociopathic lady who was running free in our world.

When the door to the bathroom opened up I felt my eye twitch. Betamon ran from the open doorway, dripping with water and was chased a moment later by Armadillomon who was just as wet. My eyes fell to the carpet and I took a deep breath. At least it was just water. And hey, maybe if they ran by Monmon's tomato sauce fiasco they could save me some time later today by cleaning it up. Michael was running after them too suddenly, wearing nothing but swimming trunks. At least he'd bothered to dry himself off enough to _not_ have water dripping from every part of his body. Now, I was happy that people were making use of the expensive hot tub in my bathroom, I scarcely had any time to use it for myself with my cleaning schedule every night, but taking the water from the tub and spreading it around the library was something different. Michael, as he ran, slipped in a particularly large pool of water that was decorating the hardwood floor that lined the outside of the room and flung himself forward with a loud shout. He hit the reading lamp next to my favourite chair and knocked it on its side. The light went out immediately and I found myself tightening my hands into fists. Michael looked around and seemed content that no one had seen him, and then set the lamp back in its place.

Yamato was sitting with Gabumon, Patamon and Agumon, watching the television that hung above the Teenage Wolves heads. With all of the noise, they had been forced to turn the volume up louder, and while it was annoying, at least it wasn't messy. I had suggested they turn the subtitles on so the volume needn't be turned higher, but they simply laughed.

My knuckles were turning white now as they gripped the bar they were wrapped around. I was standing on the second floor of the library, vaguely aware that one hip was cocked out to the side and that my lips were pursed, looking down to the terror that was the Digidestined. I mean, no wonder all those digimon tried to take them out. They were probably annoyed that they were messing up their home or something and I for one found that to be justified.

Hideto was teaching Takeru to bake a pie and while that seemed sweet, it was really very messy. Powdered sugar and flour was messing up the entire kitchen area, but I knew Hideto would inevitably clean his own mess up. He didn't enjoy this situation any more than I did, and yet he never left the kitchen. Not only was he protecting his supplies, but he found the protective counter to be soothing, as though he was safe from the chaos as long as he stayed within that bubble. He looked annoyed now though, since Warg and Melga were adding to the amount of bodies within his haven, but he would never ask them to leave, even if their pie making prowess needed a great deal of work.

Monmon shrieked and my eyes fell on him as he pulled at Tentomon's second set of arms. Tentomon was shouting for someone to help him, and Momoe's partner Bearmon was _trying_ , but Monmon seemed to _need_ Tentomon's arms to be removed from his body. Iori turned and started shouting at Monmon for disrupting him, but it just made Monmon angrier and suddenly he was crying again, but refused to release Tentomon who suddenly lit up with electricity. Bearmon cried out in pain as he took the brunt of the attack and he fell backward, landing on his behind.

"Aren't they just the best," I heard someone say with a heavy sarcastic tone.

I startled, turning to see Taichi walking up the stairs toward me. I hadn't heard the sound of his footsteps on the metal stairs because my raging, fuming anger was too loud. He moved to stand next to me and I bit my tongue, staring downward. I was upset with him. I wanted him to go back down the stairs and scream along with his friends. Coming up here to me was only reminding me that we had once been alone together, and that lead to bad things. Horrible things. Many nights I had been unable to sleep, lying in my bed with flashes of Rei's face spinning through my mind. What would she say to me if she ever found out? We were supposed to be friends.

" _Are we sure he'll answer the door?" I asked as we stood outside Neo's mother's apartment._

" _No," Hideto scoffed._

" _It's funny, I thought he was rich or something with the pompous way he walks around," I said, impatiently. "But this apartment looks pretty damaged."_

" _I don't find that funny at all," Sigma snarled. Hideto and I looked to him and saw him leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Of course he was using Kiyoko's body, but we didn't know that at the time._

" _Wait until you see your new home," Hideto said with a defeated sigh, ignoring Sigma. "My place isn't very nice."_

" _Why would it be?" Sigma said, looking to Hideto with judgment filled eyes._

 _I turned on him immediately. "You lived on the streets," I snapped. "Who are you to talk?"_

" _And where did you come from?" Sigma snarled, moving away from the wall and striding toward me quickly to look me dead in the eyes. He smelled horrible, it was something I would never forget because I had never imagined something could smell that much like death but still be breathing. "Little Miss Mari comes from a long line of rich aristocrats, doesn't she?" Hideto looked to me with a hint of excitement but I could only feel anger boiling inside. "Princess gave that up though didn't she? She wanted to make it big in the city all alone—"_

 _I had slammed Sigma against the wall he had previously been leaning against and stared directly down into his eyes. "If you ever speak to me—"_

" _I could kill you in my sleep," Sigma snarled._

" _I'm not scared of you," I told him, and he knew it was true. We'd been through it before._

 _But this time he smirked, "You should be."_

 _And then pain had shot through my arm as he grabbed and twisted. I shouted in surprise but he didn't seem to want to stop, he was going to_ break _my arm. And then Hideto came to the rescue, pushing him off and holding a hand out to either of us. "Can we please act civilized. We can be friends, you know. I don't want to live with people who hate each other."_

" _Well isn't that funny," I rolled my eyes. "I don't want to live with him either." Sigma snarled, like he was ready to kill, but at that moment the door opened and we all turned with the expectation that Neo had finally bothered to greet us, as he had promised when he instructed us to come to his house. But it was not Neo who opened the door. It was a girl in a wheelchair, who seemingly had had some trouble. She looked to each of us with a big smile on her face, but when she reached Hideo she stuck her tongue out, like she knew him. Her hair was red, and her eyes were brown. She looked nothing like Neo at all._

" _Hi!" she said with a giant smile. "I'm Rei!" She threw her hand to Sigma to shake his, but he simply sneered at her. I shoved him aside and took her hand to shake it myself and she seemed pleased. "It's so nice to meet you. Neo mentioned you earlier; he said you were his colleagues. He's never used the word friend before though, so don't be too put out. Anyway, any friend of Neo's is a friend of mine. What's your name?"_

" _Mari," I said with a polite smile. She was friendly—and perhaps too peppy for a girl in a wheelchair—like some of her happiness was forced, but perhaps she had gotten used to it already._

" _Mari," Rei repeated. "I love it. We're going to be good friends, I can just tell."_

We _had_ been good friends. She was not wrong. I missed her, and I hated what I had done to her. There were so many feelings that swirled around in my head, and I wanted so much to tell her the truth and to ask for her forgiveness, but she was _gone_. She was gone with Willis, and with Kiyoko and with my grandmother and with Lalamon. These were fresh wounds, and Taichi seemed to enjoy pouring salt in them.

We had agreed to be friends again, and I wanted that. I really did, because having someone to support you was actually really beneficial. But I had kissed him. It was nothing. It was just a kiss. Rei was dead, and there was nothing stopping Taichi from kissing girls. But why had he kissed _me_?

"Are you okay?" Taichi asked, reaching down to my hand. I pulled it away before he could touch me and he looked up curiously. "Mari?" Everything below me seemed to intensify immediately. The roaring of the television, the laughter of the wet digimon being chased by Michael, the wailing of Monmon in his fight against the angry Tentomon, Emiko's whining because she wanted some pie, but it wasn't done and Hideto was getting frustrated with her, Warg and Melga dropped their pie pan and the sound it made as it rolled resonated in the deepest corners of my brain, and I my eye twitched as Takashi dropped a book from the shelf which he simply ignored in favour of _my_ book, the one I had explicitly told him to never touch twice now, and Momoe began scolding Emiko as Takeru dropped his pie into the oven with a clattering sound, and Akira began playing drums using an overturned bowl and unsharpened pencils and Tentomon had finally had enough and had begun flying with Monmon hanging off of him and my heart would not stop trying to break free from my chest. "Mari!" Taichi said sharply, but when Monmon grabbed Tentomon's other arm, the bug fell off balance and he slammed into the large framed picture above the doorway. The moment it hit the ground the glass of the frame crashed into a million pieces and the frame split in the corners. Every one shouted in surprise and turned to the picture, stared for a moment and continued what they were doing. Aside from Hideto who was immediately screaming at Monmon and Tentomon.

"I can't." I couldn't take it. I just couldn't be here anymore.

I stepped around Taichi and stormed off, ignoring Tapirmon who was calling to me from Kiyoko's bedroom. I couldn't go. I couldn't be here. I just didn't want _any_ of this to be around anymore.

"Right Mari?" I heard Hideto ask as he looked for validation in his scolding of the two digimon. I ignored him and I stepped over the fallen picture, grabbing my green woolen coat and my bag from the hooks in the entrance hallway and threw it around my shoulders. I opened the door and stepped outside, slamming the door behind me.

I had never felt as free as I did in that moment. All of the sound was gone, all the chaos was someone else's problem and even though I knew I would eventually have to throw myself back into that mess, right now I was free. I didn't know what I would be doing with my freedom, but I knew that I could go anywhere and do anything. I reached into my bag to check for my wallet and found a copy of the book I was reading. I smiled and knew exactly what I would be doing.

I walked down the street with a smile on my face. I wasn't happy, but I was calm and my body, that was so unaccustomed to that feeling, mistook it for glee. The sound my heels made as they clicked down the street was comforting in a way, though my feet were burning and aching. They wanted out of the boots I was wearing but I couldn't. Most days I would wear a pair of enormous blue slippers that looked like monster feet. Hideto had gotten them for me, and I'd worn them _once_ around the library when others were around and they made fun of them. I looked good in heels, but that didn't mean I had to wear them all the time, so if everyone could go home and give freedom to my feet, I would really appreciate that.

I felt excitement bubbling up inside me as I thought about the book I was reading and where I was in the storyline. I desperately wanted to read it but had not found a moment alone aside from a few minutes between when Hideto went to sleep and when my body could not stay awake any longer. I passed laughing children on the streets, and my head threatened to ache, but it passed quickly, as though my brain was scared this was all an illusion and that I would be back in the Library in a second or two. At the street corner I stood next to a kind looking man who smiled to me, like he thought I was pretty, but he wasn't hitting on me in a dirty stupid way, he wasn't trying to flirt, he simply smiled. And I smiled back. And then we were off in our separate directions.

Things could not be more peaceful. The cool fall air was nipping away at my nose, and whenever the breeze picked up it blew my wild hair back intensifying the freedom that I could not help but feel.

And then I had reached my destination. I rounded the building and entered the back parking lot, heading for the slow incline of dirt and fallen leaves that would lead to a thick grouping of trees. I regretted wearing heels the moment I had stepped into the damp dirt, but I didn't stop to turn back now. I would soon be reading my book in the most peaceful and loving place in the entire world. A little mud couldn't stop me. I used the tree branches to help me climb until the ground leveled out and I made my way forward, following the little glass lanterns that hung in the tree to help me mark the location.

And then I was there, at the pink lantern. That meant I was just outside the barrier. With a smile on my face and an excitement brewing inside me I stepped forward, marching over the threshold. As I stepped past the protective and secretive barrier I was shown the beauty of colours and magic that I had expected. But everything was _wrong_.

The magic was dimmed, the colours had faded. The grass had wads of mud everywhere and the ground had been torn up. And every single flower had been pulled from the ground and tossed aside as if it were useless.

My heart had never felt as broken as it did now. My shoulders sunk and my bag slipped to the ground, but I didn't care. I moved forward, tears already falling from my eyes as I ran toward the nearest garden. I fell to my knees and picked up a violet flower and stared at it. It was dead. Or it was dying anyway.

I cursed loudly and wiped the tears from my eyes.

My heart seemed to put itself together enough to beat quickly as a rage grew over me. What had happened here? _Who_ had done this? I dropped the flower and tried to get to my feet to feel a determination for justice, but instead I fell, crumpled and defeated.

I started crying again, and somehow this time was different. This was different than every other time I'd cried because I didn't think I was _ever_ going to stop.

I didn't think it was possible to lose anything more than I already had. I didn't think it was possible to get closer to giving up than I had been. I didn't know that I had anything left to feel. And yet here I was, broken. Broken more than I'd ever been. Broken like the frame that held my family inside. Broken like Kiyoko had been.

My shoulders shook as the sobbing grew louder, and the pain grew stronger. I had never understood why Kiyoko had let Sigma inside. I could never find a connection between feeling lost and feeling weak enough to let someone else take over. But I think I did now. I think I understood him and his desire to be whole. I think I wanted that now myself.

No, I think I _needed_ it.

As I lay there on the ground, letting the cool air graze along my bare skin, I thought that I might never leave here. I thought I might just lie in place, crying, forever. And I wanted to too. But when I felt a drop of rain hit my cheek I found stability. I found enough energy to look up to the large boulder that sat at the end of the stone path. I clambered to my feet and moved toward it, resting on my knees as more rain drops fell from the sky. I ran my fingers along the carved words in the stone.

' _A garden of flowers, one flower for every time you said that you loved me.'_

I stared another moment and then turned back to the flowers. I turned back to the mess that was supposed to represent the love my partner shared for me. I had to put it back together.

And so that's what I did. For hours, I sat in the mud, trying to gently place each flower back into the earth and recreate what was once the most beautiful place on earth. But it wasn't the same. No matter how hard I tried, nothing looked right. I wasn't Lalamon. I didn't know how to make something as beautiful as she was. And when my coat was soaked right through and thunder and lightning began to join the rain, I knew it was time to give up.

I didn't want to take a last look at the garden, because seeing it this way didn't feel right. But I knew that I would regret not looking back, and so I did. Lightning flashed above as I stared to the wet, muddy mess that was my only place of solitude.

And then I was gone, running away. I followed the lanterns back to the slope and slipped. I tried to stop myself, but couldn't and mud smeared down my side as I slid down the hill. I didn't even care. I repositioned my bag on my shoulder and began running.

All I could think as I dashed down the street was that man who had smiled to me. Imagine if he could see me now.

As I came up to the library, I slowed myself and wiped my face. I thanked the rain silently and tried to act normal. I just had to act like myself enough to get some fresh clothes and hop into the shower. That would give me the time I needed to recompose myself and prepare for the worst. The people in my home were too much, but I had nowhere else to go now.

As I opened the door I was shocked to find that the lights were dimmed. It seemed wrong. I listened to the silence and waited for the shock of the surprise. But it never came. There was no screaming. There was no incessant drum playing, and the television was off. I could hear no scampering footsteps or crying. I only heard silence.

And so I stepped inside, nervous at first. I walked along the red carpet, peeling my soaking wet coat from my body and dropping it to the floor where it landed in a crumpled heap. I regretted that as I stepped into the open space of the library. My coat was now the only thing out of place. The papers and tomato sauce had been cleaned up, the floor had been mopped, the cushions were all in place on the couch and the fallen pieces of the chandelier had been reattached. I turned to the kitchen area and saw that two pies were sitting on the counter. One was much nicer than the other. And leaning against the counter was the giant portrait of Hideto, Kiyoko, Warg, Melga, Tapirmon and I. The glass and the frame had been cleaned up.

Everyone had gone.

I swallowed thickly and sat in the mahogany chair that sat by the hallway and I unzipped the boots, prying them from my feet. Instantly I was met with relief, and when I pulled my stinky wet socks off too, my feet relished in delight. I leaned back against the chair and bit my bottom lip, thinking back to the garden. I needed Hideto. I knew I wanted to be alone, but I needed to be alone _with_ him.

"Hey, Mari?" I jumped and turned at the sound of the voice. It was Taichi. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, speaking in a quiet voice. I stared toward him for a moment as he moved along the carpeted floor in his socks, taking as gentle steps as he could, "Hideto and I thought you might want everyone to leave."

I nodded and leaned back in the chair again. When I became aware that Taichi was standing over me I got to my feet and walked into the living room. "Where is he?"

"He took everyone out," Taichi explained. "He's with the digimon." He paused for a moment and then added, "I called Mimi to help, and she and I cleaned up."

"Thank you," I said flatly, turning away from him. That was a mistake, because I was looking to a picture of Lalamon that was sitting in an empty section of one of the bookshelves and my eyes filled with tears quickly.

I breathed in, but it sounded wrong and Taichi noticed, "Mari?" He questioned, moving quickly toward me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and said quietly, "Are you okay?"

"No," I admitted, my voice shaking as I turned to him. There were tears pouring from my eyes again now and Taichi was quick to throw his arms around me, hugging me close to his him. I felt weak again and I fell to the floor, slipping through his arms and he followed, crouching down and pulling my head to his chest as he hugged me. I felt stupid for crying, especially in front of Taichi, but I didn't know what else to do. I fell apart and he was here. I hadn't chosen for him to watch me. I would appreciate him leaving though, and bringing me Hideto, or even one of the digimon. Or _Kiyoko_.

And then I was sobbing again because I honestly just couldn't take it anymore.

"What happened?" Taichi asked, and it sounded like he was crying now too. When I looked up I saw it was true.

"I—I can't," I said again. He said nothing and instead just rubbed my shoulder and suddenly I was telling him everything. "L—Lalam—mon's garden was—someone was th-there and th-they _destroyed_ i-it."

" _Who?_ " I looked up sharply to see Mimi standing behind Taichi with a hand over her mouth in total shock. I winced, not having realized she was here and I turned away.

"I d-don't know," I said quietly, hating myself more and more the longer I stayed in Taichi's arms. What would Rei say? Rei was my _friend_.

Taichi's hands had become rigid and stiff. "I'm going to go find who it was," he said with a sense of finality. "I'm going to kill them—"

"Stay," I said weakly, "Just stay." My chest was shaking as I tried to hold back the tears, but they were stronger than I was. Taichi fell down further to the ground and held me to him again and I saw Mimi crying too. "I just don't want to be alone," I told him, "Not anymore.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Another glimpse into Witchenly through Kiyoko's eyes in the next chapter as well as some near conclusion to Kari's current story, only to open up the doors for a new, similarly dark tale.


	18. When The Light Goes Out

**Y/N:** After writing so many depressing chapters, having Kiyoko narrate was a nice change. It was sad for other reasons, but it was nice to check in on those trapped in Witchenly.

 **U/N:** So, Kari's chapter here was a lot more intense than any Kari chapters have ever been which is strange. She's starting to think about herself instead of others exclusively which is kind of awesome, but very hard because I've been writing Kari one way for so long and changing her narration style while keeping it very Kari-like is kind of hard.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 18: When The Light Goes Out**

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

I was enjoying the soft crunch under my feet. It wasn't the spooky snapping that it used to be. There was actual _life_ in this forest now. Gravimon couldn't have been happier. None of the digimon could've been happier. I could have, but there was nothing I could do about that. No matter how many times I tried to program my computer to send Masks Square to the Digital World, it never worked.

We were stuck here.

It could have been a lot worse though. Astamon could've been free, and out to get us. Gaia could have never left, and continued her turn as ruler here. It was better the way it was. When Gaia was here, the forest was dead and miserable. Without her, it was full of life. There still wasn't much in the way of wildlife, but the vegetation was making great strides. Soon, it would be a vibrant forest that could support its own ecosystem. Gravimon couldn't be more excited—not that anyone could _tell_ , because he had a scary image to upkeep. But he was much more willing to allow visitors, and that was enough improvement for me.

Willis and I could now walk to the Veemon village whenever we wanted, and fill up our water bottles. We didn't always do it _together_. That was where I was headed, actually. Instead of Willis, I'd brought Gravimon, Norn and Lalamon with me. Willis was hanging out with Rei, and I didn't want to interrupt them. I didn't want to drag Willis away from Rei _just_ to collect water.

I liked it when Rei was happy.

She had so little to be happy about these days.

She'd been paralyzed for a _second_ time, right after Gaia had restored her nervous system, which had gifted her legs back to her. She was miserable about it, but she kept trying to smile when I was around. She didn't want to make me sad. I knew she felt more comfortable confiding her tears with Willis. I wasn't stupid. I didn't know _why_ exactly, but I figured it had something to do with the way Alias III always tried to protect me from everything.

I wasn't the same guy that I was when I got here. I couldn't be. I was stronger now. I wasn't so scared of everything. I couldn't afford to be. The woods were terrifying, and it was constantly night time. The moon grew full, and then it waned into nothingness. There was no rising sun. We were surrounded by an endless night. Thankfully the moon got pretty bright during waking hours, but it wasn't the same. It couldn't replace the sun. I used to jump at every sound, and whimpered at the sight of each new digimon I came in contact with. They were all so frightening.

But I was mostly over that now.

I'd been forced to grow up, due to circumstances.

There were still things I feared. I wasn't over everything just yet. I still didn't like the dark. But I found out that I really appreciate the stars. I could lie under them for hours, just contemplating the secrets of the universe and wondering what everyone was doing without us. Maybe they'd all reunited, but I didn't like to put my hopes in that one basket. If _we_ couldn't find a way out, the others would be having difficulties too, providing they used the keys just as we had. Between Willis and I we really should be able to figure something out. But we never could.

It was so frustrating.

We had a lot of brain power between the two of us. We'd done so much _alone_ , why couldn't we come up with anything together?

It wasn't about just us anymore either. Norn needed to get back to her home so she could watch over the good of all the worlds. These digimon had been trapped in this eternal night for practically forever. They deserved a chance to get out of here, a chance to live in a prosperous land that _wasn't_ dependent on rotten, disgusting fishes for a reliable food source. I wanted to show Gravimon what a _real_ forest looked like.

And I wanted to bring Lalamon _home_.

I couldn't even imagine Mari's reaction to being reunited with her partner. I could never do it justice. But they were ripped apart from each other in the worst of ways. At least Tapirmon had _hope_ that I was still alive. We'd gone through a gate. _Someone_ had to have known that Willis had a key. They would know that we were alive, wouldn't they? But Mari had no hope whatsoever that Lalamon could be out here with us. She didn't know that Lalamon had been waiting around for a chance to come home. I wanted to reunite them.

Lalamon was a taste of home for me. I'd lived with her for years. But at the same time, she didn't know me. She wasn't around _Kiyoko_ much. She'd spent most of our time together being around Sigma. It was almost painful at times to be around her, to be talking about Mari, or Neo…or Hideto. We both knew them, but thanks to Sigma, we knew them at different times in their lives. I knew a little about them from when I was possessed, but Sigma didn't like to interact with them. He didn't like _me_ to interact with _anyone_. And Lalamon was gone by the time I'd really got a chance to know them as _myself_.

It was like being teased with a piece of home, only to realize it wasn't anything I remembered at all.

Updating Lalamon on Alias III affairs was hard too. It meant I had to admit that we didn't know all that much about each other. I had to admit to our unspoken rule. None of us wanted to share anything. We wanted to keep our secrets to ourselves. If I told my secret to Mari, she'd have to tell me something back, to be fair. But since none of us _wanted_ that, we just kept everything to ourselves.

I knew to outsiders, Alias III looked like a fully functioning family, and in some ways we were. But emotionally, _mentally_ we were as far as we could get. And unless I could magically figure out a way to get us out of here, we'd never make any progress.

Or _I_ wouldn't.

Hideto, Mari and Neo still had a chance. I hoped they did anyway. I didn't actually know if any of them were alive. I just liked to think they were, even if they were in different worlds, or separated by the virus, trapped in different parts of the same world. I just needed to think they were safe. Tapirmon was there too, and if _they_ weren't safe, then neither was he. And I needed him to be alive too.

I'd grown a lot in this world, but I hadn't grown _enough_ to stop needing him.

And I was pretty sure I never would.

There were days that I was _glad_ that my parents weren't back on Earth waiting for me. I didn't like the idea of leaving my partner, my boyfriend, my friends _and_ my family—not that Alias III _wasn't_ my family in all the ways that mattered to me. But I'd seen Willis and Rei's steady descent into sadness. Rei missed Neo with a fiery passion that surpassed the way she missed Taichi. Neo was her family. And there were days when Rei would make certain comments that had me convinced she missed her mother too. She didn't _like_ the woman, but it had always been her _choice_ to avoid her before. Now that the choice was gone, she missed the knowledge that she _could_ go see her if she wanted to.

And Willis had even more people drawing on his heart. He had his mother, a woman he'd come to respect again, and loved fiercely. He had his two partners that had been with him since his childhood, that he couldn't function without and were his best friends. He had Michael, and Tatum, and Jenna, and Chi, and his step-father, and Betamon, and Monodramon and Kudamon. They were all a part of his life too, and he missed being around them. He'd spent most of his time being around those people exclusively. He lived in a different country than the rest of us. And he typically got left out of things. I didn't know if it was on purpose or anything, but it happened…a _lot_.

I didn't have that issue.

Even if Mom and Dad were still alive, they wouldn't have wanted me around anyway. Probably. I _still_ couldn't help but hope, but there was no way I'd ever be able to confirm or disprove that theory.

"You are upset," Gravimon observed. He was taking slow, yet obnoxiously _long_ strides next to me. It was as if he was walking in slow motion, in order to keep the same pace that I was using.

"No I'm not," I denied outright.

"You're lying," Norn corrected in a singsong voice. She was walking with a skip in her step. She was faster than me, and when she got too far ahead, she would just stand in one place and bounce on her heels until the rest of us caught up.

"I—" I said, trying to lie my way out of this one. Everyone else was in an upbeat mood. I didn't want to rain on their parade.

"I miss them too," Lalamon said simply, reading my mind without any trouble. She reached up with her tiny hand to grab my own. I had to bend down in order for her to reach. She was walking with dozens of tiny little steps, trying to cover as much ground as I could. For each of my steps, she needed to take at least four, sometimes as many as six, depending on the speed I was travelling.

"Me too," Norn added. "I can't help but wonder how Kurayami is doing without me. She was in a bad place when I last saw her. And now I'm trapped in here. She probably thinks I abandoned her. And little Haruki, he's going to grow up without me!"

"I am _glad_ that you are still here," Gravimon announced. I looked up to him and tried to give him my best smile, but I was confused. He seemed to realize this, and nodded his head. "I do not want you to leave us. You have brought much change to this broken world. You have given us a _chance_. Without you, this world would still be caught in the civil war that Gaia set a course for."

"I know good came of us being here," I said, agreeing with that statement at least. "But that doesn't mean you can't come with us. I don't know if we'll _ever_ find a way out of this place, but if we _did_ …wouldn't you want to come with us?"

"I am unsure," Gravimon admitted.

"I'm not," Norn said. "I want out of here. Who _knows_ what that virus is doing to my home! I can't even begin to imagine all the damage I'm going to have to deal with. I _can't_ stay stuck here forever. The peace of the nine worlds depends on me. I don't have a successor. I'm the only one that can watch over the worlds."

"Such a large task for one so small," Gravimon noted.

"I've got a lot to offer," Norn said a little defensively, but she was smiling as she said it. Gravimon didn't know _how_ to take it, and offered a perplexed look instead. Norn just laughed. She liked to tease him. It freaked the Witches and Fallen Angels out. They were still afraid to oppose Gravimon—a result of the many, many, _many_ years that he spent scaring the crap out of them every time they tried to so much as enter the forest.

"It's not bad, to want to stay here," Lalamon assured Gravimon. She tripped over her cloak—which she still wore because it was _always_ night time, so it was always a little chilly—and I tightened my grip on her hand, pulling her upwards before she could hurt herself. "This is your home. It has always been your home."

"It's just not mine," I said sadly.

"Or mine," Lalamon said in her sweet, tiny voice. "My home is with my partner. I've been away from her for so long."

"Three years, four months," I supplied. She looked to me a little startled. "You were killed on the day after Willis' birthday, and we were sent _here_ on his birthday too. We've been here four months now—a little longer even."

"That is not such a very long time," Gravimon said, sounding thoroughly confused.

"For _you_ ," I said, rolling my eyes. "You've been alive _forever_. I'm only twenty-one years old. And Lalamon's even younger. Three years is a good portion of her life."

"Four months is long enough too," Lalamon assured me. She knew I was comparing our times apart. I was clinging to the idea that Lalamon will _always_ have been gone longer than me. If she could survive it, then I could too. "It's okay to miss them," she told me gently.

"I really want to go home," I whispered brokenly. My eyes were misting over, but I was stronger now. I didn't need to cry at _everything,_ no matter how much I _wanted_ to. I had to be strong. Hideto and Mari and Tapirmon and Neo weren't there to fix everything like they always did. I looked up to Gravimon, and he frowned at the sight of the tears that were escaping despite my attempts at holding them back. "I don't want to leave you, Gravimon, but I want to go home."

"If ever it became a possibility," he told me carefully. "Then I will accompany you back to whichever land you suggest."

"But it won't ever be a possibility," I said bitterly. I took a deep breath and tried to push the bitterness aside. "I'm glad you're here," I assured him. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He made me stronger.

He made me braver.

He made me _better_.

But he still wasn't enough to ease the pain in my chest. He couldn't erase the _longing_. I wanted to be at home with my family around me. I wanted to talk with Tapirmon, I wanted to _see_ him. I wanted a chance to finally tell Hideto everything that I wanted to share with him. I wanted to reunite Mari with Lalamon, Rei with Neo, and Willis with Terriermon and Lopmon. I wanted the smell of Mari's stew, or the sound of Warg's laugh. I wanted to watch a movie in the theatre, or go to Mimi's restaurant for a meeting. I wanted the choice of something other than canned goods to eat.

I didn't want to ever have to eat those rotting fish.

"There's the village," Norn called. She was bouncing in one spot ahead of us, pointing her finger and waving energetically. Gravimon reached out with one enormous hand and pat me on the head, forgiving me for the bitterness, and assuring me he felt the same.

Lalamon scurried ahead of us, eager to greet the assortment of ancient digimon. It was strange for me to see so many Veemon in one place. It was difficult, at first, to see them. They were so familiar, but they weren't the Veemon we knew. It took awhile to come to terms with that.

Gravimon and I went at a much slower pace. I was holding my computer out in front of me, getting it set up so that I could open Masks Square and get the collection of empty water bottles that we planned to fill. Gravimon hung back at the edge of the village. The Veemon were frightened of him, just like the other digimon were, and he didn't like to scare them.

Upon entering the village, I set my computer on the ground and went into it, grabbing the water bottles before leaving Masks Square, and appearing in the centre of a group of Veemon. I looked around, startled by their nearness, when they weren't there only a minute earlier. I hadn't been in Masks Square very long. Each Veemon took a water bottle from the collection before racing to their freshwater stream.

"Me too!" came a small shout from my feet. It was a DemiVeemon that was eager to prove himself. I offered him a water bottle, even though it was as big as he was. He looked _thrilled_. He ran off after the others, cheering and hollering for everyone to look at him. It was strange how easy it was to make the little guy so _happy_.

"Has Gaia returned?" a Veemon that had lingered asked me. I mentally sighed. They were always asking that. Everyone here seemed to think it was inevitable. But I really didn't. Even the Wizard and Fallen Angels were convinced it was only a matter of time.

" _It is only a matter of time, before Gaia returns to plague this world once more," Tactimon said, sounding thoroughly convinced of the matter. He was standing opposite Zanbamon, with only a large, round, wooden table separating them. Reapmon was on his left, while Mummymon stood on his right. Zanbamon was flanked with Karatenmon and Phelesmon. I was between Reapmon and Witchmon, who was next to Phelesmon. Across from me stood NeoDevimon, who was between Mummymon and Gravimon—who was next to Karatenmon as well._

 _Only Arukenimon and Willis were absent, but they were spending the afternoon with Norn, Porcupamon, Lalamon and Rei. They were probably having a lot more fun than I was, being surrounded by war hungry digimon._

" _When can we expect it though?" Mummymon wanted to know._

" _That is critical information," Zanbamon agreed. "Alas, we cannot know it."_

" _Then how are we to actually win this fight?" Karatenmon asked, sounding fearful. "She has proved to be a talented manipulator in the past. And she is a gifted fighter as well. Her power is exponential."_

" _All she'd have to do is wave something shiny in front of your face, and you'd be useless to us," Phelesmon said tiredly. "It doesn't take a tactical genius to figure that out."_

" _It couldn't," Witchmon said, stroking Salem's head with one of her oversized hands. The ghostly cat purred at her attention. "You figured it out, after all."_

" _Enough!" Tactimon shouted, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Gaia could return any minute of every day for the rest of our lives. She could be here_ now _, and we'd be too busy arguing to actually stand a chance of winning this battle."_

" _He's right," Zanbamon growled. It was still so strange to me, to see them agreeing on anything at all. The two tribes were finally able to work together. It could have been an amazing thing, if they weren't wasting their time plotting to destroy Gaia. "She swore to Astamon she would return. We must be on our guard at all times."_

" _I don't think it's necessary," I said, throwing in my two cents. "I don't think she's coming back. I think she was spouting a lot of hot air in order to keep Astamon loyal to her. She hated it here. She wouldn't want to come back to the world her husband banished her to. She wants complete freedom in order to take over the worlds. She's not going to risk her chance by coming back for a single digimon."_

" _Is he not worthy?" Gravimon questioned. NeoDevimon grunted at his side, looking to me with his dead eyes. A shudder worked its way down my spine._

" _Sure, to anyone else he would be," I said. "But this is_ Gaia _. You don't know what she's capable of. She didn't even show you the half of it."_

" _You know her?" Reapmon asked, sounding exhausted. He wasn't overly thrilled to be in a war council either, but not because he didn't want revenge. He would just rather be sleeping until the moon was fully waned._

" _I know enough," I snapped. "I have memories of her and her despicable deeds. I don't need them to know that she's not coming back. She doesn't care about Astamon. She doesn't care about any of you. So long as you're locked away in this world, you won't be an issue for her. She'll wait until she's got all the worlds under her grasp, and she'll form an army that will completely_ level _you. She's not going to take any chances. She's not stupid."_

" _So what you're saying," Phelesmon said slowly. "Is that together, we stand a chance of beating her, and so she's afraid of challenging us."_

" _We stand more than a chance, with our forces allied," Zanbamon said cheerily._

" _We will win then, whenever she finally makes her return," Tactimon said simply._

" _What?" I asked, completely shocked at their summary. I turned on my heel and left. I wasn't going to sit and listen to them plot to throw their lives away. If Gaia ever returned, she would kill them all. No amount of planning could save them._

I really didn't think Gaia _would_ return though.

"No," I told the curious Veemon. "She's not back. Don't worry. I doubt she'll be back."

"You really think so?" the Veemon asked. "But she left Astamon. Willis said she _promised_ him she'd be back."

"Yeah, well," I said, sighing. "That's the thing about bad guys. Sometimes they lie."

"Poor Astamon," Veemon murmured, before taking the rest of the water bottles out of my arms. I watched him go, thinking about 'Poor Astamon'. He didn't really seem to be too downtrodden when I went to visit him.

I made a point to visit him, because I felt a sort of kinship to him. He never said a word when I went, but that didn't matter. He would never tell me if I was helping or not, but just in case I _was_ , I always went back. His glare hadn't lost any potency from the first time I'd gone to see him though.

 _I walked over to FlaWizardmon, who was on guard duty that day. He smiled at me._

" _What's shaking?" he wanted to know._

" _I'm here to visit the prisoner," I said, trying to keep my wariness out of my voice. FlaWizardmon looked confused for a second, before smiling at me. It was a different smile than it was before. This was crueler._

" _You're here for information?" he asked, seeming thrilled at the prospect. I shook my head quickly. And he was confused once again._

" _I just want to talk to him," I said. "If I glean any insight that the war council could use, then I'll share it. You catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar."_

" _I don't get the fly thing, but do whatever you want," FlaWizardmon told me, shaking his head in disbelief. "You mind if I go for a walk? My legs are killing me from standing still all day."_

" _Go ahead," I told him. It would be easier to do this without an audience. There were nearly a dozen other guards in the surrounding area, but FlaWizardmon was the only one close enough to hear what I was going to say. I was much more comfortable without him present._

 _It was also nice to know that FlaWizardmon trusted me to be a guard, even without any sort of power whatsoever._

 _I waited until he was gone before I walked up to the bars of Astamon's cage. I glanced in at him and saw a battered digimon. He was just a shell of his former glory. "She won't come back," I told him._

 _His eyes, which were firmly focused on the floor, flew up to glare at me the moment he heard my voice. His glare was chilling, but it wasn't enough to deter me. He was behind bars after all. And his weapon had been taken from him. He couldn't hurt me with just his gaze._

" _I know you want to believe she will," I told him honestly. "For your sake I guess I kind of wish the same. I get it. I know what it's like to be manipulated so thoroughly and to be completely in someone's corner. I know what Gaia is like though. I saw it through her husband's memories. He's the one that took me in. He captured my attention, and I let him take everything from me. I wanted to believe that he was the sun in the sky, the stars at night. He was_ everything _. I believed in him more than I should have. He was using me, the same way that Gaia was using you."_

 _His glare increased, and I gulped, before remembering that I was perfectly safe. I was also confessing some pretty important information about my past to a guy that had tried to kill us not long ago. It was kind of a surreal experience._

" _He made me do things I'm not proud of. But at the time, I thought it was the only way. You don't need Gaia. She doesn't care about you. Sigma never cared about me. But there are_ still _days that I would defend him to my dying breath. He really messed me up. Gaia was doing the same to you, even if you can't see it."_

 _He looked away from me now, focussing stonily back on the floor. He was angered by my words, but I'd like to have thought he was at least thinking them over._

" _I guess…I just came here to say you're not alone," I told him in conclusion. "You don't have to wait for Gaia to tell you what to do. You can be in charge of your own destiny. You can do_ good _if you want to. You don't have to kill people. I won't ever be able to forgive what you did to Rei, but I'm still willing to help you, if you want me to."_

 _He didn't say anything, and I knew he wouldn't. He just shot one final glare—the iciest yet—at me, and I knew it was time to leave. I wandered away, looking for a place I could wait for FlaWizardmon to return._

We'd both been drawn in to someone else's schemes, a husband and wife duo that was determined to destroy each other. We were alike in a lot of ways. But we were very different too. I'd freed myself from Sigma's hold with the help of Yoshie and my crush on Hideto. I had a support system in place that could help put me back on the right track.

I'd _wanted_ to be free.

Astamon didn't. He wasn't at that point yet. He still wanted Gaia in his life, and he would be waiting forever for it. Because there was no way in hell that Gaia was coming back to this place. This was her prison when Sigma wanted to be rid of her. This was the wild lands. Sigma banished her with the wildest part of the world because she despised it so much—and because the digimon _hated_ her.

I didn't know how she'd managed to get on the digimon's good side, but I was sure her first class manipulation played a big part in it.

It didn't matter. Gaia was free and we were all _her_ prisoners now.

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

I felt the sharp tugging at my heart again, but forced it to the side of my mind. I promised Takeru I would not give in to the temptations.

"He shouldn't have done it," Iori said, furrowing his brow as Natsuni rubbed his shoulder kindly. He was sitting across from me at the kitchen table looking down to the food in front of him like he simply wanted to throw it across the room. "Sneaking into someone's office to steal information for the other side is illegal."

"He was only trying to help," Natsuni said, but she knew how serious and dangerous Mantarou's actions could have been. "He's studied law, he knows what he should and should not do."

Iori laughed bitterly, "If he studied law half as well as he should have, he would know that in two days time they are required by law to hand over all of their evidence. There are to be no surprises such as that in the courthouse."

"What if they don't tell you what they've found?" Gatomon asked, leaning back in her chair after having finished her breakfast. "What if they keep it a secret?"

"Then legally, we don't know what they found," Iori said flatly. "And they might lie about it in court saying it was a recent development, but we wouldn't be able to argue that because we would be admitting to a crime."

"But you can still prepare a defense for it," I couldn't find a way to calm Iori down, and while Natsuni seemed to be making more progress than anyone else, it was clear that he was rejecting her attempts as well. I didn't know much about law, not nearly as much as Natsuni did, and I wasn't picking up on it as well as Gatomon, but I could still follow along in the conversations. "What else are they required to give you?"

Iori looked up bitterly and then hung his head as he fed himself some of the oat filled cereal. "Nothing," he said. "Not unless we ask for it. We _will_ be asking for it." He looked up and everyone was looking to him expectantly, hoping for him to elaborate. "We need to know what they'll ask if we were to plead guilty, so they have to prepare an alternate method for that, and we'll see what we think."

"She won't do that, will she?" I asked in shock. "Sora didn't kill him. She can't tell the world that she did! She'll go to prison."

"Probably," Natsuni corrected. "There is a chance that they'll let her off if it was total self defense." I looked up to her hopefully and she saw that she had planted too much optimism there and she quickly set the record straight by shaking her head. "We would have to convince the jury beyond reasonable doubt that there was nothing else Sora could do. We would need to first prove that she tried to avoid confrontation, and also that she was preventing something serious, which would not be hard. If we swap Sora for Kurayami then we know that she was preventing attempted murder. The problem—"

"The problem is that there is no proof of how the murder was taking place," Iori snapped, interrupting Natsuni. "If we throw Miyako up to testify then everything will turn on her, and we can't use Ken or Takeru because it's too late. They could be tried as an accessory to the crime. We can't prove that Moretsuna was trying to kill Miyako."

"And worse," Gatomon added, following along well. "the gun that was used to kill him had to have been fired more than once. There isn't proof that he wouldn't have stopped after being shot one time. He wouldn't have died, because he could have gotten an antidote. Of course he would have to get back to Earth, but before he did that—"

"The virus would have hit him," Iori said as his eyes widened with realization. "W-what if we take that route?"

"No proof," Natsuni said.

"Doesn't matter," Iori countered. "If we can find that information Mantarou keeps going on about—if we find proof of where Moretsuna was before heading into the Digital World we'll have enough proof to show that he was _there_ when the virus struck. Why not add him to the list of casualties the virus caused?"

"The virus has such a bad reputation," Natsuni agreed. "As it should. We could use that, right?"

Iori shrugged. "I can't see why not." I had a bad feeling about it in general, but Iori was excited and that was enough for me. At least for now. He knew more about law than I did, but somehow it seemed off. Even if they did find proof of Moretsuna's last whereabouts, who could prove that he didn't leave the Digital World? Aside from that, the motivation to kill was still there. But I guess _wanting_ to hurt someone didn't send you to prison. It was the action in itself.

I made a mental note to talk to Gaia about it before remembering that I had promised not to go see her again. I felt a twisted sensation in my stomach as I remembered the anger Takeru had felt. I did not want to anger him. I wanted him to be happy and that was part of the reason I did not tell him about Gaia in the first place. He didn't understand, just like I knew he wouldn't. I wasn't wrong to see her. I had every right to give someone as much trust and respect as I saw fit, and I thought Gaia deserved another chance. She had done bad things, but so had we all. She didn't deserve to be treated like everyone had always done. But as much as I found myself to be in the right, I knew Takeru was just as right. He had just as much right to feel the way he did as I had to feel my own emotions. He did not trust Gaia—which was understandable as he'd never met her—and he was worried. I was not upset that he had asked me not to go see her. I wanted to be, yes, but I wasn't. He knew what he was talking about. He wanted me to feel safe, and he just didn't know that I _did_ feel safe.

And yet, because of that argument, things had found a rather unpleasant settling point.

" _Could you pass the sugar," I asked softly the previous night. Takeru looked up from the newspaper he was reading and slowly slid the porcelain dish along the tabletop. He retracted his hand and resumed reading. "What's going on in the comics?" I asked and Takeru looked up, tried to smile and returned to his reading. "Stocks?" Again, nothing. "Sports?"_

 _Just as I was about to go insane from him ignoring me, he looked up and said, "I'm looking through real estate to help Yamato find a house. He refuses to take an apartment, thinking that he_ needs _a house."_

" _Oh," I said, pouring some sugar into my tea. "Well he helped Iori and I find this place, the least I could do, would be to help him out in return. Why don't you give me some of—"_

" _Actually," he said slowly. "I think I'm going to go home."_

" _Why?" I asked sharply, but I knew why. "We need to talk about this."_

" _There's nothing to talk about," Takeru said softly. "I'm... I just don't like that I'm holding onto people's secrets. I don't enjoy lying and keeping things from people."_

" _Do you think I do?" I asked, looking up to him._

" _You must," he said sincerely. "Or you would have told us all that you knew where our enemy was."_

" _If she was our enemy, then why hasn't she done anything?"_

 _Takeru ran his free hand through his hair and breathed sharply, thinking to himself, and when he responded he had a firm hold on his voice and kept himself very calm. "I don't know," he said simply. "I don't know what she wants, so I don't know how to justify her means. I just know that she's up to something. She has to be. And I know you don't want to tell anyone where she is, or that you've been in contact with her. I know you don't want to sell out someone who you think is your friend, and I think that's beautiful. You're the most loyal and kind person I've ever met. But that doesn't mean you're right. I'm going to find her, and I'll do it without your help."_

" _You can't tell any—"_

" _I know!" he said loudly, losing his cool for only a second. He calmed himself and turned to the door. "I won't tell anyone, because if I do that means you'll go back to see her. If you see her, you'll die. And I want you to be alive. It's as simple as that."_

" _Tak—" He had already slipped through the doorway. I didn't want to admit to crying, and I'd never tell anyone, but I had. We'd never had such a serious argument. There had never been something between us that was as strong as this was. Gatomon had comforted me as I cried myself to sleep, and she didn't ask what was wrong. Not once._

"... first appearance was postponed," Iori was explaining as I came out of my thoughts and back to the kitchen table. "They moved the day so they could address her bail situation. They saw her and granted bail—but that means everything else was shifted down the calendar."

"When is the actual court date?" Gatomon asked.

"November fifteenth," Iori said as he pushed his chair back to take his bowl to the sink. Nasuni pushed him back gently into a seated position and took the bowl from him instead. They were so good together. I was glad they were married now, and I was _very_ glad that I had been invited. I didn't want to miss out on something so important. Natsuni had this _glow_ about her ever since the wedding too, like she could not have been happier if she tried.

"That's lots of time," Gatomon said. "You can do this Iori."

"Thanks," he said, but he didn't seem to believe it. The conversation ended there though, as Armadillomon shrieked loudly from down the hall. We all got to our feet but Goblimon was quick to assure us that it was just a bug on the egg that Armadillomon was so desperately watching and keeping safe. He didn't appreciate the insect making the egg its home. It wasn't long before everyone was leaving again anyway. Iori was gone first, kissing Natsuni goodbye and leaving to work on Sora's case. He was supposedly going to be meeting up with his mother as well, so I knew I wouldn't be seeing him for a while. Goblimon and Gatomon were the next to go, being sent into the Temple by Natsuni. They had agreed to join the restoration committee, and then finally Natsuni took Armadillomon to visit her father, who was actually living in his home now. Natsuni rarely talked about how she felt about the divorce her parents were going through, but I knew it did not affect her nearly as much as it did her father. She was a good daughter to be there for him.

But I was alone again, sitting in the kitchen, trying to find something to do to keep my mind off of the constant tugging at my heart. I sat in silence after I had finished drinking my morning tea, staring toward the refrigerator blankly. I wasn't sure if the humming and whirring of the machine was getting louder, or if I the silence around me was slowly sinking in. But when the ticking of the clock above the sink grew louder I found myself focusing on all small details. The tugging in my chest grew stronger as I watched a small fruit fly near my empty teacup. When it landed I stared for a moment before the heater kicked in for its next round. The sound filled whatever gaps were left in the room and the silence fought back with a loud ringing sound. The tugging turned to pulling and yanking and I felt weak again. I closed my eyes, thinking of all of my favourite things to block out the feeling.

 _Ice cream. Taichi. My friends. Takeru. Gatomon. Sunsets._

My eyes flung open at the sound of a car alarm on the streets below. I turned my head toward the open kitchen window and noticed a bird sitting on the flower pot that sat on the large windowsill. It turned its head to me and cawed. The sound seemed to resonated inside of me as it joined the rest of the screaming silence, and all at once my chest _ached_.

I gasped, standing too quickly and knocking my chair over behind me. I clutched my chest as the burning grew stronger. I had ignored the feeling for almost a week now. I had put Gaia aside and kicked her from my life for _six_ days, just as Takeru had asked me to do. But the burning was so strong, I wasn't sure I could do it anymore.

And then there was a sharp yet hesitant knock on the door. I felt the feeling in my chest whisk away like nothing had happened and I moved to the front door, pulling it open. On the other side of the threshold stood Kurayami who looked very tired. There were bags under her eyes and her hair was messy, pulled into a ponytail. I knew Haruki was a good sleeper, it was unlikely that he had been the cause of her miserable sleep. "It stopped," Kurayami showed relief on her face as she looked down to her chest. She was breathing harshly and when she looked up she could tell that I felt the same. "She wants us to go."

"I can't," I said flatly, and it pained me to say too. I wanted to go to Gaia. I needed to at least give her an explanation for my sudden absence. I had written an apology letter to Profesor Ikeda for yelling at him like I did—Iori threw it away, but I had still written it—and I did not like him, so why would I not treat Gaia, whom I admired, with the respect she deserved?

Kurayami walked straight past me and into the apartment where she spun on her hell to face me, "She's not going to stop."

"Well I can't go," I told her again, "I've explained this to you. I cannot go to see her anymore."

"I _won't_ go," she responded, which seemed off to me. When I had first told her I would no longer be going she seemed upset, and like she wanted me to go along with her. She had declared that she would not go without me, but that she wanted to return to Gaia's side, just as I did. "I need the feeling to stop though."

"I know," I agreed, "it hurts."

"We have to tell someone." Was she serious? Did she actually think that selling our friend out to the people who were hunting her was a good idea?

"They'll hurt her," I objected, "Takeru didn't even understand, how can we expect the others to?"

"Daisuke seems to," Kurayami said quickly, "He doesn't agree, but he understands that there may be more to the story. But in case there isn't, he wants me to stay safe. I agreed to do that for him."

I thought that was sweet, and it showed on my face because Kurayami rolled her eyes. "You told him?"

"Takeru did," Kurayami explained. "But it doesn't matter. We need—" She stopped dead in her tracks as she stared toward me. I didn't know what expression I was showing outwardly, but inside I was confused, and hurt and angry. And as the feelings mixed together, Gaia began pulling at my heartstrings again. Takeru had broken his promise to me. That wasn't something to be taken lightly. He had gone behind my back to tell Daisuke the truth, and I understood _why_ he would. I understood that he cared for Kurayami and Daisuke and Haruki too. I understood that. What I could not understand was why he had lied to me. We had argued about this secret and he had told me he would not tell anyone, and I had thought I'd been making headway.

His argument was always 'she killed our friends.' But she hadn't said that. She had told us they had 'met their demise.' We did _not_ know that she was behind that and Takeru finally had stopped with that argument, and now he had none. I had finally thought that I would draw him to see the light—to see _my_ light, and to come to see Gaia with me. But I had been wrong. He had gone to Daisuke, and spoken to him instead of to me.

Another sharp tug at my heart made me gasp and I saw by the twisted expression on Kurayami's face that she had felt it too. "I'm going to her," I decided.

Kurayami's face lit up with worry. "No, don't give in."

"I'm not _giving_ in," I objected firmly. I couldn't see how Kurayami's mind had changed so quickly. Gaia was trying to _help_ her. She was trying to show Kurayami the answers about her past, and she was eating them up like candy. I loved that she was getting the answers she wanted, but I worried about what she would do with said information. Gaia promised her a way to remove the curse, and promised her that she knew how to avoid having one single heir. And now she didn't want that? She would be _protecting_ her son if she were to go along. "I want Gaia to know why we are not coming anymore. She deserves answers. Just like you. And if you don't come, I'll ask her about Haruki for you. I'll ask her how to keep him safe."

Kurayami stared at me for a moment and her expression went from worried to understanding to determined. She nodded and moved forward. "I'm coming with you."

It was lucky that I was already dressed and ready to go before breakfast had started because judging by the strength with which Gaia was using to pull at my heart, and probably Kurayami's too, we didn't have much time left to find her. She was desperate now. She needed to see us and that much was clear to me. She was probably worried that we had turned on her, and that wasn't fair.

By the time we were halfway there we had both come to realize that she was waiting for us in her usual location. We knew the way well.

And then we were there, standing at the end of the alley, and staring down the dark path toward the dim glowing light inside. Kurayami took my hand, understanding that I was nervous and tried to pull me forward. I pulled back, knowing this was wrong. We shouldn't have come. Takeru would never forgive me. My heart started beating faster now and I knew we had to turn away. I could send Gaia a letter—that wouldn't break our agreement, and she would still know why we weren't coming. She would understand that I could not break the trust of those I loved, even if they had done the same to me. I couldn't. Kurayami tugged again but I pulled my hand away. "I can't go in there."

"What?" Kurayami gasped, looking back over her shoulder to the tunnel. "You have to, we can't leave now. We have to save Haruki first." Kurayami's voice was shaking and I knew she was just as scared as I was. Why were we scared? We _knew_ Gaia. We knew she would not hurt us, and yet we both felt wrong about our visit. The pulling in my heart was still strong, but it was possible that if we ignored her long enough she would stop. Especially if she got my letter. "Hikari, please. Haruki. I don't want to—" she cut her words off abruptly and I knew what she was afraid of.

I nodded and looked down the tunnel, but found myself unable to move forward out of fear. "We have to tell Takeru first," I decided. "He has to know."

"You think he'll let you come?" Kurayami asked sharply. "I don't like betraying Daisuke either—It's not fair to him. It's not fair to anyone. But if he knew it was for Haruki, he would understand."

"Then let's _tell_ him," I said. "We can let them both know, then we won't be coming in blindly." Kurayami stared to me for a moment and seemed to understand that it was a good idea and as one we turned from Gaia's home, only to run directly into a tall man. Kurayami let out a startled gasp but I simply stepped back to get a better look. It was Maugrim. He was standing tall, looking down to us with narrow eyes and his massive arms were folded across his chest.

"You've come to see Gaia," he said in his usual menacing tone. I nodded and tried to speak, but found that I couldn't and turned to Kurayami for help, she too stammered nonsense until Maugrim interrupted us again. "She has been waiting for you."

I instantly felt like I was drowning in guilt as Maugrim led us toward the entrance. The vines that had been growing along the walls of the nearby buildings were thicker than they had been before, and the roots that wove together to create the floor was stronger and sturdier. Gaia herself felt stronger too. That would explain the strength of the sharp tugging inside of me. But it didn't matter how strong or wonderful Gaia was, because I was betraying the man that I swore I would never be disloyal to. I swallowed thickly as we stepped into the wider area of Gaia's home.

I saw her. She had her back turned to us and her hair was a mess, but it fell to her waist like always. She made a frustrated sound of grief and slammed her hands down to the wooden vanity that she had created. Her bed was across from me now with the beautiful canopy made from live trees that sparkled with the usual magic that Gaia's creations entailed. I turned when I felt something brush across my face and poked the beautiful swirling plant with my finger. It retracted as though it were able to think and rationalize on its own.

"Gaia," Maugrim said sharply.

"What?" She practically growled as she spun around to face him. She froze at the sight of the two of us standing in the opening. One of her tiny balls of sunlight floated between her and us and when it passed she was smiling. She moved across the home, passing by her table and chairs and brushed the hanging vines aside as she moved to our sides. She was by our side a second later and the tugging stopped when she placed her arms around the two of us, embracing us. "I was beginning to worry that you would never return! I missed you both. I don't know what I would do without you."

"We can't stay long," Kurayami said, finding the courage she had lost under Maugrim's stare. "We are breaking the trust of our loved ones to see you today."

"We thought you deserved an explanation," I told her softly.

Her smile faltered but she kept it plastered to her face, though it seemed forced now. She took a step back and looked into my eyes fiercely. "An explanation for what?" she asked.

Kurayami squeezed my hand to give me some of her excess courage and I responded without thinking. "For why we cannot see you anymore." Gaia's eyebrows pushed together as her eyes darted between the two of us. "At least for a while. We need time to convince the others that we understand what we're doing. We will try to show them your kindness, and hopefully they will understand soon enough. I think I've—"

"No," Gaia cut me off. "You can't go." She had a very serious look in her eyes that told me that our turn to talk was done now. I found my heart beating quickly and could feel the bravery drain from me again. What was she saying? Why was she so worried now? Her eyes fell to Maugrim and when I looked up to him I saw that he had nodded ever so slightly. I looked back to Gaia and startled when I saw that she had moved closer to me. "Never mind that," she said, gesturing to the table. "Sit down, we should make the most out of this visit." She turned and made her way over to the nearest chair, pulling it out to sit down. Kurayami and I exchanged confused looks but followed anyway. It wasn't as if we had a choice. Maugrim was still standing menacingly behind us.

As we sat down it became clear that Gaia was nervous, or upset at the very least. I couldn't be sure why but when she spoke, her voice was calm and peaceful as always. "I'm glad you came to see me. It was kind of you to think I deserved an explanation."

Right! I had a full explanation to give her, "Well—"

She silenced me with a hand. "Not just yet, dear," she said swiftly. "We have important details to speak of first. We must make do with our final visit." She smiled to me and I smiled back.

"Like my son," Kurayami suggested. "Please tell me how to save him from the darkness."

"In due time," Gaia said softly, reaching out to Kurayami's hand to comfort her. Kurayami did not give her hand up. Gaia seemed hurt, but continued anyway. "When you first came to see me it was clear that you did not trust me. At least not fully. You had your uncertainties, and I have done everything in my power to iron out the wrinkles of your doubts. Is it presumptuous to assume that I have succeeded?"

"No," I answered quickly. "I trust you completely. It's my boyfriend who doesn't."

Gaia smiled, but looked saddened by the news of Takeru's reservations about her. When Gaia looked to Kurayami expecting an answer, she merely nodded which Gaia took as enough of a reply. "I am pleased that we have formed a bond of trust between us all. You know I would do anything to aid you through your troubles." Gaia reached out to my hand, and unlike Kurayami, I let her have it. Her fingers were smooth and warm, and her grip was solid and firm. "Now I ask you for one simple favour in return."

"Anything," I said as kindly as I could muster.

Gaia smiled sweetly to me and said softly. "I require a particular set of keys." Kurayami and I looked sharply to one another and Gaia smiled brighter. "So you know which set I am referring to, that is good."

"W-we can't give them to you," I stammered stupidly.

Kurayami agreed with a nod and then added. "We wouldn't be allowed. The others would never let us give them to you."

"Where are they?" Gaia asked as if our answers hadn't affected her at all. "Perhaps we could simply _use_ one of the keys, and you could keep them. No one would have to know." That was possible. We could do that, but she had to know that we were serious when we said we couldn't see her again anytime soon. She _had_ to know that we had to be faithful to our other friends as much as we were to her. When Kurayami and I exchanged a third look, Gaia sighed, and squeezed my hand gently, turning to face Maugrim who did not react. Gaia turned back to us sadly. "Very well." I was suddenly aware of the two suns that lit up the home and I watched as they spun around us slowly.

"I'm sorry," Kurayami added.

"It is alright," Gaia said, reaching for her hand. This time Kurayami obliged and reached across the table. The moment their hands touched though, the suns stopped spinning around the table and Gaia's face tightened ever so slightly changing her entire appearance drastically. "If you cannot help me find my keys, perhaps there is something else you could help me with."

"What?" Kurayami asked quietly, nervously pulling her hand away from Gaia, but Gaia's grip tightened on both of our hands. I gasped as her hand tried to crush my fingers.

Gaia did not answer Kurayami's question however. Instead, she looked to each of us in turn and let a smile grow on her face. And then, all at once, I knew only pain. Kurayami shrieked as the pain in my chest mirrored the pain in her own and I curled my fingers around Gaia's fist, digging my nails into her as a reaction to the pain.

My heart beat quickly and my face started sweating. I screamed along with Kurayami and turned to Gaia for help, but it became clear very quickly that she did not intend to assist us. She was the cause of the pain.

I tried to stand, but my legs shook and I fell into my seat again as Gaia pulled sharply so I was closer to her. She then did the same with Kurayami who I could see was now crying. I felt tears on my own face too but there was nothing that could be done. My vision began fading as the pain became too much, but Gaia didn't want me to pass out. She pulled sharply and startled me.

Kurayami's screaming stopped and she began to whimper in pain as I bit hard on my bottom lip, hunching over, unable to stop the feeling.

And then there was a sharp pull at my heart again, but it was stronger than it had ever been. I gasped out as the ache pounded against my chest, but Kurayami cried out again and I found that my vision was turning black again. I turned my head but found I could see Gaia clearly.

I looked to my hand and saw a white glow coating my body and when I looked back to Kurayami I understood that it was not my vision that was turning black, but Kurayami herself.

The darkness surrounding her grew as the light surrounding myself did the same, until finally the entire room was cut in two. Light and Dark.

And then, all at once, the two halves sucked into the two balls of orange sunlight. One turned black, and the other glowed bright white. And the pain was gone.

Gaia released our hands and the relief I felt weakened me more than I had ever felt. I tried to lift my arms, but they felt like jelly, like noodles—they felt like I was useless. I had my face pressed against the table in defeat, and I could hear Kurayami gasping for breath as she tried to stand, but I couldn't bring myself to look to her.

I saw Gaia stand though, and I saw her reach out to her new creations. The ball of darkness began spinning around her and then the ball of light followed suit. Was that _my_ light? Had she taken my crest? My power? My _soul_? Whatever she had done, she was smiling about it. And when she reached out to touch the ball of darkness, a whip of blackness wrapped around her wrist. She slapped it away and it retracted to its ball. Satisfied, she turned to Maugrim. "Dispose of them."

My breath was shaky and my limbs were weak, but I knew I had to leave. I had to be _alive_ by the end of tonight. I used my arms to push against the surface of the table and stood. My head spun, and as I tried to follow after Gaia I found that my balance was off. I nearly fell to the roots that made up the floor, but caught myself on a hanging vine as I watched my light be taken from me. Gaia took it—she had it. She had both light and dark. She had the balance. I was nothing now.

I felt tears in my eyes again, but could not sob; I could not find enough energy to cry even. I simply wanted to fall and cease to exist. But instead, I held the vine tight, keeping myself upright.

My eyes turned at the sound of Kurayami's surprised shout. I saw her being slammed against the far wall, made of bricks and she slid down next to Gaia's small vanity. Maugrim was standing over her menacingly and I wanted to help her. I didn't know _how_ to help her though. I could barely _breath_ e. And then, as Maugrim reached for her, Kurayami slammed her fist into the leg of the vanity that was furthest from the wall and it broke off easily. The structure toppled toward Maugrim who caught it before it could hit him, and Kurayami reached for the opposite leg and screamed as she hoisted the furniture with all of her might. With Maugrim keeping his end in place the vanity flipped upside down and the leg smacked him directly in the face.

Kurayami set off, running, somehow finding enough energy to move. I was jealous, but soon she had been hit. We both screamed as she fell into the wall after the fallen leg of the vanity had hit her in the side. She stumbled but kept herself upright until Maugrim hurled the remainder of the vanity toward her. She jumped aside, landing on the ground as the wooden structure shattered against the wall. I acted quickly, reaching up and ripping at the vine that was keeping me upright. It snapped up above and I quickly threw one end to Kurayami as Maugrim moved quickly toward her and we pulled sharply.

The man came crashing down and Kurayami was quick to her feet, rushing to the door, but I was frozen in place, staring down to the shattered vanity. Laying in the rubble were two glimmering objects. The darkness we had been subjected to when Gaia had taken the lights made it hard to identify them, but I was sure I could see something familiar in the beautiful purple artefact.

" _A key," I had said, as I slid a brown wooden key toward Izumi and Tomoki. "That one goes to the in-between. If you use it you will leave the Digital World."_

 _Izumi reached forward and picked it up. "For emergencies," she said, nodding._

" _So I'll take this one." I turned to see Willis as he lifted the violet key to Witchenly into his hand._

My heart was pounding harder than before as I reached down and picked both of the items out of the debris, but as I turned I heard Kurayami shout my name and I saw Maugrim reaching for my leg. I jumped back and slammed my foot fowarard onto his hand, bending his thumb back. He didn't seem to find that painful, but I was able to hop onto the table and leap around him, rushing toward Kurayami who was standing by the door with wide, terror filled eyes.

I knew I looked the same, but as I caught up to her she grabbed my shoulders and turned with me, running through the doorway.

The panic did not die down as we ran, no matter how far we went, the bubbling fear induced adrenaline kept us moving, even with our bodies drained of so much energy. We had no idea where we were going, but we kept moving until we were surrounded by people. We were safe here. We would be safe in town.

"H-Hikari?"

I turned to see Takeru standing outside the coffee shop he worked at. He was off work now, and he was holding a coffee in his hand. He dropped it when he saw me and as the coffee splattered over the pavement he rushed to my side to hug me. He saw Kurayami and pulled her in too.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I-I did someth-thing wrong," I stammered.

" _We_ did something wrong," Kurayami corrected, seemingly having better control over her emotions. "We both did."

"You went to see Gaia," Takeru realized.

"W-worse—" I cried, unable to stop myself as I embraced him. He was warm, and his hold was strong. It was enough to keep me feeling safe. Kurayami was there too and with her arms around us I knew we were very lucky to have both escaped alive. "I-I-I d-don't know what t-to do—"

"That's okay," Takeru said soothingly, not minding all of the people who were watching us now. "It doesn't matter. I'm here. I'm here for you and I'm not going to let you get hurt." And that was sweet, but I wasn't worried about _me_. I was worried about everyone else.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Mari and Mimi team up to get to the bottom of some serious personal business while Neo goes on a small adventure of his own.


	19. My Sister's Keeper

**Y/N:** Mimi got to have a bit of sleuthing fun this time around. I remember having fun writing it, so I hope that comes across.

 **U/N:** Mari's part in this chapter (and Neo's to a lesser extent) was really hard for me to get right and I was constantly annoyed with it and I wrote both of them multiple times and it was just very stressful and annoying. But this is the best version of them I could create with all the other writing going on. I hope they're alright in the end though and I hope everything actually makes sense.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 19: My Sister's Keeper**

 _ **Mimi Tachikawa:**_

It was early. It was probably _too_ early. But I was getting antsy. I couldn't sit still any longer. I'd woken up in bed alone, because Koushiro didn't _believe_ in sleep anymore. Palmon and Tentomon were taking the day to run around the Digital World. Tentomon refused to go anywhere that Emiko could be found—because Monmon was sure to follow. He was very upset with Monmon, but was too embarrassed to tell me what the story actually was. I got the feeling he would've told Koushiro, if Koushiro had realized that he was upset at all.

I didn't think Koushiro realized what day of the week it was anymore.

He was always too busy with his work. He wanted to find Gaia, and then suddenly, his focus switched to genetics. He was studying everything he could get his hands on that had anything whatsoever to do with DNA. I didn't know why, and I was too upset with him to bother asking. He wouldn't have had time to explain it to me anyway. He didn't have time for anything anymore. He was always "too busy". It was driving me up the wall. But the longer this behaviour continued, the more concerned I grew.

Tentomon was having a hard time getting through to his partner these days as well, and more often than not could be found just about anywhere that Koushiro wasn't. Tentomon was being far more helpful than Koushiro. He was assisting Iori with Sora's case, and he was filling in on the Council the best he could, until Koushiro got his act in gear. He was practically running the research department, now that Koushiro was off doing his own thing.

Not that Koushiro would admit that he was blowing everyone off.

Oh no. He always just lost track of time.

" _We had a date?" he asked._

" _Yeah, it's Friday, so it's date night."_

" _It's Friday already? I thought it was only Wednesday. I must've lost track of time. Sorry."_

He looked miserable too. I knew he wasn't sleeping. But he didn't seem to realize that he wasn't.

" _When did you last sleep?"_

" _I got a few hours on Monday," he said, like it was no big deal._

" _It's Thursday!"_

" _Is it?"_

I was going out of my mind. I couldn't figure him out anymore. He was a challenge that was too difficult for me to solve. So I wasn't going to. Obviously he was working through some things. When he was ready to share whatever it was with me, then I'd be there. I'd support him through whatever it was. But until then, I needed something to keep me occupied. I couldn't spend all of my time worrying about him when all that did was frustrate him.

My restaurant was coming along. I'd finally worked out what needed to be repaired, and the contractors were set to arrive at seven for an initial look. They wouldn't start working until ten o'clock, but they needed to get a few things in order. I'd already met with them and set up a payment system and everything. All they needed now was supervision.

Well, they probably didn't _need_ it. But I wasn't about to let strangers work on my _baby_ without someone there to watch over them. I needed to be sure that they weren't EVOLVE supporters, or at the very least not anti-RISE. I wanted someone that didn't inherently hate digimon, or the digidestined. It was important, because Sora and her band of good-doers spray painted graffiti all over my walls depicting the crests. It would be obvious that my restaurant was a hideaway for _someone_ , and since the "Digital Man" was the one preaching those very same crests, it wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together. Not that anyone seemed to be seeking Yamato anymore. The news had shifted from Yamato to the 'masked man' who many theorized to _be_ Yamato, but we knew to be Shin. RISE was now more relevant than the Director's films, and that meant that people had better things to think about.

I didn't want any police sniffing around my restaurant while I was trying to rebuild it _just_ because Sora and Yamato had used it as their secret base. Sora didn't do anything wrong. The police might think differently—especially about that bit where she assaulted the police officer's daughter—but I didn't care. Veronica deserved whatever Sora gave her. What the police obviously didn't realize, was that both Veronica _and_ Moretsuna were EVOLVE supporters, and very active in the war against digimon. As a Digidestined, Sora was well within her rights to fend off any threats to the Digital World.

I wasn't actually sure that it was a legitimate _rule_ , but it should have been.

Moretsuna's death was something that still bothered me, but it was _his_ choice to go after a pregnant woman that was friends with the woman who's grandfather he had killed—and baby he'd almost hurt. He was pretty much _asking_ them to fight back. He tried to shoot Ken before Takeru showed up. And Takeru and Ken weren't really much of a match for the craziness that Moretsuna had become.

It was a fight for the right to live, and I felt incredibly guilty that I was _glad_ that Moretsuna had taken the fall. If he hadn't, I would've been down four more friends—and an incredibly beautiful baby girl. We'd already lost enough. We'd lost _more_ than enough. I didn't want to _think_ about losing anyone or anything more—which was why I was walking up the stairs to the library at five minutes to six o'clock in the morning.

Mari had lost something that was extremely precious to her. Someone had decided to go out and rip apart Lalamon's garden. It was a rotten thing to do. It was horrible. It was _despicable_. And I was _not_ going to let whoever it was get away with it.

I knew that Taichi was hoping to do something about it too, but he didn't have the free time that I did to really dedicate himself to the task. He was busy trying to build up the Digital World, and put new defenses in place in case Earth decided to launch a second attack, since the first one didn't do as much damage as they would have liked. He had a lot of important things that he couldn't put off to solve a mystery—no matter how important to Mari it was.

But I had practically _nothing_ to do at all. My restaurant wasn't ready to open. I didn't have any other job. I literally spent my day either wandering around aimlessly, or cooking way too much food. It had been suggested by Palmon that I get a new hobby. Apparently, there were too many leftovers, and we needed to work our way through them before I cooked anything else. It was unfortunate, but with my newly cleared schedule, I had plenty of time to become a super sleuth.

I didn't knock on the door. They never would have heard me if I did. Their bedrooms—or _bedroom_ , since Hideto had accidentally mentioned to me that they shared, which I found adorable and heartbreaking all at once—were on the second floor at the _opposite_ end of the building. It was a huge place, since it used to be a public library.

Luckily, I'd sneaked their spare key from the hook by the door when I'd left Mari in Taichi's capable hands. I didn't want to pester her while she was in tears. The sight of her crying was enough to render Taichi and I _both_ to tears—watching her heart break made mine break along with it.

I used the key and opened the door. It was still clean—as expected, with only Mari, Hideto, Warg, Melga and Tapirmon being allowed access until Taichi gave further notice—and it was far too quiet. This was also expected, given that it wasn't quite six in the morning yet. They were most likely all still asleep. If I'd had more patience, I might've waited until one of them woke up, but I didn't have time to spare. I needed to get moving if I planned on solving this mystery today.

The stairs were solid, but the fourth from the top creaked when I stepped on it. I winced, but no noise came from any of the bedrooms. I tiptoed down the hall, not wanting to wake the digimon. They could sleep as long as they wanted. It was Mari and Hideto I was after.

I placed my hand on the bedroom doorknob, and twisted it carefully. I shoved the door open, and slipped inside, closing it behind me. Mari's bed was large and comfortable looking. She was twisted up in the blankets, her hair a large nest around her head. She was curled up as small as she could manage, trying to protect herself, even in her sleep, from the sadness that was trying to overwhelm her. Against the far wall, there was a red and black futon. Hideto was sprawled out on it, his blanket practically on the floor. He was hugging a pillow to his chest, and snoring loudly.

Tiptoeing, I made my way over to him. I grabbed his cuddled pillow and pulled with all my might, ripping it from his grasp. His eyes flew open instantly, and I wacked him the pillow just to be sure he was awake—and to prevent him from attacking me as though I was some common burglar.

"What the hell?" he asked loudly, rubbing his face and stealing the pillow from my hands. "I was sleeping!"

"I know," I told him in a whisper. "And I woke you up. I need you to go in to work today. The construction workers are coming and I need you to keep an eye on them. I don't trust them. You have my permission to be as suspicious as you want."

"You couldn't have called _yesterday_?" he groaned. I shook my head. I hadn't known I was going to need him until late. I'd stayed with Taichi to clean the place up, and I didn't know anything needed my urgent attention until Mari came back in tears. She'd sobbed for nearly an hour straight, before Taichi sent me home. I knew _then_ that I needed to put some sort of plan into action. But it was too late to let Hideto know that.

He looked to the electronic alarm clock that was on the edge of Mari's dresser. There was another next to Mari's head on the side table, so I assumed that the one on the dresser was brought in from Hideto's actual room. He whined when he saw the numbers displayed that it was just six o'clock now.

"Call Izumi in," he said, his voice still coming out as a whine. "I don't wanna get up."

"Hideto," I said, astonished. "You're the _only_ one I'd trust to get this done right."

"You just don't want to hunt Izumi down," he accused. He was right, so I couldn't argue with him. I just patted him on the head, and took the blanket he was trying to curl up in. He whined again, but I had already moved on to Mari.

"Get your butt out of bed, Hideto," I hissed to him.

"You're mean," he complained, rolling off the futon and getting to his feet. He stumbled a bit, as tired as he probably was, and headed out of the room, down the hall towards his actual bedroom. I really hoped he wasn't just finding another place to sleep. I realized his sleep was important to him. But he wasn't Koushiro, he could manage to successfully survive a day without sleep. If Koushiro went another night without sleeping, I was going to really have to talk to Jou about it again, and this time more seriously. Last time I had spoken to him it was just casual questioning, this time was more important. Maybe he'd be able to help.

But Hideto was fine. He'd be grumpy today, sure, but that was probably a good thing. He was going to be supervising a bunch of strangers that could potentially hate digimon. Having a grumpy digidestined—who also happened to be a member of Alias III—was definitely a good thing. He was _exactly_ who I wanted to guard my precious baby while those construction workers came to give her a makeover.

"Mari," I called gently, placing a hand on Mari's shoulder. "I need you to wake up now. You and I are going on a quest for justice. Let's avenge Lalamon's garden together, okay?"

"W-wh-what?" Mari asked. Her eyes were still closed, but she rubbed a hand over her face. She was waking up, she just wasn't there yet.

Hideto appeared in the doorway again, wearing his standard black attire. "I'm not showering," he warned me with a glare, daring me to argue with him.

"I don't care," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm not going to be there. If you want strangers to think you're a smelly, mean butthead, then that's your prerogative."

"I will then," Hideto decided, still glaring at me. "I'm making coffee. Want some?"

"Sure," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Coffee sounds nice."

"Too bad," he sneered, tiredly. "If you wanted coffee, you should've stayed at home."

"Okay then," I said, rather astonished at just how annoying he was when he was tired. He stomped down the stairs, making as much noise as humanly possible. Evidently, he didn't care so much if the digimon were woken up. If he couldn't sleep, then _no one_ would.

"Is there a particular reason you're in my bedroom?" Mari asked me. I turned to see her looking at me with wary eyes. She blushed when I met her gaze. I realized _then_ , that Mari was embarrassed about letting her true emotions show while Taichi and I were present. I _had_ realized it was a new thing for her, but she'd been through a whole hell of a lot these last couple of months—last couple of _years_ really, when I thought about it. It was stranger that she _wasn't_ getting emotional about it all.

This was just proof that she was actually human.

"We've got a mission," I told her. "Detective Mimi is on the case. You and I are going to find whoever desecrated Lalamon's garden. I was pretty sure you'd want to be involved in the solving of such an important mystery, so I decided to come here bright and early—well, it's not that bright yet, but it is definitely early. What do you say? You want to find the perpetrator with me?"

"I want to know who did it," she allowed. "And I want to know _why_."

"Both of which are answers I was hoping to discover. I'll take that as you accepting the opportunity to join me on my clue hunt. Now I'll have to ask you a couple of questions, because I really need to know what exactly it is that I'm dealing with," I said, pulling out a notepad and a large feathery pen. Mari's eyes narrowed at them. She raised a hand and pointed to the door.

"Out," she said simply. "I'll meet you downstairs. You've been in my bedroom long enough."

"Right," I said, deciding to just go with the flow. "I'll make you breakfast. How do you like your eggs?"

"Yolkless," she said flatly.

I figured I could work with that, and headed down the stairs. Hideto was already slicing off some pieces of homemade, ancient grain bread. Next to him was an assortment of vegetables to put in an omelette. I stood beside him, and waited for my orders. "You're the head chef today, Hideto. Tell me what to do?"

"Go back in time to when you got this stupid idea, and just _not_ make it?" he suggested. I looked at him pointedly, and he sighed. "Dice the vegetables. I'm going to grab the eggs. I'm assuming you'd like to eat."

"I did not do that before I left, no," I said, sheepishly.

"Figured," he said, rolling his eyes.

Hideto and I were a good pair. We'd worked together in the kitchen for _years_ now, and we really had a good system going. We were always aware of where each other was, and we followed each other's suggestions and orders without question.

Breakfast was ready and on the table in front of three eager—and tired—digimon, before Mari even made an appearance. My foot started tapping, and I looked anxiously up at Mari's bedroom door. If Hideto didn't eat soon, he could be late, and if he was late, then that reflected badly on me. I was really starting to second guess my decisions. Hideto was right. I should've called him regardless of how late it was. I doubted that would've made him less grumpy though.

Mari finally walked out of her room, with her hair tamed and a pair of killer heels on her feet. She was wearing a tight dress like usual too. I couldn't even tell that I'd woke her up _well_ before her preferred time. I also couldn't tell that she'd spent most of the previous night sobbing.

"Okay," I said, as she sat down and started sipping from her orange juice. "I've made a limited list of suspects. I didn't have a lot of time to really go over everyone that you know—and I don't actually _know_ everyone that you know—but these ones seem to be the most promising at this point in time."

"Just get on with it," Hideto groaned before stuffing his piece of toast in his mouth…whole.

"Well, Marshall always seems to be on the ball when it comes to making surprise and unwelcome appearances in your life, right?" I started. I didn't need to wait for confirmation. It was a thing that I knew was absolutely certain. "He's at the top of my list. A close second however are your parents. They probably weren't too happy that you won a _second_ court case against them. They might've wanted revenge. Other than that, Koushiro is really the only suspect I have."

"Koushiro?" Warg asked, confused.

"That's ridiculous," Mari said simply, as she cut her spinach and egg white omelette with her knife.

"You don't even know how suspicious he's been acting lately," I argued. "He disappears at odd hours, and can never tell me where he's been. He's suspicious I tell you."

"Okay, we'll start at the top of the list," Hideto suggested.

"Uh, no," I said looking at him. "You're not invited. This is a Mari and Mimi bonding moment. Besides, you've got to get to work, remember?"

"I was hoping you'd forget," he said sheepishly.

"Not gonna happen," I told him, shaking my head.

"Bonding moment?" Mari asked Tapirmon. Tapirmon looked just as lost as she did. "What's your plan?"

"Well, Marshall always shows up wherever you are, right?" I asked. "So we're going to tie you to a tree in the park, and wait for him to come and 'rescue' you. When he shows up, I'll jump out with a net, and capture him. How's that for a plan?"

Hideto burst out laughing.

Warg and Melga joined him with their own loud laughs, while Tapirmon looked at Mari anxiously.

Mari looked at me like I'd suggested she go jump out of a plane without a parachute.

"What?" I asked, defensively.

"Marshall lives in another country," Mari pointed out.

"And he's always here anyway," I argued. "He showed up at the trial. He's always lurking about. I'm _sure_ he'd show up if you were somewhere out in the open."

"You're not using me as bait," Mari said simply.

"I don't know how to find him then," I told her, pouting. My plan was genius. He totally would have jumped out of some random bushes to save Mari. He was _always_ around. He was pretty much a stalker. He often flew across the ocean _just_ to appear when she didn't want him to.

"I've got to go," Hideto said, shooting a glare my way. "If you _do_ follow through with one of Mimi's plans, take pictures."

"We won't," Mari assured him. I pouted more. My plans were amazing. I was a great strategist. When I was being influenced by the digimon of envy, I schemed to ruin Sora's life, and it worked—a little _too_ well maybe—and then when I _wasn't_ influenced anymore, Daisuke and I plotted out a way to restore her dreams. That _also_ worked.

Hideto left to go play guard dog at my restaurant then. Warg and Melga decided to spend the day playing with Mr Ogremon's class at the Coliseum—they had yet to make the transition back to the Temple, but I was sure it would happen any time now. Tapirmon fled when Mari looked at him pleadingly. She obviously was unsure about spending a whole day alone with me.

I was fun to be around.

There was no reason for her to look so scared.

Reluctantly, she followed me around all morning as I tried to locate Marshall. He was my biggest suspect. But after five solid hours of wandering, all we managed to find were cold fingers and noses. I also found an unpleasant jealous place in myself as I admired Mari's jacket. I wanted to ask her where she got it, but would that be too much like 'gal-pal' territory? I wasn't sure we were there yet. We stopped in a café to get something to warm ourselves, and to regroup.

"I don't know where he's hiding," I said grumpily.

"In America most likely," Mari said, rolling her eyes.

"Why would he do _that_?" I demanded. "Doesn't he know he's supposed to return to the scene of the crime? How else are we supposed to catch him?"

"Maybe he didn't do it," Mari suggested. "He's all for showing up when he's not wanted, and he's an idiot, and he's cruel, and I hate him. But he's always been upfront about it before. He doesn't usually sneak around. He wants me to _know_ when he does something. How else would he feed his pride?"

"So we're looking for someone a little sneakier," I said, nodding. Her logic made sense. It _did_ knock down my top suspect, but I was nothing if not adaptable. I could work with that. "Your parents like to be sneaky, don't they?"

"They've never been caught for _anything_ ," Mari agreed. "Well, until I brought them to court anyway. Now _some_ of their secrets are out in the open." A worried but satisfied smile threatened to creep across Mari's face.

"Like they're involvement in EVOLVE, and their lies about that lawyer's death," I said, remembering what I'd heard about the trial. "And now the judge is having their home lives inspected."

"Yeah," Mari said in a soft voice. It was like she couldn't believe that they were _finally_ going to get their comeuppance. She'd been living with those burdens for so long, and now she would get to see justice done—so long as they sent a competent social service worker, and did a thorough investigation.

The café grew quiet around us, and I noticed everyone was looking to the main counter. A Deramon was standing, holding money in his wing, and looking up to the barista.

"Hello," the barista said with a cheery smile, not making any distinguishing face about being uncomfortable serving a digimon. I was proud of that guy, going against the norm. Only two months had passed since the end of the virus, and there was already a lot of progress being made. It was amazing to watch it happen. "What can I get for you today?"

"One pumpkin seed muffin, please," Deramon said timidly. He looked over his shoulder to a woman at the door. She nodded supportively, and he relaxed a little.

"Coming right up," the barista said. Deramon looked to the money in his hand and back to his partner, confused. But when the barista came back, he handed the muffin over without a word about payment. Deramon tried to hand it to him, but the barista shook his head. "This one's on me," he told the confused digimon. Deramon looked to his partner once again, and she was smiling, so he took the muffin and backed away, spluttering his thanks over and over again.

"You're crying," Mari informed me.

I wiped my face and found that I _was_ in fact shedding tears. "It was just so beautiful," I said, trying to explain my emotional state. It was just so nice to see digimon being allowed into establishments again. There weren't nearly so many signs in shop windows that said digimon weren't allowed. There were still some, but those establishments were being boycotted for the most part these days. Whether people supported digimon or not, they didn't want to be _seen_ in a place that didn't want them around. It hurt those stores' business, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

Mari had to take the lead after that, in order to bring us to her parent's place of residence. I was _hoping_ that they'd be at work when we got there, so we could snoop without getting caught. Mari assured me that was a stupid assumption. They'd worked their way up the ladder. They were rich now, and spent a great deal of their time doing nothing at all.

Also, the public _really_ hated them, and they couldn't go outside without getting eggs thrown at them anymore. I laughed, before Mari mentioned that her little sister was _also_ getting eggs tossed at her, and then it wasn't quite as funny as before.

Their house was huge, and _grand_. I couldn't understand why they would _want_ to take the library from Mari. They had plenty of money, and their house was absolutely stunning. There was a paved drive way with elaborate gardens on either side. There were big, solid trees on the left of the house, and a fancy garage on the right. The house was white with blue trimming. There was a white picket fence surrounding their property. We walked down their lane at an easy pace.

"Damn," Mari muttered. I looked to her questioningly. "The gardener saw us. Look at him." I did. The man was scrambling out of the garden towards the house. He knocked on the door, which opened not long after to reveal a terrifying woman. Her face was mostly manufactured, and her eyebrows were probably slightly _over_ plucked. She narrowed her eyes at him, but when he pointed in our direction, she decided to overlook her annoyance with him in favour of turning it on us. We'd walked up to the front door by this point. There was no avoiding her now.

"You're not welcome here," Mrs Goutokuji sneered at Mari. "Get off my property before I call the police. I think the judge might change his tune when he hears about this."

"I'm so sure," I muttered to myself.

"Has the social worker come yet?" Mari asked. She hadn't been prepared to have to deal with her mother today.

"That's none of your business," Mrs Goutokuji snapped.

"Well it _is_ mine," I decided. She looked to me, and raised her impossibly thin eyebrow at me, as if to ask me _how_ it was my business. Mari was mirroring the look, though I doubted either of them would appreciate the comparison—though for the record, it looked _better_ on Mari. "I'm a social worker. I was sent to do an initial run through, to prepare you for what the process might be like. I'm not here to make an official report, but if I _was_ …."

"Hello," Mrs Goutokuji said, her face going from angry to sweet in a second flat. "I didn't know you were coming today, or else I would've prepared for an afternoon tea."

"That _is_ the point of a surprise inspection," I told her, making stuff up as I went along and feeling a panic rising inside. I didn't know what kind of trouble this could get me in, but it seemed important to keep going now that I'd made the mistake of lying. "Now, if you could be so kind as to give me a grand tour of the place?" She nodded, and gestured for me to enter first. I did so. She turned and cast a glare at Mari, as if to inform her that she was not welcome. I made a point of pulling out my detective notepad and my pen and tutting to myself as I made a completely bogus note—mostly commenting on the colour Mrs Goutokuji's face had become when she first saw Mari.

Mrs Goutokuji was distracted by the sounds I was making, and was trying to peer over my shoulder to see what notes I was taking. Obviously, since they weren't _real_ notes, I couldn't let her see them.

"Sorry," I apologized, watching over her shoulder as Mari slipped into the house and crept off down the hallway. I realized at that moment what role _I_ would be playing in this recon mission. I was going to have to keep Mrs Goutokuji distracted. That was probably easier said than done though. "I'm afraid all notes I make are confidential. They're mostly for myself, anyway, since I'm not the _official_ social worker who will be coming in for the _real_ inspection."

"Of course," Mrs Goutokuji said with a smile. She had it plastered on her face, even though it looked like it legitimately pained her to do so.

"I have a few questions about the safety of your daughter while you're out and about. The word is that you are generally not liked at this moment in time. Does this endanger your daughter in any way?" I asked.

"She's tougher than she looks," Mrs Goutokuji assured me. "She hardly notices them anymore."

"That's not what I asked," I pointed out. She pinched her lips, but didn't actually answer me. I thought that was rather rude, so I wrote another random comment in my notebook, humming in an irritated way as I did so. Her shoulders tensed, and I thought for _sure_ she was going to answer me, but she stuck to her original decision.

If I was a _real_ social worker, I was pretty sure that would be a point _against_ her.

"Where were you on October 11, 2015?" I asked her, hoping to jump straight to the point. I wasn't a social worker. I didn't know if she knew what sort of questions a social worker was meant to ask. I sure didn't. I just wanted to know whether she'd destroyed Lalamon's garden or not—and I wanted to find out _before_ she realized I was lying through my teeth. I wanted to get out of here before the police were inevitably called, thank you very much.

"Is this relevant?" she wanted to know.

"Imperative," I assured her.

"My husband and I were invited to dinner at a colleague's home," she informed me. "I could tell you exactly what was on the menu, if you need to know that as well."

"And your daughter was…?" I asked, trailing off, holding my pen at the ready.

"With her nanny, of course," she said. "We would _never_ leave her unattended. We're not incompetent. She's a child. She needs supervision."

"Good to hear," I told her, flashing her my best fake smile.

"Anything else?" she wanted to know.

"It's good for children to experience the outdoors," I said, confusing even myself about where this was going. "Do you and your husband nurture that need? Perhaps with something conductive, like _gardening_?"

"We have a garden, yes," she informed me.

"Could I see it?" I asked.

"It's outside," she said with a sigh. "But of _course_ I'll take you there. If you must see it, we can't delay. It's won several prizes you know."

"Oh?" I asked, feigning interest. I had no idea where Mari was, and I was being led deeper through the house. I was getting further away from the exit. I didn't _want_ to get led away from my escape route.

Eventually, she led me out of the elaborate rooms and hallways to the back of the house, where I saw the most beautifully kept back yard I'd ever seen. I could understand how they won those prizes. It was magnificent.

It was also playing host to two men, who were conversing over a glass of wine. The one, I assumed was Mari's father, but it was the other one that caught my attention. It was Rida. The last time I'd laid eyes on him, he'd threatened my life, and announced that the virus was coming.

He knew who I was.

I couldn't let him see me.

"Do you mind if I take a quick look?" I asked Mrs Goutokuji. She seemed happy enough to let me do my own thing. I thought she was probably just pleased that I wasn't making any notes. I disappeared behind what appeared to be a small fruit orchard, and got to my knees. I crawled behind one of the taller sections of beautiful flowers so that I could overhear what the others were talking about.

"We have a guest, dear," Mrs Goutokuji informed her husband.

"Oh?" he said, inquiring more information.

"Yes," Mrs Goutokuji told him. "She's here to inspect our home, to ensure it is safe enough for our daughter."

"Speaking of your daughter," Rida said boisterously. "When are we going to finalize that paperwork? My son is getting a little antsy, you realize. He's been hearing about this proposal for years now, and she's of the age you promised."

"I don't know if we're ready to let her go just yet," Mrs Goutokuji told him.

"You promised us a wedding," Rida reminded her. "We're to unite our families."

"I realize," Mr Goutokuji assured him. "I still wish for that union, but perhaps postponing it would be for the best. Both our families are under the ever watchful eye of reporters at the moment. I don't think it would be wise to wed the children until the recent developments are dealt with."

"I assure you, I have it well in hand," Rida told him. I had the feeling that the Goutokuji's were playing their hand close to their chests. Rida was under scrutiny as well. Did he know that they were talking about the 'social worker' that was hiding in their gardens, or did he think they were talking about Katsue's interrogation of _him_? I didn't know. But it was worth mentioning to both Mari _and_ Katsue that there seemed to be a parent approved under aged wedding in the works.

"I'm sure you do," Mr Goutokuji said. "Now, I'll escort you to the door. I'm afraid we don't want any unnecessary ears listening in on us, and evidently, I have another guest I must play host to."

"Yes, yes," Rida agreed. I heard the door open another time, and close again not long after. They must've gone into the house. I realized that I now had to somehow make my retreat from the trees without being caught. I moved as slowly as I could, keeping an ear out.

"I wonder where she went," Mrs Goutokuji murmured. I pulled myself to my feet as soon as I got behind a tree, and walked out of the small orchard as if I'd been there the whole time.

"This truly is a wonderful garden," I complimented her. "And you said that you work on it together as a family?"

"Oh heavens no," she laughed. "Not one of us can stand dirt. We have a hired gardener that takes care of it for us. You saw him earlier, did you not?"

"Damn, you're right," I mumbled, upset that I didn't realize it. "So you've never say…teamed up as a family to destroy a precious garden for the fun of it?"

"Why would anyone ever do such a thing?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "It's a question I have to ask. I don't understand anymore than you do."

"You said that you're the precursor to another social worker?" she asked, curiously.

"Sure am," I told her, nodding enthusiastically. "If I could ask just a tiny favour?" I asked, after a moment. "You see, the agency sent me, to ensure that our initial thoughts are on the same page. It's a new program. But the next social worker doesn't know that they sent me first. You see, they didn't want to hurt their employee's feelings by making them think they _need_ a second set of eyes."

"So by _not_ mentioning this little meeting, I'll be getting on the social worker's _good_ side?" Mrs Goutokuji summarized looking rather excited about my little 'inside scoop'. I nodded again.

"But you didn't hear it from me," I warned her.

"Mum's the word," she assured me.

It was time I took my leave, and she seemed rather _pleased_ that it was such a short assessment. She led me to the front door, and we got there in time to see Rida's car driving off. Mr Goutokuji looked at me curiously, and I waved awkwardly. I really hoped he didn't see through my disguise.

He didn't.

While I was walking down their laneway, I spotted Mari on a bench across the street. She was hiding behind a newspaper, but her shoes were rather distinctive. I pulled out my cell phone and pretended to dial a number. When I glanced up, I knew I'd had a good idea. The Goutokuji's were watching me. Holding my phone to my ear, I started to talk to Mari.

"They're trying to marry your sister off to Rida's son," I informed her.

"I heard," she said. Her voice was thick with emotion again, but she refused to cry in front of me _again_. I could respect that. "They were talking about it while I was sneaking out. Rida couldn't shut up about it."

"It's not a good environment for your sister to live in," I decided.

"I know," she told me. "But I can't focus on both the garden _and_ my sister on top of everything else. I'm going to have to make a choice, and I _know_ that choice is my sister."

"That's okay," I said. "Don't even worry about it. I'll do it. I'll figure it out—the garden thing though, not your sister. You're going to have to talk to someone that can actually _help_ with that."

"I know," she said.

A bus pulled up, and I realized that this bench was actually a bus stop. It was convenient. I hopped to my feet, and turned to Mari, expecting to see her do the same. She didn't though. She stayed there with her head buried in the paper.

"Are you coming?" I asked.

"No," she said. "I just want to be alone. Nothing seems to be working for me at the moment. I just need to be alone right now to figure it out."

"We could be alone together?" I suggested, wincing as I did.

"No thanks," she said dryly. "Leave me alone. Get to work on that mystery, before there aren't any clues left."

 _Clues_.

That was an idea. I boarded the bus, since the bus driver was getting impatient with me, and sat in a seat. I really ought to have started with a hunt for clues, rather than a list of suspects. I knew exactly where I was headed now. I had to check out the garden.

There were bound to be clues there.

 ** _Mari Goutokuji:_**

I was glad Mimi had taken me with her today despite it being entirely out of line and none of her personal business. I had been bitter toward her during the expedition, and yet I knew now that it had all been worthwhile. It was as such because if there had ever been a sliver of doubt in my mind that I needed to save my sister so that at least _something_ good and pure could come from the mess that was my past, it was now gone. One quick internet search proved that Rida's youngest son was seven years older than Aneko, and while that didn't inherently scream 'wrong', it did when taking into account Aneko's age of only twelve years.

 _As Mimi had turned to face my mother, drawing her attention away from the entryway where I had been waiting, I took my chance and I slipped into the house. I didn't know why I was doing what I was, or what I was hoping to find, but I just went along with the insane scheme Mimi was pulling. I knew this could be turned against me in court, and I panicked when I thought about cameras to the point where I nearly turned back and left at that very moment, but when I heard my mother's voice at the bottom of the grand staircase I cringed and turned away, hurrying to the top and clambering into the nearest room._

 _The room I had found was a closet, which I had known already. This may have been a new experience to me, but the building was not. My parents never sold a damned thing. They were selfish and they wanted_ more, _not different. This was one of the many houses I had been forced to live in with those people._

 _With my ear pressed against the door I could hear when Mimi and my mother had made their departure. I slipped silently from the closet and made my way down the hallway. What exactly I was to be searching for I didn't know, but the further I moved down the hall the larger the seed of doubt and worry grew inside of me until I knew it was time to turn back. But before I had, I caught sight of an open doorway and found myself slipping into the room that I had known so well as a child._

 _It was no longer_ my _bedroom, but Aneko's instead. If there had been any differences though, I couldn't spot them. The bed was placed next to the window as always, and the window coverings matched the bedspread, white and pink. The deep pink rug in the center of the hardwood floors contrasted against the pale pink of the walls. There were several shelves lining said walls and sitting along them were the very same stuffed animals that I had been forced to collect as a child. If not for the sparkling letters on the wall that read 'Aneko' I would have concluded that they had simply not used the room since I had left._

 _I didn't hesitate, knowing I had little time, and began searching for a diary—anything that might help me bring justice to her life, but there were no books in her room._

 _A painful memory of my mother flashed through my mind then,_ "You seem to think that people like people who are clever. You're wrong. No man likes a well read girl who will bruise his ego. Books will serve you no purpose in the world. You must focus on standing out from the crowd." _And of course, her motto when I had been a child was,_ "What you know matters less than the volume with which what you don't know is expressed." _And it had been a very stressful time, trying to find logic and truth in her words. I would always pick books over whatever it was that she was forcing upon me._

 _But still, nothing was around that could help me. I made to leave, but something caught my eye and I was quickly falling to the floor to peek under the white dresser. I reached underneath and pulled out a smooth round stone the size of my palm and my heart fluttered as I stared down to it. There was a messy picture painted along the surface. I flipped it over in my hand and felt something that was so foreign to me by this point. Happiness._

 _As I looked under the dresser again I spotted a couple more stones and smiled at them. When I had been younger, I had found the smoothest stones I could and hid them in a secret place in the gardens in the yard. There was a place where the hedges met each other that had enough room to sit comfortably inside. It was the only place to hide without being found, and I had hidden my painted stones there. I had painted one side of each stone, and here Aneko had taken up the hobby where I had left off and begun painting the other halves of them._

 _I wanted to take them and to keep them, but I knew it was not right. I slipped them back under the dresser or else she'd know I had been in here—or she'd know_ someone _had been in here at the very least._

 _And then I was sneaking from the house, but had nearly been caught by Rida and my father. I pressed myself against an ornate column and stayed hidden, listening to their words until I found my chance to escape._

Several mistakes had been made, and yet none of them seemed to matter at the moment.

"It was the least I could do," Mimi said as she sat firmly next to me. She had decided to _not_ go anywhere, and had chosen instead to stick by my side and accompany me home. We were currently on a dirty public bus and were nearing my library. "You helped Palmon, and I'm going to forever be grateful."

I looked away from her, narrowing my eyes to the scenery out the window, trying to judge how much longer it would be until I could find a minute to be alone. The happiness upon finding the rocks—upon realizing that Aneko had found the same safe haven that I had loved so dearly—had slipped away quickly and painlessly as a new set of worry set in. It was no longer a question of 'were my parents as bad to Aneko as they had been to me?' It was now a sure thing. They had been rough with her—which was enough to spark my raging fire—and now they had been found out in their attempts to marry her off. But _'we shall wait until the media focuses on something more important than our stance in a petty debate'_ Rida had said, _'and trust me, they shan't be focused on us for long.'_

As the bus began moving again I became hyper aware that Mimi was still waiting for my response, keeping the conversation very wide and very open. "I helped Palmon because it was the right thing to do," I said firmly, "Not because I wanted you to help me in return."

"But this is the right thing to do too," Mimi assured me, "And I know you don't think the garden is as important as your sister, but the place was protected by magic. It would have to take a pretty special kind of jerk to find it let alone destroy it. Surely this means something, and hopefully we can use it in a case to _help_ little Aneko. I promise you'll see your revenge."

"Usually," I said, finally turning to face her, "that would make me feel better. Fighting in search of a sense of release for my aggression is something I've become very good at. I'm happy the garden is destroyed." Mimi gasped. "It means no one can hold it against me anymore. When the day comes when I have _nothing_ left, I'll be able to fight again without fear of losing anything. Until then, I'll have to suffer through the losses the world wants to throw at me." Mimi was staring to me blankly, and I knew why. I sounded ridiculously depressing, but to be fair I was ridiculously depressed. I had never shared so much with her before though, and it was wrong to have done so now. She had taken the wrong message from my words because I could not express myself and now she was going to come back to my house in early mornings from now on and ruin my day every day.

"Mari—"

"Oh look," I said bluntly. "My home." I pulled on the chain that alerted the bus driver to stop at the next location and got to my feet quickly. "Thanks for your help, Mimi. I'm going to go now, okay? Good luck with… whatever it is that you do."

"I'm going to find who destroyed your garden," she reminded me.

"Of course," I nodded, "right, how could I have forgotten." It was rhetorical, but Mimi seemed like she wanted to respond but I did not give her the chance and instead slipped off down the aisle of the bus, moving toward the front.

I watched the bus drive off and saw Mimi looking to me through the window sadly and I shied away from her gaze, wishing that I could take back what I had said to her. Of _course_ I was sad that the garden was trashed. That garden was _everything_ to me, and of course I wanted to find who had done the deed, but I didn't need Mimi getting involved in my life. I didn't need her to pay me back for running for my life to help save Palmon. I had done that because I didn't want her to lose her partner the way I'd lost mine. It was a serious issue and I had helped because she needed it. I didn't need help. I could do it alone. I would _have_ to. I had to get used to being alone again because it looked like I was in it for the long haul this time around.

And as contradictory as it sounded, since I didn't want to be alone anymore, I very much wanted to be alone. A temporary moment of freedom from other life forms was something people should be entitled to, and yet I could not even remember a time when I had gotten that luxury. But this was my chance. As I crossed the street toward my home I knew that only Tapirmon should be inside. He would understand if I asked him for some time to read, and I would finally get my chance to sit in silence and to be alone without rain pouring down on me and destroying one of my favourite books while I covered myself head to toe in mud.

I reached for the door but hesitated. Something felt wrong.

When I pulled the door open my heart fell even further down than it had been before.

A complete _roar_ of sound poured from the open doorway and I felt my eye twitch as I stared toward the mess in the open living room of my library. They were _back_. All of them. Yutaka, Akira and Takashi were playing their instruments in the corner, while Monmon and Emiko screamed across the room to one another. Warg and Melga were tossing handcrafted parachutes down from the upper level of the library where Shin and Amai were waiting to catch them. Katsue was sitting with her partner Monimon and Yamato, both of which were clearly talking about Amai who was giggling loudly as she dived toward Melga's latest attempt. Yoshie Izumi and Toshiko Takenouchi were sitting with Iori and Hawkmon who were talking law strategy again, reading from the large law books that I had kept in my collection just in case. There were people _everywhere_ and I couldn't take it.

It wasn't simply the noise of my uninvited guests that I could not take, but rather _life_ that I was done trying to find ways to cope with. It was my life and for once I wanted something to go my way.

Just one _single_ thing.

I was tossed aside and broken by my parents and found one person who understood me enough to put me back together, but before she'd had the chance I'd lost my grandmother. I had _nearly_ found a place where I would be comfortable to get over that before Lalamon was taken too. That loss was something I wasn't sure I'd ever let settle, but I was _okay_ again until Willis and Kiyoko were taken too. Aneko was in my place now and I simply wanted to help her. I could not let her live the life that I had to live, and I was scared I wouldn't be able to help her. I was scared because I couldn't even help myself. I was _literally_ broken in pieces and the only way to fix it was to make sense of the emotions that I felt, and the only way to do that was if the people who consistently destroyed what was not theirs were taken from my home.

"No," I said slowly as I moved forward, the clicking of my heels against the floor was barely audible. I stood in the center of the chaos and ducked under a paper airplane that had been thrown by Warg, and turned sharply to catch a second that he had tossed. He locked eyes with me and fear shot through him as he ducked behind Melga. I turned sharply toward the Teenage Wolves and strode quickly across the floor to greet them, ripping the guitar from Takashi's hand. He stuttered his objections, but I ignored him and slammed loudly down across the strings of the instrument. I did this several times, letting out much of my aggression until I was sure the entire room was silent. I looked up slowly and saw a look of terror etched upon Emiko's face. I was sure the look on my own face was not a pleasant sight, but I didn't care anymore, I was about to explode. "You cannot be here," I said as clearly as I could through my gritted teeth. "Go. Away."

"What?" Yutaka asked loudly. "Where will we go?"

"Go outside," I offered angrily. "Go play your instruments in the subway, or to an actual public library. Go to your _houses_. Go to the Temple. I don't _care_. Just get _out_ of my house."

I thrust Takashi's guitar back into his hand and stormed through the silence. I made my way to the stairs as the silence grew louder and longer until the sound of my feet crashing down on the metal steps filled the empty air. I didn't care what a single one of them thought of me. They could wait until I left to gossip about how aggressively angry I was or they could leave without a word. It didn't matter to me. I wanted them _gone,_ and gone they would be.

I slammed my bedroom door behind me and my eyes fell to the large portrait of Hideto, Kiyoko, Warg, Melga, Tapirmon and I. Someone had moved it up into my room. But not before they had spilled something down the middle, staining Kiyoko's blonde hair.

My shoulders slumped and my bag fell to the floor as I slowly and carefully slipped out of my jacket, dropping it to the floor with my bag and I moved toward the picture and fell to my knees, looking closer. It was _ruined_. A lump in my throat made it harder for me to breathe as the buzzing white noise that had been clouding my thoughts for years seemed to make sense. I _was_ aggressive. I was bottling up an emotion that I had not expected. It was not sadness, it was _anger_.

Before I knew it I had let out a loud scream as I whipped the portrait across the room where it smashed into the dresser by the window, knocking Hideto's alarm clock to the floor where it crashed loudly. I spun around and struck my closet door with my foot, puncturing a hole where I had hit. I scooped the porcelain lamp from the bedside table and held it above my head, bringing it down sharply to the floor where it smashed into a million pieces, and then found myself ripping the drawer from the table, but it got stuck and in my fury I tugged harder and the entire end table came toppling down to join the mess the lamp had made, and all at once my anger vanished.

The picture of Lalamon that I kept by my bed had fallen and the glass protecting it had broken.

I fell to my knees and brushed the glass aside gently as my heartbeat caught in my throat. The picture was alright, but I wasn't sure that I was.

When I turned to the doorway at the sound of the knocking I wiped furiously at the tears in my eyes and expected to see Tapirmon, but was shocked to see that it was someone else entirely. "Mari," Lopmon breathed silently, rushing across the room to join me. She didn't hesitate for a second and simply threw her arms around me as far as they would go and she hugged me tight.

"I'm fine," I said, but the words had barely been understandable due to the thickness of my voice.

"You don't have to do this alone," Lopmon said in a whispered voice. "You're always seeking solitude when you'll fall deeper into this spell if you find yourself alone."

"I _need_ to be alone," I corrected flatly.

"No," Lopmon shook her head, "you really don't. If I was alone, I'd be dead right now." I didn't respond. I knew what she was talking about and I didn't need a long dramatic speech to make sense of her words. When Alice had died she had turned dark, and without the help of Willis and Terriermon she never would have come out of the loss alive. "You're in a dark place right now. But I think I know what will cheer you up."

"What's that?" I asked with a blank voice, feeling all of the anger and sadness becoming very numb.

"Ice cream of course," Lopmon said, rolling her eyes. She giggled, but I didn't join in. She took my hand and started pulling. I didn't have the energy to tell her to stop. Nothing seemed right anymore. I had to clean. I had to fix the messes I'd made and the messes everyone else had made and I had to move on. How was someone to move on from such a string of events? Lopmon snatched up Terriermon's hand and I noticed that he'd been outside of my room listening in. I didn't mind. The two of them never bothered me as much as the others had. I loved when they were around because they were perhaps the most oddly understanding pair of digimon I had met. Aside from Lalamon of course. Lopmon had a beautiful empathetic link to everyone, and Terriermon always knew just what to say to cheer someone up, though he would never admit to caring. He was far too cool for that.

I blatantly avoided eye contact with all who were still inside the library but it was clear to me that there were less than there had been. Some had already taken their leave and I was thankful, but now I was leaving now too, and apparently that meant the building would be empty again.

I was embarrassed. I had not only mislead Mimi into thinking something that was _not_ true, but I had then yelled at everyone and made a fool of myself by screaming and destroying everything in my room where anyone could hear. I had never had such a hard time getting back on my feet again and I could not tell if Lalamon's garden had set it over the edge, or if seeing Aneko—a girl with only innocence to show—in a situation far too similar to my own was the deciding factor. Whatever it was, there were no secrets anymore. The Mari who had once remained calm and collected in the eyes of all those around her was gone and everyone knew what was going on inside. She was broken. And everyone saw her at her worst, and yet couldn't know why.

It was that very detail that led to Terriermon's chosen discussion topic, "So what made you so angry?"

Lopmon elbowed him sharply and he looked to her snappishly, like he was just wondering, but I didn't give him an answer. It wasn't so simple. We had left the library long ago and were currently walking down the street. My entire body felt weak now and I just wanted to sit down. Soon though, we had found a nice park where a friendly looking man was selling ice cream. He was very silent as he served the three of us, and whether that was because I was just as silent, or because of the digimon, I didn't care.

We sat together on a bench and the two of them were silent, seeming to understand that was what I needed from them. It wasn't until I was nearly done my dessert that they had chosen to speak again. "It's such a beautiful day," Lopmon said with admiration as she closed her eyes and dug her nose into the gentle breeze coming our way.

"Is it?" I asked hollowly and both of them looked sharply to me.

"Mari," Terriermon said kindly. "Stop being so dull. I know you're sad, but trust me, crying doesn't help fix the problem."

"That's horrible advice," Lopmon rolled her eyes.

"It's great advice," Terriermon argued. They were silent for a moment and then he leaned forward again. "Let me fix what I said. Crying _does_ help, as long as you set yourself a limit. Cry, count to a hundred, and then get back on your feet."

"That—" Lopmon faltered and then nodded. "That's actually logical. Good job, Terriermon." He smiled proudly to his sister but I didn't acknowledge either of them. I simply thought about his words, and realized that he was right. There was no sense being as dull and sad as I was. I had to live with what had happened, and I wasn't alone either, just as Lopmon had suggested. She had lost a second partner now, and I could relate to that. Losing more than one connection.

But as Terriermon had allowed, these would be my one hundred seconds of lying down. I did not have to find my footing. Not yet. Not until I was ready, but when I _was_ ready, I would have quite a lot of damage control to get to.

"M-Mari?" Terriermon said shyly, only to have Lopmon slap him. I looked to them and they both smiled up at me. "Never mind."

That was a lie if I'd ever heard one. I looked around to see what had upset him and Lopmon began scolding him, seeing that their feeble lie had not pulled through and I caught sight of the cause of their nervousness. I discarded the plastic dish my ice cream had come in and flew off the bench as my feet helped me glide across the grass of the park. He should not have been here. This was too close for comfort. Mimi was right. He was returning to the scene of the crime.

" _Hey_!" I shouted, catching his attention. He spun to face me and his stupid smug face looked pleased, like he'd been waiting to run into me. Mimi had also been right about tying me to a tree in the park. It apparently _would_ have worked because Marshall had officially dedicated his entire life to creating misery in others. Namely _me_. "What are you doing here?" He just smiled wider and I slammed my fist into his shoulder. "Did you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked, his expression faltering for only a moment.

"Did you do _it_?" I snapped. "Did you destroy it?"

Marshall's smile fell and he shook his head. "No idea what you're talking about, Babe." I lunged forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt sharply.

"Mari _stop_!" Lopmon shouted. "He's not worth it!"

"Just let him go," Terriermon advised as the two of them hurried toward after me, "you'll only make things worse."

I hesitated, staring into his hollow eyes and then obeyed, dropping his shirt and taking a step back. Many people had turned to us and we'd caught the not-so-subtle attention of the onlookers. They would go back to their daily lives, but never take their full attention away from us. I knew how bystanders worked. "I didn't break your stuff," Marshall promised, flattening his shirt. "But you broke my reputation. You called me out on the stand, you _bitch_."

"I was told to tell the story," I said in a weak voice, having forgotten that I'd thrown him under the bus. "I did as I was told to do."

"That's not true," Marshall said as that sly smile grew on his face once more. "If you _had_ , we'd be together still and none of this would have happened."

"Good thing then," Terriermon scoffed.

"Yeah," Lopmon agreed, "Better to rebel and be lonely than to submit to a bully like you." Marshall turned his sights to Lopmon and snarled, as if he couldn't stand being spoken to by the likes of her. I subtly moved myself between her and the monster we had found.

Marshall tore his eyes away from Lopmon and looked up to me again, "but you won your book reservoir." –"It's called a library, you twat," Terriermon interrupted.—"You won because you used the name of your dead boyfriend. You bullied the judge into giving you what you want by tugging at his emotions. If I started talking about a dead person I'd win him over too. You're _using_ a dead guy, and you call _me_ the bu—"

I had moved forward to slap him, but Marshall had caught my arm and his sly smile changed to something much more sinister. As he pulled me toward his form and placed his other arm around my waist terrible flashbacks shot through my mind and I gasped, kicking wildly with my feet, hitting him in the shin. He released me with a gasp of his own and I fell backward toward Lopmon.

"We should go," Lopmon suggested, but before we could do so, Marshall had begun moving toward us, but Terriermon was faster, stepping in his way.

Marshall's eyes fell on the small dog digimon and he growled. " _You_ ," he said with much fire in his voice, "you were the final say."

"And I'll be the final say now too," Terriermon assured him. "Back away, Marshall."

Marshall looked like he had many choice words to spew to Terriermon, but instead of following through with that plan, he instead wound his foot up and kicked forward. _Hard_. Terriermon had been hit around the middle and been tossed backward through the air.

And then I saw _red_. I was on my feet again, and this time my fist came in contact with his face, and after trashing my room I still felt a large wave of anger wash out of my body with that swing, and my knee came up a second later to hit his gut, but that was about all I got in because I was struck across the side of the face a second later and Terriermon and Lopmon intervened.

"Double Typhoon!" They shouted as one and then there was a spiralling pink and green tornado separating Marshall and myself. A small hand had grabbed onto my index finger and then we were running. I didn't know how long we had run because my entire body was aching, but not from the fight. It was aching because I was holding something inside.

And then I was sitting in the grass with my back against a tree with Lopmon holding my hand tight and Terriermon examining the side of my face. He gently ran his finger along where Marshall had hit me and winced. A tear fell from my eye and he hummed nervously. "It looks like it hurts a lot."

"But that isn't why she's crying," Lopmon said in a voice so gentle it seemed unreal. She turned to me, "is it?" I shook my head, and she seemed to understand, and together, she and Terriermon crawled into my arms and sat with me in silence. But I wasn't this person. I was Mari Goutokuji.

I took a deep breath and decided it was time to start my countdown. "One," I said in a breathy voice.

There was a pause and Terriermon looked up and nodded encouragingly. "Two," he prodded.

"Three," Lopmon joined in. It felt good to have someone there.

"Four," Terriermon and Lopmon said together, snuggling closer.

And I knew already that they had both been right, and I still had ninety six seconds to go.

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

"I don't _want_ to like him."

"But that doesn't mean you don't, and forcing yourself to despise someone is a little negative, even for the likes of you, Hideto." He didn't seem to understand, not matter how clearly I laid it out. I reached for my coffee that was sitting on the table and nearly snarled. I was _very_ ready to scream if my sling was not removed in the near future. It was incredibly inconvenient to have only one working arm, and the longer this torture went on the less used to it I seemed to become. I made a mental note to get to the hospital immediately to enforce an off schedule checkup. Of course that would have to wait, for now I was seated in a restaurant that was not even open, with a boy who was doing nothing aside from sitting and watching _others_ do their jobs.

The contractors were working behind the two of us, and whenever I would look over to them I found that they were downright horrible at their jobs. From my perspective in the very least. There was a hole in the wall that I knew had not been there before, and yet they had simply decided to tear into it. Near the entrance it seemed clear that Mimi had asked for a more open entryway, and yet they had begun to tear down the wall without ensuring anyone's safety. Honestly, I wanted to trust them to know what they were doing, but I simply did not. And I also did not enjoy wearing the filthy hard hat I had been instructed to wear. The entire _building_ was filthy and dusty, and yet at least I could make sense of that much. It was under construction. That was fair. What wasn't fair was subjecting me to the disgust of placing that grime on my _head_.

"What are you talking about?" Hideto asked, rolling his eyes. "You're negative all the time. About everything."

"That's simply untrue," I said as I brought my coffee up to my lips. Hideto's eyebrows raised in such a condescending way, that I could not ignore the expression. "Okay, perhaps my general attitude can occasionally slip from that of an optimistic viewpoint, but I don't see how that implies that I myself am a negative person. I like _many_ things."

"Name three," Hideto dared with a smirk on his face.

"Coffee," I offered. "Cleanliness, and—" I paused. Surely this could not be this hard. "Not having been shot. I took it for granted before, but now I miss that. I liked that. That makes three."

"Now name seven people you like," Hideto said, reaching over and taking my coffee into his own hands. I said nothing as per usual, but I did not enjoy his mouth on my drink.

"I don't see the point of the exercise," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Because you can't _do_ it," Hideto laughed. "You're just—"

"Mari, Dracomon, Warg, Melga, Tapirmon and of course you," I listed off the people who I liked that had actually survived the horrible circumstances that had been presented to them by the world. I was sad by how small this list was becoming.

"Aw," Hideto cooed. "You like me? You really do?" I rolled my eyes again as he punched my arm playfully. "Yeah but you can't count well," Hideto added. "That's six people, I asked for seven."

"I a—" Dear lord, was there no one else? I hesitated and thought to other people in my life. Yorokobi was a wench, Kansui was annoying, Taichi paid me, and I appreciated that but found him to be highly frustrating most days, Yamato wasn't awful, but I wouldn't say I liked him, and Sora, someone I actually _did_ like, hadn't spoken to me in years really. Then I remembered her and I nearly blushed, but I caught myself—thank God—"Evelen," I added after a moment's silence.

Hideto nodded with a knowing look on his face, but I ignored it. He could be a child if he wanted to be, there was nothing that was to stop me from speaking of a woman in my life, and that did not mean I intended to marry her, as Hideto surely presumed. "We're not talking about me though," I reminded him with a flat voice. "We're speaking of your brother."

"He _keeps_ calling me!" Hideto exclaimed. He had previously mentioned that fact several times and it was becoming boring to hear about. The conversation itself was simply spinning in a loop of him not wanting to speak to his brother and not wanting to enjoy the feeling it gave him when he called, but understanding that the effort he was putting in really did make a difference.

I decided to put his issues to rest however, and took my coffee back from him. "Your brother took Gomamon from the rest of your family. He kept him hidden within his tent and fed him and kept him warm and safe. He had initially planned to kill him, but Gomamon changed his mind. You know this. You are aware of this. And yet you are not giving him the opportunity to share with you what he learned during his growth? That is petty, Hideto. You want a family, and he is trying to give you just that. Don't be picky now."

"What about you?" Hideto asked, suddenly more serious than he had been before. He turned to sit facing the kitchen doorway and looked down to his folded hands on the countertop. "What's your family?"

I swallowed thickly and turned to look the direction Hideto had faced himself, aware that he was very near to entering dangerous conversation territory. "I don't have a true family. She's gone now." I did not appreciate that he wished to talk about Rei, and yet I knew it was not my decision. Rei was important to him as well and it only seemed fair. But she was gone and that was a reality we both _had_ to comprehend. "So I suppose you are my family, Hideto. And Mari." I heard a small breathy laugh from Hideto and felt my face heating quickly, so I added. "Have you thought about Kiyoko's grave stone?"

"No," Hideto said bitterly. "I don't want to celebrate his death. We don't have a body. We can buy a stone to remember him at any time. And it's like you said. I want a family—but he _was_ my family. Without him I have nothing."

"I feel the same about Rei," I said in a quiet voice. "I don't wish to acknowledge that she is gone. It feels too real." Hideto and I suddenly turned to each other and stared in shock at the oddity of it all. We were not open people and had never shared our _feelings_ with one another, it was simply abnormal. I took a slow and long breath as we stared to one another and all at once we had turned sharply and stood.

"I just remembered I have food in the oven," Hideto said, thinking quickly. "And also a doctor's appointment, you should go."

"Ah," I nodded. "I was going to go anyhow. Things were heating up too quickly and becoming far too emotional."

Hideto glared at me. "Why did you have to ruin my perfectly good lie? We both know I don't have anything in the oven. You could have walked off, but now you're mean and I'm a liar."

"That does sound like us," I noted, and Hideto rolled his eyes again, punching my shoulder once more. "Go away," he laughed, and I nodded, doing as he asked. I excused myself, but noticed that Hideto's laugh was forced to a level I had not heard before. It was not a pleasant sound, to hear someone fake such a happy emotion, but I knew he would not be happy for some time now. He was lost without Kiyoko and without Rei. There was so much left to say or to do. We would never have the chance.

I used Mimi's office computer to deliver myself to the Temple, knowing the walk to my home would be a long one. I was not a lazy person; however any physical activity while utilizing the sling my arm was trapped inside was simply discomforting and occasionally painful. Including the physical therapy I had been subjected to.

When I emerged from the comforting light I felt any lingering pain in my arm cease to exist and I relished in the relief the Digital World gave. It created a string of questions that I would have loved Rei to answer any time I came back here. How did it feel, for instance, to enter the Digital World and have feelings in her legs once more? How would the nerves reconnecting feel? What was it like to learn of the new ability to walk inside the Digital World? All of these would never be answered. At least not by Rei and I certainly wouldn't be asking anyone else who might have the answers. I did not enjoy the idea of someone knowing her better than I did, though I was sure it was true.

"Neo," I let out a rather unimpressed sigh and cocked my head to the side, spinning to face the speaker. It was Centarumon, who was pacing toward me from the other side of the most used hallway of the Temple. "It has been long since I have seen your face."

"I apologize," I said as briskly as I could. "I am unable to join our typical training with my arm in the condition it is in."

Centarumon nodded. "I understand," he said. "We have been doing well without you, but we miss your company and structure. Dorumon has taken charge and—"

"Oh Lord," I said, thinking to all the mishaps Dorumon was likely to cause.

"Well yes," Centarumon agreed. "Exactly. Upon your return I am sure the others will be relieved. As will I. We miss you, Neo." I nodded, thankful, but feeling rather out of place under his praise. It was as I had said to Hideto. I did not have many friends, and I did not often receive kind words, which was likely due to my not being very kind. Centarumon turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back to me. "And if you see Taichi, tell him that Leomon is looking for him. He has brought in several Holy digimon as potential candidates for the empty chair in the council meetings."

"I'll tell him if I see him," I agreed. "But that's not likely to happen." Centarumon nodded and trotted off, peering through each of the open doorways, likely in search of Taichi. Before I was given the chance to return to my escape, another figure had entered the hallway, slipping out of the kitchen. I nearly ignored the form, not thinking for a second that it seemed familiar, but I hesitated when she turned to me. "Hikari?"

She stared for a moment, her face was pale and her hair was a complete mess, but she looked desperate for something. I immediately disregarded the door to my left and moved toward her, seeing tears in her eyes. Something was wrong, and while I would not consider Hikari to be a close friend of mine she had been kind to me since my arrival in their group. She had been perhaps the only friend of Sora's who did not deem me to be a horrible boyfriend. I personally didn't find myself to be wrong for Sora, as I had only ever been kind, but of course I did not run the opinions of others. Hikari had been kind to me though, and I thought it best to return that favour. "Is something wrong?"

She swallowed thickly and turned her head to the council room and then looked back to me. "W-where is Taichi?"

"He is not here," I told her, using Centarumon's search as confirmation. "Are you alright?"

"N-no," Hikari said, shaking her head. A single tear fell from her eye but she did not react, as though she had been crying a lot. "I left T-Takeru to come here. I sh-should have stayed, right? I need someone. I need Taichi."

"I don't know where he is, I'm sorry," I told her honestly. She swayed on the spot and looked like she wanted to scream. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She looked shocked for a moment but shook her head, and looked back to the council door. She certainly thought she needed Taichi, but there was nothing he could do that I could not. He had always been there for my sister—not in a romantic sense—and I could be there for his too—also disregarding romantic implications.

"I've done something _very_ bad," Hikari said when she seemed to understand that I was going nowhere. She looked up to me weakly and appeared sadder than anything else. "I've made a mistake and I need to tell Taichi. B-but I think I may have found something."

I did not much like the sounds of the mistake she spoke of which sounded to me at least to be an error in judgement. "What did you find?" I asked quickly. "Did you find Gaia?" She winced at my words and I found my answers. " _Where_ is she?"

"I don't know," Hikari's voice broke and more tears began to fall.

"Hikari," I said sharply. "I don't care about the mistake you've made. I've made enough of them myself. Believe me, you have no reason to feel ashamed. At least while talking to me." She looked startled, but I added. "A woman once said to me 'Everyone has done horrible things. Everyone has done things that they regret, everyone has baggage, and yet everyone has grown from those bad things. They've learned from them.' I think this applies here." Hikari stared blankly to me as she absorbed the advice I had stolen from my first encounter with Evelen. "Now tell me what you know. I need to find Gaia. I have been looking for answers myself and I think I deserve to know."

"But it's worse than that," Hikari said, seemingly ignoring me. "I-I think she took something from me. I'm scared."

"And it's okay to be scared," I kept my voice as soft as my temper would allow. "You are entitled to feel whatever you want to feel. If people judge you for that, they're just not worth it. You worry about what other people think of you, and I see that clearly. I know you see it too, though you refuse to change that. Speak your mind, state your opinions. You are not obligated to please anyone, and you simply won't do so. Trust me, I would know." She smiled slightly, but it wasn't enough. "You are at liberty to cry or to scream or to follow your heart and do whatever it is that you see fit. Stop worrying about other people." She nodded slowly. "With that in mind, if this affects others, that is something you need to tell them, regardless of whether or not you think they will be upset."

She was nodding more clearly now and she stood taller. "You're right," she decided. "Gaia tricked me into trusting her. She lowered my guard and took my light. She took the darkness from Kurayami too. I don't know what she wants with them, but she has them. And that scares me. What if I've caused the end for everyone?"

"You've certainly caused something," I agreed, and somehow she seemed relieved to hear it. I didn't mind being there for someone if what they desired was to be told the truth. It was something I was good at doing. "What we know of Gaia is that she yearns for connectivity. She seeks a path in her life that will end with her on top, and her in control. Perhaps she will use your light and Kurayami's darkness as a sense of balance to keep herself in power. She is not the first to seek your light, I am sure."

"No," Hikari agreed again, shaking her head. "Dragomon and Fanglongmon both wanted them. I think that Myotismon was after it too, along with killing me."

"Precisely," I said. "The light will keep them in check. They wanted control, and that is what she also longs for. We will use this in some way. You do however have one last thing to tell me. What did you _find_?" I knew there was more than simply Gaia that Hikari had discovered.

Her eyes widened and she reached into the deep pockets of her white coat and pulled out a thin white stick. "It's a key," she said. "I checked. It leads to the white maze world. 'Theta' Koushiro calls it."

"Where did you find that?" I asked, my mind spinning around the possibilities of returning there with a mind with a capacity to focus on anything aside from my bullet wound. The opposite had been the case the previous time we had gone, but now we had the opportunity to go once more.

"Gaia had it," Hikari said quietly. "I think..." She hesitated and thought for a moment. "I think destiny kept us alive. Winter brought Miyako, Mimi, Iori, Michael and Hideto. Spring brought Taichi, you, Yamato, Daisuke, Sora, Kurayami, Mari and Jou. Summer brought Koushiro, Ken, Takeru and I. That seems suspicious to me."

"In what way is that suspicious exactly?"

She hesitated and then resumed her thought process. "We all survived a deadly phenomenon in the same way. We all met up at _one_ time in _one_ place. All of us. Except Willis and Kiyoko." I nodded while doing everything in my power to not show that the loss of Kiyoko affected me. "Gaia—she may have k-killed them, like everyone thought. B-but I think that this key was always supposed to be their escape. I th-think destiny had planned an escape route." I could now follow her thoughts in the very least, but while they were bittersweet and possibly optimistic, I could not understand why she was telling me her theory. Aside from the obvious reason that I had previously told her to speak her mind and not care what others might think. "I know what world Willis was in," Hikari continued. "And Mimi is sure Kiyoko was with him."

"Gaia knew both of their names so that stands to reason," I pointed out, faintly remembering my first and only encounter with Gaia in which I had been bleeding quite a lot.

Hikari pointed to me with a shaky finger, thinking that maybe I had a point. Which I did. I already knew that. "Well, th-they were in Witchenly."

"And how exactly does that help either of us?" I asked.

"Because," Hikari said, reaching into her other pocket. "Gaia had the key to Witchenly too." As her hand came from the depths of her woolen coat I caught sight of the gaudy violet key. There were many shades of purple, and the amethyst crystals had formed in such a way that the key itself appeared to have a witches hat around the top. It didn't matter what the key looked like, because my eyes were trained in on it for a different reason. Kiyoko had been there. Kiyoko was _dead_ but perhaps a body—perhaps a funeral—would assist Hideto and everyone else in moving on.

I snatched the key from Hikari's hand and slammed it into the wall next to the kitchen doorway. As the purple prongs stabbed into the wall, it lit up instantly, forming a beautiful wooden door to fill a blank space of yellowing stone bricks. The moment the light had faded I was reaching for the doorknob, not afraid of what might be inside, but Hikari stopped me, putting a hand on my arm. "We should get another key. If the door closes, we'll be stuck there and no one will know."

"That is a brilliant idea," I said, and the moment she turned toward the nearby set of stairs my face had begun turning red. I had acted rashly, a practice I did not subscribe to. I was not Taichi, I was Neo. I was a man who meticulously scheduled my everyday life, let alone drastic endeavours. It had taken me years to delete the Digital World, not because I did not know how, but because I had not been fully prepared. And even when I had, there were loose ends—such as convincing Hideto to play his part convincingly, which he apparently did not find to be an important aspect of my plan—and those kept me up every night. I was glad Hikari had stopped me from impulsively and recklessly stepping into an unknown world. She was right, we needed a backup plan.

Hikari looked around nervously, like she knew she wasn't supposed to be going where she was, which set my mind off, curious for an explanation of how she knew the layout so well, but ultimately it did not matter. Taichi would not stand in my way of doing whatever I wanted, so as she nervously checked around the corner for anyone, I simply pushed open the door to the Digimental room. "Now surely this should be locked," I noted, in a drawling voice. Hikari nodded her agreement, looking for a lock on the door. It did not have one, but I would most definitely suggest an upgrade in security to Taichi. The Digimentals themselves were still firmly in place on their podiums, and as Hikari caught sight of them I noticed her eyes lingering on the white one in the far end, the Digimental of Light. My personal favourite was the Digimental of Darkness because it simply looked menacing and far more dramatic.

The Digimental of Honesty was the smallest of the lot, and I hated it. It reminded me of a time in my life in which I had imprisoned my sister, deleted an entire world, betrayed my partner, tricked the Digidestined with disgusting white lies, and unleashed a glitch into the mess of enemies that were already rampaging through the worlds that eventually lead to Sora's brief demise. Rei had been right to keep that from me, and yet I'd forced her to return it to me. I was not fond of reminiscing when it came to those dark times in my life.

Turning to the wall in which the keys once again hung, I scanned them all, seeking one that would lead us somewhere useful. "This one," Hikari decided, lifting the bronze coloured key from the center. "The Digital World should be our safety zone, right?" I shrugged because I simply did not care where we went as long as there was a chance I could return home at the end of the day. I had been lucky during the two month virus because my home was always available to me. I did not want to remedy that with a horrific accidental stint into a new world.

When we returned to the door to Witchenly, there was no one in sight. Honestly, those Digimentals would be easy to steal. I thought perhaps if I stole them, caused a riot, and then revealed myself to be the culprit then perhaps they would see the issue at hand. But now was simply not the time to be criticizing others' work habits, because we were about to find out the truth of what had happened to one of my friends.

Hikari did not seem to want to open the door, and so I took the initiative, not hesitating for another second. I pulled sharply and the door opened easily. It was in that moment that I took my pause, staring forward into the new unfamiliar world. It was strange to note that it was bright where we stood, and yet dark through the doorway. I could see the yellow tinted light pour across the ground as it spilled from the open doorway, but as my eyes were adjusted to the brightness of the Temple, I could see nothing more than the stars in the deep blue sky. I stared in _awe_ for a moment before stepping through. I had never seen a sky so free of light pollution and it was simply the most beautiful sight I had seen in a long time—perhaps ever.

It was when Hikari nervously nudged me, that I chose to step forward, stepping through the doorway. My feet moved from the smooth concrete of the Temple into the soft and uneven ground of Witchenly. The scents of the world were quick to fill my nostrils, smelling like stale autumn and possibly something rotten. The smells certainly reduced the beauty that had unfolded moments prior. The air was quite cold as well and I folded my free arm under my sling in the chilled air.

"I'm going to close the door," Hikari said in a moderately quiet voice. "I don't want to risk something else escaping through the doors." I nodded and let my eyes fall to Hikari's hand as she pocketed the bronze key. As long as she still kept it close, then we would be safe. I heard the clicking of the door and looked up to see it light up again and vanish.

And then Hikari had screamed.

Behind where the door had been were many massive forms that were all heading our way. Already Hikari was fumbling around with the key to the Digital World, desperate to find a way back into a safe location. This had been a dangerous idea initially, but to come with no digimon to assist us was simply suicide and the simple fact that neither of us thought of that was disgusting.

Hikari slammed the key forward and a doorway appeared before us. We would be able to escape and hopefully come back with Gatomon and Dracomon.

"Earth Shaker!" Hikari gasped and spun around. I looked back as well and saw that a large knight clad in black armor was slamming his sword into the ground at his feet. The earth split and a deep, gauging line slithered toward us, separating the earth as it went, shaking the ground beneath our feet. Hikari fell and I reached to her with my free arm but I lost my own balance and together we fell as the split of the earth took a sudden turn, circling us and separating us from our only escape—the door.

Hikari wasn't ready to give up though and had gotten to her feet, ready to take a running jump to leap across the split of the earth, but she had moved too slowly. "Mystic Flame!" I turned my head to see a terrifying samurai who was riding what appeared to be a fleshy battle ready horse. The flame that came from his animal's mouth shot down into the depths of the previous attack and flames were suddenly shooting high and tall, surrounding us all. Hikari screamed again and backed away from the flames, quickly grabbing me to assist me to stand.

"Dammit!" I shouted, as I spun, seeking an exit. "We shouldn't have come!"

"We have to jump!" Hikari exclaimed loudly. "We _have_ to!" I looked to the thick fire and shook my head. She could take that risk if she wanted to, but that was all on her. I was going to stay right where I was and wait for death before I took a chance in that pit of eternal flames. "Come on!"

"What is _wrong_ with you?" I asked, looking to the flames. "No way in hell—actually are we sure this is not hell? It sure feels like—" Hikari screamed and I turned quickly to see the black knight stepping through the flames as if he hadn't even noticed them. They certainly didn't seem to be affecting him. Fear was beating down on me now, and yet somehow I found a certain peace in it all. The world was dangerous, and if I was to die here, at least I knew how Kiyoko had perished. This insane monster of a digimon was vicious and he was cruel.

"See?" A whining voice rang from above, I looked up to see a man with bat wings, floating around in circles. "I told you the door was here!"

"Phelesmon," the knight in black armor said annoyed. "This is not Gaia."

"What?" the floating ball of filth asked with a high pitched start, he flew straight down and landed next to his companion. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are _you_?" I countered. At that moment the fire all died down and I thought it might be time to make our escape, but Hikari stepped forward instead.

"I am Hikari Yagami," she said quickly. "I mean you no harm. It seems clear to me that you did not like Gaia. Neither do we. She killed our friends, and she tried to do the same to me. I am only here because I found the key to this world in her things."

"She is in your world then?" I turned to see a very angry looking crow digimon speaking. I recognized it as a Karatenmon. "She left our world to yours."

"It seems as such," Phelesmon said in a mocking voice. "You're pretty quick on the uptake, huh Karatenmon?" The black knight digimon silenced the winged creature with a simple wave of his hand.

"You have with you the access Gaia once possessed to this world?" the knight asked, and we nodded. "She cannot return." A silence rippled through the crowd as they all let this sink in. It apparently was good news for them, for whatever reason. It didn't matter much to me, but my heartbeat had calmed significantly and I felt much more confident with the idea that they were not going to kill us at all.

Hikari suddenly sidestepped to look around Phelesmon and she narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Arukenimon?" I saw a red and purple spider digimon wince and duck further behind a NeoDevimon. She was trying to keep from Hikari's sights. Next to her stood a confident mummy digimon who waved to Hikari with a smile. She waved back, clearly lost for words. "What are you both doing here?"

"Hiding from you," Mummymon responded with a shrug. "Don't kill us?"

"I would never," Hikari assured him kindly. "Need I remind you that your deaths were unplanned and a result of my own enemy? I promise you I never had the intention to take your lives. I am sorry for what happened to you though." Arukenimon seemed to think her apology was sincere enough to draw her out of hiding, and she stood next to her friend Mummymon.

"But surely we cannot simply believe them," Phelesmon cried out in shock. "They could betray us just as Gaia had done. I say we throw them in the prison with Astamon."

"Oh just shut up," a nearby Witchmon scowled. "You're still going to be praised and rewarded for finding the door, so honestly just stop talking." All of the digimon around us seemed to find Phelesmon at least half as annoying as I found him to be and I was thankful for that connection at the very least.

"Gaia is not going to return," the digimon on the fleshy horse said. "Tactimon, we must deliberate and speak of our new plans."

"Absolutely, Zanbamon," Tactimon agreed, stepping back toward him. "What shall we do with Gaia's garden then?"

"No!" Phelesmon cried out. "My _home_! I love that place—you can't take it from me!" Phelesmon followed the two digimon who appeared to be in charge away, floating around their head and squawking at them annoyingly and I felt bad for them, but mostly I was happy that he was gone.

Hikari had taken me by the wrist, after pulling the Digital World key from the door, and begun leading me toward the other digimon where she looked down the deep hole that had surrounded us and she hesitated until the NeoDevimon reached down and lifted us up. I winced, but did not express the pain I felt as he tightened his grip around my shoulder. A moment later he had set us down on the other side of the great divide and Hikari thanked him before rushing over to the digimon she recognized. I felt entirely out of place, and found that these digimon smelled perhaps worse than the world did in general, so I made to follow Hikari who smelled of a delightful bouquet of flowers.

"You should come with us," Mummymon offered to Hikari. "You'll be happy you did I think." Hikari didn't question them for a moment and seemed to trust them wholly. I wasn't sure I did, after having followed her lead into a world with no digimon to keep us safe, and now that we had the chance to return for them we were still choosing to move on without them apparently and I found that to be a highly preposterous plan. And yet I couldn't find enough drive to actually speak up, and so I simply followed along like a puppy.

Arukenimon and Mummymon led us to the edge of a forest, but advise us not to step inside. Of course that set me off and I made sure to peer past the trees, scanning for whatever dangers were beyond the border. Hikari was brightening up now that she had spoken to someone, and found that she had helped these people ensure a life free of Gaia. She looked pale still and as though should go to sleep for a few days but she was _better_ and that was what was important. What was also important was our safety and I didn't much like putting that in the hands of two digimon who had once apparently been against the Digidestined.

Though, I had once been against the Digidestined. I was still against them in most cases.

Eventually we came to a massive broken down cathedral of a church that I was sure we would be expected to enter. Our guides did not lead us toward it however and I was thankful. Instead they continued along the path until we had found a dirty bridge over water that resembled the water one might find in a sewage treatment plant. Hikari even seemed disgusted of it. I was already planning an extra long shower when I returned home to wash this repulsive world from my skin. And then a small town came to view. There were huts and bonfire pits and several small digimon. I recognized very few of them, but did not stop to ask for their identification.

I simply pressed forward, bored with whatever our tour guides were to show us. I agreed to come to this world in search of answers to my inquiries of Kiyoko's fate, and for perhaps information of Gaia's potential whereabouts so she could assist me to find the truth of my dead sister who had vanished with no word. I had not come to see how disgusting of a living predicament they all had found themselves in.

But they didn't seem to notice or care how unhappy I was with our situation and instead they simply pressed forward, down the paths that made up the village. As we moved on the huts grew in size until I could see a center to the town where several large huts that resembled small houses were grouped in a circle. Hopefully that would be our destination so we could put this behind us and continue exploring the world.

They did finally stop and I felt a sense of relief as they instructed us to follow them toward one hut that was crammed between the two next to it, like it had been an afterthought. "Just in here," Mummymon informed Hikari, gesturing to the doorway. "Go on." Arukenimon smiled encouragingly and something seemed off. I wasn't sure I could trust them, but Hikari was blindly taking their word. What if something terrifying was inside and it mangled Hikari's face and tore her skin to pieces? That didn't seem inviting, and yet Hikari didn't seem to care that it was an option at all.

I moved forward quickly and stopped her, taking her hand and shaking my head. "We haven't got a clue what's in there," I told her quietly.

"So I'll open the door and find out," she said, rolling her eyes. She ignored my warnings and simply grabbed the thick purple curtain that was coated in filth and she pulled it toward her, opening up the doorway. I winced, turning to look through the door as a scent of mildew hit me from all sides, but I ignored that in favour of what I saw.

There was a bed against the wall and someone was sleeping there, a blanket pulled around their shoulders as they breathed softly. There was a man seated at the side of the bed, not bothering to look up to see who had opened the door, and instead chose to watch over the sleeping figure. I knew the man. I could not see _why_ he was dressed in such an atrocious costume, aside from perhaps fitting in with his digital friends, but he looked awful. His hair was coated in grime and his face was stained with dirt. But he was _alive_.

" _Willis_ ," Hikari breathed and the sound of her voice sent goose bumps up my arms. I stared toward the boy who looked up at the sound of his name and his jaw fell as his hands tightened around the blankets he was playing idly with in his hands. Hikari pushed me aside and flung herself into the room as Willis got to his feet to meet her halfway. Hikari threw her arms around his neck and hugged him; neither of them said a word, too shocked to know _what_ to say. I understood that. I understood because I felt the same. Willis was alive, contrary to what Gaia had said. I knew now how foolish it had been to trust Gaia's words, but she had seemed so sure. Whatever the case, seeing Willis well enough to stand and breathe gave way to my weaker, more optimistic side and a dangerous feeling grew in my chest about Kiyoko. That feeling was hope.

I moved weakly into the room, dropping the curtain behind me and wiping my hand on my pant leg, disgusted from having touched such a dirty cloth.

Hikari released Willis and stared at him for a moment before moving in for another, less spontaneous, hug. He hugged her back and laughed breathlessly as Hikari began to cry again.

My eyes fell to the figure in the bed and I moved closer, slowly and cautiously. If this was not Kiyoko and he turned out to be dead, I was not sure that I could cope with the feeling of losing him again. Loss was something that surprised me in its intensity. I had never imagined that losing someone close to you could hurt as much as it had. But now, I knew I never wanted to live through it again.

I stood over the seat where Willis had been sitting and stared down to the sleeping form, unable to see anything through the thick blankets. I noticed now that Willis was looking to me and he nodded very gently. If he had led me on I would kill him without hesitation. If this was not Kiyoko now, I was sure I would find nothing to hold me back from him.

But I took the chance, and I moved the blanket slowly with my shaking hand. And then nothing seemed to make sense anymore. I fell into the chair and stared toward the girl in the bed as my entire body trembled with _something_. I felt water in my eyes but ignored it and reached out to the pale hand that I could see from under the covers. I took her hand in mine and she immediately reacted, her eyes fluttered and she groaned softly, opening her eyes.

She closed them briefly before letting them fly open again. She gasped, pulling her hand away from me and she sat bolt upright, looking around, shocked and confused. She turned back to me and breathed unsteadily as she stared and as tears welled up in her own eyes. "Neo?" she asked, her voice breaking instantly.

"It's me," I nodded, and she looked around once more in disbelief. I understood. I felt the same. "Rei, it's me. I'm here now." She looked back and pulled herself across the bed toward me and I moved forward to hug her. She instantly began sobbing and I was not ashamed to admit that I felt tears on my cheeks as well.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** So Neo and Rei have found one another! The next chapter is finally the end of the first arc, and we'll be moving forward into the much more plot driven stories instead of the character plots.


	20. Homecoming

**Y/N:** This was the chapter I was most excited to write. I looked forward to this one for ages, wanting to just get to this point so that I could start looking forward.

 **U/N:** So this is finally the end of the first arc, which was obviously pretty long, similar to the first arc of 05 except this chapter doesn't involve nearly as much Arkadimon drama, and is much more conclusive I feel. Anyway, I only wrote one of the three parts of this chapter, but all of them are super important I think because the characters all really needed this to happen. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and I hope to post more chapters at some point.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 1: Incomplete**

 **Chapter 20: Homecoming**

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

The Veemon were quite a handful. They had decided to make the move from their hidden forest home to the larger village where the Wizards and Fallen Angels now lived together. I hoped adding a third clan to the mix didn't cause any further strife, but I couldn't say no when the Veemon asked to come.

 _Gravimon_ didn't even say no, and I would've expected it from him.

The Veemon were lonely though. They had only each other to talk with most days, and they always had the same view: trees and more trees. They wanted freedom. And I wouldn't deny that. _I_ wanted freedom too. _They_ could at least have it, since I couldn't.

Gravimon was walking ahead of us, gently moving the tree branches and bushes aside for the small blue digimon to walk through. They were grinning and smiling. They weren't running in terror like they usually did. I supposed their longing for _more_ was powerful enough to overcome their fear—except for their youngest. DemiVeemon was _not_ happy to be walking a long way through the forest with the "forest monster" as their guide. Instead, he was clinging to Norn as she held him.

Norn was quiet today. I didn't know why. Usually, she was so full of energy. Mostly, I thought it was overcompensation. She didn't want the rest of us to feel sad, so she went out of her way to shower us with only happiness. But there was something off now. She kept tilting her head, and having to get DemiVeemon to repeat himself. It was like she was _listening_ to something in the distance. Her eyes would become unfocused every once and awhile too.

"I'm worried," Lalamon informed me. She too was watching over Norn with confusion and trepidation. She was still wearing her ratty cloak, and it was dragging on the ground behind her, raking up dead leaves and fallen twigs. She was practically glowing in the forest. The plant life had really begun to flourish, and she was happier because of it. She _finally_ would have a chance to build a garden to remember Mari by. The plants would _live_ now, if she planted them.

"Me too," I admitted. "I don't know what's wrong."

"Maybe nothing is _wrong_ ," Lalamon pointed out. "Maybe she's just lonely."

"We're all a little lonely," I told her.

"Yeah," Lalamon agreed. "But Norn doesn't usually _show_ it. She's been there for us to lean on when we need support, but she's never asked for the same in return. I should have offered, I think. I feel guilty."

"I don't think she would've accepted it," I whispered, worried that Norn would hear us and realize we were talking about her. I didn't want her to feel like we were attacking her or something. But she just stared off into the distance, ignoring the pestering of the tiny digimon in her arms. "She's the overseer of all worlds. I doubt she thinks she's allowed to show weakness."

"That's silly," Lalamon said, looking more concerned now than ever.

We continued walking for another ten minutes or so, sending worried glances Norn's way whenever she wasn't paying attention—which was so often, we were actually pretty much staring at her the entire time—before Norn simply stopped walking all together.

"What's wrong?" DemiVeemon asked, fear colouring his voice. Obviously, his mind jumped to the worst possible conclusions—though I didn't know what he was afraid of. Gravimon was the scariest thing in the forest now that Gaia was gone.

My heart stopped.

 _Gaia_.

"What is it Norn?" I demanded. I felt guilty about the way she flinched, but she was back with us now. Her eyes were sharp and focused instead of distant. She turned to me and tried to offer a hesitant smile, but the corners of her mouth fell. "What's happened?"

"A door, I think," she whispered.

That single whisper seemed to echo around the forest. The Veemon started scrambling, tripping over everything in their paths. DemiVeemon started wailing in Norn's ear, causing her to wince. My hands were trembling, my heart was pounding, and my eyes were starting to water up. It was stupid. I didn't have any reason to be crying. I shouldn't have even been scared. Gaia wasn't coming back. She _wasn't_. She _hated_ this world. She didn't care about Astamon.

It wasn't fair.

Why did Gaia come back for Astamon? Why would she take the time out of her probably busy schedule to do that for him?

Why didn't Sigma ever do it for me?

I'd thought I found a kindred spirit—no matter _how_ mean and cruel Astamon was. But I guess I didn't. The realization that Gaia could care for her minion in a way that Sigma never did cut me deep. I was worth less than a cruel, murderous digimon that took pleasure in paralyzing newly healed girls.

"Kiyoko?" Lalamon asked. Her voice was trembling as well. I tried to shake off my sadness. I shouldn't have been feeling it anyway. I didn't care about Sigma anymore. I _didn't_. I _shouldn't_ anyway. He was dead and gone. He left me. I cast him out. I was strong. I was my own person. It had been _my_ plan that killed him. He wasn't worth my tears. I mattered—maybe not to _him_ , but I mattered. Lalamon cared about me, and Willis. Rei and Gravimon always had my back, and my Wizards were solidly in my corner. The Fallen Angels even tolerated me now—to the point that they _sometimes_ took my opinions into account.

I liked to think that even though I had been gone for four months—and would stay that way _forever_ —that I still mattered to Mari, Warg, Melga, Neo, Dracomon, Tapirmon and Hideto too. They were my family—along with Koushiro, who was _actually_ family, and all of Team Mom. I hoped that I mattered to them.

I had a lot of people that supported and cared about me. I shouldn't be feeling pain over the old news that Sigma didn't care for me at all. I was just a meat sack to him, a mind to manipulate and a body to control. He wasn't worth my tears.

"ENOUGH!" Gravimon shouted. His voice boomed through the trees and the Veemon all froze in place. Their heads turned all at once toward Gravimon. Their teeth were chattering, and their eyes were wide. They were legitimately terrified.

"We don't know that it's Gaia," Lalamon reminded us.

"She's the one with the key," I pointed out. It was a rather convincing argument, but I felt guilty for having made it. Gravimon and Lalamon _both_ looked at me with pointed looks. They weren't pleased at the way I'd managed to actually increase the Veemon's fear. DemiVeemon was shaking like a leaf in Norn's hold. He looked ready to pass out with the amount of fear he was displaying.

"It doesn't _feel_ like Gaia though," Norn said thoughtfully. "I'm not saying it _isn't_ her, but the presence doesn't feel inherently evil like she did."

"She _did_ feel that way, didn't she," I muttered more to myself than anyone else. I had known that from the moment I'd met her, but it was over the course of all of our meetings that I really _felt_ the evil resonating off of her. When she'd taken my key and the key to Witchenly, even Willis and Rei had to admit to what I'd known all along. I just wished I could feel _proud_ that I'd been right while they were wrong. I didn't though. I didn't _want_ to be right.

Being right got us stuck here forever.

"Wait…" I murmured. "If the key opened the door, then reason stands to believe that the key is back. Only an idiot would willingly go into another world without a key to get them back."

"You, Willis and Rei did it," Lalamon said slyly.

"Inescapable circumstances," I said, discrediting her words as I waved them off with my hand. "That means theoretically, that there is a second key out there somewhere, doesn't it?"

"We can go home," Lalamon realized.

"Potentially," I felt the need to point out. "This other key could just lead us to _another_ world."

"Theorize to your heart's content," Gravimon said. "But only exploration will get you the answers you seek." He motioned with one of his impossibly long arms to the trees that stood between us and the village. My heart stopped again.

"Rei," I gasped. "Rei can't run. If it's Gaia, she's going to need our help."

"We have to hurry," a Veemon decided. They were all incredibly fond of Rei, after having met her even just the once. She's told them stories of a brave Veemon warrior that helped to ensure the safety of all the worlds. The fact that all those stories were _true_ and that Rei had admitted to knowing this warrior pretty much cemented her a permanent place in their tribe.

"Shall I lead?" Gravimon wanted to know.

"N-no," I decided, trying to find the courage that Gravimon had instilled in me. I found enough of it to steel my resolve. I took a deep breath, and stepped forward. "I'll go first. Whoever it is could spot you from a mile away."

"Very true," Gravimon agreed, sounding a little put out by it. He was the strongest of all of us, but he was also the least conspicuous.

We moved slowly through the trees, pausing every once in awhile to listen. When we didn't hear anything, we continued forward. We continued like that until we made it to the edge of the forest. I could see the village huts from where we stood.

"My turn," I decided, sounding less than thrilled. Lalamon squeezed my hand, and I smiled at her the best I could before slipping my finger from her grasp—her hands were rather tiny and cute. I tried to focus on her, and keeping her safe. I would never want to face Mari again if anything happened to Lalamon because I wasn't brave enough to protect her.

My heart was in my throat with each step I took, but I needed to protect Rei for Neo, and Lalamon for Mari. Kurayami needed Norn, and Terriermon and Lopmon needed Willis. I had to keep everyone safe for the sake of those we left behind. If it _was_ true that Gaia had come back, and we _did_ have a chance to go back home, then I didn't want to risk _anyone._

But if Norn was wrong, and there was no door, I wasn't sure I would be able to live with the realization that whatever hope was growing inside of me was doomed to fall apart.

The town seemed deserted. The moon lit my way, and a cool breeze swept through the empty streets, swirling the dust around. The air was cold and stale, like always. The smell of rotting fish was less prominent than usual though, so there was _something_ to be happy about.

I felt incredibly vulnerable, walking through the barren streets. I was highly visible. There was nothing I could do to conceal myself. Every step I took could be the one that drew an enemy's attention to me. My palms started sweating at the very thought. But I could do this. I _had_ to do this. I wasn't going to break down and cry, like I had only months earlier. I was a stronger, braver person now. It was time that I put those improvements into practice.

There was just a part of me that wished it wasn't so _hard_.

A scoff and the sound of a rock skidding across the ground made me freeze. I looked slowly to my left, and found nothing but an extinguished fire. On my right however, a rock rolled into my vision. The sound of footsteps followed after it, and I started to question just _how_ much braver I'd really gotten. My hands were soaked with sweat, and my knees were threatening to knock together. But I swallowed my fear, and curled my fingers into fists, before walking towards the sound. I crept along the edge of the nearest hut, and jumped out at the unknown person, letting one of my fists fly.

"Watch it!" Phelesmon shouted in surprise.

I was a little put out. I'd scrounged up all that bravery for nothing. Not only was Phelesmon an enemy, but I'd _missed_ when I went to punch him. It was pretty embarrassing. Thankfully, the moon's light was dim enough to hide my flushing face. I looked Phelesmon over, trying to decide whether he'd encountered the enemy or not. He looked fine.

"What's going on?" I asked him quietly. I didn't want the enemy to hear me. "Norn said a door opened. Who was it?"

"It wasn't Gaia," Phelesmon said bitterly. "I saw the door, and I raced to get everyone, and it wasn't her. Now everyone's laughing at me, because I was wrong."

"But who _was_ it?" I demanded, not in the mood to listen to his sob stories. He had done the right thing though, going to get everyone else when the door opened. I'd probably _try_ to admonish them later, but I doubted they'd listen. They never did.

"Two humans," he sighed. "The girl called herself Hikari Yagami, and the boy said his name was Neo Sa—" I didn't let him finish. My eyes were wide and my heart was beating fast. This time though, it wasn't because of fear. I'd never been so excited to hear Hikari's name in my life, but to have Phelesmon follow it up with _Neo_ was just more than I could stand.

"Everyone else is at the forest edge," I told him quickly, before he even had a chance to finish Neo's name. "Tell them it's okay. Tell Lalamon Neo's here. I have to go."

"What if I don't _want_ to?" he whined. But I had taken off. I knew he'd do it. He was always eager for approval. I would've done it myself, but the idea that Neo was _here_ , that he had come for me was too much to ignore.

I should've probably asked where to find them though.

Racing through the houses, I knew exactly where I was going to start. I didn't know if Neo _knew_ Rei was here, but if he didn't, Rei needed to be told that he was here. She was going to flip her lid! Rei's hut had candles burning brightly inside of it. I spotted them before I saw the crowd of people waiting around it. Tactimon, Zanbamon and their combined task forces were waiting outside.

"What's going on?" I asked, fear suddenly back in my voice. "Rei's okay, isn't she?"

"She's fine," Arukenimon assured me. "The digidestined are in there with her."

"Hikari and Neo?" I asked, but I didn't really need clarification. I didn't wait any longer. I _had_ to go inside. I didn't care what Tactimon and Zanbamon were planning now. I didn't even care how Neo and Hikari got the key to Witchenly at all. I just wanted to _see_ them.

I pushed aside the curtain that served as a door and slipped into the hut. The glow from the candles made everything inside look softer, and warmer, thanks to their golden glow. The memory of that exact moment was seared into my mind. The way the candles made Willis' hair glow, and the way his eyes were glistening even as he smiled brightly down at Hikari's crying face. She was so happy, and I hadn't realized just how _un_ happy Willis must've been until I saw that megawatt smile. I pretty much burst into tears—no, I literally _did_ burst into tears, when my eyes were finally pulled from Hikari and Willis, because Rei was crying her eyes out as Neo tried to hug her. He was wearing a sling, but I couldn't bring myself to ask. I just _sobbed_.

"Kiyoko!" Willis called happily. His smiled didn't diminish even a little at the sight of me crying on the ground. He was _so_ happy. I was too. The tears weren't from fear or sadness. I was just so happy that I couldn't contain myself anymore.

"N-Neo," I cried.

He looked away from Rei for the first time since I came into the room, and he looked so _relieved_ to see me. I didn't want to know what had been going through his head. He probably figured I was dead or something. I stumbled forward, and collapsed onto Rei's bed, next to him. I apologized for jostling Rei, but she was crying too hard to even notice. She had her brother back.

Neo's eyes were wet too, I noted.

I'd never seen him cry before.

He reached out with the hand that wasn't in the sling and ruffled my hair. I couldn't even _pretend_ that I didn't love it. I just grinned through my tears and lifted my hands so that I could take hold of his. I had to prove to myself that he was _real_.

Hikari hugged me from behind, catching me off guard. She was still crying. I could feel her tears dripping down my neck. I didn't know why she was hugging me though. We didn't really know each other. I didn't know if we'd ever talked.

"I'm so glad you're not dead," she whispered into my ear with her watery, tear filled voice. "Gaia said you were. I shouldn't have believed her. I'm so sorry."

"Gaia?" I asked sharply.

"They met her," Willis informed me. "Hikari stole the keys back. _Both_ of them."

"You have my key?" I said surprised. I turned to look at her, not wanting to let go of Neo, but knowing I would twist his good arm if I didn't. I didn't want to hurt him. He'd come to save me. Again. He'd saved me from the streets when even Sigma couldn't do that. He saved me when I'd run away from home before I'd even _met_ Sigma. Neo was always saving me.

"We know where it goes too," Hikari said, nodding. She was wiping her tears away, but I knew she was going to start crying again, with the way she was looking at Rei. "We've been there. It's an endless white maze. Koushiro called it Theta, because the world is made of her, or something. He wasn't very clear when he was explaining it."

"I don't recommend it," Neo said. "Not that I remember much. It was a rather hazy experience for me."

"You were shot," Hikari said, excusing him from his lack of clear memories.

"You were shot?" Rei asked, eyeing the sling. I had figured it was a sprain personally, and from the surprise in Rei's voice, she had been thinking similarly. He nodded, and glared at his sling. "I was shot too."

"Who?" Neo asked, his voice coloured with a growl.

"Astamon."

We all turned to the door, where Lalamon and Norn stood. Lalamon was going for a dramatic reveal again, as she had her hood pulled over her face. It had been her who spoke. Neo and Hikari eyed Lalamon warily, but the rest of us were smiling at her. We knew she wasn't a threat— _now_ anyway. She'd really scared us when we first saw her though.

"Norn," Hikari gasped, finally letting go of me. "You were trapped here too?"

"Gaia held me prisoner," Norn told her plainly. Hikari winced, but I didn't ask why. I still didn't really know her, and I was too interested in seeing their reaction to Lalamon, whenever she finally revealed herself. DemiVeemon was still nestled in Norn's grasp, and was looking up to her, concerned. He probably didn't like the sounds of Norn being a prisoner. He was also a toddler at best, so there was a chance he didn't really understand what she was saying at all, and was just reacting to the tone of her voice. I didn't know. I didn't really care. I was too busy being on cloud nine.

I turned back to Neo and just stared at him. He was getting uncomfortable with the amount of attention, but I couldn't look away. He was _here_. I was still having a hard time believing it.

"We can get you home, Norn," Hikari promised.

"Me too?" Lalamon asked from under her hood. "You won't leave _me_ , right?"

"We'd never leave you," Willis assured her.

"Not in a million years," I agreed, looking away from Neo. He reached over the bed and squeezed my shoulder. I smiled at the touch. It was more proof that he was really here.

"Sweetie, you don't need to wear your cloak indoors," Rei told Lalamon with a wink. Lalamon deliberated, and finally nodded. She reached up and took her hood off. Hikari's gasp alone was worth the wait. Neo just stilled. His grip grew tighter on my shoulder, and after a quick glance in his direction, I could see that he was just lost in his disbelief.

Willis and I started laughing. Lalamon skipped over to Rei's bed and pulled herself into my lap. "Did you miss me?" she asked Neo. She said it lightly, but I could hear the genuine curiosity in her voice. Neo nodded, unsure of his voice at the moment.

"Look at you!" Hikari squealed. "It's another miracle. Are you working overtime, Willis?"

"Nah," Willis said with a snort. "That'd be Alice, if anything."

"We have to get back to the Temple," Hikari continued, excitedly. "Everyone's going to be so excited to see you."

"We can't go yet," I said. The happy bubble that had been growing in my chest popped. I was back to reality. "Not everyone is ready."

"This isn't everyone?" Neo asked wryly.

"No, we promised," I said. "Gravimon promised he'd come with me."

"And we agreed to bring the Wizards and Fallen Angels with us if we were ever freed," Willis added sheepishly.

"We can't just bring people along," Neo said, rolling his eyes. "This is their home, isn't it?"

"We _promised_ ," I repeated, looking to Neo, pleading with my eyes.

"Me too," DemiVeemon added. Neo didn't even acknowledge the little guy.

"Hikari," I said softly. "Neo. These people didn't _choose_ to live in Witchenly. They've been trapped here since the world was created. They never _wanted_ to be here. And we swore that in the unlikely chance we got to leave, that they could leave too."

"Neo," Rei said. "I'm not leaving without them. If you won't bring them, then you can just get out of my house right now."

"Me too," Willis added. "I _really_ want to get out of here. But I agreed to take them with me."

Rei and Willis turned to me, and waited. I sighed. I didn't _want_ to go along with their plan. What if Neo really decided to just leave us here? I didn't think he'd leave Rei behind, but I didn't want to take that chance. I wanted to go home. They continued to stare at me though, and they wore down my resolve.

"Me too," I said, not sounding serious at all. I looked to Neo with tears in my eyes again, pleading for him to not leave me here.

"Fine," he sighed. "You have ten minutes to get everyone ready, or we're leaving without you."

A cheer broke out outside of Rei's hut. The windows didn't exactly have any glass, so the entire conversation had been heard by the assembled digimon. I heard them rush off quickly, to alert the rest of their tribes. The entire Veemon population was still waiting when we went outside. They'd already been prepared to move today, so they didn't have anything that they wanted to grab. Willis was holding Rei in his arms. Neo looked angered that _he_ couldn't, but with his sling it just wasn't a possibility. I clung to his free hand, so that he wouldn't be alone—but mostly because I just wanted to hug him. I didn't think he'd appreciate it too much though, so I just held tightly to his hand, and didn't plan on letting go until he told me I _had_ to.

I hadn't seen the village so full of activity before. Phelesmon was muttering to himself as he flew off to Gaia's old house, and Karatenmon was busy stuffing a bag with all the shiny objects he could find. Mummymon was trailing after Arukenimon, collecting everything she asked him to—not noticing that Arukenimon was sneakily collecting his most prized possessions that he seemed to forget about in favour of doing her bidding. Witchmon was chasing after Salem, who had suddenly got cold feet about the move, and Reapmon had collected _his_ most prized possessions: a lumpy pillow and a tattered blanket. That guy really appreciated his sleep. NeoDevimon was lurking near the Veemon, scaring the crap out of them with only a look.

Zanbamon and Tactimon were shouting orders for the rest of the village's inhabitants. The Strabimon and Flamemon's were tripping over each other. The various wizard digimon were scrambling like mad. Wisemon was mediating, awaiting our departure. There was so much to see, that I didn't know where to look at first. But my eye caught sight of Gravimon, who was hovering at the village's border. He saw me staring, but didn't make a move to come closer.

"Go to him," Rei suggested, from Willis' arms on my left. I looked down to Neo's hand that I was still clinging to. "Neo, go with Kiyoko," Rei ordered him. He didn't look like he wanted to leave Rei's side, but he agreed—probably because he'd thought she was dead, and had never imagined that she would ever tell him what to do ever again.

I dragged Neo with me to Gravimon, casting him apologetic looks every few seconds until he sighed with annoyance. "Neo," I said proudly. "This is my friend Gravimon."

" _Your_ friend?" he asked, not able to keep the shock out of his voice.

"Mine," I agreed. "Gravimon, this is Neo."

"The one that gave you a home," Gravimon said, nodding knowingly.

"He's here to bring us back," I told him. "You're going to come too, right?"

"I am unsure," Gravimon said, hesitating.

"But you promised," I reminded him. "You said you'd come with me if I got to go home."

"Kiyoko," Neo warned, but I paid him no mind. He didn't know Gravimon. He could only see his scary exterior, just like everyone else did when they first met him.

"I don't want to say goodbye," I said pitifully, looking up at my giant friend.

"You can always come back," Neo pointed out. I was pretty sure he was talking to _me_ , but he caught Gravimon's attention with his words. "We've got the key now. It's not like you can't come visit."

"I will visit your world," Gravimon decided. "If I do not like it, I will return to my forest."

"You won't want to come back," I told him, believing it wholeheartedly. I didn't ever want to say goodbye to him. He was so important to me, even though I'd only known him for four months. He'd done more for me in that short time than I thought was possible. Everyone else just put up with my cowardice and timid nature, but he pushed my boundaries and _made_ me push passed them. I wanted to share him with the other people in my life. I wanted Hideto to know him.

 _Hideto_.

"Neo," I asked, nervously. "Hideto and Mari…they made it out, right?"

"You, Willis and Rei were the only ones unaccounted for," Neo assured me. I heaved a sigh of relief. I'd been anxious that I would get to go home only to find out the people that _made_ it home were gone.

"I want to see them," I whispered, fearing that if I spoke too loudly, that the tears would return. I wanted to see them now so badly. I wanted to see Tapirmon, and I wanted to tell Hideto my speech. I tried to run through the words I wanted to say, repeating them on loop, until Neo finally declared it was time to leave.

"What's everyone doing?"

"Porcupamon," Willis said with a grin—it was forced. He felt guilty for not having remembered to go and get him. "Glad you're here buddy. We've got to say goodbye."

"We're leaving?" Porcupamon asked.

" _We_ are," Willis told him.

"Well, if you're twisting my arm, I guess I can go too," he replied with a sigh. "I've got my best toys with me." He _did_ have his arms full of toys, even if they were all broken. He must've been coming to visit with Rei. Willis shrugged.

"You can come if you want to," Willis said. "You'd be alone if you didn't."

It was true. Everyone was collected in the centre of the town. Zamielmon was even holding the lone Dolphimon that had lived in the river. He looked rather _happy_ to not be surrounded by rotting fish at the moment. After a quick headcount—and waiting a few extra minutes while Phelesmon shouted from the distance to not leave without him—we were ready to go.

Hikari tried to offer the honour of opening the gate to someone else, but Willis' arms were full of Rei, and I was clinging to Neo too tightly to even try. In the end, Norn took the opportunity to open the gate before Tactimon and Zanbamon could relight their old feud and fight over the chance.

I held my breath and memorized the look of the glowing gate as Norn opened the door. It was the most beautiful gateway I'd ever seen.

And then we were walking through it.

The Veemon and Norn went first—since she was carrying one of their own. And then Neo took the initiative to drag me through behind him. I heard Hikari volunteering to stay until the end, before I was travelling between worlds. I closed my eyes tightly, and when I opened them again I was in the hallway right outside the Council room. Daisuke's partner had been chatting with Dorumon about potential changes he _could_ make to the Knight's training, while eating a donut. His donut fell to the floor as he took in the sight of so many Veemon.

"Whoa," he said, stunned.

"Is that him?" one of the Veemon hissed to a friend.

"I think it _must_ be," his friend replied.

Willis and Rei came through the gateway behind us, and Rei squirmed until he set her down. She jumped up and down, and her eyes watered up over being able to stand once more. She smiled at her brother, and wrapped her arms around him, showering him with her happiness. "It _is_ him," she told the Veemon with a sunny smile.

"I knew it!" the first cheered. DemiVeemon hopped out of Norn's arms, and ran over to Veemon, who was still stunned at seeing so many digimon that looked just like him. I'd almost forgotten that we once thought Veemon was the last of his species.

"You're a hero," DemiVeemon accused Veemon. Veemon was too shocked to do more than nod. Norn laughed and walked over to Veemon. The sight of her was enough to shake him from his stupor.

"Norn," he gasped. "Kurayami was afraid something terrible happened to you."

"Something terrible, _did_ happen to me," she told him. "But it's over now. I'm home. Do you know where Kurayami is?"

"Not right now," he said. "She'll be home later though, I know that much."

"Maybe I can go to _my_ home and put some things in order before seeing her then," Norn mused. "You wouldn't happen to have a key, would you? I sealed it off, even to my own powers."

"I'll take you to get the key," Hikari offered her. "I have to return these ones anyway."

Veemon followed after her, excited to have her back in his life. DemiVeemon jumped back into her arms, and stuck his tongue out at the rest of his tribe, because _he_ got to go with the hero, and they didn't.

It took about five seconds before they all started tripping over themselves to catch up to them.

"Perhaps we could go outside?" Gravimon suggested. I smiled sheepishly as I realized just how cramped this hallway was. Not only was it filled to the brim with digimon, but it wasn't nearly tall enough for some of them to stand in.

"I'll lead the way," Willis offered. "I can't get to the training room from here anyway. Do you…do you think Lopmon and Terriermon are there?"

"They _should_ be," Neo told him. "Providing they follow the schedule I have posted."

"Okay, well, it wouldn't be surprising if they... weren't there," Willis said, bubbling with nervous excitement. Gravimon nodded to me, before starting to follow Willis outside.

"I'll come see you really very soon," I promised. "There are just some people I have to see first."

"I understand," he told me. And then there were just the four of us: Neo, Rei, Dorumon and I.

"Dorumon," Neo said. Dorumon jumped to attention. "Find Taichi, he's bound to be around here by now. Send him to the Council room. Tell him it's absolutely unavoidable. He _has_ to come ASAP."

"What's in there?" Dorumon asked.

"Tell him it's a surprise," Neo ordered. Dorumon saluted Neo and disappeared down the hallway. Neo turned to his sister, who was bouncing in excitement. She seemed to know what his plan was. "You can talk with him now, but promise me you will visit a hospital."

"Of course," Rei assured him.

"And perhaps we could have dinner at a later date," he was trying to seem sophisticated but he wasn't fooling anyone. He was giddy and joyous like the rest of us.

"Absolutely," Rei said. "But, you know, I haven't had a chance to cook in awhile. Maybe we could all have dinner together—you, Dracomon, Taichi, Agumon, Pal, Pul and me. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"You and I have a very different definition of the word fun," Neo drawled. But he didn't say no either. Rei winked and slipped into the Council room. Neo sighed as the door closed and turned to me. "Let's get you to Hideto," he decided. My heart was pounding; I was so excited to see him. I wanted to see Tapirmon too, a lot, but Neo would've suggested it if he happened to know where Tapirmon was. He _knew_ where Hideto could be found. That meant I could see him faster.

I was done with waiting.

Neo pulled his arm free from my own and pressed a few buttons on the computer next to the gate to Earth. In a flash of light, I found that the Temple hallway had been exchanged for a dusty office. It looked like we were in Mimi's restaurant. And Hideto had to be here too—Neo would never come here voluntarily if there wasn't a reason for it.

"Stay here," Neo told me. I nodded, even though I didn't _want_ to. Neo sure had a thing for dramatics it seemed. I hadn't known that about him. He opened the door and looked around. When he spoke again, his voice was much louder. "I see the construction team left."

"Yeah. I was just about to leave myself. What're you doing back?"

I couldn't help the silly smile that spread across my face. I could _hear_ him. I could hear Hideto! I wasn't happy with just hearing him though. I wanted to see him. I wanted to touch him. But I couldn't. Neo told me not to. I wanted to pout, but the sound of his voice just made it impossible. I'd forgotten just how deep his voice was. I'd forgotten, and I didn't like that I had. I very nearly followed Neo out the door, but I was sure the wait would prove to be worthwhile.

"I thought of a few people I could add to that stupid list of yours," Neo told him.

"You gave me seven, that's all I asked for," Hideto said, sounding confused.

"But I like to go above and beyond," Neo said sounding ridiculously full of himself. It was true though, or Neo wouldn't have said it. "I'm not mediocre. I can do better."

"Let's hear it then," Hideto challenged.

"Lalamon," Neo said. "Rei. And Kiyoko."

"Is this your way of trying to change my mind?" Hideto asked, sounding more than a little annoyed. He almost seemed angry. I didn't like that. I missed the happy tones he was using earlier. "I'm not celebrating his death. I'm not getting Kiyoko a gravestone."

I didn't like that he thought I was dead. I didn't want him to think that anymore. I slipped out of the office, even though Neo told me to stay put. Hideto's back was towards me, but Neo just smirked my way. Apparently I was still going along with his plan.

"I don't think I'd know what to do with one, if you gave it to me," I told Hideto.

I watched as his shoulders tensed up, and he stilled. Neo nodded to him, and then gestured towards me with a quick nod. Hideto slowly turned around. My mind was repeating the words of my speech once more. I needed to say it. I needed to get it out. But when he finished turning around, and his eyes met with mine, my mind went blank. Nothing mattered to me at all anymore, except him. He was there, and he was alive, and _I_ was alive. We were together once more. I was vaguely aware of Neo excusing himself, but it wouldn't have mattered if he stayed.

Hideto bridged the gap with a few long strides, and he lifted me into the air. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, and he spun me in a circle. I meant to laugh, but it came out in a choked cry. "You're alive," he said. As he spoke I became aware of the raw emotion in his voice. He placed me back on my feet and looked down at me. He was crying too. "I thought I'd lost you. I missed you. God I missed you so much!"

"I love you," I told him. That was the only part of my speech that would come to mind. So I just repeated it, over and over. "I love you. I love you. I love you." It was like I couldn't stop. He laughed and cupped my face with trembling hands.

"I love you too," he whispered. It was like a breath of fresh air to hear him say it, to know he _felt_ it. He wiped the tears from my face, and smiled down at me, through his own tears. I put my hands over his, so happy to know that like Neo, Hideto was real. Hideto was _here_. Hideto seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Let's get you home, Kiyoko."

"Yeah," I said, feeling truly peaceful for the first time in a _long_ time. "Let's go home."

 _ **Rei Saiba:**_

The anticipation was killing me.

It was like my mind couldn't cope with everything that was happening around me. I couldn't come to terms with the fact that I was _tapping_ my foot under the table, or that I was seated at this table at all. This was the Council's meeting room. I wasn't supposed to be here. I was supposed to be holed up in a hut made of clay and dead grass. I was supposed to be watching Porcupamon play with his creepy toys, and wallowing in self-pity. I was supposed to be dreading the day when the canned food ran out, and we'd have to resort to eating what the land provided.

But I wasn't doing any of that.

Instead, I was sitting at a table I'd never thought I'd see again. I was waiting to see my boyfriend, who I'd feared was dead. I had just been rescued by my brother and my boyfriend's sister. I was no longer trapped in a world of endless night. The sun was shining warmly behind me, warming my back through the window. I knew it had to be setting, but it was bright enough in my opinion. My eyes weren't used to the harsh light after having only moonlight to light my way for the past four months. If we'd come back during midday, I might've been blinded by the sun's rays.

The anticipation though, was starting to get to me.

When Neo had sent Dorumon off, I figured that meant Taichi couldn't be too far. But I'd been waiting for an hour, and Taichi _still_ wasn't here.

And because I had nothing to entertain myself except for my own thoughts, I was starting to think things I didn't _want_ to think.

What if Taichi wasn't here because he didn't want to come? What if Dorumon told him I was waiting, and Taichi decided there was somewhere else he'd rather be? I didn't want to doubt him, and I tried not to, but as the seconds continued to pass me by, the more convinced I became.

My foot was tapping, and I was practically bouncing in my seat. I was trying to focus on all the good things. So what if Taichi didn't want to come? That was fine. I had Neo back, and that was amazing. I could walk while in the Digital World still—which I had honestly doubted because it was rather selective of what it could heal some days (paralysation was no problem, but a paper cut was impossible). I could go back to not seeing my mother, out of _choice_. I could hang out with Pal and Pul, and finish knitting my Christmas presents. I could find something _else_ to do as a hobby…I could maybe even find something I wanted to do for a job.

My mind was full of possibilities, but my heart kept coming back to square one.

I bit my lip and looked to the door longingly. Where was Taichi? I sighed a sad sigh, put my elbows onto the table, and buried my face in my hands. There had to be _something_ to be happy about, something that could overcome this self inflicted misery. I didn't even know if Taichi _was_ avoiding me. For all I knew it could be a figment of my own imagination. But I didn't see Taichi swooping in to chase the thoughts away either.

I felt so stupid to be miserable about a boy. Yes, he was the man I loved, and yes, I really thought we were solid enough to find our _forever_. But he was still just a boy. I was free from the prison Gaia sealed us in when she stole our exit. I was able to walk on my own two feet. I had two digimon that meant the world to me. I had my _brother_. I had the rest of Alias III too. It didn't matter that Taichi didn't drop everything to come and see me.

Except it _did_ matter, because I'd gotten my hopes up when Neo made the suggestion to Dorumon, and I'd ran through several scenarios in my mind, and not _one_ of those scenarios involved Taichi not showing up. He was always there. He was always happy.

Maybe it was just presumptuous of me.

It had been _four months_ since we'd last seen each other. Hikari and Neo had thought I was dead. They had a small sliver of hope left for Willis and Kiyoko, but they didn't even have that much left for me. Everyone thought I'd been out in the virus and ended up alone, lost in a cloud of purple, and disintegrated into nothing.

To be honest, it was one of the most horrifying things I'd ever heard.

But it had been four months since that demise, and Taichi and I had only been dating three years. Sure we were friends for a long time before that. Sure I had thought of him as my future half the time. But three years wasn't really _that_ long.

I didn't think I'd overestimated Taichi's feelings for me…but maybe he'd had enough time to come to terms with living without me. It would really suck, but I'd put him through so much without even knowing it. I didn't _intend_ to have everyone think I was dead. It wasn't something I thought would be a fun thing to do. But I _had_ left the Coliseum when I didn't really need to, just to find him.

This was my homecoming though…

I breathed deeply, almost managing a smile at the smell of the air. It was a little dusty in the Council chamber, but there wasn't even the tiniest hint of rotten fish. That was another blessing to add to my list. I could breathe without wanting to vomit. I'd come dangerously close to being _used_ to the feeling, but I was so happy that I didn't have to.

I moved my arms from beneath my head, and let my nose touch the table top, and I breathed in deeply again. I could smell paper, and spilled ink. There was a subtle hint of something floral, and I wondered for a second if I was in Babamon's chair. The door opened while I was running my nose along the table, sniffing like a crazy person.

"I can come back later, if you'd prefer?"

I pulled my face off of the table sharply, whipping backwards so fast that I nearly knocked my chair out from under me.

"Careful!"

I was shocked to see Agumon there. It wasn't Taichi, but it was a close second. I'd missed him too. His eyes were sparkling and he had a big toothy grin on his face. I couldn't help but smile back. The moment I did, though, I burst into tears. I just couldn't control myself anymore. He looked shocked, his wide eyes looking at me panicked. I shook my head, trying to calm him. It wasn't his fault—well it _was_ , but it was a good sort of crying. I held my arms out and waved him over. He stopped freaking out and ran to me, collapsing in my arms. I cried more as I hugged him close to my chest.

"Pal and Pul will be so happy," he said. " _I'm_ so happy."

"Agumon…where's…where's Taichi?" I asked hesitantly.

"In the labs," he said. "Dorumon's trying to get him to come out. But Koushiro didn't come to work again today, so Tatum and Taichi are trying to fill his shoes. It's not working very well. If he knew it was _you_ that Dorumon wanted him for, he would've dropped everything Rei. He misses you a whole lot. We _all_ missed you a lot. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"And I didn't think I'd ever see _you_ ," I said, trying to smile and only broke into heavier sobs. Agumon cried and I cried, and it was just a mess of tears as we clutched at one another. We were both so happy. It was nice, to know that Agumon cared about me as much as I cared about him.

I didn't even know how long we stayed there like that, curled around one another, crying our eyes out. But it was very therapeutic. I cried about all the happy things that had happened just hours ago. I cried about Gaia's betrayal, which I'd internalized so that I could help the others deal with their own emotions. I cried again about the unfairness of losing my ability to walk for a second time. I cried because we'd left Astamon in a cage in the middle of a now abandoned town, and no matter how little I cared for him, I didn't want him to die alone that way.

The tears just didn't seem to ever want to end.

And oddly, I was fine with that. There was nothing wrong with crying. It was soothing to actually get all the emotions out. It wasn't healthy to lock them inside. I'd locked _some_ inside while in Witchenly, for the sake of the others. And I was making up for it now, with Agumon.

"Alphamon this is ridiculous!"

"You won't come any other way," Alphamon said solemnly. I was confused, for a moment, before realizing that Taichi was being his usual stubborn self, and refused to be drawn away from whatever project he'd been working on. Dorumon had to digivolve into Alphamon to get him to come.

I didn't know whether to be insulted or not.

I chose not to be, because he didn't actually know it was _me_ that Dorumon had been trying to get him to see.

"I can walk," Taichi said bitterly. "I'm not a sack of potatoes. Put me down. People are supposed to respect me. How can they respect a sack of potatoes?"

"You're annoying," Alphamon informed him, before opening the door and tossing him inside. "Have a good reunion," Alphamon said as he closed the door behind him.

"What're you talking about…?" Taichi wondered. It took him all of three seconds to figure it out. Agumon and I were still crying our hearts out. We weren't being quiet about it. He looked to us, and blinked twice, trying to clear his vision. He didn't seem to believe what he was seeing, so he rubbed his eyes. "Agumon…?"

"It's Rei!" Agumon cheered, pulling away from me, only to run to Taichi and fling himself into Taichi's arms. Taichi caught him, but didn't look away. His eyes were looking over every inch of me, and suddenly I felt exposed, vulnerable. I wiped my face, even though the tears were still coming, and I tried to fix my hair. It was no use though. No amount of fiddling could make me look any less like a crying mess.

"Tai—" I tried to say, but I didn't managed to get any further than that. I just couldn't form any more words. Taichi's eyes were filling with tears, and it broke my heart to see just how much pain he had been in. I got out of the chair and made my way to him, and he shifted Agumon to one side, using his free arm to pull me close. Together we held Agumon in the air, holding each other, drawing strength from one another.

"Rei," he cried. His voice broke and he sounded so lost. I felt my heart shatter even further.

"I'm here," I told him in a tear filled whisper. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Not again. Never again." The long howling cry that tore from his throat was painful to hear. He was broken and I didn't know if I could put the pieces back together again.

There was a soft rapping at the door, and when it opened I saw that it was Neo. He very pointedly made no comment on Taichi's crumpled state. He didn't even look longer than a cursory glance. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Rei, you need to get to a hospital," he informed me. "You need to get that wound checked out. It might be fine _here_ but it could be festering some sort of infection that's just waiting to rear its ugly head when you step foot through the gate to Earth."

"What wound?" Agumon asked, looking up at me with huge, curious eyes.

"I was shot," I said, whimpering once again for what Astamon had taken from me. "It paralyzed me." He looked even _more_ curious now, but I didn't feel up to explaining it just yet. Taichi didn't ask about it. I wasn't even sure he'd heard a word that Neo said. He was too overwhelmed with his emotions. I could understand that. Minutes before he arrived, I was in the exact same place.

I tried to plead with my eyes for Neo to give me even five more minutes, but he wouldn't budge. He cared more about my health than Taichi's wellbeing. I sighed, and kissed Taichi's forehead. His head was resting on my shoulder as his body wracked with sobs.

"Come with me," I told Taichi. He nodded, though I still didn't think he knew what was going on around him. I flushed bright red, embarrassed when Agumon whispered to me that Taichi didn't want to lose sight of me, not wanting to find out that I'd just been a figment of his imagination. Neo didn't seem impressed, and started to look impatient, so I slowly guided Taichi and Agumon to the door. Neo looked to Agumon, questioningly. "He's coming too," I told him. "I don't care _what_ the nurses say."

"You'll find less resistance now, actually," Neo said. "But it's not gone altogether yet."

"I'll take what I can get," I told him. "Now get me to the doctors so I can go home. I _miss_ my home."

"….it's a little messier than you remember," Agumon admitted sheepishly. "Taichi and I were reorganizing…."

"Well, I miss being able to clean my house," I said brightly, even though it wasn't something I was particularly thrilled about. I had a feeling it was going to take awhile at the hospital anyway, especially since Taichi didn't seem to be able to walk on his own anymore.

It was going to be a _long_ night.

But I'd never been happier.

 _ **Willis Kennedy:**_

I wanted to take things slowly. I wanted to maybe lie down and allow the reality of the situation to slowly sink in, but it didn't seem likely that I would be given the opportunity. I had been gone and trapped for so long—not just in Witchenly either, since Director Arnold had kept me concealed in his underground monster factory and then I'd been forced to keep myself locked away inside the Temple laboratory—that it just didn't seem realistic that I had been granted freedom.

And yet, as I stepped into the open air of the outside world, I knew I _had_ been given just that. I squinted in the light of the sun and stood at the top of the flight of stairs for just a moment, letting the freshness of the air wash over me, but I knew it would be cruel to make those who had chosen to follow me wait any longer. With Lalamon in tow I began my journey out into the freedom of the Temple, aware of the others following closely behind.

The Temple itself was just as I remembered it being. Grand, majestic and larger than life. The yellowish stones kept a sense of joy and wonderment concealed within the walls, and the beautifully patterned tiles of stone that made up the ground were quite the sight for sore eyes. Everything here was magical and in a much different, perhaps refreshing, way than everything in Witchenly had been. The one thing I could admit to being a little bitter about was that there was no one around to help the magic really come to life. The streets were bare and the air was silent. The air was still fresh, and the sky was still beautiful in its many shades of orange and pink, but the magic really wasn't there.

But I could live with that. I could live with that as long as I was allowed to bask in the sunlight as my skin relished in what it had been craving. The moonlight of Witchenly, as well as the beautiful star arrangements were astonishing, but still it wasn't right. Sunlight. That was all I had been asking for. No, I'd also been asking for freedom, fresh water, comfortable arrangements, warm water, a working toilet and my closest relatives and friends. But sunlight was still one of the things I'd been craving, and now I was here, standing in its rays. Somehow I'd always found sunsets to be more refreshing than that of a typical day, and I knew there was some magic at work there.

And I was happy that Lalamon was here to share it with me. I was happy that everyone from Witchenly was able to experience this feeling of chains and shackles being removed. Metaphorically of course. I was watching the others now as they took in a world that they could barely remember. Tactimon tried to remain poised as he stared toward the large voluminous clouds that made their way across the sky while Phelesmon stood nearby with his jaw genuinely hanging open in shock and amazement. Karatenmon was with Witchmon in the sky stretching his wings as his friend and her loud feline friend spun around him, laughing all the while, but somehow her cackle didn't have the same spooky effect without the full moon to harmonize with. Reapmon had dropped his pillow and didn't seem to care one bit as he made his way toward a nearby food stand that looked to have been long since abandoned. NeoDevimon had little reaction, but he prodded a flag that had been hastily stuck into the ground with his finger and watched as it fell limp again. Zamielmon was rushing to everything he could find while the look of joy stuck itself in place on his face, but Zanbamon, who he was trying to drag with him was staying firm in his place, despite looking quite pleased as well. I was glad they were happy, because otherwise it wouldn't have seemed worth it. But if they didn't like their new home, it wasn't impossible to send them back. And maybe this time we would leave the door open, so they didn't have to be trapped in a cage anymore.

"Can I keep this?" Porcupamon asked, catching my attention. He didn't wait for an answer and scooped a half eaten baked potato into his pile of broken toys. He wasn't a very expressive digimon, at least not outwardly, so I was not sure if he was pleased to leave the place he had found comfort in, but I could hope for the best. Gravimon stood over him seeming to be highly out of place against the much cheerier background. He stood taller and looked over the walls of the Temple, spotting some trees and without a word began to make his way toward them.

It was when I heard a whimper from my arms that I realized it was time that I got myself back into gear. I looked down to see tears falling from Lalamon's eyes. She hugged me close, not bothering to hide them and I immediately felt a response. My heart lurched forward and my throat tightened. It was time to get moving. "Okay," I said loudly to everyone. "Make this your home for now. It doesn't seem like anyone else is using it, and whenever Taichi shows up he'll tell you what to do I'm sure."

"Who is Taichi?" Tactimon asked. "Is he your god?"

"Ah, no," I said thinking my answer through carefully. "Not so much a god, but he is our leader. He kind of rules everything around here, but he won't admit to it."

"A humble ruler," Phelesmon scoffed. "As if."

"No seriously," I said, but I decided I didn't have time to argue with him. "Make yourselves comfortable. I have to go." Over his shoulder I could see Mummymon helping Arukenimon up a flight of stairs to the top of the castle wall. I wondered if they would bother to stick around or if they would continue their hiding from the Digidestined—from me. I hoped they didn't go. I would miss them.

"Where will you be off to?" Tactimon asked in a low voice.

"I have people to see," I told him simply. "I'll come see you soon, I promise."

"We will make do in your absence," he told me kindly, and weirdly—though I couldn't see his face—it sounded like he might be smiling. "Go, Willis." I nodded, feeling rather sentimental with the goodbye even if it was less permanent than anything I'd experienced emotionally lately. With a small sniffle from Lalamon I took my leave, heading to where I knew the knights would usually train.

I hugged Lalamon closer to my chest and she held tighter. She was pulling at every piece of my soul here with her emotions and I had already felt tears stinging my eyes. I felt _tortured_ being away from Terriermon and Lopmon as long as I had. It had been six months now—that was half a year. That was a _long_ time to be away from someone who made up the better half of yourself. Lalamon had experienced that same fate, but for three years. I'd lived through that before, I'd been forced to say a 'final' farewell to my partners when Gennai decided he was done with us, and it was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. I knew how Lalamon felt, and I was going to make sure she got back to Mari.

"Willis," Lalamon said in a quiet voice. "I'm scared."

I looked down to her in shock and stopped moving. "What are you talking about?"

"What if Mari has accepted my death?" she asked in a very direct and yet timid voice. She had been thinking about this a lot, that much was certain. "What if she has moved on and can't find an opening in her heart for me."

"You don't need to worry about that," I promised. "Letting go of a partner isn't that easy. She loves you, Lalamon, and she would never forget that." She nodded, but seemed worried still and she hugged me again. "I'll bring you to her soon, I promise." She nodded again, but as I took a step to keep moving she pressed on my chest and looked up. "What's wrong?"

"Can you wait just a minute," she pleaded. "The sunlight feels so nice." I smiled and silently agreed, turning to look back to the beautiful sky above us. Lalamon climbed out of my arms and hovered in the air, still wearing that heinous cloak that she loved so much and yet she finally decided she was warm enough to remove it, or so it seemed. She undid the button keeping it together and it fell to a heap on the ground. She remained air born for a moment with her arms stretched wide, absorbing the light from the sun. "I'll never sleep in again," she said in a relaxed voice. "I'll never miss a minute of the sun's light."

"You say that now," I told her with a grin. "But just wait until you stay up late tonight talking to Mari, you'll sleep all day tomorrow."

"Not a chance," she said with a little giggle at the prospect of spending that time with her partner. I was a little jealous that Lalamon would be so easily accepted into Mari's life again, when the last thing she'd said to me was that she didn't love me and didn't believe she ever would because she didn't think love existed at all in the romantic sense. That sucked for me because I disagreed. I knew I disagreed because whatever _love_ really meant, I felt it for her. But whatever tiny seed of jealousy that was threatening to grow inside of me was nothing compared to the sheer delight at having my freedom back, and seeing Lalamon's expression as she waited in the sunlight. She suddenly turned to me and closed the distance between us. "But we'd better get going. I'll bet Mari would love to watch the sunset."

I agreed, but said nothing and instead hurried along. Lalamon's talk was exactly what I needed to give me the courage and drive to keep moving forward. It didn't stop my heart from beating faster and harder with every step I took. My throat was still tight as I tried to shake off the nerves and weakness that was taking over my body. I could feel sweat building up on my face and I was suddenly aware of how disgusting I probably looked.

But I kept going anyway, because this was important.

I pushed gently on the door that was propped slightly open and peered inside.

"No, that's not right," Centarumon was saying. He was standing facing toward the door where I had come but he was at the other side of the meadow-room. The grass that made up the floor was softer and greener than I remembered it being. The vegetation in Witchenly, though still a wonderful change of pace for the damaged world that it was, could not hold a candle to the grass I saw now. Even the ivy and leaves that made up the outer walls of the massive room caught my attention by their complete beauty. Everything seemed surreal now, having been in a world with such little life. "You need to become more fluid."

"I _am_ fluid," a small voice said, tugging at my heart. My stomach flipped at the sound of his voice and I looked down to see him standing with his back to me. "I'm fluid like water."

"Like frozen water," Centarumon corrected. "You will never win a fight if you cannot glide between your foes."

"I've won _loads_ of fights, you overgrown donkey," Terriermon spat.

"Terriermon," a higher voice prodded gently. I looked to the brown and pink rabbit digimon as she moved to console her brother. My heart fluttered at the sight of her. "No need to be rude. He's not wrong though. You're moving like a board." Wizardmon snorted into the bottle of water he was drinking from and spat some of that water onto the nearby Andromon who sparked at the contact and both digimon stared to the flying lights.

"Why don't _you_ do it then, if you're so majestic," Terriermon offered. "You're obviously better at being a ballerina."

"No one is asking you to be a ballerina," Lopmon snapped. "You just need to take constructive criticism more _constructively_."

"Fine," Terriermon said in a daring voice. It was then that I noticed just how wide my smile had grown. My legs were shaking from excitement, nerves, hunger and exhaustion and the rest of my body felt just as weak and hollow, but my chest was filling with such a feeling that I could barely comprehend. I watched with a very wide stare, afraid to blink in case I were to wake up in Witchenly to discover it had all been a dream. I could not let them out of my sights. Not again. Lalamon squeezed my arm gently and I noticed that maybe a tear or two had fallen from my eyes, but I ignored them in favour of Terriermon taking another attempt at his lesson. He crouched down and leapt into the air, flipping over Agumon's head and landing firmly next to Gabumon before spinning smoothly and getting around the second digimon and then all at once he spun back and took a fighting stance. He stayed stationary for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Well?"

"Better," Lopmon said, but it didn't sound very convincing.

"Just tell me what to change!" Terriermon growled.

"It's fine," Lopmon said sharply. "You did fine."

"I think your ears may have gotten in the way," I offered with as strong a voice as I could muster. "Or maybe you're just not the ballerina I always thought you were." My excitement had gotten the better of me and I had simply blurted out my words. All eyes were on me and my weakness got the better of me. My legs gave out and I had fallen to my knees in the soft ground. Terriermon and Lopmon were the only ones that mattered at that moment, and even though everyone was staring at me, the way they were doing it seemed much more _real_.

Their confusion turned to fear, but that was where they differed. Lopmon's fear quickly turned to relief and she rushed across the room toward me, while Terriermon fell to his own knees, mirroring me in whatever he was feeling. I pulled myself to my feet and met Lopmon halfway. She leapt into my arms and let out an ugly sob. I didn't even care, because I knew I was an ugly crier too. She hugged me with her eyes shut tight and it just seemed to change everything. I didn't fear waking back up in Witchenly because I knew that _this_ was a reality. I knew that the softness of Lopmon's fur against the palm of my hand was something that could never be conjured up even by the cruelest of dreams. When I looked back to Terriermon I saw that he was crying, but trying his hardest not to.

I didn't bother waiting any longer and I made my way over to him.

"Willis," he said in a very choked off voice. "Where the _hell_ have you been?" I snorted and reached to him with my free hand and dragged him into the hug. Terriermon scrunched up his nose and pushed himself further into the hug. We remained still and silent—other than the array of disgusting cries—for a while until the stares of the others started to feel more pressing and valid.

"We can't stay here long," I told them in a quiet voice. "There's something important I have to do."

"More important than being with us?" Terriermon asked, cocking one brow upward.

"No," I assured him, ruffling the fur on his head. "You're coming with me, but this might be just as important."

Lopmon sniffled and pulled out of the hug, looking up to me. "W-what is it?" I looked back to the doorway where Lalamon was standing nervously, peeking around the wooden door to our moment. Lopmon punched me as hard as she could in the arm and I gasped, jumping back from the sharp pain, "Sorry, I panicked!" Lopmon said in a loud voice "Why are you still _here_? What about Mari? Oh my _god_! What happened? Where were you?" She was looking to me with wide excited eyes and her voice was getting higher and her words were coming quicker. "Don't you dare answer that—we have to go!" She looked up to Centarumon and waved. "Seriously we're leaving. Right now." Centarumon nodded his understanding and Lopmon grabbed Terriermon's hand.

"You're going to answer the questions eventually, right?" Terriermon asked, grabbing my pant leg as if he were afraid I'd leave his side.

"Absolutely," I promised, reaching down to lift the two of them to my shoulders. "I told you, you're coming with me everywhere from now on. You don't have any idea how much I've missed you."

"Well since you're crying," Lopmon said, rolling her eyes.

"And I mean, we were away from you just as long," Terriermon joined the drawling sarcasm his sister had tossed out.

"Okay, so maybe you do."

"But we don't understand as much as you do," Lopmon said, and it wasn't a question of who she was talking to. We had reached Lalamon and she was looking up to the three of us. "I think it's time to get to Mari," Lopmon suggested. Lalamon was immediately responding with too many emotions to count or to be fully aware of. My weakness and nervousness had gone—though the elated feeling of excitement and the intensified emotional state I was in weren't going anywhere—but Lalamon had still not met up with that release. She was still here, waiting for her reunion. It was selfish of me to choose my partners before hers. But there was nothing standing in her way anymore.

Not a single thing would stop her and Mari from seeing each other again, and that was an amazing sensation. Mari had waited a long time to feel something good—and sure I'd been gone for four months, but it didn't seem likely that with the assumption that Kiyoko was dead she felt particularly good about life. I wanted to think that maybe my loss meant something to her too, but that was selfish again—selfish and _horrible_ because I didn't want her to feel sad, especially not on my account.

But we would soon find out the truth.

The sun had fully set now and we were walking through darkness, and while that should have sent chills down my mind and rushed bad memories into the forefront of my mind, I couldn't forget where I was and what I had just experienced. I would never forget the joy of seeing them again. And I wasn't kidding when I said I'd never let them leave my side again. But I was sure that would fade soon enough.

Lopmon was assuring Lalamon that she was going to be okay, even though she was shaking again, and Terriermon was cracking jokes, trying to cheer her up, but nothing seemed to be working. I knew what _would_ work though. I was quick to program the door to the library, knowing that was where Mari would be, and soon we were stepping into the streets of Ebisu, staring up at the beautiful building that Mari now lived in.

"What's this?" Lalamon asked in a worried voice, looking around for the dingy apartment that Mari used to live in. "Why are we at the library."

"Mari lives here now," Terriermon explained. "So I guess that means you do too."

"Welcome home, Lalamon," Lopmon said with a bright voice. Lalamon looked to her and nodded, though she seemed more worried than anything. And then we set off, moving toward the doorway. I didn't bother knocking because the lights were out. If she was home, she would be in her room likely. I didn't know where that was, but I was sure we'd find it eventually.

I held the door open for Lalamon and looked out to the empty streets shining the faint light of the tiny moon up in the sky. I closed the door gently and turned back to the entrance hallway. The excitement that I'd felt coming up to Terriermon and Lopmon was back, even though the two of them had chosen that moment to climb off of my shoulders. I was excited to see Mari again, sure. But I was more excited _for_ Mari.

I was walking faster than the others, and I was somewhat aware of that, but it didn't seem to matter to me. I just wanted to see her; to be sure she was alive. It was different to hear the truth than it was to see the truth.

It didn't take long to find out though.

As I came around the corner I saw her standing there. The lights were out everywhere in the building aside from the light pouring across the kitchen from the open refrigerator. Mari was standing in the light, bent over slightly as she looked inside. There was total silence in the air now and I moved toward the gate that led to the wooden kitchen floor. I didn't think twice about anything either, I simply wanted to see her face, and I wanted her to see mine.

When my clunky boot stepped down on the wooden floor Mari cocked her head slightly and her bushy ponytail fell over her shoulder. "Oh good you're back," she said. "I haven't any idea what to cook."

I didn't respond. I didn't know _what_ to say. There were so many things flying around in my brain, and most of them involved me leaving right now. I'd heard her voice. That was enough. It wasn't fair for me to be here when Lalamon deserved the moment more than I did. I was just turning to leave when Mari, seemingly confused as to why she had received no answer, turned to face me.

Her entire body went stiff as the door to the refrigerator slammed shut. Her eyes were wide and her hand was hovering in front of her, frozen in place. I'd never known Mari to be at a loss for words.

"Oh Mari," I said in a wavering voice, deciding that the best course of action would be to quote her when she'd rescued me from Arnold's prison. "You're here? I totally didn't know—" Mari had already closed the gap between the two of us and placed her hand on my face, feeling my skin with her gentle touch. I swallowed thickly and the stinging in my eyes was back. Mari tried several times to form words, but instead her lips pursed and tears welled up in her eyes.

I pulled her sharply, closing what little distance was left and hugged her. She nervously threw her arms around my neck and waited. A feeling I wasn't familiar with began flooding through my body in a way that I could not grasp, but it did not come alone. The warmth was traced with guilt and anger at myself, and I knew that this moment that I wanted to last forever, could last not a second longer. I pulled away and pushed her back. "Mari," she still didn't say anything. "I missed you... but there's someone else you should see."

"Kiyoko," Mari breathed in a hopeful voice, but as I stepped back she turned her sights to the darkness of the living room. She stared as her eyes adjusted and Terriermon and Lopmon stepped aside to reveal Lalamon. Mari's hands both grabbed my arm tightly as shock and anger shot through her. I winced at the touch but did not object. And then her hands had fallen, and whatever was holding back her tears before had dissipated, because she was crying now. Her breathing was hasty and choppy and she turned her sights on me and in a very firm voice she simply said, "No."

"Yes," I assured her, taking her into my arms and staring into her watery eyes. "I know it's crazy. I know it's insane—but that's her." Mari shook her head again and her breathing quickened again until it seemed she might fall into a full blown panic attack, but she turned from me again and looked back to Lalamon who was crying now.

Mari took one step forward, but it was clear she was having trouble. Her legs shook and she caught herself on the counter before rushing forward, not caring about her balance. She fell, but it didn't matter because she had come close enough. She was next to Lalamon and she held her face in her hands for a second, staring at her in disbelief, but the moment Lalamon had reached out to stroke Mari's shoulder she had begun to cry loudly.

My heart reeled with many emotions, but I knew it would never do justice to Mari's feelings now.

Lalamon was entirely weeping now as she held onto the woman who she had longed for longer than she should have been able to. Both showed no signs of speaking, only crying, and when I caught sight of Terrimon, who was consoling a crying Lopmon, he motioned to the door. He was right. We had no right to be here anymore.

It was time to go and leave Mari to be alone—alone with Lalamon, like she'd always wanted.

I slipped past her and nodded to Terriermon who began leading Lopmon down the entrance hallway, but I felt a hand on my wrist and I turned back to see Mari, her eyes filled with tears. "Wait," she said, her voice thick. Lalamon's hand was held tightly in Mari's because she wasn't going to let her go just yet. "Willis," Mari took a long uneven breath and wiped her face. "Waiting sucks." That was all she said before she leaned forward and kissed me full on the mouth.

Again my heart fluttered and I kissed her back, realizing that this was something I'd been wanted for a _long_ time. A moment later my hands were in her hair, and around her waist, but it did not last nearly long enough. She had pulled back and looked me in the eyes. Her eyes shifted to Lalamon for a moment and then a smile broke out on her face, and soon laughter overtook her.

Lalamon nervously joined in, creeping toward Mari to hug her. Terriermon was stifling his own giggles behind me, and soon a smile had worked its way onto my own face as well. Then Mari turned to me with a very serious expression. "You can go now. Go see your mother. Tell her I'm sorry."

"Oh—r-right," I said not fully understanding, but turning awkwardly anyway. Mari stopped me though, grabbing my hand and holding it for a moment. I looked back and saw the tears staining her cheeks. I smiled back and her and understood. She needed this time. I would give her that. She deserved that much at least.

And besides. It was able now to spend time with Terriermon and Lopmon—I'd waited six months for this moment.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Now that the Witchenly team has finally back in the world of the normal, the team is all back together and the true darkness is preparing to show its power.


	21. Celebration

**Y/N:** I'll be completely honest and admit that I wrote this chapter so long ago that I honestly am not sure what all went into Natsuni's part. I know _one_ thing, and I was really excited about it. She gets to hang out with a strange collection of people, which was fun and different to write. I'm pretty sure I actually liked this one, so I hope you like it too.

 **U/N:** I do know that TK's chapter has Kari in it, and I think Jenna? I don't really know but I know it's hard to write TK for me, so that's something I'll say. We've finally got everyone back in one place and it's a good feeling. Hoping the story is as I remember and it really does lighten up a bit from the previous arc...

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 21: Celebration**

 _ **Natsuni Hida:**_

The Temple was the liveliest it had been since before the virus had been sent out. There were banners hung around Main Square, and balloons taped to the walls. There were tables upon tables of food lining up down each of the main streets that branched off of Main Square. There were a lot of hungry mouths to feed. And it was a celebration.

Kiyoko, Rei, Willis and _Lalamon_ were back!

We certainly had a lot to celebrate. It was almost overwhelming just how many people came for the event. Most of the digidestined were present and accounted for, except for Mari, who had elected not to come in favour of spending more time alone with Lalamon—which everyone understood. With the exception of Lalamon, all of the digidestined's digimon were here too. And then Tatum, Rei, Momoe and I were here with _our_ digimon partners. Chiziru had brought Masa and Dansei, with Kunemon and Pumpkinmon, and Mantarou was here with Gotsumon. Shuu and Jun had brought Meramon, Otamamon and Gekomon—who they went to collect just for the party. The frog digimon was over the moon with how excited he was to be invited. It was adorable.

Shin had come with the fight club. For the most part, the fight club had found a place in a corner and had stayed there, keeping to themselves, and laughing with their digimon. Shin and his Jagamon had drawn a curious Emiko over, and Monmon was having a ball with ToyAgumon. Jou went and talked with him for awhile, dragging Iori with him. It was funny how reluctant Iori was to talk to the new people, but I knew he'd get along with them pretty well. I was right. Within ten minutes, he was talking to them like they'd been friends for years.

Team Mom had congregated around Kiyoko. I could barely see him through the crowd. Yuuko, Yoshie, Satoe, Toshiko, Natsuko and Kae were with Dorumon, Kamemon, Digitamamon, Minervamon, Mushroomon, Lunamon and Coronamon, and every last one of them was looking way up to the face of Kiyoko's new friend, Gravimon. I was a little intimidated by the digimon, I wasn't going to lie. But they were all smiling at him, and thanking him for taking care of Kiyoko. Hideto was among them too. I could see him, towering above the mothers. Warg, Melga and Tapirmon were bound to be close by too. But I couldn't see them through the crowd either.

Neo was sitting on a chair he'd sanitized, and was sipping at a coffee, trying not to flinch anytime anyone got too close to him. I had a feeling he wasn't partial to crowds. But Rei was, and she was seated next to him. She had a glass of punch, and had put a tray of treats in the middle of the table they were seated at. Since we'd all thought Rei was dead, she was kind of a magnet for guests, drawing attention like nobody's business. Neo didn't seem to appreciate it, but Rei was a social butterfly, revelling in the attention. Neo wasn't about to leave his sister though, after getting her back. Taichi was at her other side, and I knew he wouldn't be leaving her either. Agumon and Dracomon had long ditched their partners in favour of playing games with Armadillomon and Patamon. Pal and Pul were too anxious to leave Rei's side, however, and were gorging themselves on the treats she'd brought over instead.

The majority of the Knights were hanging out over with Willis and Kiyoko's Witchenly friends. I saw Kotemon listening to an enthusiastic Phelesmon politely, not looking bored even a little bit, though everyone else did. Witchmon was standing a little ways away from the rest, talking to Wizardmon, surrounded by similarly styled digimon. Wizardmon looked so _happy_ to be surrounded by other wizard type digimon. Dorumon was talking seriously with Tactimon about all of his ideas, hoping for—but not getting—Tactimon's praise. Tactimon seemed more confused than anything. I wondered if Dorumon even bothered explaining what he was talking about, or if he'd just jumped right in and expected Tactimon to keep up. Andromon was standing in companionable silence with a NeoDevimon, while Centarumon spoke with Zanbamon. Wormmon and Ken were talking with Arukenimon and Mummymon. Hikari was with them, smiling encouragingly, hoping that the two digimon wouldn't decide to leave. Veemon was running around with Labramon and the numerous new Veemon, playing tag. Currently the poor little DemiVeemon was 'it' and he was having a tough go at it. I watched as Labramon slowed down 'coincidentally' just in time for DemiVeemon to pounce on him, laughing like he'd just accomplished something very clever.

Fumiko, Haruka, Aimi, her three daughters—Cho, Eri and Kazue—Momoe, Goblimon, Bearmon and my father were serving the smaller digimon, who couldn't reach the food. It was baffling to see how many digimon made the journey back from the Coliseum to the Temple _just_ because there was going to be a party. It was nice though, so see them returning to their homes, however slowly.

Sora was unable to attend. She couldn't leave the house without setting off her ankle monitor, and we were fairly sure leaving the _world_ was a big violation of the terms of her bail. Mantarou was taking pictures for her, while Gotsumon played, and Biyomon had put together a little doggy bag so that Sora could have some of the treats that Mimi, Hideto, Izumi and Daisuke had created with the help of Team Mom.

Gatomon was perched up on the wall, watching everything happen around her, and avoiding the pieces of popcorn that Yamato's girlfriend Amai was tossing her way—just in case she was hungry. The Teenage Wolves thought it was hilarious, but Yamato was trying to convince her that _maybe_ Gatomon could find her own food if she was hungry, and that Amai could maybe just _leave her alone_. Her DemiDevimon was nodding along very quickly, trying to show just how much he agreed with Yamato's decision.

Gabumon was seated with Gomamon, eating their meals in peace. Goblimon had a plate in his hand and was headed their direction, holding a plate for Tentomon as well, who was having trouble flying and holding it at the same time. I smiled in his direction, so happy with his thoughtfulness. Kurayami sat with them too, with a hungry Haruki, and Hawkmon followed suit with his little Poramon. Wherever Kurayami went, Norn was soon to follow, and a strange little digimon that Willis had befriended from Witchenly, called Porcupamon, came along too. Evidently, they'd known each other from the past, but I wasn't about to pry to find out their story. They'd tell me if they wanted me to know.

Despite Tatum insisting that her parents didn't _need_ to come, they came to enjoy the party. They were sitting with Michael's father, and Willis' mother. Willis's mother couldn't seem to take her eyes off her son. If ever she lost sight of him, she had a moment of panic until she caught sight of him again. Willis' eye was twitching at the level of her attention. Jenna was laughing at him, but I knew she too had missed Willis, and was over the moon now that he was back.

Tatum was hiding from her parents by sitting with the digidestined's fathers. Haruhiko and her were talking about work, and getting a lot of good natured heckling for it. Isao, Hiroaki, Masami, Keisuke and Kazuya were all having a great time of things, but Okotte was looking as miserable as ever.

Meiyomon and his siblings were all gathered together, and were having a riot, showing off for the Temple digimon that had braved the return trip. Unimon was somewhere in the crowd, but I'd lost sight of him awhile back. He was a lone digimon, and he had probably slipped off to have a few moments without everyone else accidently bumping into him. Takeru and Koushiro were around somewhere too, but I couldn't find them either.

Daisuke and Mimi were in the kitchens still with Palmon, Izumi, Tomoki, Yuudai, and the remaining Dark Spore Children—Keiko, Hiroshi and Takashi. They were trying to keep up with the demand, but Hideto had pulled Yuudai in to replace him when his tolerance of being away from Kiyoko had run out. He didn't like leaving out of sight anymore than Willis' mom did for Willis.

Leomon, Ogremon, MetalifeKuwagamon, Betamon, Katsue and Monimon were hanging out with three more Witchenly digimon: Reapmon, Karatenmon and Zamielmon, hovering near the food without taking any. Kudamon and Monodramon were with Tinkermon, Petermon, and CaptainHookmon in the lineup, waiting for their meal, while Miyako wandered slowly behind them. She would've liked to be with her daughter, but it wasn't every day that four of your friends came back from the dead, so she had dragged herself out here to enjoy the fun—even if it wasn't really working for her.

Babamon and her husband were being too cute for words, and were acting like the old married couple they were. He pulled her chair out for her and everything. It was adorable. She even blushed when he did it. I hoped Iori and I were still that happy and in love when _we_ got to be old.

As for me, I was sitting on the ground, with my back against a wall, balancing my plate on my lap. Michael was spread out next to me, chatting away. "I mean, they didn't have to be so mean about it, but I guess I was kind of rude, don't you think? Maybe they _are_ trying to help. I don't actually know much about them. Do you?"

"Not really," I said, guessing that he was still ranting about his aunts.

"I didn't really think so," he sighed. "Don't they actually get along with Iori? Maybe _he_ could ask them for help. We might get more favourable results."

"They _might_ , but I'm having a hard time prying him away from Sora's case even for sleep," I said, frowning. "He's really putting pressure on himself for this one. I think that he'll deem himself a failure if this doesn't work."

"Hey now," Michael said, rubbing Lopmon's head. She was seated in his lap and was dozing a little after filling her stomach so completely. "We're going to win this. Don't even _think_ we won't. We've got this."

"Do we really?" I asked, desperately. I'd been working as best I could to keep up with Iori, but I wasn't a lawyer, and all I had managed to learn was that I never wanted to become one. The law was dense to read through, and there was so much left up to chance. If we couldn't put together the _right_ amount of evidence and a solid defense, we could actually lose. I'd spent two months piecing together a case against Moretsuna, and it was useless now. And I didn't know how to help Iori, beside cooking meals to force him to eat, and dragging him to bed at night. He needed to sleep, in order to keep his mind functioning properly. But the stress was really getting to him.

And there was still a month or so to go before the trial arrived.

I didn't know how I was going to keep him calm for that long. Armadillomon was doing the best he could to help me, but he really didn't understand everything that was going on. Gatomon was reading him Iori's textbooks whenever Iori wasn't using them, in the hopes that he could learn enough to help him along. But it was slow going. He had the tendency to fall asleep while she was reading. Gatomon seemed to be able to keep up with what Iori was saying at the very least.

Hikari had been gone so often lately that Gatomon didn't have much else to entertain herself with, besides taking naps. And there was only so much that even Gatomon could sleep in a day.

"We've got a better chance than those other guys," Michael decided. "We've got the _truth_ in our corner. We can't lose."

"If you say so," I sighed.

"Do you think my aunts would help if I apologized for being rude to them?" he asked. "I could probably do that. I _should_ do it, even if I feel justified. I should be the better person, and rise above my strife. They're my family, after all."

"That doesn't always matter," I pointed out. I was referring to his evil grandparents, Sigma and Gaia—and even Yggdrasil was in his family tree somewhere—but I was pretty sure his mind went to my mother, just because it was _me_ that was saying it.

"They're in the middle of a divorce, aren't they," he murmured. "How're you dealing with it?"

"Fine," I said honestly. "She's my mother, you know? She's always been horrible. She trained me to be a docile housewife without any dreams of my own. I still don't know what I want to do with my life, but I'll find _something_ that makes me happy, so long as I'm not _just_ a housewife."

"Can't let her win," Michael agreed. "I wonder if my mom would've been proud of my acting career. I mean, there hasn't been _that_ many roles yet, but I'm building up a small resume."

"You'll be one of the biggest stars yet," I teased him. "I'll go to all of your movies opening night."

"Will you?" Michael asked, sounding so unsure that I couldn't help but smile and nod genuinely.

"I'd probably do it anyway," I told him. "I _love_ movies. But your movies will be special, because I know you. It'll be amazing to really be able to watch you transform into different characters. And I get to go along with the ride from the very beginning. How cool is that?"

"So I take it you're my number one fan?" he asked, jokingly.

"Pretty sure that's still Tatum, dude," Willis said, flopping into a chair next to him. "She's been to all of the _premieres_." Michael had to accept that. It was the truth.

"Hey, did you know that Chi's actually a digimon," Michael asked, looking to Willis with an incredulous look on his face. "It totally blew my mind."

"It was pretty obvious, wasn't it?" Willis asked. Michael looked put out by the fact that Willis already knew this strange—and rather spectacular really—news. "Tatum didn't guess?" Willis asked. Michael shook his head.

"Where is Tatum, anyway?" Michael asked. "I want to go to Sidhendor to apologize to my aunts…but I don't want to go alone."

"Does it have to be right now?" I asked. "She's talking with Haruhiko about work."

"She's always working lately," Michael said with a pout.

"She's picking up all of Koushiro's missed shifts. Something's going on with him, and no one can figure it out," I said, trying not to sound like I was gossiping, but there was really no other way to word it. "Everyone's getting worried. But he refuses to admit to any sort of problem. Taichi's sure he's just stressed out though, because we can't find Gaia anywhere. I hope that's all it is."

"Maybe Mimi will come," Michael sighed. "I don't want to wait. I'll lose my nerve."

"Mimi's in the kitchen," Willis pointed out. "She's cooking to feed what basically equates to an army. She's not going to stop to go on a side quest."

"And Hideto's not going anywhere," I told him, before he could even suggest it. "Kiyoko just got back to Earth, and unless you can convince _him_ to leave his new friends and Team Mom, and this party being thrown partially in his honour, then Hideto's going to stay exactly where he is."

"Not fair," Michael whined, before realizing how childish he sounded and cleared his throat. Willis and I laughed at him and he flushed bright red. Lopmon's eyes peeked open at the sound of our laughter, and she started looking around for Willis. When she saw him, she leaped off of Michael's lap and snuggled up to him.

"What about Lopmon?" I wondered.

"What _about_ her?" Willis asked.

"She went with me," Michael said. "She knows the world."

"Sidhendor?" Lopmon said without questioning Michael at all. "I know it. It's a cool place. It might be better now that the spell's gone."

"Do you want to go?" Michael asked excitedly.

"Not without Willis or Terriermon," Lopmon sighed. "I didn't like being away from them."

"I'll go," I said, before Michael's shoulders could slump too much more. "I've never been to Sidhendor, but maybe you can show me the ropes."

"I'd kind of like to get out of here too," Willis agreed. "I missed Mom too, and I love her, don't get me wrong. But she's suffocating me. I need a break. Just…don't get us trapped there, okay? I just got home."

"B-bu-but Terriermon," Lopmon pointed out. She reached out with her tiny hand to point over to her brother, who had just finished getting food handed down to him by my father. His plate was piled high—his second plate of the night—and was toddling his way through the crowd, trying to keep his plate balanced as he went.

"He can come too," Willis suggested. "It'll be like a family vacation, me and my twins. It sounds like fun."

Willis and Lopmon explained the situation to Terriermon when he finally made it to us, and Michael bit his lip the entire time, afraid that Terriermon would say no, and ruin the whole thing. I _could_ have felt offended, because I'd already signed on to join him on his journey, but I didn't. He'd missed Willis just as much as anybody— _more_ than most actually. It was only natural that he'd want to take Willis with him.

Eventually Terriermon agreed to come along, but _only_ if he could bring his food with him. We tried to convince him that he could stay _here_ and eat it before we left, but he was too excited about going on an adventure _with Willis_ to even give it a second thought. I headed over to tell Iori that I was leaving, while Michael went to Tatum. Willis had to inform his mother, and then he also had to tell his step-father, Jenna, Hikari and Taichi, _just_ so that no one would think he was missing again, while we went on our short trip.

I hoped it was short anyway.

We met up in the hallway outside the Council chamber, and headed down to the room where the Digimentals and keys were held. Michael picked out the intricate fairy winged key, and made a big show of taking the key to the Digital World as well, making sure everyone saw him put it in his pocket, so that we wouldn't worry about getting stuck there. I rolled my eyes, but I was also comforted by the knowledge. I was a little anxious about inter-world travel. I'd even had reservations with coming to the Digital World for the party, but since my family went—including my father, who had nothing to do with digimon until a couple of months ago—I figured I might as well too. If we were going to get stuck, at least we be stuck together.

And since we were officially kicked out of the library, the Temple was the only place we could really use as a home base, which meant I was going to have to get used to the idea of travelling between the worlds on the daily anyway.

The trip through the gate left me slightly nauseous, but the view of the world that I saw when I opened my clenched eyes was spectacular. The sky seemed to glow without a light source, and everything was in such vivid colours.

"We lived in that house over there," Lopmon said. "Just for a couple of weeks though. The lady that owned it treated Michael like a slave, and didn't even seem to notice that I existed most of the time. Michael weeded her garden and pulled out all the vegetables."

"I wasn't given any instructions," Michael said, flushing in embarrassment. Then he pointed to the forest. "Tatum found a house full of bears in there. And a wolf chased Mimi through the woods every day. And _someone_ took naps constantly out there, despite the danger and constant warnings."

"I was in a fairy tale, Michael," Lopmon said defensively. "It's not _my_ fault I couldn't beat that turtle. I could beat him if we raced _now_. Slow and steady would _not_ win that race."

"You lost to a turtle?" Willis asked, snickering to himself. Terriermon's mouth was stuffed full, but he took the time to laugh too. Lopmon huffed and crossed her arms.

"Tatum and Hideto fell down a hill when they were meant to be fetching water," she pointed out. "And Michael ate an apple even though he was told specifically _not_ to."

"It looked so tasty," Michael said. "It _wasn't_. It was poisoned, but Tatum kissed me to life, so everything turned out fine. I wasn't the one that got attacked by a fly."

"It was of monstrous proportions!" Lopmon hissed, looking around like she still expected a giant fly to come out and get her. When nothing happened she sighed in relief and turned towards a large castle in the distance. "We should probably get going."

She led us along the path to the town, pointing out the house they bought with the eggs laid by Hideto's goose Lucy. They gave us a quick tour, and showed us all the strange clothing they'd accumulated. Michael checked to see that the goose was gone—probably out wandering for food, he'd said—but there was a large pile of golden eggs in her pen, which told us that she came back when it was time to lay. Then Lopmon brought us to the market place, where Michael bought us weirdly coloured fruits in all sorts of shapes. He recommended his favourites, and told us which to stay away from—which Willis took as a challenge, and ate anyway, much to his regret.

"Mimi almost got married to some random girl because she made her smile down that street there," Lopmon commented, pointing down a path. "We almost got our heads chopped off when she said no."

"If only getting Iori to marry me was so easy," I sighed, fiddling with my rings without even thinking about it. Michael's eyes narrowed in on them.

"You're married," he said flatly. "And you didn't think to tell us?"

"I get that _I_ didn't know," Willis said. "Because I'm _me_ , and I was in Witchenly, but seriously, you didn't tell _Michael_? I thought he was best buddies with everyone now."

"Iori agreed to babysit my future children and everything," Michael said, nodding his head. The two looked to Lopmon and Terriermon and they shrugged, and shook their head, because they too did not know about my surprise nuptials.

"We didn't tell anyone," I said defensively. "Jou knew, because he was there, and so was Hikari. My dad knows and Iori's mom too. Other than that, we didn't tell anyone. We're kind of waiting for Sora to guess, you know? It only took her three years to figure out that we were _dating_ in secret. We're speculating one and a half years will be long enough to guess the marriage. We're both wearing rings, after all. They're kind of evidence."

"I know something _before_ everyone else?" Willis asked, sounding shocked. "This feels….strange."

"No kidding," Terriermon joked.

"Let's go, Mrs Hida," Michael suggested, holding his arm out for me to take. I did so, and we were off again. Lopmon was filling the silences with more stories of their time in this world, and finally, we were within the palace gates. They were wide open; something which Michael assured me wasn't the case when Morganna claimed to be the queen. We wandered through the palace courtyards, and Lopmon pointed out where she was turned into a dragon—which was quite frankly difficult to imagine—and where Morganna had taken her final stand before being defeated. Michael brought us into the throne room—where he'd nearly been crowned king, before Winter showed up and took the burden for him.

Winter, Summer and Spring were all seated in chairs at the head of the room. There was a little raised area, where their chairs were. Instead of being in a line, however, they had the chairs curled towards each other, so they could look at the other person while they were talking. There was a fourth person present as well, and he was seated on the floor, away from the thrones, on a pillow—it was a rather luxurious pillow, but it was still just a pillow.

"Hello," Michael called. The three women turned to look our way in one sharp movement. The man on the pillow was slower to turn, but he was also the happiest looking to have visitors.

"Michael," the man said jovially.

"It's good to see you Merlin," Michael said with a grin.

"And Lopmon's here too," Merlin said, giving Lopmon a soft smile. She looked embarrassed by his attention. "And new friends?"

"Natsuni _Hida_ , Terriermon and my brother Willis Kennedy," Michael said proudly. Summer's eyes lit up at the sound of my new last name, but she didn't interrupt.

"What brings you all to Winter's court?" Merlin asked.

"I came to apologize," Michael said sheepishly. "I was rude, and I didn't mean to be. They made me frustrated, and I didn't handle it as well as I should have."

"Apology accepted," Summer said before Winter could even _think_ to open her mouth. Spring nodded along, causing her curls to bounce. "I too am sorry for how short we were with you. We are stressed as well, young nephew. We are trying to piece together this proud empire that has been left in shambles after Merlin and Morganna's scuffles. It's been nice to have Merlin at my side again, helping us along this unknown path that we must travel now."

"It doesn't help that she wants to be with the man of her dreams," Spring said with a snicker.

"Yume has nothing to do with my desire to return to the _Land_ of Dreams," Summer insisted, flushing prettily.

"But you knew who I was talking about," Spring teased before bursting into bright, loud laughter.

"I have been busy becoming accustomed with my new role," Winter said in her sharp, no-nonsense voice. "I also had to take a detour, because I could _not_ close the gate to the land of white without removing what remained of Behemoth. It would be unsightly of me."

"The gate's closed now though," Summer added. "And now we're working on Sidhendor—at the very least until I can return to the Land of Dreams and restore whatever damage happened there. That could be at any time now."

"Now that we're not being rude," Michael said slowly. "Is there _anything_ you'd be able to tell us?"

Winter sighed, and Summer looked to her anxiously, afraid she was going to put him in the dungeons or something. Michael huffed, since they didn't look like they were going to even _try_ to tell him anything. Spring just smiled as bright as the sun and picked an egg off her lap. "I can tell you that _this_ does not belong in Sidhendor. It belongs with the Armadillomon in the Digital World. They can look after it properly, while I cannot."

She hopped off the raised platform and walked over to me. She held out the fossilized egg, which I realized had to be the one Armadillomon was always talking about, and handed it to me. The grey eggshell burst into colour the second it touched my fingertips. I nearly dropped it in shock. Spring on the other hand just laughed excitedly, doing a little jig.

"What happened?" I asked her, still surprised by the various shades of yellow that now covered the once stony egg.

"The power of your baby healed it," she cooed, tickling the egg. "Now it can hatch into a baby digimon when it's ready to. Your baby saved the last Tsubumon."

"What?" I asked, not following in the slightest. My eyes wouldn't turn away from the swirling colours. They were soothing and not as confusing as what I _thought_ Spring was implying. But she couldn't be serious. I didn't _have_ a baby.

"You were going to keep that from us too?" Michael accused jokingly.

"Wait, no. Stop," I said, helplessly. I finally pried my eyes from the egg and turned to Spring. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't know?" Spring asked while she quirked her head to the side. I saw Winter giving me a tiny smile, and Summer beamed at me. My mind was still whirling. I didn't understand what she was trying to say. "You're pregnant."

The world spun around me. That's what I'd _thought_ she was implying. But I didn't think it was even possible. I felt faint as I forced out a single question. "What?"

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

"Where is Willis?"

I looked up to the voice of Jenna Washington, the younger sister of Willis and Michael. Her hands were on her hips and her lips were pursed. She seemed upset. A few others looked up but quickly turned their heads to avoid giving her an answer. When she caught sight of my lingering eyes she stormed toward me. "Takeru!" she exclaimed. "I'm Jenna."

"I know," I told her quickly as I set down the drink that was in my hand on the table nearby. "We've actually met."

"Okay," Jenna said thoughtfully, trying to remember that. "Don't remember that, but okay." I wasn't sure why she sounded so disbelieving. We actually _had_ met. I knew her, not well of course, but I knew her. I was also the one who had suggested her as a possible replacement crest bearer.

" _Destiny is not keeping us alive," Mari had said. "If destiny was on our side than Alice would never have died. Destiny wouldn't have taken the warrior of tenacity away. Destiny would not have ripped Willis and Kiyoko away from us. We can't pretend that they're coming back just because we want them to." Hikari winced under Mari's harshness, as she had been the one to suggest that perhaps destiny had been playing for our team. "Instead of worrying about how to be sure that they died, we should try finding replacements before something bad happens."_

" _That's a little harsh," Michael said in a small voice._

" _But it's the truth," Taichi agreed, nodding solemnly to Mari. "She's right. We have to move on from their deaths in our professional setting."_

" _In what way are the Digidestined professional?" Daisuke asked, furrowing his brow. "I'm honestly_ sure _that we're as far as it gets."_

 _Taichi ignored Daisuke and jumped right into the business. "Who can we talk to about potentially taking up the role of Destiny, Miracles and Desire?"_

" _You can't just ask them," Jou said, rolling his eyes. "Gennai picked us all specifically."_

" _Not me," Iori said proudly, though he seemed that he was trying to hide that part of himself. "Summer picked me. Maybe we can get her to try again. She and the other fairies could help out."_

" _Or," I interjected. "Since when Alice died, Willis just picked up the pieces of her broken crest and used them as his own, we could see if Jenna could maybe step in." All eyes were on me for a moment and I shrugged. "Or Tatum. I know Kiyoko doesn't have any siblings, but it wouldn't be impossible to find someone that we know to fit the crests. It should happen naturally and without effort, but my money is on Jenna."_

" _So now we're betting on the death of my brother?" Michael asked bitterly._

" _I didn't mean it like that," I tried, but Michael had already stood abruptly to leave._

The conversation was useless now that they were back. Well, not entirely useless. Mari had a valid point. Just because we had not died _yet_ did not mean that it would not happen at all, though it seemed harder to believe now that they were back. Personally I couldn't find a way to wrap my head around the idea. Ever since Hikari had come rushing into Yamato's apartment and sat us all down to talk my head had been spinning. It didn't make much sense how someone who I had been so sure to be dead was now alive. Rei was _dancing_ , Kiyoko was eating cake with a giant smile on his face, and Willis—well he wasn't around, which brought me back to Jenna.

"I think he left," I answered her simply. "With Michael."

Her jaw dropped. "They're having a brotherly bonding adventure without _me_?"

"Well you're not a brother," I tried to reason with her.

"Neither is Natsuni," Patamon helpfully pointed out. "And she went with them." Jenna's eyes narrowed to no one in particular and she crossed her arms in a huff before spinning in place and storming off to find her boyfriend instead. I guess I understood her frustration. She'd been just as heartbroken as Michael had been at finding that Willis was not coming back, and now that he had, she'd been cast aside. But if I knew Willis, and I did not, he wouldn't leave it that way. I spotted Betamon rushing over to join Jenna though, and found comfort in knowing that she would at least have some of her family with her.

I picked my drink back up and made my way out into the crowd as Patamon informed me that he'd be back after playing with Veemon.

"Amazing how we never saw the fairies coming," I heard Jou said to Momoe who was right next to him.

"I'm shocked myself," Momoe noted with a snort. I saw that they were looking to the images carved next to the Temple doors of four fairies that were obviously meant to depict Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. It was a good point that we'd been a little oblivious when it came to some things. We'd forgotten Fanglongmon for goodness sake—he was a pretty big darkness. We weren't always so aware, but we always got the job done eventually, so it wasn't too important, really.

Seeing Jou reminded me of his insane plan though, and I was worried what might come of him in the end.

" _Jou, you're crazy," I told him flatly. "You have to get rid of that."_

" _I can't," Jou said as he stared to the mason jar in his hand. Concealed within the glass was a cloud of violet smoke. It was a piece of the virus. "I've made it my life duty to_ help _people, Takeru. You know that. I want to see what I can do with this." He paused and held the jar up to his eye level and looked inside, "With each darkness there is a light of equal value. I think I can turn this into something to benefit someone somewhere. It took Jun's appendix away. What if we could turn this into a more precise way to perform surgeries? What if we could simply take away someone's burst appendix, or a tumor? What if we could simply_ wish _away the problems and make that the reality? We could really help people with this."_

" _Only if you learn how to control it properly," I warned nervously. I was really impressed with Jou's creativity in this situation, but it was still_ very _dangerous._

" _I'll never stop trying," he assured me._

I wished Mari was here. I understood why she _wasn't_ , but that didn't stop me from wanting to see her and Lalamon. Even if Mari had refused to open up to me or to most of the others, that didn't mean we hadn't been excited for her when we'd heard the news about Lalamon coming back. I knew Koushiro was itching to get a moment of Lalamon's time to attempt to understand the true workings of her return. I didn't want him to bother her, but I really wanted to know too. I had my theories, some were crazy, some made sense, but it didn't matter in the end because she was _here_ and sometimes looking a gift horse in the mouth resulted in things you didn't know you didn't want. And after the virus, I'd never be looking a horse in the mouth. Wooden or otherwise.

Tapirmon, Warg and Melga took every opportunity they had to share their new Lalamon stories, and many had gathered around to hear their different takes on the previous night that had not lasted long. Mimi especially was entranced by the story of how they ate dinner together. The story itself wasn't too fascinating but the idea that they had done this _with Lalamon_ was something that was harder to grasp. She was somewhat of a legend among us now, and we had turned her into a saint in our minds after her death. It was a natural method of coping with death, turning the person you lost into a deity, and so Lalamon sure had a lot to live up to, but with the way everyone hung off of Tapirmon's words as he told the thrilling tale of Lalamon passing the salt shaker, it seemed she would have no trouble at all.

It didn't matter though, because she had Mari now, and Mari had her. That was amazing.

It was equally amazing that Willis was back, and that Rei had not perished and of course that Kiyoko was back too. It was him that I was heading toward now with the drinks in my hand. I sat on the bench next to him as he laughed at Hideto's words. He looked over and saw the hot chocolate and grinned like a child, taking it from me.

"Hey thanks!" Kiyoko cheered, taking a quick sip before gasping at the drinks heat.

"Still hot," I warned him. He narrowed his eyes playfully and then laughed. It seemed that his feeling of elation had not died down since returning, and I didn't blame him. I didn't want it to go away either. Having such a happy version of Kiyoko was something I wasn't ever going to be upset about. But I had promised him that we would have hot chocolate together at some point, and while this wasn't officially the two of us together, it would count until we could find time to be alone. I didn't want to take him from Hideto or Mari or Tapirmon though. One day we would go together to get a drink of hot chocolate and our deal will have been fulfilled. It was such a simple idea, but it was something I'd been rather upset about when I thought he wasn't coming back. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Your brother, actually," Kiyoko said.

"The elusive Teenage Wolf, eh?" I asked, leaning forward to look to Hideto's reddening face. I laughed a little and Hideto turned away.

"He's an adult now," Hideto fired at random. "He's not a teenage wolf." At least he had a point. "Besides, we weren't talking about his music."

"What then?" I asked, scanning the crowd. My eyes lingered for a moment on Tactimon, a massive knight digimon who had taken up residence in the Temple until further notice. He was speaking with Rei and Taichi, both of whom seemed to be having a _wonderful_ time. Then I found my brother as he stood with his hands in his pockets on the dance floor. Of course it wasn't really a dance floor, but there was music playing and everyone was dancing, aside from him of course. Amai was spinning in circles, batting away at things in the air with her hands, giggling like a child.

"His new girlfriend," Hideto answered with a shrug.

" _I_ like her," Kiyoko confirmed, imitating her silly dance moves from his place in his seat as though he were storing it in his brain for later.

"I like her just _fine_ ," Hideto said with a shrug.

"Ah," I said in understanding. "You just don't think she belongs with Yamato. I seem to recall you tearing apart quite a few relationships in your day, Mr Fujimoto."

A grin formed on Hideto's face as he remembered his past endeavors. I knew there were more that I hadn't been aware of, but he'd been _correct_ in that we hadn't belonged together. I thought Catherine was lovely, but I was glad I wasn't with her anymore. I knew Willis and Hikari had been miserable in a relationship together, Katsue and Yamato were ridiculously negative, and Neo had been far too controlling over Sora. Those were the only instances I knew Hideto to have taken part in, but I stood in his corner in all cases. "Actually no," Hideto admitted. "I think they're perfect for each other. His aloof bitter sarcasm compliments her silly dreaminess perfectly, and that's what I'm confused about."

"He doesn't 'ship' it," Kiyoko explained for me in a whisper. "But he doesn't know _why_."

"Jealous?" I prodded and Kiyoko had to bite his bottom lip to avoid breaking out in a crazed grin, but Hideto simply scoffed again and avoided eye contact. "Any other relationships you're against?"

"I've retired from that ordeal," Hideto assured me. "If I hadn't, then I would ensure that Katsue stood in the line of every photograph Mantarou took of the party so when Sora first went through them she would think that he had been sweet for taking so many. But as time went on she would realize that he had subconsciously taken pictures of Katsue, the one person Sora finds herself jealous of above all others, and she would feel insecure in her relationship until she inevitably broke up with him."

"You're _horrible_ ," I said flatly, because he _was_ , but again I had no intention of standing in his way. I thought Sora and Mantarou were fine together, but he knew better.

"I said ' _if_ '," he assured me, but he turned sharply and shouted. "Katsue!" She turned, confused and began making her way toward him. When she had closed a great deal of the distance, Hideto looked to Mantarou who was lowering his camera after having taken a picture with Katsue in the center. "Never mind!" Hideto shouted. Katsue froze, stared, rolled her eyes and then turned back to where she had been heading—which was to Rei. Rei and Katsue had been friends before we'd known either of them, so it made sense that she'd be happy to have her back.

As Katsue slipped in between Taichi and Rei, Taichi took his moment to step aside, finding Kiyoko in his sights and setting off toward him, leaving his girlfriend to talk to her friend. Kiyoko noticed that Taichi was coming and straightened his posture, setting his drink on the bench next to him. Taichi stood in the light of the sun, shading Kiyoko entirely, effectively making him look much more menacing than I was sure he had intended. "I want to thank you for helping Rei."

"No need to thank me," Kiyoko assured him. "She's my friend too."

"But you could have focused on yourself," Taichi said seriously. "You didn't know how long you'd be there, but you shared your supplies anyway. You could have been selfish but you hadn't been." Kiyoko's face turned red, like he didn't agree, but he said nothing. "I want to offer you a job here again. It's a big one, and I'll pay you from my own pocket since we're not being funded anymore, but it's important."

"I'll do it for free!" Kiyoko assured him. "Everyone else is working for free. I don't need money to help out the digimon."

Taichi grinned down at him, like he was starting to find some new found respect for him and he nodded. "I'll tell you later. We're thinking towns. Everywhere."

"Safe zones," Kiyoko summarized. "Sounds good to me. I'll come see you after the party. Gravimon is supposed to be here soon and I can't wait to have him meet Hideto." Taichi looked to Hideto and smiled, which simply confused the anti-match-maker.

"You two have fun," he said, glancing over his shoulder toward Rei who was holding Agumon now in her arms. "Glad to have you back, Kiyoko."

"Thanks," Kiyoko beamed up at Taichi and then when he turned away, Kiyoko's face turned red and he let out a deep breath before he caught sight of a terrifying digimon standing by the entrance to the Temple. "GRAVIMON!" he shouted out with the utmost joy. He grabbed Hideto's hand and was immediately rushing off into the crowd to meet back up with his friend. Hideto gasped and nearly tripped, but caught his step before disappearing behind Zamielmon.

I was alone now, and that simply wouldn't do—not for a party anyhow, and so I went looking for someone to interact with. I found Daisuke who was standing with Haruki, and decided that I hadn't spent nearly enough time with the two of them lately. Haruki looked up at the sight of me and smiled and showed off his two tiny little teeth. He reached out to me and Daisuke wordlessly handed him off. The baby giggled and grabbed a handful of my nose and held tight to it.

"Dat's no goob—" Haruki roared with the most adorable laughter and released my nose. I laughed along with him and held him closer to me. It had been a while since I'd seen him. Daisuke was grinning proudly down to his son and then sighed, looking up to me. "Did Kurayami tell you what happened?" He nodded. "We'll figure it out."

"How?" Daisuke wanted to know.

"I don't really know," I admitted, "I wish I did though." My eyes scanned the crowd for Kurayami and I found her sitting in a corner with Norn, the two seemed to be deep in conversation. I really liked Norn, and while we hadn't spent much time together, I hoped to see her more often. "At least we know they won't be going back to Gaia."

"But she went after she promised she _wouldn't_ ," Daisuke noted in a very cold tone. "She lied to me."

"She didn't mean it as a lie when she said it," I was sure of it. "Gaia promised her a chance to remove the curse." Daisuke turned sharply to me, confused. "The—she didn't tell you? The curse?" Daisuke very slowly shook his head and took Haruki from my arms. "You might want to ask her..." I winced, feeling guilt spread through my body. I wasn't sure if throwing that out into the open was going to help or hurt their relationship, but I hadn't imagined she'd be keeping it from him. Daisuke was gone a moment later, leaving me to once again wait in solitude. That was boring though, and I spotted someone I knew wouldn't ditch me.

She was wandering back toward the town center, kicking her feet along the stone paths, thinking to herself. She was beautiful. But before I had even found a chance to take a single step in her direction, something had caught my attention. I heard a rattling sound, like a child's toy and my eyes fell to the ground where I saw a yellowish bottle rolling across the stone. I looked to the boy who was hesitating in his attempt to catch them before someone saw, and he looked right back into my eyes.

Koushiro swallowed thickly and composed himself, hurrying to get to them, but I was quicker. I pulled the bottle up to my eye level and read it over. "Does Jou know that he prescribed you amphetamines?" I asked, holding the bottle away from Koushiro where anyone could see them.

"Of course," Koushiro snapped, trying to grab them. "Give them back."

"Are you afraid someone is going to see them?" I asked, and realized I was being the typical depiction of a bully.

As I pulled the bottle back to Koushiro's reach he shook his head. "No, I don't care who sees them."

"Okay," I nodded in disbelief. "That sounds fake, but okay." Koushiro looked up to me snappishly and stuffed the bottle in his bag. "If you want to keep this a secret you should stop dropping them." He didn't respond, and I knew well enough that it meant this was something he was keeping from the others. "Are you _insane_?" I snapped in a whisper. Koushiro looked up suddenly and grabbed my arm, pulling me sharply toward the stairs up to the castle walls. He ducked under them and looked into my eyes in a daring sort of way.

"You don't understand," he swore.

"I don't think I have to," I admitted. "I'm _worried_ , that should be enough. You have to stop this."

Koushiro's eye actually twitched and he shook his head. "I can't stop," he said seriously, staring at me again. His eyes widened like was genuinely going insane. "If I stop then I won't have time to do all I am doing. I'm at a party right now, Takeru. A _party_. Yes, Kiyoko is back and alive and I am thrilled, but he cannot give me the answers I need. I must talk to Lalamon and learn of her story. I have to find Gaia! I have to know more about her. I have to understand the world of Theta, and now that Hikari has found a key, the moment I have a chance I will be heading to that world. I have to help Iori in getting Sora free of all charges—everyone may think I've forgotten about her but I would _never_. There is far too much happening and everyone is selfish in caring about only that which affects themselves."

"That's not fair," I scolded, but Koushiro didn't seem to hear me.

"I have to help _everyone_ , and to do so I must focus," he reached into his bag and pulled the bottle out. "This helps me focus. I need this, Takeru. You mustn't tell anyone."

"I thought it wasn't a secret," I said, unsure.

Koushiro tilted his head in a disapproving way and said, "I know you're smarter than that." His superior look faded and he was suddenly pleading with me. "We are friends now, we are _friends_ —don't break that by telling my secret. You can't, Takeru." I was _pretty_ sure he was trying to guilt me into keeping the secret for him. The worst part about it all was that it was actually working. "I must solve the riddles."

"You'll die," I objected weakly, looking to the pills. "How many have you taken today?"

"Today's only just begun," Koushiro said, rolling his eyes. "If you're wondering about how many I take daily, that would be... several. Three perhaps."

"Koushiro, it's four in the afternoon," I pointed out. "The day hasn't just begun. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Not particularly, no," Koushiro noted. "My mind was reeling. I had found results of a DNA test for a digimon, but I could not remember which digimon the sample had been from."

"So they're not helping at all," I said firmly, holding my hand out. "Give me the prescription pad and whatever else you've got in there. You can come to me when you run out, and if it's too soon I won't give you more."

"That's not a very fair arrangement," Koushiro said.

"Look, I _know_ that we might not be done fighting the Great Evils," I added. "I was with you, remember? You can't hide it from me. I understand, Koushiro. Really I do. You have to understand that I'm looking out for your best interest."

"By taking my tools for succeeding?"

"It's either _that_ ," I told him. "Or I'll tell Mimi." His eyes widened and it took him no longer than a couple of seconds to deliberate. He reached into his bag and began rummaging through his things. He handed me the pad of Jou's prescriptions and three half empty bottles of pills. "Is that all?" He looked up and nodded. I couldn't tell if he was being sincere or not, but I'd have to give him the benefit of the doubt. "I'm just worried about you... you know that, right?" Koushiro didn't answer. He took one last look at me, somewhat disappointed it seemed, and then was gone, storming away and back to the crowd.

I knew he was just trying to help everyone, but it wasn't up to him to save the day for everyone, even if everyone constantly told him otherwise. I would make sure to help whoever I could as often as possible. Hikari no longer had a connection to Gaia, but I knew information that Koushiro did not. I knew that Gaia had taken her light. That could help me find her, and if I could do so, then Koushiro would have much less to worry about, and he would be able to finally relax. I wanted that for him. I really did.

I was off to find Hikari again, but it wasn't hard. She had come closer than when I'd last seen her. She was now leaning against the nearby council building, and I made my way toward her. As I came nearer though I realized I was holding several bottles of medication and I panicked, shoving them into the pockets of my pants just in time for Hikari to look up to see me. I noticed then that Gatomon had joined her, standing by her feet quietly. "Maybe Takeru can talk some sense into you," Gatomon said as I came close enough to hear their conversation.

"Maybe I can," I agreed, "What's going on?"

"Hikari wants to go back—" Gatomon started.

"You have to understand," Hikari interrupted her partner quickly. "I think it would be safe—really I do—"

"I think she's insane," Gatomon added. "Going back after all that happened?"

"But you weren't _there_ ," Hikari scolded. "You don't understand—"

"If you're talking about Gaia, I swear—" I said, anger and fear boiling quickly inside of me.

Hikari shook her head quickly. "No! God no! You were right about her, and I was wrong. I can accept that," she hesitated and looked down to her shaking hands. "Even if it means I have to accept the loss of my light."

"We'll get it back," Gatomon assured her gently, stroking her leg kindly. She looked up to me a moment later and said, "She wants to go to the Land of Dreams." The spinning of my mind stopped abruptly at solving the riddle of what they were talking about. The last time we had seen that land we'd left it in danger of those who we had created. Ryo, Cyberdramon and Yume had been the only ones left to defend the world and we still didn't know how the outcome had gone. Hikari was right, we needed to go back. It was only fair to them to come back eventually and now seemed as good a time as any.

And then my mind took one last little spin and a grin spread across my face. "Then Koushiro can stay awake safely," I added. Hikari and Gatomon were confused, and I shook my head, casting their worries aside. Hikari was right. "We should go." Hikari smiled and looked to Gatomon triumphantly.

"I'm coming then," Gatomon said firmly. "It's safer that way. And Patamon too."

I nodded my agreement. "Go find him. We'll leave when you get back."

"Leave?" We all turned to see Taichi wandering toward us, with his hands in his pockets. "Can I come?" We hesitated and looked to one another and he chuckled. "Unless it's a date."

"It's not," Hikari assured him quickly. I nodded but I wasn't sure if Taichi really wanted to come along—or if he'd even let us go.

"Rei's with Neo," Taichi said simply. "She seems busy, and I realized that there's only so much time left, so I should spend some more of it with my sister, right?"

"Taichi, you're in your twenties," Hikari rolled her eyes. "You've got loads of time. But by all means, come along. I'd be happy to have you." It was then that Gatomon took off to find Patamon. Hikari gave Taichi the rundown of our mission and he weirdly agreed easily. Easier than I had imagined for sure. He left to retrieve the key, and then we were alone, waiting for everyone to return. Gatomon and Patamon were back before Taichi, but he too joined us once more, holding up the golden key to the Land of Dreams.

It was weird to be willingly walking back into the place we had been trapped for so long, but it wasn't a permanent state. Unless we got stuck—but I checked and Taichi brought the key to the Digital World along with him—it seemed unlikely to happen, but if it did it would really suck.

Taichi did the actual opening of the gateway and we watched as the thin light traced an outline of a door and then in no time at all we were walking through an open gateway. My first instinct was to be wary and cautious anything and everything, worried that we were in danger, but it just didn't hold out for too long.

"I thought you said we were gonna be fighting," Patamon said sounding pretty disappointed.

"I said we _'might'_ be fighting," Gatomon corrected him from where she sat on Hikari's shoulder. Hikari still seemed worried though. She was looking through the sunlight meadow we had entered for any sign of life. I didn't think we had anything to worry about, because if Akumu had won the fight against Ryo and Yume, we wouldn't be standing in such a beautiful location. The nightmares would have taken over. "Hikari's darkness manifested here in this world and was attempting to take over."

"But Hikari is the child of light," Patamon said, sounding rather confused.

"All light has a darkness of equal value," Taichi said simply.

I grinned and looked over to him. "Jou?" I questioned.

"He got to you too, huh?" Taichi laughed and I nodded. "I don't know what he's thinking with that virus. But I trust him."

"Don't we all?" I asked, only to be hushed by Hikari. I was upset for a moment, but when I saw her listening intently to something I understood. It wasn't anything personal. As we all stood in the silence I found myself checking for the door again, worried that maybe it would close. Even though I knew Taichi had an escape route planned, I didn't feel _safe_. I knew where we were though, and if ever we needed to escape, we could use the nearby looking glass. Sure there was a barrier surrounding it to keep the virus inside, but if we let it out, we would have a chance to escape—but that would be risking a lot, sending the virus out into the world. I heard a sudden thud and knew that I'd just become aware of what Hikari was worried about.

Gatomon leapt from Hikari's shoulder and Patamon flew from my head and in a moment they had shifted directly to the form of Shakamon. I thought it was a little extreme but their tendency to be overprotective was cute. Taichi stiffened in his stance, ready to face whatever was to come, and Hikari began taking deep breaths, trying to remain calm in case something tried to take more of her negativity away from her to use against us in battle.

Then someone had flown over the top of a hill and we all relaxed as Ryo came barrelling toward us. He looked pleased momentarily to see us, but his smile did not last long. Akumu was after him, running at top speeds, with his hands held behind himself for a more aerodynamic approach. The black cape that hung around his nearly transparent body was flying wildly and the veins that were visible all over his face were visible even from where we stood.

Hikari tensed quickly and looked up to Shakamon who did not hesitate. Shakamon moved quickly, leaping over Ryo's head and landed next to Akumu, slamming his hand down to the Boogie man's throat and pinning him to the ground.

"Aww," I groaned as Akumu struggled under his new hold. "I was hoping for more of a fight." I sincerely hoped that, being in the Land of Dreams and all, my words hadn't assisted Akumu's next move. He dissipated into two separate clouds of smoke that moved swiftly around Shakamon and took form once more as the terrifying serpentine soldier. I froze as I stared toward his back and wished I hadn't made that comment.

"What the _hell_ is that thing?" Taichi asked in disgust.

"His name is Akumu," Ryo said, trying to catch his breath as he doubled over and panted heavily, "He's the Reaper's leader. He's known as the Boogie Man 'round these parts."

Taichi nodded, taking it all in, "Sounds appropriate," he was still eyeing Akumu up, but then he tore his eyes away and looked to Ryo, "And who exactly are _you_?"

Ryou stood straight up and tossed his hand out for Taichi to shake, "I'm Ryo Akiyama, and I'm the Digidestined of—" he hesitated and looked over his shoulder to me for validation, "Trust, I think." I nodded and he grinned, looking back to Taichi who was shaking his hand, "Nice to meet ya."

"Taichi," Taichi filled in, looking to me impressed. Even in his young form it was clear that Ryo was a skilled member of the team—even if he'd never _really_ been a part of the team—and it was good to know that we still had all of our crest bearers. Not only were Willis and Kiyoko alive—but Ryo was too. I was sure that would take a load off of Hikari's shoulders, knowing that she hadn't accidentally killed anyone.

Shakamon turned, sliding his feet in the soft grass and moving smoothly toward Akumu, "Reikou Kumo-no-Ito." His voice was smooth and soft, and a small spark of white light moved like a bullet toward Akumu, pressing into his chest. The cloaked enemy looked down as it hit and watched the light attempt to spread. He looked back up to Shakamon and a grin formed on his face.

I heard Hikari's scream before I knew what had happened. Shakamon's attempt to purify Akumu had backfired and a sort of shock wave had shot out all around, knocking us all off of our feet roughly.

I landed on top of Ryo who groaned and seemed thoroughly exhausted now, trying to push me off of his legs. I helped out, rolling to the side, only then did I feel the pain running down my side. I pulled myself to my feet and turned to the battle shakily. Shakamon jabbed his flat palmed hand forward only for Akumu to revert to his smoky form.

I narrowed my eyes and thought up a giant fan. It appeared in seconds and instantly there was a blast of wind pushing Akumu aside. Ryo laughed and clapped me on the back, but then moved forward to help Shakamon fight. Without warning, Ryo had grabbed the spinning disk that floated behind Shakamon and spun himself around, tossing the metal spiked circle toward Akumu.

The Boogie Man did not seem pleased with this and ducked aside, barely missing the strike, but it gave me the opportunity to think up a brick wall for him to run straight into while he was focused on dodging Ryo's attack. With a _thud_ he had hit the wall and fallen off of his feet.

"Tajou Shingon!" Shakamon shouted, waving his hand as his shield-like disk returned to his back. Shakamon's attack hit Akumu like a sack of bricks and the creep was sent flying backwards, through the air. "That should take care of him," Shakamon said kindly.

"Damn right," Taichi laughed, "Where the hell did that wall come from?"

"That was me," I told him with a shrug, "Fighting is a lot more fun here."

"Apparently," he said, still laughing brightly, he turned to look up at Shakamon and he grinned, "I don't think I've ever seen you in action."

"Just look at what you've been missing," Shakamon gestured to the giant fan and the brick wall and again Taichi laughed, I was distracted though, by Ryo who was helping Hikari to her feet.

"Thanks," she said, rubbing her head, "W-where are Yume and Cyberdramon?"

"With the Reaper," Ryo replied without missing a beat. Hikari's face lit up with panic, but Ryo was quick to calm her worries, "Nah, it's cool. We've got her." Hikari didn't look convinced and she looked to me for a suggestion on how to respond, but I wasn't sure myself. If they were confident they had the Reaper situation under control, would it be safe to be here? Or should we leave and continue to follow Yume's instructions on _not_ bringing Hikari back here in the first place? "So I see you're all okay though," Ryo noted, looking about, "And unless my memory is horrible, 'Taichi' is not Koushiro, and this shimmering golden warrior looks nothing like Ken."

Hikari broke a smile, which I was glad to see and she started to explain what we had gone through. Summer had taken us to a world of white where we met up with almost everyone, then we had escaped, only to find that there was a dark figure who Summer and her sister's feared. Ryo was hanging onto every word Hikari spewed out, and when she was done he started on a story of how he had saved the day from the Reaper with the help of his 'good friends' Cyberdramon and Yume. Apparently when Hikari left, their power source was cut off, but that didn't mean they couldn't use what they already had taken, and so they still put up quite a fight, but as we could tell by the clear skies and positive look on his face, things really were looking up here.

"So that freak is the one who was using all of your negativity against you?" Taichi questioned, looking back to where we had sent Akumu, "What a creep." Hikari placed her hand on his shoulder gently, in a sort of appreciation for caring, but Ryo interrupted their moment.

"He's more than a creep," Ryo said, "He's literally the king of nightmares. He's _scary_." Ryo paused and then grinned, shaking off the feeling of Akumu, "You want to come see the Reaper? We've got her in a chasm."

"You what?" Hikari asked, "She's just trapped under ground?" Ryo nodded with a big grin on his face, but then he hesitated for a moment. "What was that?" Hikari questioned.

Ryo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "She's not _trapped_ per se, but she's in a big ol' hole."

"That's the best prison anyone could ask for," Taichi said sarcastically. Ryo looked up to him with the same nervous smile and didn't falter for a moment, "Take us to her, let's get this settled." Hikari immediately turned to her brother to protest, but Ryo had already agreed. Hikari turned to me and I reached out my hand. I'd be there with her, nothing was going to get to her—not when I had Gatomon and Taichi to back me up if I'd need it. Shakamon took up the back of our little procession, just in case Akumu came back.

On the walk to wherever it was we were heading, Taichi humoured himself by testing out the dream-like qualities of the world. He wished up a tortoise riding a unicycle and basketball the size of a house. He laughed at everything he pulled from his mind and the things became more and more bizarre as we went on. At least he was keeping things light, and Hikari even smiled a few times, and that made me feel a lot safer about heading toward her manifested depression.

Taichi reached his hand out and imagined a key to appear, "Can we take this out?" he questioned, holding up a replica of the Digital World key.

"Nope," I told him, flinching at the memories. "You can't really leave the world. You can create a replica of Earth, and you can create the people, but you can't _go_ there." Taichi looked to me in disgust and dropped the fake key, allowing it to turn to smoke.

"This place is cool," he said, "but disturbing." I figured that was the best way to describe it as well. Anything you wanted you could have, but none of it was real, and so it was really the equivalent of having nothing at all, but deceiving yourself into thinking you had everything. Taichi then seemed to realize something, and he rounded on his sister, "Where did you find that key to Witchenly anyway?"

"What?" Hikari asked far too quickly.

Taichi didn't seem to notice though, "You saved Rei—thanks again, by the way—but where did you find the key to actually _go_ and save her?"

"I f-found it," Hikari said, and it didn't sound convincing at all. "It was with the key to Theta, like I said."

Taichi nodded, "Yes, but _where_ did you find it?"

Hikari looked for a moment like she wanted to lie and tell him that she had actually stumbled upon the key on a walk through the woods one day, and hope for the best, but I didn't think Taichi would buy the tale even if she had attempted it. Before she could think of a lie though, she had turned to see my expression and I could tell she understood what I was telling her, even without any words. She nodded solemnly and released my hand, moving to fall into step with her brother, "you're not going to like it."

"Hikari," Taichi said with a grin, "You brought Rei, Kiyoko, Willis _and_ Lalamon back—I don't care if you broke in somewhere to get it. Heck, I don't even care if you pulled out some of the old manipulation that I know you know nothing about." He smiled and laughed a little, but when he turned to Hikari he understood that she was serious, "Hikari? What did you do?"

Ryo understood that it was a serious conversation and looked like he wanted to keep going to reach the Reaper faster, but understood we should wait.

Hikari looked straight into Taichi's eyes and I knew he understood before she even opened her mouth. "I lied to you about being able to sense Gaia. Kurayami and I snuck out to be by her side frequently. She promised Kurayami a way to keep Haruki safe, and to me she simply seemed kind. I know it's not an excuse, but I did it anyway. I thought I was right. I thought I was giving her the benefit of the doubt, and I thought if I _didn't_ I would be treating her poorly, just as everyone else had done. But it was _she_ who was the master manipulator, and she fooled me. I thought I had found the light in someone who no one else was able to. And that's where I found the keys. I took them from her."

Taichi was staring blankly to Hikari and was evidentially ready to scream, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He was shocked. He was confused. "I don't understand," he finally said, "H-how did you find out she wasn't what you thought she was? Why did you change your mind?" Hikari broke eye contact and placed a hand over her heart. " _What_ did she do to you?" The volume of Taichi's voice had risen high and fast. Hikari flinched away, but I knew she wasn't afraid of him, just as he wasn't angry with her. He was angry and scared _for_ her, and she simply felt guilty.

"She took my light," Hikari said in a defeated voice, "And Kurayami's darkness." Taichi's head fell back in astonishment and his hands were quick to run through his hair, "I didn't mean to, Taichi. I—"

"Do you know what she wants with them?" He asked sharply. "What's she planning? What did you learn?"

"Nothing!" Hikari said, tears welling up in her eyes, "We mostly talked about Zeta—" Before Taichi could ask who it was—and he was going to—Hikari answered for him, "Sigma's sister. He had two of them, Norn is one, and Zeta is the other. Zeta is Kurayami's ancestor and the reason for the darkness in her family tree. We were trying to help Haruki be free of the darkness, and Gaia never told us anything about her plans." Hikari was very firm with her words now and Taichi wasn't sure what to take from it all, "And she is working with Maugrim."

"He's nothing," I interjected before Taichi could say anything, "He was beaten up by two girls half his size who had just had part of themselves ripped out of their hearts." I knew it wasn't true, and that Maugrim was much stronger than we were giving him credit for. Hikari and Kurayami had been extremely lucky in escaping alive and mostly unharmed.

Taichi seemed at a complete loss of what to say anymore, but thankfully Shakamon helped him out, "We should take our final look at the Reaper and then return to the others," he said kindly, "We will discuss our course of action together."

"I'm not ready for everyone to know—" Hikari objected.

"That's not up to you anymore," Taichi said harshly, "We have to tell them. This is important—this could be life threatening—this could be _world_ threatening." Hikari backed away from Taichi, understanding that he had a point, and I was quick to take her hand. I didn't want her to feel entirely shut out. I squeezed her hand gently and she smiled to me.

"We're just about there," Ryo promised, pointing ahead. I followed his finger and saw that Cyberdramon and Yume were standing next to a massive hole in the ground. There was no grass growing around the crater that I was sure Ryo had created specifically to hold the Reaper inside.

Yume looked up to us and his eyes flashed wildly at the sight of Hikari and his eyes fell back to the Reaper inside the hole in the ground. He kicked off the ground and pushed around Cyberdramon, floating through the air toward us and landing nearby. His suit that appeared to be made of flowing sand glistened in the light of the sun that blazed up above, but his face was not as joyous looking. "Hikari, you must know that coming here was a mistake."

"I-I—" she stammered.

"And who are you?" Taichi asked with a heavy hint of accusation in his voice, like he was upset that this man thought he had the right to tell Hikari what to do.

"This," Ryo said, peeking around Yume and pointing to him with a smile on his face, "is the opposite to Akumu. His name is Yume, he's the sandman. He brings good dreams and thoughts to anyone who's mind wanders enough to appear here." Taichi seemed genuinely impressed so he backed down. "Don't worry, Yume. I trust that she'll be fine. Hikari, tell him."

"Maybe he's right," Hikari decided suddenly, "Maybe I should go."

"No," I insisted, squeezing her hand encouragingly again. "You can do this. Ryo's right—you have to have faith in yourself. You have to have the ability to believe in your limitless potential like I do." Hikari wanted to object, and I knew what she might bring up. Without her light, that left more room for darkness, but she was wrong. Her light didn't come from Gennai bestowing it upon her—or whatever other mystical force placed her in the path of radiance—her kindness and emotions and _light_ came from within herself. And she had to know that. She slowly nodded, still staring into my eyes and she agreed to move on. Turning to Ryo she nodded and Yume nervously stepped aside.

I knew we would be safe, even if the Reaper came after us. With Shakamon around to help in the fight, we couldn't lose. Not against pure negativity in any case. All of Shakamon's power came from purifying that which was dark and ending war.

Hikari's hand tightened around mine as we came closer but eventually we had all reached the end of the grass and we were soon to be looking over the edge and into the pit where the Reaper was held. I noticed Hikari's hesitance and I wasn't going to push her to do something she wasn't ready for, but she didn't stop. She pushed through her fear and together we looked down.

In the bottom of the massive pit was a sea of the strange substance that had come from Hikari before. It was glowing just as eerily in its deep pink form and everything about it screamed dangerous, but that wasn't what really caught my attention. The terrifying version of Hikari was attempting to escape the chaos she'd been trapped inside and was finding herself unable to. Hikari flinched away, not wanting to look any longer, and I held her close as Taichi stared down in awe.

"That was inside of you?" he asked timidly.

"As you said," Shakamon spoke in a calming voice, and I was really grateful for that, "each light comes with an equal darkness. Hikari's light was powerful and immense. This is the darkness she possessed inside of her heart." I hoped that meant she was free of it now.

"How is it stuck down there?" Taichi asked, "if she could wish for anything she wants, couldn't she escape?"

"We are working on that," Yume explained in a quick tone, "Every attempt we have made is easily broken down by her the moment we back away."

"It's true," Ryo agreed, "We've tried bars, a metal fence, invisible barriers—"

"Have you kept her down there with light?" Hikari asked in a voice louder than I'd expected to hear from her. Everyone stared at her, but no one seemed to have an answer. "If she is pure darkness, than light will keep her hidden away."

Yume looked to Ryo, impressed, "Perhaps your visit was not as ill planned as I'd initially thought it to be, Hikari." He smiled down to her, "Do you have any suggestions? Would you care to do the honour?"

Hikari looked shocked that she'd been called upon, but had it really come as a surprise, "I can't," she told him, "It was just an idea. But it can't be me."

"Yes it can," I told her in a quiet voice, pulling her face to look to mine again, "You know you can do it. I know you know that. Light is what created life and emotion in this world, and Hope is what it means to not lose that light even in the darkest of times. You haven't lost anything, Hikari. Gaia may have taken something from you, but she hasn't taken me. You've got me, and Taichi and Gatomon and everyone else. You're okay. You still have your light, and you can still do it."

Hikari's face tightened and she nodded firmly, turning away from me with a determined look on her face. She held her hands out in front of her and closed her eyes, thinking up as much light as she could, but she opened her eyes with her determination faltering, and nothing had happened. Taichi elbowed me and I understood. We took our places on either side of her and took her hands. Shakamon was next to me a moment later, and Ryo took Taichi's hand, pulling Cyberdramon into the mix as well. Shakamon reached for Yume and together we wished up simply _light._

It was longer than I'd expected, but the moment I heard a gasp coming from Ryo I knew we had accomplished something. I opened my eyes to see a blinding and brilliant light encasing the crater where the Reaper was being held, and then all at once, it had vanished. In its place was a solid ground, covering the crater in its entirety.

Ryo released Taichi's hand and rushed off to check the new structure, while Cyberdramon stood nearby just in case. Ryo laughed triumphantly when it held out and he jumped up and down with excitement.

"And we think this will hold?" Taichi questioned.

"Perhaps," Yume said, nodding his head, "I shall remain stationary until I am certain, but there will come a time when we know for sure." Then he looked to Hikari with a smile, "But I do think it shall hold." She smiled up to him, "The light shall always conquer the darkness, whether it be internal or external. Goodness will always reign supreme."

Taichi elbowed his sister with a grin and she stuck his tongue out at him, moving toward the place where all of her dark, negative, depressing energy was being concealed and she turned to the rest of us with a giant smile on her face. "I'm free," she said with a small laugh.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Miyako and Koushiro are both lost in confusion and seeking answers they aren't sure they'll be able to truly find, but they're not about to give up, even if they're the only ones fighting in their court!


	22. Losing My Mind

**Y/N:** Miyako and Koushiro are both in really difficult and interesting places right now. It was definitely hard to write both of them, having never been in either situation, but I hope their emotions are strong enough to carry the intended meaning, even if I might not have _all_ of my facts right. I'm not claiming to be an expert on any of the issues they are currently dealing with.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 22: Losing My Mind**

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

"You're getting so big," I murmured through the glass at my daughter. She was growing bigger and stronger each day. It was the most beautiful sight I'd seen in my entire life. She was perfection. She still didn't have any hair, but I knew that was common among babies. They weren't all born with a head full of hair. She'd grow her hair at her own pace.

I couldn't help but be impatient though. I wanted to know if her hair would look like mine. Would her eyes look like Ken's? I didn't know. I wanted to though. I wanted to see all the pieces of me working with the bits of Ken. She was a blend of the two of us. But so far, she didn't really look like either of us. Her nose kind of looked like Ken's, and I sort of saw myself in the shape of her mouth.

It was so hard to tell though.

She was still so tiny and was changing so drastically. She looked almost nothing like she did when she was born. I loved her the second I saw her, but my heart didn't hurt quite so much to look at her anymore. She had done what I couldn't, and had brought herself to a nearly healthy weight. She was growing alert. She moved around a lot now, when I talked with her. I tried to talk to her as often as possible. I couldn't get enough of seeing her wiggling in her tiny bed.

There was a time when I was afraid I'd never get a chance to see it.

"You're mommy's little miracle," I whispered to her, feeling my heart clench. She was a miracle. She was saved by our enemy. She was still with me, she was growing, she was learning, she was _here_.

She was also the reason I'd been so sure that Willis and Kiyoko had been lost to us.

I had worried because she was my miracle. She was born the day that Gaia had told us that the two of them were dead. I had become convinced that she was alive only because of some miraculous intervention. The crest of miracles needed a new host, I'd thought. I'd been so worried that the worlds would suck my poor, tiny daughter into their games. I was scared that my baby girl would be standing with the rest of us when we fought against the injustices the worlds threw at us.

I had cried for _hours_ when I'd come to that realization.

I'd cried for Willis and Kiyoko, who I was so _sure_ were dead, and I cried for my daughter. I cried for whoever was meant to replace Willis as representative of destiny, and for whoever was to stand as desire in Kiyoko's place.

Now, I knew they were alive and well.

I was so relieved to find out. I felt guilty that my first thought was that Mai was safe. She wouldn't need to fight. Willis could keep fighting for himself—and for his twin sister, who couldn't continue the fight on her own. It wasn't until long after the relieved tears stopped falling that the guilt set it. I felt like a horrible person. I was the worst sort of friend.

They were safe.

They were alive.

And it was only my _second_ thought.

I knew logically that I cared very deeply for my friends and that their return was a blessing to us all, but my daughter was now my number one priority, and my heart would never let anything, or anyone take that place away from her. It was hard coming to terms with that new mindset, even though it felt so natural.

My respect for all of our parents grew exponentially during the two months since my daughter's birth. I'd spent so long thinking that she was to be the next digidestined of miracles, and panicked to myself quietly at night, crying in my sleep because my dreams were plagued with such horrible visions.

And Mai _wasn't_ a digidestined.

I was though, and my parents knew that. They knew that every time Earth was in danger from an otherworldly foe, that I would be out there on the front lines, fighting right by Hawkmon's side, trying to achieve peace. Putting myself in their shoes now, imagining Mai in my place….

My heart constricted, and tears sprang to my eyes. It was _painful_ to think of it—it literally was causing me pain to imagine my baby girl fighting alongside a digimon against Fanglongmon, or Myotismon, or Yggdrasil. I was crying openly, and pressed my hand up against the glass that was keeping my baby safe. She was too tiny, to frail—despite her inner strength—to fight the battles that I was.

But I'd started my fight when I was twelve.

Twelve was far too young to be involved in something as big as this. What was Winter thinking when she chose me out of all the people in the world? Why didn't the fairies and Gennai pick someone _older_? Why couldn't they find people that were old enough to make conscious decisions? I was twelve. I wasn't old enough to know what I was getting into.

I knew it was Hawkmon that made me continue to fight.

Peace was everything, but it also seemed impossible. I wasn't going to achieve it any time soon. We should've been basking in it right now, yet we were fighting yet another fight against the injustices of the worlds. This time though, it was racism and genocide, and _human_ issues that were being forced upon the digimon. Things were getting better now, but our eyes had been opened. Peace was a long way off.

Gaia was out there.

Maugrim was still up to something, with his minions.

Sora would face a prison sentence if we couldn't rally together and manage to find a way to get everyone off her back. She didn't do it. But I couldn't figure out how to help her without taking time away from Mai.

The guilt washed over me again, but it wasn't enough to convince me to leave my daughter. I was a horrible friend, but I'd already learned that. Mai needed me. I couldn't _carry_ her the full nine months, but I'd be _damned_ if she didn't have her mother with her constantly until those nine months were up. I doubted I'd be able to pry myself away from her even after that, but it was something that was really important to me. I needed to make it up to her.

"It's almost your meant-to-be birthday," I informed her. She squirmed and I smiled through tears. "I know you're already here, but it still feels like something to celebrate. Your due date's almost here. You'll be three months, to the day. You'll be so big."

I beamed down at my wiggling child. She looked up with her big, wondering eyes. I knew she was still small, but I couldn't help but wonder at what the world looked like through her eyes. I wondered how she would feel when she was finally able to shed the cage she'd been trapped in. Would she enjoy being free? I had no doubt that she would. I knew _I_ would.

It was as I was looking into my child's eyes that the lights started flickering. They were short at first, sporadic. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, and disregarded them. But the time grew longer, until it was whole seconds of darkness. And then all at once, the darkness returned…and the light didn't come back.

My breath was growing faster, despite my best efforts to stay calm. It was just a power outage, it didn't mean anything. The hospital had backup generators, and the lights would return any moment. I needed to keep my breathing normal so that I could hear over the sound of my fear. Mai was somewhere in front of me. I reached my hand out, but stopped when I heard the squeaking of wheels.

"Mai?" I asked, foolishly. Mai couldn't respond. But the NICU bed she called her own was on wheels. And I was terrified that I knew where that squeaking was coming from.

I fumbled with my hands, trying to find my daughter, but the wheels kept squeaking. I couldn't see a damn thing in the darkness, and I couldn't even find my way to the door. Instead of _going_ to get help, I just started screaming for help to come to me.

"HELP!" I called desperately. "TURN ON THE LIGHTS! MY BABY! SOMEONE HELP MY BABY!"

No one answered my pleas. If I had been in a better mindset, I would've realized that made sense. There were people that were literally depending on machinery to live. Mai had been even just a week ago, but she was using her own lungs to pump oxygen now. She was only using the bed to keep her body temperature up—but even that was improving. There were people, old and newly born and everything in between that needed the nurses' attention.

But my mind wasn't focussed on them in that moment.

My mind was too busy worrying about the squeaking wheels and whatever it was that was causing my daughter to drift away from me. Rest assured, Mai was not doing that on her own. It was legitimately impossible.

And _I_ hadn't done it.

I would never push my baby. She was the entire world to me. But evidently, someone or _something_ would.

I needed to find my daughter, since no help was coming to me. I tried to follow the sound, but something grabbed my ankle, and I fell to my face on the floor. I swatted at my foot, wanting to know what it was, and being too terrified to actually find out.

Mai choked out a cry, and I started to cry along with her. She was scared—or hungry, or in need of a new diaper, or tired—and she needed me. I crawled along the floor, patting the tiles with my hands, trying to find anything that felt remotely like Mai's bed.

I was trying to squint through the darkness when it suddenly disappeared. The lights were back. I sighed in relief, trying to tell my heart to stop speeding. I'd be able to see Mai now. I would be able to figure out what she wanted. Everything was okay. I was blowing things out of proportion because the sudden darkness had frightened me.

Pushing my hands against the tiles, I got to my feet and turned to see Mai, staring up above her at the figure that was looming over her bed. I was screaming before I'd even had time to think about what I was doing. Mai started screeching, letting out her tiny wails. I couldn't move an inch. I wanted to so badly, but my arms were _burning_.

The figure was black. Solid black. _Shadow_ black. There were no defining features on his face, or his clothing. The only thing that stood out was the bowler hat on his head.

The scars that ran all along my forearms from my wrist to my elbow were on fire. They felt like claws were digging into them, and I was sure that they would be bleeding if I took the time to look at them. But I couldn't do that.

The shadow was looming over my daughter.

I needed to toughen up and save her from the fate I had suffered. I started forward, and the shadow looked to me, somehow seeming to smile _sinisterly_ , without actually having any solid facial features. A chill ran down my spine, but it was nothing compared to the burning rage in my heart. This creature, this damn nightmare of mine was trying to harm my child, and there was not a single thing I wouldn't do to protect her from it.

But as I stepped closer to him, he lunged towards me, and I fell backwards, letting out another scream. Arms came from out of nowhere to catch me. I didn't fall very far, but it was enough for the shadow to escape my view for just a second.

"I've got you."

It was Bengoshi. I couldn't remember if he'd told me he was visiting today or not. My mind was still too occupied with the monster that was trying to hurt Mai.

"Bengoshi," I said, in a shaking voice. "Save Mai!"

"….from what?" he asked me, confused. I pointed my finger towards the shadow that was too close to my daughter for comfort….only to find that there _wasn't_ a shadow there at all. I looked around, desperate to find him. I needed to prove that he was here. I needed proof that the cupboards at home, and Mai's mobile weren't just some terrifying coincidence.

But I wanted to believe Bengoshi.

Mai was safer in _his_ version of events.

"The shadow," I insisted. "Where did it go? We need to find it. We need to get rid of it."

"There was no shadow. Shadows are cast by _light_ , and there was no light," Bengoshi said slowly, as thought I were a kindergartener and he loosing patience with me. I glared at him. He _knew_ how dangerous shadows were. He'd been in the Dark Ocean longer than I had. And he knew the powers they possessed. He'd fallen victim of those very powers…

So why was he so adamant that I was wrong?

He was looking at me like he didn't know what a _shadow_ was?

I looked to the corners of the room, trying to find a camera, wondering if he just didn't want to sound crazy, but it didn't add up to me. He was freaking me out. He appeared after the shadow did, and once he arrived, the shadow left. I was confused, and I was scared, and it was all adding up in my head, no matter _how_ insane it sounded. I backed away from him quickly in horror. I backed up until my spine was resting against Mai's bed. Bengoshi wouldn't be getting close to her if I could help it.

He looked genuinely _hurt_ that I didn't trust him, but I wasn't falling for that trick. I didn't know what was up with him. But I wasn't taking any chances with my daughter.

"You stay away from us," I warned him.

"Miyako, I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're fine," he said in a placating tone. "The lights went out. That happens sometimes."

"There's no lightning, no wind storms," I pointed out. "There was nothing to cause it. Nothing except magic. _Dark_ magic. The kind of magic that the shadows use."

"Miyako, there are plenty of _scientific_ reasons," Bengoshi insisted.

"Can science explain _these_?" I demanded, pulling my sleeves up to show him the blood. He looked at them sadly, and I felt triumphant. But he didn't seem convinced. I couldn't believe it, so I glanced at my arm, expecting to see them coated with red, only to find that there was nothing more than the twisted, deep scaring that Sigma left as a permanent reminder of his nightly haunting. There was no blood, no fresh wounds. There was nothing but my pale skin. "NO! That doesn't make sense! Where's the blood. I _felt_ blood."

"Miyako," Bengoshi said, trying to calm me down. I wasn't having it though.

"Out," I snapped at him. "Get out. You're not welcome here. Get out. OUT!"

"Is there a problem in here?" I turned to the door, grateful for some help. It was Nurse Kankoshi too, which was always a bonus. She _was_ my favourite after all. "Miyako?"

"I'm afraid she's having some sort of a fit," Bengoshi said, as if he _wasn't_ some demon monster's little minion. I glared at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "I think the lights triggered a panic attack. She's talking nonsense about shadows attacking her child."

"Mai's not safe here," I growled at him. "She's coming with me. We're going to leave."

"Miyako, Mai's not ready for that," Kankoshi said gently, treating me like I was just having a fit of hysterics, and I _hadn't_ seen a shadow hanging over my daughter with some nefarious intentions. "She might be in another week, but at her age, her _size_ , a week could make all the difference in the world. She might not _make_ it without her incubator. She might make negative progress. She could die."

"She'll die _here_!" I cried. My hands were shaking. How could Kankoshi believe me over him? I was Mai's mother. I was a digidestined. These types of things happened. She couldn't just think I'd made it all up. The shadow wasn't a figment of my imagination. I couldn't form further words. I just stared at Bengoshi in fear, and peeked around me, never straying from Mai's bed, simply _waiting_ for the shadow to come back. I had a digivice with me.

I could've stopped it earlier.

I could've saved Mai from the shadow, and I hadn't done it. My fear was too great for my brain to function properly. I was kicking myself. I couldn't even save my daughter! I always needed someone to do the saving for me.

The guilt and inadequacy was too strong for me to actively pay attention to the lies that Bengoshi was telling her. He obviously wasn't telling her the truth.

No. That wasn't exactly true.

The truth _sounded_ like a fallacy to non-digidestined.

"—could you call her husband?"

"I'll call him now," Bengoshi responded. Kankoshi smiled at him, and he slipped out of the room to call Ken. Kankoshi on the other hand, came over to me, and started patting my back. I tried to flinch away from her touch, _just_ because she'd sighed with someone other than me in the argument.

"Mai will be home with you soon," she assured me.

"No, that's not good enough," I said in fear. "I want her now."

"She could die, Miyako," she reminded me.

That was enough to open the floodgates. My anger dissipated, and I was left with just fear and inadequacy. I was miserable, and it was bad enough that I fell into a pile on the floor, _sobbing_ next to my daughter. She moved about, the same way she would've, if I was simply talking to her.

"She could die _here_ ," I cried out again. "The shadow will get her. Don't let it get her."

"Hush now, sweetheart," Kankoshi said, patting my back. The door opened and Bengoshi nodded when Kankoshi looked to him. She smiled and turned back to me. Something flashed in Bengoshi's eyes. I couldn't understand why he'd turned on me, on my daughter. It didn't make any sense. I'd been nothing but kind to him. He was my friend.

I _thought_ he was my friend.

"Now, now," Kankoshi said, gently. "Ken's on his way. He'll get you home and you can have a nice relaxing evening. You can come back tomorrow when you're not so distressed. You'll see. Everything will be fine."

I sobbed harder, because she was wrong. Things wouldn't be better, because my baby was being haunted.

And no one would believe me.

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

I didn't feel guilty taking another pill. It wasn't fair of Takeru to think he could control my productivity levels. It was also ridiculous that he didn't realize I wasn't carrying _all_ of my pills with me in my backpack that day. That would be an idiotic thing to do. I couldn't carry around as many pills as I had. If someone found them, they would definitely get the wrong idea, and they wouldn't even let me explain myself before they did something drastic, like take them away.

Just look at Takeru. He saw three mostly empty bottles and got so angry. He barely listened to me when I tried to tell him why they were absolutely necessary to my work. But he wouldn't listen. He'd taken everything he'd seen. I no longer had access to Jou's prescription pad, which meant that I couldn't simply restock whenever I felt the fear bubbling up in my stomach at the idea of running out.

The fear was intense, and I could already feel the rumblings of it now, even though it would be well over a week before I needed to even begin worrying. I could help it. I depended on those magic little time savers. I couldn't work at the rate I was, without them. They were practically the only thing keeping me going at that point.

It didn't help that Taichi had unloaded _another_ mystery that he wanted answers to. The only person he thought to suggest finding answers…was me. It was always me with Taichi. I enjoyed the work. I _liked_ that he trusted me so much to pull answers out of thin air. But really, it was too much. I was already overworking myself. These pills could only help me so much.

And now Gaia had done something else.

" _Hikari has something she wants to share with the class," Taichi said bitterly, as he dragged his sister to stand in front of the Council. Her eyes were downcast, and her face was red and blotchy. She shook her head adamantly. "Go on."_

 _She lifted her face to glare at Taichi, and I saw she was lost in her emotions. She looked betrayed, and angry, and embarrassed, and sad all at once. Her eyes were glistening, and big fat tears were gathering at the brim, threatening to fall at any moment._

" _We're waiting," Taichi told her._

 _She let out a cry, and buried her face in her hands. Taichi looked impatient, but Hikari was too upset to notice. I realized we could be waiting there awhile, and turned my attention to the rest of the Council. Benjamin was scribbling notes in on a pad of paper that obviously had nothing to do with Taichi's emergency meeting. He and his brothers were still in charge of hunting down the virus, and eradicating it. Tinkermon was doodling on tiny scraps of paper new designs for relaxation spas and beauty establishments for Kiyoko to look over at his leisure, now that Taichi had commissioned him to work on his town project._

 _Babamon was looking critically at Shinkomon, who had become Divermon's replacement at an unknown time. I couldn't understand why I wasn't told. I worried that it was one of the things Mimi was always complaining about. Taichi complained a lot too, considering the work load he'd pawned of on me._

 _Shinkomon was oblivious to Babamon scrutinizing. She was too busy looking to Hikari with sympathy. It looked like her heart sang alongside Hikari's in a mournful song. Agumon too was sympathetic to Hikari, and was confused as to why Taichi was being so mean to her. I too wondered the very same thing. We weren't alone in that either, as Gabumon, Ogremon, Leomon and Centarumon were focussed on Taichi more than Hikari as well. Andromon was going through files that had been sent to the Temple from Factorial Town, and was too busy reading the project reports to be able to fully invest himself in the conversation. I knew we would lose him soon, for at least a month, while he spent time in his home town, re-establishing their production levels after the time lost thanks to the virus._

 _Neo looked bored. He didn't want to be here. He was glaring at his sling. It would be removed soon, I was sure, but for now, he continued to hate it more than anything. I wasn't sure he was even aware of what this meeting was about._

 _MetallifeKuwagamon was simply curious. He had plenty of reports to look over as well, but he set them aside and gave Hikari his undivided attention, and a gentle look of support. She didn't see it, but it was kind of him anyway._

" _HIkari, tell them. Now," Taichi ordered. She cried again, and shook her head, keeping her face hidden behind her hands. Taichi blew out an angry sigh. "Fine. I'll tell them. Hikari here was sneaking behind our backs and hanging out with Gaia!" Several gasps were heard throughout the room, and suddenly all eyes were on Taichi, with a few sneaking peeks at Hikari in disbelief. "She lied to us, and fell into Gaia's web of lies. Hikari thought she was protecting Gaia from us. She thought that Gaia was somehow in the right. And now Gaia took her light from her. She took Kurayami's darkness too."_

" _What does she need them for?" Centarumon asked quickly._

" _What is she planning?" Babamon demanded._

" _How do we fight against whatever she's planning?" Ogremon wanted to know._

 _Hikari said something, but it was muffled in her hands. We all waited for her to repeat herself, and she did. She took her hands from her face, and shouted at us. "I DON'T KNOW!" Her face was a deep red, and she looked absolutely miserable. I'd seen her like this several times before. She was like this often in the Land of Dreams. She was furious with herself, she was disappointed, she was putting too much pressure on her shoulders._

 _Taichi was putting too much pressure on her._

" _Obviously, our search for Gaia has precedence over almost everything else, at this point," Taichi concluded. "We need to find out what she could use the light for. What good is darkness to her? We need to know if we'll be able to hold off whatever she's plotting."_

" _I suggest moving the towns up on the priority list as well," MetallifeKuwagamon suggested. "If she's planning to take over the Digital World, which is actually a common goal for our enemies, it would be best if we could keep the death toll to a minimum. The virus has already knocked us off our feet. We need to keep the morale of the population as high as we can."_

" _He's right," Benjamin said. "The virus isn't even gone yet, and we're already falling head first into another foe's plans. We need to keep the safety of our people in our minds at all times."_

" _I'll talk to Kiyoko about it," Gabumon suggested._

" _Do that," Taichi agreed. Gabumon hesitated for a second, unsure if he was meant to leave now or not. He chose to go, and slipped off his chair and into the hallway. The safety of the digimon was more important than this meeting was._

" _What should we do with Hikari and Kurayami?" Shinkomon asked. Several Council members turned to her with wide eyes. It sounded as though she was suggesting punishment. Hikari looked to her, terrified. The Digital World had a prison. At the moment though, it was housing all of the darkest digimon. Hikari and Kurayami would be torn apart in the Dark Habitat. The digimon weren't fans of the digidestined in there._

" _Stay mad at them for awhile…?" Taichi suggested._

" _They need our help," Shinkomon said gently. "They have been hurt by their enemy. They thought they could trust her. She offered assistance in some way. But Gaia did not hold up her end of the bargain, I'm sure."_

" _She didn't," Hikari agreed, looking far more relieved now, though she was still crying softly. "She said she could save Haruki from the curse of Zeta. But she didn't. She took my light and Kurayami's darkness and now Kurayami's terrified, because the curse wasn't broken. The curse killed Kurayami's brother, and her uncle too. She's scared for her son."_

" _Then we must look into it," Shinkomon said simply. "We cannot allow a digidestined to be cursed. Not after all that you have done to save our world, time and time again."_

" _But that's the one that worked with Fanglongmon to destroy it," Babamon said bitterly._

" _I actually_ did _destroy it," Neo drawled. "Now, I'm on the Council with_ you _. It's funny how that turned out, isn't it?"_

" _I was an enemy once as well," Shinkomon said gently._

" _Me too…" Ogremon added._

" _But she fell for the enemy's lies!" Babamon tried again._

 _I raised an eyebrow at her and cleared my throat. "I do believe you fell for Marrow and Erif's lies just the same." She had no rebuttal to that, and Hikari sent me a grateful smile._

" _Koushiro," Taichi announced. I looked to him, dreading the worlds that were bound to come out of his mouth. "I need you to find out what's so important about the light and darkness that Gaia stole. I need to know what it can be used for, and what she plans to do. I need information on this Zeta curse as well. I'm putting Shinkomon in charge of looking in to that. Tinkermon you'll work with Kiyoko on creating the towns, I'm going to put Gabumon on that as well when he gets back. Benjamin, you keep working on the virus. It needs to be deleted, permanently. Koushiro, you can work something out to help them, right? Good. Neo, you just keep recovering as fast as you can. We need you with the Knights if we want any progress made on that front. We can't hold off an army if the Knights aren't ready."_

" _You think there'll be an army?" MetallifeKuwagamon asked nervously._

" _They always have an army," Taichi said simply. "If they want to stand a chance, they need an army. Ken had the black rings and spirals, there were the black gears. The Sovereigns had the crest digimon, the devil had the shadows, and Yggdrasil had his robots. Even Neo had an army."_

" _That's true," Neo allowed._

" _The rest of us need to keep our ears and eyes peeled for Gaia. I'm going to search Earth as best I can, and I'm hoping to have the help of some of the other digidestined. Agumon, you're with me. The rest of you will search the Digital World. We know she's working with Maugrim, and we know he's got the technology to travel between the worlds. It's how Neo, Sora and Yamato got back to us in the first place. They could be on either world at any given time," Taichi warned. "The threat is upon us, we just have to figure out what it is."_

His speech was good, and it motivated everyone, but now I was tasked with figuring out the capabilities of Hikari's light and Kurayami's darkness. It was an interesting project, but it was impossible to complete without actually having access to said light and darkness. I'd taken samples of their DNA through a cheek swab, so I could see if anything had been altered since Gaia had taken them, but it wasn't going to be any help anyway, since I had no data from before they'd gone to Gaia.

I'd lost them somewhere anyway, among my samples of digimon. I kept doing that. I was trying to figure out Gaia's weaknesses by studying the DNA of several different species, but I wasn't having much luck with my results. I needed to work better on labelling things. Twice now I'd gone to test my own DNA, only to find that I'd accidentally used the sample of a digimon instead.

So on top of my DNA study, I had to conduct a study on a curse—which I might not have believed existed, on principal, if Mimi hadn't been subjected to a curse during her stay in Sidhendor—that has been in Kurayami's family since Zeta entered it. Zeta, I knew about. I'd read about her in Theta, on the wall of the maze. She was Sigma's sister. She was Yggdrasil's sorrows.

But I needed to know more.

I also had decided that the digimentals might give me answers as to what light and darkness could be used for. It was a gamble, but it was the best bet I had. I couldn't experiment with either of them while they were in Gaia's possession. I couldn't understand them. I couldn't even begin a hypothesis. But I _could_ look at the digimentals, which were simply a physical representation of the crests within our hearts. Hikari and Kurayami's light and darkness might be _different_ than simply being their crests, but the digimentals would be a good place to start.

The main issue I had now, was that I couldn't simply jump into an experiment with _them_ either. I couldn't risk causing them damage. Not now that they were potentially the only chance we had of restoring Hikari's light to her, as well as getting Kurayami back her darkness. Their digimon partners also lived with them on Earth, and if we wanted to keep the worlds separate, we needed to have each crest represented in the Digital World.

I couldn't destroy the digimental in my haste to understand the situation—that would mean Gatomon and Labramon would need to stay in the Digital World on a permanent basis. I couldn't do that to them. I needed to find a source where I could learn about the digimentals, so I could understand them more fully. I needed more information.

There were two places I figured would have information that I would need. Gennai's house was full of his notes and findings from over the years, and was bound to have _something_ that could help me. Gennai had never failed us before. He always knew what he was talking about. He actually understood everything that made this world tick. He _had_ to. He was the clone of the man that had created it.

I needed Gennai's help now. But Gennai was long gone. I had accepted that. It still hurt, but I was slowly getting to the point that it was okay. He was my hero growing up. He knew so much and I strived to be like him. I always craved his approval. Benjamin and his other brothers weren't the same. They didn't _know_ as much as him. They knew a lot, but they weren't as wise, or well travelled. Gennai was the original clone, and the others only took aspects from him to call their own. Not one of them was a true clone.

That used to be a comfort to me. They were _like_ him, but they weren't _just_ like him. Now, it was a hindrance. Things would be a lot easier if they all had the same mind, and memories.

But there was one place, other than Gennai's home under the sea. I could go back to Theta. I learned so much while I was there, and I was _sure_ there was much left to be learned. There was a lot in that world that needed to be discovered.

That was why I was wandering through the Temple halls, trying not to look out of place, and taking another of my pills. I was trying not to draw attention to myself. It wasn't that I was doing something I shouldn't, or something that was against the rules. Taichi had never actually _set_ any rules about anyone taking the keys without telling anyone. It was something he ought to work on, as I knew Natsuni, Michael and Willis had slipped into Sidhendor when they left the welcome home party, and I knew that Neo and Hikari had taken the key to the Digital World when they headed to Witchenly. Taichi hadn't known until _after_ they'd returned the keys.

How long would it take him to notice if someone had actually stolen them?

I didn't want to think about that. Not only because it didn't seem promising, but because my mind was already too overworked thinking about the tasks I'd been given.

No one questioned me as I made my way through the hallway. There were several Council members loitering in the hall, having a break from whatever search mission they'd just returned from—empty handed of course. Gaia wasn't going to be found _that_ easily. I tried to avoid eye contact, and once I reached the staircase that led down to the digimentals room, I started running, relieved to finally be out of view.

I still felt the need to be cautious while actually in the room with the digimentals and keys. I crept silently across the floor, feeling ridiculous as I did it, but it seemed necessary all the same. I reached out and took the key to the Digital World off of its hook, and placed it in my pocket, checking three times that it was still there, just in case it decided to leave. I shook the thought from my head. The key was inanimate. It couldn't move on its own. I was being far too paranoid. My thoughts weren't making any sense.

The newest key, the key that led to the white maze of Theta was on a hastily added nail that was temporary. Taichi was looking into finding a hook that would match the others, but it wasn't exactly on the top of his priority list. I reached out for it in awe. It was so different from the others. It was so simple. But it was compelling all the same. I touched it carefully, and peeked over my shoulder, just to see if anyone was coming.

I met a pair of enormous blue eyes. I screamed, clenching my hand around Theta's key, and hiding it behind my back.

"What'cha doing?" Patamon asked me, flapping his wings so that he remained on eye level with me.

"Nothing important," I lied.

"Then it shouldn't matter if you tell me," Patamon decided, challenging me with his gaze. I held my eyes level with his for only a few seconds before I cracked.

"I'm going to Theta, and you can't stop me," I told him, as though I were a petulant child, instead of a grown man that technically wasn't doing anything wrong.

"That sounds fun," Patamon said happily. "I'll go with you. I can show you to the heart."

"The heart?" I asked. My mind flashed back to the group meeting where we discussed it. Patamon _had_ been the one that knew the thing in the box was a heart. That could be an interesting thing to study as well. I hesitated though, for a reason I couldn't pinpoint. Did I really want _Patamon_ to come with me? He was Takeru's partner. "Did Takeru send you to _spy_ on me?" I asked, offended at the very idea. Couldn't he trust me? I wouldn't, but that was because I knew just how many pills I had stashed around in convenient and hidden locations. But Takeru had no reason not to trust me. As far as he was aware, he had my entire collection, and was waiting for me to come to him and ask for one.

I thought I was fooling him. I'd only gone to him twice in the three days that he'd had them. He hesitated in giving them to me. But the time between requests had impressed him. He must've seen through my ruse. I narrowed my eyes at Patamon, waiting for him to answer me.

" _Should_ Takeru ask me to spy on you?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused. I wasn't sure whether he was _that_ talented at acting, or if he was telling the truth. I knew by this point that I wouldn't be able to shake him off without him running to tattle to Takeru regardless of whether Takeru had asked him to come at all. I'd piqued his interest. I cursed at myself for jumping to conclusions. Usually I was so much _better_ at that. Why wasn't I thinking straight anymore?

It was probably the number of projects I was juggling.

I mentally thanked my pills for helping me handle the workload, before turning to Patamon and shaking my head. "No," I told him. "There's no reason. You want to come? That's great. We should get going now. There's a lot I would like to do while in that world."

"Okay…." Patamon said, suspiciously eyeing me.

There was nothing to be done. I couldn't shake his suspicion now that I'd ignited the fire. I opened the gate down in the digimental room, so that no one would spot us as we left. Patamon commented on it, and I ignored him. We were _allowed_ —technically. I never asked, but there was no reason to. I was just exploring Theta so that I could better solve the problems that Taichi bestowed upon me. By asking me to figure everything out, Taichi had _kind of_ been granting me permission anyway, however inadvertently.

Once we were in the maze, Patamon shuddered, remembering what had happened the last time we'd been there. It looked just the same, _better_ in fact. The walls had knitted themselves back together and there were no dead monsters lying about. I was amazed at how crisp and clean everything looked, despite the battle that had taken place only two months ago.

This worlds' only inhabitant was Theta, who was in a permanent sleep. I'd seen her. She wasn't likely to have been responsible for cleaning. I assumed one of the fairies did it before sealing this world off to everyone but those with the key.

"Let's try this way!" Patamon exclaimed, and I followed after him. We searched for minutes—though both Patamon and my watch assured me it was actually _hours_ —before Patamon admitted defeat. The maze was constantly changing, and there was no way to follow the same path even minutes after taking it, let alone a path from two months ago. "I can't find it," Patamon sighed. "I should be able to. I saw it before. I'm sorry I didn't find it for you."

"It's alright," I said, though I wasn't sure it was. If Patamon and my watch were correct, then we'd wasted _hours_ of precious research time on a fruitless quest for this heart. I knew I wouldn't be sleeping at all that night, just to make up for it. My mind was already running through excuses for Mimi. She would be angry, and confused, and I didn't like to upset her. But she didn't understand how imperative this work was. I needed to get it done. I needed it done a week ago, so that Gaia would never have had the chance to take Hikari's light, or Kurayami's darkness. I was always so far behind. I didn't know if I could ever catch up.

"Hey!" Patamon called, flying ahead of me. I looked towards him, hoping to catch sight of the box with the heart in it, but my hopes were dashed when I saw that it was the room I'd spent so much time in. The hole was still there, impossibly deep, and the stories were still carved into the wall.

"The stories," I murmured, looking through the story of Zeta, looking for anything that might spell out the counter curse. There was nothing there though. There was no way to end a fairy's curse…but then how did Mimi, Michael and the others dispel the curse placed upon them in Sidhendor?

Nothing made sense.

"Is this the place that you and Takeru learned about Yggdrasil being Sigma's father?" Patamon wanted to know. He'd gotten bored of reading not long after he'd started. He was now just flying around, looking at the pictures.

"Yes," I said, not wasting any time saying anything more. Something had caught my eye in the Theta section. I'd read it from top to bottom the last time I'd been here, and for some reason, I hadn't remembered this interesting tidbit about the digimentals. "The digimentals were created as Theta found qualities that she admired in the living beings that inhabited her."

"How did they inhabit a person?" Patamon wanted to know.

"Theta is the world itself," I explained. "She made a vessel for herself, so she could explore those that lived within her reach, but she was and still remains a world. She's now broken, most likely beyond repair, but she's still around. Earth is part of her, and so is WItchenly, Neverland, the Land of Dreams and Sidhendor. They were literally ripped from her and cast aside, which is how they became worlds of their own."

"That's… _horrible_ ," Patamon said, sounding like 'horrible' wasn't bad enough of a word for him, like it wasn't enough to describe how bad his opinion of the worlds' history was.

"It is," I agreed. "But it happened. She's still alive. This world is part of her as well. Her vessel is here. Perhaps, so long as she lives, the digimentals will continue to hold power. She created them as she found qualities worth respecting. They became physical representations of those qualities that ensured that they would continue to be present in the people. At some point they went dormant though…it doesn't explain much about that time. They were dormant though, before you and Takeru and the others went on a hunt to find them."

"Do you think that maybe it was _because_ they were dormant that the Great Evils became a problem?" Patamon asked thoughtfully.

"Depending on the time of the dormancy, they could be the cause, yes," I murmured. "The fact that the crests were created to mimic the digimentals' capabilities lends to that theory. Perhaps the dormancy occurred when the worlds were separated? But no…that doesn't make sense. That could have been millions of years ago, for all we know."

"But what if it wasn't," Patamon asked suddenly excited. "What if the discrepancy in Neverland, and how it shattered when it was meant to create a world of its own, just makes it _seem_ like it's been millions of years, kind of like how your first adventure took months, but you went home to Earth, and found that it was still the same day. What if it's all a matter of relativity?"

"Yet another mystery to mull over," I sighed. "This doesn't have the information on the digimentals I was hoping that it would. And the section on Zeta is sadly limited."

"Does that mean we get to go back now?" Patamon asked, sounding incredibly hopeful. I raised my eyebrow at him, silently pointing out that he didn't need to come with me in the first place, but had chose to anyway. It was his own fault if we were here longer than he wanted to be.

I intended to agree, and was actually in the middle of pulling the key out of my pocket when an image caught my eye. It was of the many headed serpent monster. I'd noticed it the last time as well, but hadn't really looked into it. It was a creature that was in this world, meant to guard and protect it. The information written under the image was very stilted, and not particularly vast, but I did learn that the creature was Orochimon, and he lived in this very room.

"Where?" Patamon asked, hesitantly. I realized only then that I was reading aloud. I shook my head and looked to Patamon before pointing towards the large hole in the centre of the floor. "That's what I was afraid of."

"I wonder if it can speak," I muttered, as I headed over to the hole. "HELLO DOWN THERE!"

Patamon clamped his tiny hands over my mouth. "Are you crazy? You just said that it's meant to guard this world. I'm pretty sure it'll see us as intruders. I don't _want_ to get killed. I didn't even tell Takeru or anyone where I went. Did you?"

"No," I sighed. "But I need information. This could be my only chance."

"Why don't you just talk to Theta, if she's here?" Patamon wanted to know. His voice was a hissed whisper now, as he tried to pull me away from the hole. "She probably knows everything there is to know about _everything_ , if she's the worlds themselves."

"Not the Digital World," I pointed out, though it wasn't strictly necessary. He let me know how interested he was by narrowing his eyes and tugging on me again. I sighed, and let him pull me away. There was a low rumbling, and the sound of something _big_ moving. Patamon and I looked to each other, and then down to the hole. A loud snarl was heard and at once, we turned and bolted out of the room. We fled until we rounded a corner, and I pulled the key out of my pocket.

"That didn't sound friendly," Patamon felt the need to point out. I scowled, and opened the gate. We stepped through in the crowded hallway, and I tucked the key behind my back. Patamon took it though, and he took the key to Theta as well, giving me a serious look. "You won't go back alone. Promise me. Don't go there alone!"

"Fine," I sighed, kind of irritated that he and Takeru were so alike. There weren't any loopholes around Patamon's promise though, in the way there were with Takeru's.

"Thank you," he said. "I'm going to put them away."

"Don't…tell anyone, please?" I asked, embarrassed to _need_ to.

"Don't tell anyone that you did something stupid?" Patamon clarified. "Because I won't, unless you go to there by yourself. I don't _want_ to have to tattle, Koushiro. Please don't make me. Don't be stupid."

"I'm naturally not," I drawled, and he laughed, flying off through the numerous digimon—different ones than before, but still just as many—towards the stairwell.

"There you are!"

I sighed, trying to prepare myself for the onslaught that Mimi was about to send my way. I wasn't ready when she reached me. She was dragging the arm of a young boy behind her. Ryou seemed happy, even though he was being dragged like a rag doll.

"Koushiro, I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been? We're going to Gennai's house," she said, all in quick succession. I chose not to answer her questions. She didn't seem to want them answered.

"That's incredibly convenient," I said, surprised. "I was headed to Gennai's house anyway."

"What? Why?" Mimi asked, brows furrowing in her confusion. Ryou just continued to smile. It was starting to get overwhelming how often he smiled. I noticed that Palmon and Cyberdramon weren't with them.

"I…don't—it's not important," I stammered, unsure whether I really wanted to go there _with_ Mimi anyway. I might need another pill, and she would definitely notice if she was with me. I didn't want her to worry. There was nothing to worry about anyway. It was just better to simply _not_ go with her.

But it didn't look like she was really offering me a choice.

She dragged Ryou off towards the gateway to Earth, and I watched her with confusion. She didn't seem to realize I wasn't following her. Gennai's house was _outside_ the Temple. Not through a magical door within it. "Where are you going?" I called, when she didn't offer any explanation.

"Oh," she said, slapping her forehead. "You thought I meant—? No, no. I'm going to _Hiraga's_ house. I'm sorry. I should've said. You're coming too. We're bringing Ryou home."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Ken and Mimi are both working without permission to help a friend in need, but aren't sure if things will go as smoothly as they're planning for them to.


	23. Visiting

**Y/N:** Mimi and Ken both get to narrate this time around, making it the second chapter in a row that I had to write on my own. Their narrations have very little in common, hence the really bland and vague chapter title. It really _does_ have something to do with them, but it's not all that exciting sounding. But I got to explore a little bit about Ryou in Mimi's and Ken got to hang around with someone new (not a new character, just someone he'd really consider a friend) and it was really fun, I think-for a Ken chapter anyway. Ken's just so much more interesting to me now. I wish he'd been more interesting earlier on, but that was my own fault, so I can't really complain.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 23: Visiting**

 _ **Mimi Tachikawa:**_

Poor Ryou has been without a place to stay for three days. It wasn't fair. And no one else seemed to notice. He'd been staying in one of the rooms that the Temple offered guests, and that meant he was living among the night owls that came from Witchenly. They stayed up all hours of the night, dancing around bonfires that they built in the middle of Main Square.

Now, we weren't complaining about their need to express their thanks to the moon, that was just fine. What I had a problem with, was housing a fourteen year old that hadn't needed to sleep properly for _ages_ , due to the fact that he lived in the Land of Dreams. He wasn't used to sleeping a full eight hours a night, because he didn't _need_ to. But he wasn't there anymore, and his body was letting him know that. He was practically dead on his feet.

Not that he'd tell anyone.

Nope. He just chose to grin and bear it, like a trooper.

He didn't need to pretend with me though. I could see right through that happy mask he was wearing. He wanted some sleep, and he was tired of being here, in our time. He wanted to go home. And since it was my fault that he fell through the time stream in the first place, I felt like it was my duty to make it up to him now.

And if that meant going to visit his house, which once belonged to Hiraga, then that was a bonus to me. Koushiro would find _something_ interesting there, I was sure. I wasn't too worried about that though. I wanted to give him a break. He was working too hard. He needed time away from the massive pile of mysteries he was meant to solve. He needed to clear his head, and get a fresh perspective. He wouldn't do it on his own. He was too driven to take a break now. He'd rest when the work was done.

But it looked like the work would _never_ be done, and I needed him to calm down some. He needed to dial it back, and take some time to take care of himself. He was hardly spending time with Tentomon anymore. Tentomon asked _me_ whether Koushiro was doing alright. That was the moment I knew I needed to step in. Koushiro needed to pay attention to something other than Gaia right now.

So I was taking him with me.

Ryou had to lead us through the streets once we got back to Japan. I had no idea where I was going, so it was all on his shoulders. He kept getting distracted by the look of the cars, or movie posters in shop windows. He was thrilled by all of these "old" things. I felt insulted almost at the very thought. These things were all brand new to me—not just to _me_ either, they were literally brand new. Some of those movies he was laughing at hadn't even come out yet!

But I tried not to let him make me feel old. Technically, he was older than I was, thanks to all of the years he'd spent travelling through time—and the decades he spent in the Digital World before Ken showed up to help him take out Millenniummon. The fact that he was only born like two years ago didn't matter.

Much.

I still felt really old walking next to him though. Koushiro continuously trailed behind us. For some reason, he was incapable of communicating with Ryou and I like a human being. He just looked at the street and muttered to himself, repeating everything he knew about digimentals on a loop. It wasn't getting him anywhere. It wasn't like he suddenly shouted "Eureka!" and found the answers to life, the universe and everything. No. He was just talking himself in circles.

There had to be _something_ important about the digimentals, or at least he _thought_ there was. But he obviously didn't know enough about it to figure it out. He probably knew the most out of anyone about them. The only thing he couldn't know for certain was how it felt utilizing one. Takeru, Hikari, Daisuke, Miyako, Iori, and Willis were the only ones that could explain what it felt for a _human_ , while Patamon, Gatomon, Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, Terriermon and the Knights were the only digimon that could express the exhilaration.

But I was about seventy percent sure that he didn't _need_ that knowledge for whatever project he was working on. I was never a hundred percent sure when it came to Koushiro's work, and I was getting less sure the longer this Gaia business dragged on.

I was scared.

I was scared for Koushiro, and how hard he was pushing himself.

I was scared for Sora, and the court case that was looming in the far too near future.

I was scared for Hikari and Kurayami, who had something precious ripped from them.

I was scared for Haruki, and the mysterious curse Sigma's sister had passed on to her descendents.

I was scared for Mai, who was still in the hospital, not quite strong enough to make the journey home.

There was far too much happening around us to be afraid of. Gaia could jump out at any given moment, and take something precious from any of the rest of us. Koushiro had given up his curiosity once, could Gaia take it from him? Would she? She probably would if she knew just how dependent we were on him to solve problems for us. Could she take Iori's honour, the source that fueled his continued fight? Would she take Sora's love, trapping her within herself as she tried to pull herself out of the hole that she would inevitably fall into? What could she take from me that would render me useless? Nothing. I was already useless, really. I wasn't able to help save Sora from false accusations. I couldn't end the curse on Kurayami's family. I wasn't any use to Mai, who had to struggle through her fight on her own. I wasn't even managing to stop Koushiro from pushing himself. He was still doing it. I had simply changed the scenery.

And I still hadn't solved the mystery of Mari's garden.

It wasn't _as_ big of deal now that Lalamon was back, but it was still incredibly important to me that I figure this out for Mari. I'd promised her that I would do it while she worked to save her sister—because I couldn't help with _that_ either.

"Huh…there's usually a building here," Ryou commented, pointing to an empty lot. Kids used it to play in. There was a lively blanket of green grass during the summer, but it was looking a little worse for wear, now that it was October. "It's a pet store. I was going to get dog…or I _wanted_ to anyway. Guess I can't."

"I have pets at home," I told him. "You can play with Oswald and Jezebel."

"Are they dogs?" Ryou asked excitedly. I felt bad that they _weren't_ just looking at that hopeful gleam in his eyes. I shook my head.

"Oswald's an octopus," I said, sounding disappointed. "I don't even _know_ what Jezebel is. She's fluffy, purple and has a beak though."

"Sounds exciting," Ryou decided, choosing the path of positivity, and not looking even remotely disappointed by my severe lack of dogs. I breathed out a sigh of relief. I didn't want to hurt the new kid's feelings. "I live just down this street," he announced, turning the corner. "I'm two now, right? So I _live_ here, and not _will_ live here."

"It's all very confusing," I complained.

"Not really," Ryou and Koushiro commented at the same time. I sighed and rolled my eyes. At least I knew that Koushiro was paying attention to his surroundings _while_ he repeated information about digimentals. That was _close_ to taking a break. It was probably as close as he got, anyway.

Ryou counted out the houses, looking more excited the closer we got to his home. He almost walked right passed it, before he paused and checked the number again. He looked to the house, confused, but then shrugged. "I guess they remodel at some point," he commented. "The door isn't usually bright blue. Dad likes boring colours, like beige and cream."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything. Instead, I marched right up to the door, and knocked sharply three times. While I waited for someone to answer the door, I fiddled with my hair, wanting it to be perfect and presentable, and I ran my tongue over my teeth, just in case something was stuck there. I didn't want a flawed smile while I was trying to get Ryou a place to stay.

The door opened soon after, and I readied myself with my brightest smile, only to find that it was Tadao, and not a stranger that was looking out at me. He was confused, but so was I. My smile dimmed slightly, because I wasn't sure we had the right house after all. Maybe Ryou's father got the house at a later date…?

"Mimi?" Tadao asked, his confusion colouring his tone. He looked past me to Koushiro, who was still muttering to himself, leaving a terrible impression, and then his eyes slid to Ryou, where they stayed. His mouth dropped open, and he tried to come up with words, but he couldn't. He could clearly see what I saw when I looked at Ryou. Ryou looked a lot like Gennai, who was a clone of Hiraga, and as such looked just like him.

"Hi!" I said brightly. "We've got a wayward boy that we'd like to bring home."

"How?" he asked. "Dad…?"

"Sorry," Ryou said, smiling brightly, like he always did. "I'm not him."

"Then who?" Tadao wanted to know.

"This is Ryou," I said. "You know him. You've just never seen him like _this_. He's thirteen or so"—Ryou was quick to input "fourteen"—"and he's been that way for a _long_ time. It's hard to explain."

"Come in," Tadao said, suddenly concerned, looking at his nephew and trying to match the image of the fourteen year old with that of the two year old he regularly babysat. Ryou murmured something about how it was strange that Tadao was even there, and I felt concern growing in me for Hiraga's sons. The way Ryou spoke made me feel like there was a rift between them. I didn't like that idea. But there was nothing I could do to stop it. It wasn't my place.

Not that _that_ had ever stopped me before….but it was different with my friends than with a complete stranger. I needed Ryou's dad to like me, or else he wouldn't let Ryou stay at home during his time on Earth in this _time_. And Ryou wanted to stay at home. He missed it with a passion that he wouldn't admit to. But I could see it, just like I could see his exhaustion.

I couldn't help but look around as I followed Tadao into what was once Hiraga's home. I was looking for a sign that he'd been here, you know? Nothing jumped out at me though. Ryou hadn't been kidding when he said his father preferred dull, boring tones. There was very little by way of colour. Most of the colours I saw were meant for children. There were toys for toddlers all over the place.

"Who was it?" a man called. He sounded rather unimpressive. I'd hoped that he'd be full of life, like Tadao was, like Gennai had been. I hoped his voice would sound more similar to Gennai's than Tadao's did. But he sounded nothing alike. And when Tadao led us into the room, I learned that Ryou's father must've taken after his mother. While Ryou looked so much like Gennai, his father shared none of those similarities. His eyes though…they were the right colour, I thought.

"My friend, Mimi," Tadao said. "She came by for a visit."

"I wish you wouldn't supply your friends with my address," his brother sighed. He looked up at each of us. He eyes Ryou longer, just as Tadao had, but he made no comment. Ryou wasn't paying attention anyway. He was busy locking eyes with a two year old version of himself. His eyes were wide, and the baby was mimicking his every action. He waved, and the baby waved. He blinked, and so did the baby. He crinkled his nose, the baby did the same. It was so incredibly weird to see, that I could kind of understand the unwritten—and therefore not strictly necessary—rule about talking to your past self while passing through the time stream. Ryou was starting to look a little freaked out.

"Okay," I said bluntly. "I'm just going to get right into it, because I came here for a reason, and I don't really want to waste your time. Point is, I'm sorry. I accidently tripped and sent your son back in time. Not the baby. It hasn't actually happened yet. It won't happen until the year 2027. I didn't mean to do it, but I did, and now he's here, and he's actually lived like dozens of years longer than it looks like he's lived, and we kind of need him to be here on Earth, instead of another world, because we're fighting what might be the biggest bad guy we've ever faced—not literally, because she's got a rather slight build, but in terms of _strength_ , she's kind of a powerhouse—while we try and continue your father's legacy and finally achieve peace for all the worlds. I guess what I'm trying to say, is can he stay here while he's on Earth, because he _is_ your son and all?"

Ryou and Tadao winced at the same time, and I realized maybe that being blunt was not the best choice that I could have made when it came to Mr Akiyama.

"You come into _my_ home?" Ryou's dad started, sounding completely seething mad. I didn't know what to do, but Ryou was already steering Koushiro out of the room, and Tadao was on his feet, walking towards me. He turned to his brother, and glared at him.

"They're guests, and you're being completely unreasonable," Tadao hissed. "You're son is sitting on the floor. I don't need to remind you what happened the _last_ time you got angry and started swearing in front of him. Your wife wouldn't talk to you for a week, after hearing what Ryou chose to repeat."

"I want them out of my house, and I want them gone _now_ ," Ryou's father growled.

"Fine," Tadao said. "But when 2027 rolls around, and Ryou goes missing, don't come crying to me. _I'll_ know where he went. And you _still_ won't believe it."

"Out. _NOW_ ," his brother shouted. Baby Ryou started crying, and his father looked to Tadao. "Look what you did. Honestly, I don't know why I put up with you at all."

"Probably because it's _my_ house too," Tadao said, rolling his eyes. "Because we're brothers, and father wanted us to always remember that, and open our hearts to those in need. I mean, that's why _I_ put up with _you_. You obviously don't care much for father's wishes."

"Don't speak of father to me," Ryou's dad snapped, and then Tadao sighed, pulling me out of the room. He made a point to slam the door very loudly, just to irritate his brother _more_ , and then led us down the street. It took him awhile to calm down enough to form words. He was very angry with his brother. It wasn't over the fact that he'd turned away visitors though. It was the fact that he'd turned away _Ryou_. All it took was one look to see that the fourteen-year-old was the same kid that was toddling around in that house. It didn't take a genius. I would know. I _wasn't_ one, and I could spot it a mile away—and that was without actually _meeting_ Hiraga, and going solely on the memories I had of his many clones.

"I'm sorry," Tadao said eventually. "My brother and father never got along. My brother and _I_ never got along either. We were both flabbergasted when Dad left the house to the both of us. I don't live there, really. I don't live _anywhere_. I sail around the world with Whamon most of the time. Jaku forgets I own half the house most of the time. I don't really see the point. The only say I have at all is the door. I painted it blue when Ryou was born. Jaku hates it, but he's lucky Ryou wasn't a girl. I had this nice, hot pink picked out, just to bug him."

"I understand," Ryou said, still smiling, despite the hurt he was feeling from his father's complete rejection. "Dad doesn't like change. He doesn't like confusing. He doesn't like Whamon. I know he's not a boat now. I used to think that. Dad told me. I don't think he likes digimon."

"No," Tadao confirmed. "He thought they stole our father from us. Oh, Dad was always around, but his mind was constantly wondering 'what if?' He wanted to explore the world he'd built. He wanted to talk with the clones he made of himself, and learn what had happened since he'd first created them. He was always wondering about a world that was not his own. Jaku didn't understand that wonder the way I do. I have the same drive. That's why I sail the globe. I _need_ to explore more. Jaku doesn't need more than his every day routine. He doesn't stray from it."

"He likes consistency," Ryou agreed. "And he doesn't like dogs."

"No, he doesn't like those either," Tadao said. Ryou shrugged his shoulders, and kicked his toe against the ground. It was the closest I'd seen him to being sad yet. But all the while, he was still grinning like a fool. I couldn't understand where he found the energy to always be smiling. "It's very good to see you though," Tadao added. "It's nice to know you turn out so well, even with the world's most bitter father."

"I'm a digidestined now," Ryou told his uncle. "I guess I just hoped I'd get to stay at home, you know? I'd like that sense of familiarity, but it wouldn't be the same anyway. And if Dad hates digimon, then I wouldn't be able to bring Cyberdramon with me. He's my best friend. We've been together a really long time now."

"A digidestined, _and_ a digimon partner?" Tadao said, letting out a long, low whistle. "That's impressive."

"It's also why I need to help," Ryou said.

"I'd offer you a place to stay, but as you can see…." Tadao trailed off. "Well, I'm not sure _I_ have one anymore. I should just sign the house over to him and be done with it. You're the only reason I stick around, kiddo."

"I know," Ryou said brightly. "You tell me every time you see me."

"Good," Tadao said, nodding to himself.

"I got to meet Gennai," Ryou said, trying to keep the conversation going. The poor kid was starved for family, and this was the only chance he was going to get. But this Tadao didn't know him the way _his_ Tadao did, and the conversation wasn't flowing as well as he'd obviously hoped. "I never got to meet Grandpa, but Gennai seemed pretty cool. He knew who I was, and everything."

"Of course he did," Tadao said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Dad had a partner you know. That guy knew everything, and when Dad made the decision to cut all ties with the Digital World and to just move on with his life, that partnership was passed to Gennai. I never met the clone, but from what Dad said, they were exactly alike."

"Really?" Ryou asked, excited. "Grandpa sounds like he was a pretty awesome guy."

"He really was," Tadao said.

"Gennai had a partner…?" Koushiro murmured, having absorbed everything that mentioned Gennai. Of course he was still working, despite not being near his computer. It was getting absolutely ridiculous. "Mimi, I need to go. I understand something now. I have to see how this affects thing."

"Wait!" I called, but I might as well have been talking to a brick wall. Koushiro didn't stop for even a second. He just kept moving, heading towards the nearest internet source, I was sure. I sighed.

"What are you going to do now, kid?" Tadao asked. "I've got some money I could give you. I could find a hotel or something and set you up there."

"Nonsense," I said, shaking my head. "You don't need to waste your money, Tadao. I've got plenty of space. I just wanted to see if I couldn't get him _home_ first."

"You mean it?" Ryou asked, sounding slightly hesitant.

"Sure I do," I said. "There's a full house, but Tentomon's always at the Temple doing Koushiro's job while Koushiro does who knows what, and Palmon's a sweetheart, you'll love her. Oswald's an octopus so he doesn't do a lot, and Jezebel has a tendency to follow new people around, but she's a bundle of fluff, so she's not exactly dangerous. Adding you and Cyberdramon to the mix will be fun."

And maybe I'd have someone around that could help me get Koushiro to stop working for five minutes every once in awhile. That would be nice.

"I should get my stuff from the Temple then, right?" Ryou asked. I shrugged and nodded. He might as well. He turned to Tadao, and flashed a pair of pleading eyes at him. "You'll come too, right? You want to see Grandpa's world?"

"Well, I've never been there…." Tadao said sounding unsure. Ryou grinned.

"You'll love it," he decided, and then he was dragging his uncle off. It was only when Tadao mentioned something that Ryou stopped and looked to me. "Are you coming with us?"

"I'll meet you there in a couple of hours, just to give you time to really show Tadao the Temple," I decided. "I've got to stop at my restaurant to check how the construction team is working. If they haven't actually accomplished anything worthwhile by _now_ , then I'm going to have to let them go and find new ones. Rebuilding is a long process. I'm not looking forward to the next time."

"You think there'll be a _next_ time?" Ryou asked, having learned about my restaurant in one of my babbling rants while we were still at the Temple, looking for Koushiro.

"You know what they say: the third time's the charm," I sighed. He smiled, and led his uncle off. I hailed a taxi cab, and rattled off the address of my restaurant, the building that was once my pride and joy, but was still scorched, and had been torn to pieces the last time I'd checked on the construction team.

When I arrived, it was clear to me that the construction team had left. I knew I should have had Hideto come and supervise again. I was surprised to find that the place was more put together than it had been the last time I'd been there. It wasn't perfect—far from it—but it was getting there, and it was nice to see. I didn't have anything else to do there, since it was still in shambles, but I was happy that things were really getting done now.

I opened the front door only to find Neo reaching with his good hand towards the door handle. I looked at him, and he immediately turned around and started walking away.

"Wait!" I called, chasing after him after hastily locking the door behind me. "What was _that_ all about?"

"I was looking for Hideto," he said. "You're not him, so I'm leaving."

"But we haven't talked in ages," I pointed out. "You haven't told me how your love has blossomed."

"I don't recall any love blossoming," he drawled.

"Oh, pooh," I sighed. "I'm sorry. I haven't been able to put any energy into getting you and Evelen together. I've been swamped with trying to solve an unsolvable mystery."

"Mari's garden," he said knowingly.

"Yeah," I whined. "It's so hard. There aren't any clues, and there's no more suspects except Koushiro and I'm eighty percent sure it wasn't him. He's too 'busy' to take the time to destroy an entire garden."

"You're looking at it wrong," he told me. "You're grasping at straws, trying to find the perpetrator, when in reality you should be looking for _how_ they did it."

"I'm not following," I said, feeling like an idiot.

"The garden is invisible. Lalamon made it that way," he said slowly, as if I were a toddler and not just slightly confused. "It has the same technology as the Coliseum in that only those that know of its existence can see it. As far as anyone is aware, only the digidestined and their partners know of it. Therefore, one of them is the culprit, or one of them told someone else and _that_ person is the culprit. It's simply logic."

"You're right," I gasped. "It really _could_ have been Koushiro. That's horrible. I was mostly joking about that, but there's a good chance that he actually did it."

"Don't jump to conclusions," Neo hastened to add. "I'm just suggesting that you survey the digidestined and find a complete listing of everyone that knows about it, and go from there."

"I'll do that," I said with a smile. "That'll make things move along faster, don't you think? And when this is done, I can get back to getting you and Evelen together."

"Seriously stay out of my love life," Neo pleaded. But I could see right through that tough-guy act. He was really into her, and they both needed the push that only Mimi—and Sora, and Hideto, I guess—could provide.

"Mhm, sure," I said slyly. "So tell me more, tell me more."

"There's nothing to tell," Neo said, sounding frustrated. He was always honest, and I was disappointed to know that there weren't any developments since my last bout of meddling. "I haven't seen her really, since she showed up at my apartment freaking out. I thought her father was up to something, or that she had information on Gaia, so I intended to interrogate her."

"How charming," I said sarcastically.

"But when I came back with a glass of water, she was gone," he said. "I don't know what she wanted. I don't know if she was in trouble. I just know that she didn't want to tell me what it was, which means it's none of my business."

"Great," I groaned. "Now I won't be able to sleep tonight, thanks for that, Neo. I'm going to expect Gaia to jump out and get me every time I close my eyes."

"Evelen didn't tell me what was wrong," Neo reminded me. "For all we know she _could_."

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

"I can't take this!" Miyako shouted. She was pacing the living room floor—much larger now than it had been in our crappy apartment—trying to wear a hole through it. She couldn't sit still, no matter how many times I pleaded with her. I'd gotten a call from her lawyer friend, Bengoshi, saying she was having a panic attack, and that it was negatively affecting the baby. I hadn't believed it for a second—not the panicking part, that fit Miyako to a T, but the part where she was harming our baby. There was nothing in this world that Miayko cared more about than our daughter. I felt the same, of course, as Mai's father, but Miyako took every triumph and failure personally. It was as if she was living Mai's journey alongside her, sharing everything with her.

I wished my bond with my daughter was stronger, but I couldn't afford to take time off of work at this point in time. I'd taken two unexpected months. It was unavoidable, which was the only reason I still had my job, but I _really_ couldn't take any more time off any time soon. I needed to solidify my place in the precinct before they decided I was disposable.

Miyako and I _needed_ my job.

We'd _just_ bought a house. We'd just had a _baby_. We had a mortgage to deal with, and diapers to buy. We needed to plan and save. We couldn't manage without my pay check. I needed to go to work. The fact that I was working an obnoxious number of hours was disheartening, because it kept me away from my newborn child, and my wife, and my partner. But it was also nice to know that I was working my hardest to provide for that family. Miyako wasn't in any position to take my place. I was totally willing to take a paternity leave if she wanted to work, that wasn't the issue. The main problem was that Miyako was practically _obsessed_ with being in the hospital with Mai. There was no way she was capable of leaving her for a long day's work.

Hence the need for _my_ job.

"Miyako," I said as patiently as I could. My patience was wearing pretty thin though. I'd been on the verge of something, I was _sure_ of it, when I'd gotten the call to come and get Miyako. I dropped everything to go to her, because she needed me, only to find out she didn't think she _did_ need me. She was furious that I'd listened to the 'traitor' Bengoshi. "You need to relax. You won't be allowed back if you can't relax."

"I know!" she shrieked. "But _you_ are relaxed. You can go. Go guard our daughter, Ken. Something is out to get her. I _saw_ it."

"What did you see?" I asked, tiredly. This was new, but she still had the same manic tone of voice as she did when she started ranting about how Bengoshi had betrayed her. It was crazy talk. She and Bengoshi spent at least a dozen hours together over the course of a week. Bengoshi often visited Mai. He felt a sort of kinship with her, because he'd been in the Dark Ocean with Miyako during her pregnancy.

I was actually sort of jealous of him, in that regard.

"It was Sigma," she whispered brokenly, losing all of her frantic energy. Her hands were shaking, and she collapsed against the wall. She looked up at me with wide eyes that threatened tears. "It was Sigma and he was looming over her. He wants her for something, Ken! You have to protect our baby."

"Sigma is dead," I reminded her. "You were there when he died."

"He was dead when we killed him," she hissed, her anger boiling up when I didn't immediately believe her story. "He's _been_ dead since his daughters killed him in their quest to defeat a great evil. The only problem is that they created an unstoppable foe. He's always _been_ dead, Ken. That's how he haunted me. I still have the scars. I _felt_ the scars burning. He's enjoying this. He's toying with me. He's trying to make me seem crazy, trying to discredit me, and in the meantime he'll swoop in and take our daughter from us. I don't want Mai to end up like Kiyoko, Ken! I won't let her. Sigma can't have her!"

"Miyako," I said gently. "They're not going to let anyone in with Mai without our permission. They're going to have supervision twenty-four seven. Mai is _not_ going to be harmed. Maybe the nurses were right. Maybe the stress has finally started getting to you."

"I wouldn't make this up!" she shouted. "You can't honestly believe that I would _joke_ about this. Sigma is the person I fear more than anything. Gaia means _nothing_ to me. She scared me, when I saw her, but she gave our daughter a chance. She gave Mai life."

"So you're on her side now?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm not on her side," Miyako insisted. "I'm just trying to express how _seriously_ I'm taking this. I will never fear anyone more than I fear Sigma. I wouldn't accuse _anything_ of being him unless I was sure. There was a shadow hanging over our daughter. She was wailing, Ken. I heard her, I _saw_ him. I couldn't do anything to keep her safe, because I wasn't prepared. I am now though. I'm prepared. I can keep her safe. Just _let_ me."

"I can't," I snapped, finally losing all of my patience. "You caused quite a disturbance, Miyako. Several other parents that were there complained about the screaming. You scared everyone, and there's no proof that there was ever anything wrong. They checked the security footage. All the footage proved was that you were on the floor screaming at Mai."

"I can't explain it!" Miyako cried out, stubbornly sticking to her story. There was no proof though. Even when she showed me her scars, there was no proof that they were irritated, let alone ripped open. There was no video proof that anything was there.

"You looked like you were ready to attack Bengoshi, Miyako," I said, trying to be calmer. Anger wasn't helping anything. I needed to stay relaxed if I wanted her to do the same. "There was talk that the stress was getting to you, and that you were becoming unstable. They want you to take some time off. Mai wasn't reacting to the stress well. She lost weight. She might not be home next week like we'd hoped, because she's reacting to the way you're acting."

"I'm not _acting_ ," Miyako sobbed, losing her anger once again. She couldn't bear the thought of having Mai stay in the hospital any longer. I couldn't either. I wanted her home, so that I could spend more time with her. I wanted to form a stronger bond, but I couldn't without being able to spend time _alone_ with her. Miyako was always there while we were in the hospital. I enjoyed spending time together, but I needed time to prove that I could be a capable father too.

"Then please, tell me what you want me to do, because nothing's making sense," I pleaded.

"I want you to go to the hospital and stand guard over Mai forever. You're her father. You're a police officer. It's your _job_ to protect her," Miyako said passionately. "I need you to keep Sigma away. He never attacked _you_. He might be scared of you or something. We can use that to our advantage. But keep him away—and while you're at it, keep Bengoshi away too. He's working with Sigma, I just know it. The shadow virus that he caught never went away. He's been lying this entire time. He wants to collect Mai to be a vessel for Sigma. He's the enemy. Everyone's the enemy. You never know what face Sigma might wear. The more I think about it, there was a guy in Sidhendor that singled _me_ out, and seemed mighty interested in Mai. _That_ was probably Sigma. He's been after me for ages…. I'm never going to be safe. How can I keep Mai safe, if _I'm_ not? I can't. But you can. Can you do that for me please?"

"I can't," I said with a sigh. "I have to work. I'm supposed to be working right now. It's important, but I had to come get you. I don't fault you for that, but I really need to get back."

"You don't care about me, or your daughter," she cried. She buried her face in her hands and turned away from me.

"That's not fair," I said angrily. I paused and took a deep breath. I couldn't let the anger control me. I had to keep a level head. "I care about the both of you. I _love_ you both. I'd do anything to keep you safe. But I can't do this. It's not possible. I can't keep a twenty-four hour guard on Mai. She's as safe as she can be. The doctors and nurses are there. Mimi visits her; she'd tell you anything strange if she saw it. Takeru and Hikari would as well, and you know they'll visit too. Every one of our family and friends loves Mai. No one will let anything happen to her."

"You still don't believe me," Miyako cried bitterly.

"Look," I said with a sigh. "It's just that the lights went out and there were no windows. You've spent so long being surrounded in shadows that it makes _sense_ that you would see them at a time like that. You were caught off guard, and you panicked. It's only natural. I'm not calling you crazy, and neither are the doctors, despite what you've told me. We're just worried that you're not taking care of yourself. Mai needs you to take care of yourself, in order for you to be able to take care of her. Don't forget that. Have some tea and get some sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow, once you've rested."

"It wasn't a hallucination," Miyako said firmly. "If you won't go, then I'm going. You have to drive me there."

"Miyako, you aren't _allowed_ ," I reminded her. "You were kicked out. I'm going to call Mom. She'll come over and stay with you until Wormmon or Hawkmon gets home."

"NO!" she called frantically. "Don't get her to come _here_. Get her to go to Mai! Please, Ken. Send her to Mai." I hesitated. I didn't want to give in to such wild demands, but if there was a slight chance of getting Miyako calm enough to sleep, I was going to take it. I sighed and pulled out my phone, calling my mother. Miyako was pleased, and when I explained the situation to my mother—leaving out the potential delusions of Miyako—she was thrilled to go spend time alone with Mai.

"Are you going to be okay now?" I asked, glancing at the clock. It wasn't too terribly late yet. There was still a small amount of daylight left. I could still continue what I was working on.

"Go," she sighed. "I'm going to sleep. Hopefully, in the morning, you'll be able to tell that I'm one hundred percent serious, and not imagining things."

"Maybe I will," I said, rolling my eyes. I kissed her forehead, and then headed out of the house. I had to get into the car and drive back towards police headquarters. With any luck, Yakuin would still be at work. I'd checked his schedule, and he was _meant_ to be there. But he was also meant to be at the station, and instead had decided to get a search warrant—from whom, I did not know, but I had my suspicions that it was obtained illegally—and searched Sora's apartment. Obviously, he didn't seem to feel obligated to stay in the location he'd been designated.

I parked far enough away from headquarters that they couldn't see me out the windows. It would be terrible if they caught me loitering suspiciously, especially since my intention was to follow an officer after he got off work.

Yakuin was there—his car was at least.

Excellent.

I settled in for a long wait, feeling guilty about lying to Miyako. It wasn't _really_ a lie, because I was working on Sora's case, but I _knew_ when I said it, that she would assume I was in the middle of a shift. I couldn't sit back and do nothing though, when Sora was facing such a gross injustice.

I'd been given the task of being a police officer. It was my job to catch people that were abusing the laws. Yakuin was doing that. I was _sure_ of it. I needed to follow him, in order to discover _why_. Once I did that, then I would maybe be able to provide some of the answers to Iori's questions. I might be able to actually help turn the tables on this seemingly hopeless trial.

It was the least I could do for Sora. She was protecting Kurayami, Takeru, Miyako and I.

I turned some music on, to keep me awake—I was mentally exhausted after the whole ordeal with Miyako. And there was still that tiny, niggling piece of my brain that was terrified Miyako was actually right. It was bizarre to think that she _could_ be, but taking even a cursory look at my life up until that point was enough to prove to me that stranger things _had_ happened.

Twenty-six and a half minutes later, Yakuin made his appearance. I watched him, hunkered down in my seat, as he made his way to his car. I turned my car back on, so it wouldn't draw his attention that I had turned mine on _right_ after he turned on his. I didn't want him to _know_ that I intended to follow him. I pretended to be looking through a map, and watched him over the top of the paper. He drove out of the parking lot, and down the street away from me.

I shifted my car into gear, and followed after him, careful to leave a good amount of distance between us. I didn't want him to know it was me. He wasn't being particularly observant about it anyway. I'd been driving this car for ages. It was the only car he'd ever seen me own. I had recognized _his_ car in the middle of a crowded parking lot. He should've known it was me.

I wasn't complaining though, because I was following him and I didn't want to get charged for doing it.

We took a few turns, and drove for fourteen and three quarter minutes before he turned off of the road and into a new parking lot. I was surprised, slightly, that he hadn't just headed home. Instead, he chose to go to the prison.

I parked away from him, and watched him with a pair of binoculars, hoping no one would catch sight of me, because I felt ridiculous. Yakuin headed to the door, where a girl was waiting. I'd seen her before in the footage of Sora assaulting the police officer's daughter. This was _the daughter_. This was Veronica. But what was Veronica doing outside the prison?

Yakuin didn't walk passed Veronica like I'd expected him to. No. He stopped and started talking with her. She bit her lip, and furrowed her brows over whatever it was that he had to say. He looked from side to side, doing a pathetic job of surveillance, because he didn't even notice me. He pulled a file folder out of his jacket and slipped it to her. She pursed her lips and nodded at him. She was done with him, and he loitered a few seconds, waiting for instructions. Veronica waved her hand at him, and he scowled. He left though, heading back to his car.

I had a choice to make.

I could follow Yakuin, and see if he had any other pit stops to make before he made it home, though it seemed highly unlikely _or_ I could follow Veronica into the prison, and see just what files Yakuin handed to her.

Based on her still furrowed brows, they weren't what she wanted—perhaps they were simply progress reports on his quest to reinstate the EVOLVE mindset in the workplace. But I was still curious. I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I could follow Yakuin any given night. I knew where he worked, I knew where he _lived_. I could find him. But I couldn't find Veronica. I was surprised she was in Japan at all. She lived in New York, not too far from Michael and Willis. She was a long way from home, and I couldn't help but wonder if she had a good reason for it.

I slipped out of my car, timing it so that I closed my door when Yakuin slammed his. I didn't want to startle Veronica. I needed her to remain calm and unsuspecting. She would spill more details if she wasn't being paranoid. I ducked behind a jeep when Yakuin drove passed on his way out of the parking lot, and made my way slowly to the prison entrance. Veronica was already inside, so I didn't have to worry about hiding the entire way. That would've been far more suspicious, and much more likely for the cops to be called.

Before I could reach the door, however, a familiar blonde girl crept out of the bushes beside the door. I paused, completely shocked. _She_ was a long way from home too.

"Jenna?" I hissed, confused. She let out a startled shriek, covering her mouth quickly, so that most of the noise couldn't escape. She looked to me with wide eyes and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Don't do that," she admonished. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"What're you _doing_ here?" I wanted to know.

"Chi and I have been taking turns following Veronica and her idiotic friends. We're trying to put an end to whatever it is that they're up to," she explained in a whisper. "Can we not stand here being all suspicious out in the open? We've got to catch up to her."

"You're right," I decided.

She opened the door and slipped inside. I walked a lot more confidently than she did. She was anxious, and jumpy. It was like she was expecting a murderer to jump out at her. I wanted to roll my eyes. The prisoners were all locked up. She wasn't going to get murdered. But I couldn't quite bring myself to roll them. Veronica could be capable of anything…and she _wasn't_ locked up.

Yet.

If we could implicate her in something, then she would be. I'd guarantee it. I didn't want _any_ of Arnold's crazy followers to escape justice. Veronica was in his inner circle. She didn't look like much, but obviously, she was worth keeping around. The fact that her father was a police officer that was willing to overlook non-EVOLVE issues probably helped.

"Where _is_ she?" Jenna muttered frustrated. Veronica seemed to have disappeared, but I had an inkling of where she went. She was in _Arnold's_ inner circle. Arnold was being held in this very prison. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that she was here to visit him.

I tugged on Jenna's sleeve and led her to the visitation room. We peeked through the door, causing a nearby guard to raise an eyebrow at us. I straightened up. "It's her first time here. She's a little nervous. She wants to see what it's like before she loses her nerve."

"I don't know if I can do it," Jenna murmured anxiously. The guard looked sympathetic, and winked our way, allowing us to look inside. Jenna kept up the act—acting must run through her family's veins—while we watched Veronica talking to Arnold.

A plane of glass separated the two of them, and each was holding a phone to their ear. Veronica didn't seem to be doing any talking. Arnold's face was contorted. Whatever Veronica had said to him—or _shown_ him—wasn't what he was hoping for. He was _furious_. Veronica's shoulders were shaking.

Was she crying, or was she terrified?

It didn't matter. What _did_ , was that Arnold was clearly telling her to leave…and we were in the doorway. Jenna let out a horrible sob, and curled towards me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close.

"Don't make me go in there," she cried. "I can't do it."

"That was a bad example," I tried to console her. "I'm sure your uncle would be much more agreeable."

"You don't know that," she protested.

"Is there somewhere I can take her to calm down?" I asked the guard. He didn't look like he was going to provide us with an escape route though. Jenna noticed this too. We could hear Veronica getting close to the door. She was moving quickly. She was upset. We needed to go.

"I'm leaving," Jenna announced before prying herself out of my grasp and storming off. I looked at the guard and rolled my eyes. He snickered, and I chased after her _just_ as the door was opening behind me. I got outside, unsure of where to go. Jenna grabbed my arm and tugged me into the bushes, covering my mouth with her hand. "Don't say a word," she whispered. I nodded, and she released me.

Veronica stormed outside. She lingered in the doorway, and pulled something out of her pocket. I couldn't see what it was, but when she started talking to Marshall, I realized it had to be her phone. I wished I was in my car with my binoculars, rather than in a bush. I'd have a much better view.

"Marshall," Veronica said, sounding both irritated, and disappointed. "Arnold's really mad at me. I don't know what we're supposed to do next. He doesn't want to play this game anymore. We're going to have to figure it out on our own." She was silent as she listened to Marshall's reply. "No. I _don't_ have any ideas. If I _did_ do you really think I'd be calling you right now? We need to meet up. We need to work this out. We can't fail. Your attempts failed spectacularly. I won't make the same mistakes. I won't let this depend on my word alone, like you did."

She stormed off towards a car that I assumed was hers, since she had the key for it. She was kind of a delinquent though, so I really shouldn't have assumed anything.

"I didn't understand any of that," Jenna admitted. She was replaying the words through her mind, but she never found clarity in it. But I thought I might have. I looked to her solemnly.

"I think I might just know who planted the knife."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Kiyoko has a day of calm relaxed Alias III fun in the works while Yamato takes a big step into his future, only to be shut down by those he deems his friends.


	24. To Seal or Not to Seal

**Y/N:** Kiyoko! He's home and he's with Alias III (his family) and it was such a relief to be able to write him with these guys again. He's happier, and he's enjoying the life he'd thought was lost to him. And he's also got _some_ plot going on. We couldn't leave that out.

 **U/N:** I know I was unhappy with this Matt chapter, and it was another that I would have rewritten if I'd had the time, but we're not even done writing yet, (so close though) so I just didn't get the chance. It has Katsue in it though and I do like her.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 24: To Seal Or Not To Seal**

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

I smiled into my glass of orange juice. It was fresh squeezed, as per Mari's insistence, and it was glorious. Never had a simple beverage seemed so much like ambrosia to me. It was simple, but it was real. It wasn't water bottled in used plastic receptacles. It was juice squeezed from fruit in front of my eyes into a _clean_ glass. It was magical to know that I could have something like this again. I'd taken it for granted before, but I wouldn't repeat that mistake.

This was heaven.

Not just the juice, though it was refreshingly tasty. It was more than that though. It was being around the breakfast table, hearing the sounds of eggs cracking into pots of boiling water, and toast popping from the toaster—the red one that Mari picked out, and that had been in Witchenly with me. It was the sound of a knife spreading butter over that toast, and the chopping of fresh fruits. It was the sound of _home_.

Hideto was in the kitchen, trying to keep up with the toast, while keeping an eye on the eggs he was poaching. He had to make enough to feed seven, and while he used to complain, he was just so _happy_ that there were _seven_ of us again. It wasn't just me that was back. Lalamon was here too, and we were a family again. I was a little disappointed to find that our portrait had fallen from the wall, but that was okay. We needed a new one anyway. We needed one with Lalamon in it.

Mari was different than I'd ever remembered seeing her. She was _happy_. It was strange—in a good way—to see her like that. I thought I had before, but I was wrong. She hadn't been _this_ happy in all the time I knew her. She was a bitter, sad person. She'd lost so much, in such a short time, with her grandmother and Lalamon, and that just furthered her downward spiral.

Hideto had taken me aside the day after my return and told me everything he'd heard at Mari's trial. I'd cried for over an hour, just hearing it. I wished I'd been back to support her while she was on the stand, but I knew too, that she wouldn't have wanted me there. She didn't like pity, and I didn't know how not to give it.

It didn't matter though, because I was gone. I was in Witchenly when it happened, and I'd caused her more sadness. I didn't like to think about that, because I felt guilty. I didn't _want_ to be happy that I'd made her—and Hideto, and Neo, and everybody—sad, but I was, just a little bit. It made me feel like I mattered. I felt special. And that made me feel horrible, because that shouldn't be what I took from the whole situation.

"Does anyone want any apple?" Mari asked from her place at the cutting board. "I'm not going to cut it if no one's going to eat it."

"I'll eat it!" Lalamon said happily. "I like apples."

"I know you do," Mari said, smiling at her. Lalamon mostly just ate fruit or vegetables if she could help it. She and Palmon were similar in that way. They were plants, and they only ate things that plants produced. I tried not to dwell on it too much. If I did, I started to question their choices, and whether or not it was potentially a form of cannibalism.

Warg and Melga were fighting over who got to sit beside Lalamon. There was an unspoken rule that _Mari_ always got to be beside Lalamon, but Lalamon was always 'coincidentally' placed in a location between another chair and Mari. Tapirmon had a turn last night, sitting next to her during dinner—and a subsequent card tournament, which Hideto won…but Mari and I both agreed that he cheated somehow—so it was between Warg and Melga now. Hideto and I weren't ever really offered a chance, but I'd had two months with Lalamon to myself, so I didn't mind. Hideto was a little put out, but he had a similar arrangement to Mari's. He was permanently on my right hand side during meals.

"It's _my_ turn," Melga insisted. "You got to sit there the time before Tapirmon!"

"That doesn't matter," Warg said, dismissing the rather compelling argument. "I want to sit here. You sit beside Hideto."

"I don't _want_ to sit beside Hideto. I want to be with Lalamon," Melga complained. "I _never_ get to sit with Lalamon. It isn't fair!" That argument was blatantly untrue.

"You know what," Hideto said. "I don't want to sit beside you either."

"What did _I_ do?" Melga whined, instantly forgetting he wanted to sit beside Lalamon at all, once Hideto decided he didn't want to sit next to him. "I'm your partner. You _have_ to want to sit next to me."

"That doesn't even make any sense," Hideto grumbled, thinking about the double standard. He was scooping an egg out of the boiling water, and placing it on a piece of toast, on top of a small bed of spinach. There was only two left to finish, and he was still waiting on the toaster for those ones. I was practically bouncing in anticipation. I really liked food now. I always _ate_ it before, but I didn't really have any opinions on most of it. But after living on canned soups, beans and tomatoes, I had a much better appreciation for all of it—even if spinach wasn't my favourite.

"I wanna sit next to you," Melga pouted. "You hafta let me. I _want_ to."

"Okay then," Hideto shrugged. "Warg's next to Lalamon then."

"Not fair!" Megla shouted dramatically, realizing the trap he'd fallen into. Warg threw his hands into the air in victory, letting out an excited shout as he scrambled into the seat next to Lalamon. "He's your favourite, isn't he?" Melga accused, bitterly.

"It's not _him_ I'm sitting beside, now is it?" Hideto said patiently, rolling his eyes as he did so. Melga perked up, but now Warg was upset. It was a vicious circle. I was very glad that there was only one Tapirmon. He snuggled up to me, and I playfully clinked our glasses together as if we were toasting something. He chuckled and started drinking his juice quickly. I didn't want to do the same. I was savoring it. I knew that I could just pour more, but I didn't want to take advantage.

"Fruit's done," Mari called, putting two separate bowls on the table. Both had the same fruit salad in it. She also dropped slices of apple on Lalamon's plate, since she knew Lalamon wouldn't want eggs. Hideto gave her a toasted spinach sandwich though, as he passed his own creations around.

As usual, Warg and Melga provided most of the conversation as we ate through our breakfast. Mari smiled whenever they told a joke, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to see it. Lalamon had to answer questions every now and then, and everyone always hung on to her every word, still thrilled—rightly so—by the idea that she was even here, able to answer at all. Tapirmon was especially entranced. He was tentatively excited about the prospect Lalamon's arrival provided for his future. I was just as excited. We knew that the two could fuse. It wasn't their fault that they never had. It was mine. Mari had learned desire ages ago. She knew what she wanted, but she wouldn't let herself have it. She was miserable before, but now that she was allowing herself happiness, she expressed those desires more freely. She wanted to be with Willis—and now they kind of were, I wasn't really sure, because neither of them would talk to me about it, which really just wasn't fair at all—and she wanted Lalamon back. But the main desire that was fueling her right now was actually the freedom she wanted for her sister.

Mari really understood desire.

I didn't understand tenacity. To be fair, it was like a three part crest, so that wasn't fair. It was the dark version of honour, and the two shared a digimental because of it. I was already scooped on that front alone, but it also meant standing up for yourself and your opinions. I was getting better at that. Gravimon helped me. I could probably get Tapirmon to fuse if that were the only requirement—maybe. But it was the third meaning that made it nearly impossible: empathy.

How was I supposed to understand empathy?

There had been plenty of times that I didn't understand _my own_ emotions. How was I meant to understand everyone else's without talking to them? Mari could do that. I knew she could, because she did it with me all the time. She could look at me, and understand exactly what I was feeling, and whether she should talk to me about it or not. I didn't have that ability. I just never talked to anyone about feelings if I could help it, so that I couldn't offend anyone by accident.

Willis could do it though.

It was one of the most comforting things about having him around in Witchenly. He could do what Mari could. It was almost as if she was there with me—except that was about the only thing they had in common, and my imagination wasn't able to stretch _that_ far.

My upset thoughts about my inadequacy must've shown on my face, because Hideto's fingers gently wrapped around my left hand. I glanced his way, but he was ardently looking any direction but mine. I smiled to myself and continued eating, thankfully being right handed myself.

"Hideto, you're not left-handed," Mari said with a knowing smirk. Hideto's attempts at subtlety did not escape her notice—nothing ever really did. "Don't make a mess of things. We finally got rid of the others. I don't want to have to clean up after you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hideto dismissed, trying not to let his slight embarrassment get the best of him. "I've always been ambidextrous. You call yourself observant."

"Are you really?" Lalamon asked intrigued. Hideto nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's not a big deal," he said. "I was naturally left-handed, actually, but my parents didn't _like_ that idea. They 'corrected' me into a right-hander. Obviously, I'm pretty good with my right, but I kept working on my left as well, because I'm a rebel like that."

"You _think_ you're good with your right," Mari commented, looking impressed. I was impressed too. I hadn't known that about him. I wondered if Hideto had been revealing pieces of his past to Mari since the judge had made her reveal _her_ past—then I wondered what I'd missed learning about while I was away, and debated whether _I_ should be talking about my past too. "I've seen your handwriting though. I know better."

"I like your handwriting," Melga said quickly, when the pink in Hideto's cheeks became more pronounced.

"I can almost _read_ it," Warg boasted, not realizing that his words weren't really much of a compliment.

"I learned to write when I was two and a half because my father told me I wanted to," I murmured, squeezing Hideto's hand. He squeezed back, and I felt really embarrassed, because the conversation just sort of died after my confession.

Sighing, I realized I probably should have kept that to myself.

"Kiyoko," Mari said, after a long silence. "Cancel your plans. I want to bring you somewhere. Lalamon and Tapirmon need to come too." I said nothing, but shrugged. I had no plans to cancel anyway. I had decided to take today off. My brain felt like it was melting after having to design so many _new_ spas and relaxation resorts for Tinkermon. I needed to spend some time away from her. She was a lot to handle on a constant basis. She wasn't particularly interested in the other buildings that needed to be designed. Gabumon and I ended up working on those without her anyway. He needed to go to a meeting though, so I would've been alone. It wasn't like I couldn't _handle_ it, but I appreciated his help.

And I didn't really like being alone still.

"I feel excluded," Hideto decided. "Warg, Melga, how about you? Do you feel excluded?"

"Most assuredly," Melga said solemnly.

"I might even cry," Warg agreed.

"You can come too," Mari said, rolling her eyes at their antics. "Just know that this trip isn't about you. So be ready when we want to leave, or you'll be staying behind."

"Rude," Hideto whispered to Melga, who giggled. Mari rolled her eyes again. I wasn't actually sure if she meant it or not. She was _very_ hard to read—or I was just trying too hard.

Hideto insisted on doing the dishes before we left, not wanting anything to be out of place in his kitchen—he ignored Warg when he was told the kitchen technically belonged to Mari, since it was in _her_ library. I dawdled, just to make sure that Hideto, Warg and Melga would have time to get ready in case Mari was being serious. She was getting impatient by the time I'd decided I could finish. I smiled sheepishly her way, and she smiled back, so I knew I was forgiven.

I was surprised when she brought us to the Digital World. I figured it would be a place on Earth, but in retrospect, I should've known. She wanted Lalamon and Tapirmon to be there specifically. Things might've been better than I remembered for digimon on Earth, but I doubted Mari was going to risk Lalamon's safety. It would only take one member of the DWD—supposedly called EVOLVE now, or something—to ruin our family once again.

This was the first family trip we'd taken in…well…potentially _ever_. It was certainly the first trip with all of us since Sigma had left anyway, and we weren't a family until _after_ I'd kicked him out. This was kind of a momentous occasion, and I wasn't sure if anyone else realized its importance. It wasn't even a real trip, since it was just for today, but day-trips counted!

Warg and Melga each grabbed one of Hideto's hands and dragged him ahead. Mari laughed, saying they didn't know where they were going, but they didn't care. I smiled as I watched them go. He wasn't spending enough time with them alone. He was making sure to spend most of his free time with me, which was nice—it was _really_ nice, and I enjoyed being around him so much—but he had an obligation to his partners. I tried to make sure I spent a good portion of my time with Tapirmon. It was hard, now that Yoshie was cleaning up the tea shop. Tapirmon wanted to be there, since he was her employee, and I wanted him to have that freedom. I didn't want him to feel trapped like I had for so long, but I made sure we still had _some_ time to just talk to each other.

Mari and Lalamon were talking quietly to one another about everything that's happened since that fateful day in New York. They'd talked a lot already, but they were always coming up with new things to say. I tried not to listen to them, but it was hard to not hear some of it. The more excited they were about something, the louder they were.

And Lalamon was really excited about the whole _Willis_ development.

I couldn't help but try to discern whether they were a couple or not by listening in. It didn't help me much though. They were talking in a way that didn't really say anything. They were referencing things and times that I wasn't there for. I was pretty sure they were doing it on purpose. Lalamon had caught sight of me as I lingered near them, and had been peeking at me since my conversation with Tapirmon trickled to silence.

Tapirmon was just as curious as me.

Eventually though, they stopped talking about Willis, and I lost interest in their conversation. I picked up a bit of speed, to give them more privacy, feeling guilty about not doing that in the first place, and Tapirmon followed after me.

"Do you need help for work?" Tapirmon asked after a while. "Yoshie and I are almost done fixing the café up. You could even start having Team Mom meetings there again soon. I'm sure we could _all_ pitch in and help make the towns great."

"I'd like that," I said with a smile. "Gabumon would have to come too, because he's part of the project too. I really missed Team Mom."

"They missed you too," Tapirmon said. "But they didn't miss you as much as me."

"I didn't miss anyone as much as I missed you," I assured him. He was very pleased with that development, and it was true. As much as I loved and missed Hideto, he was just my boyfriend. Tapirmon was my digimon partner. He was the other half of my soul. We were two parts of the same person. I thought I'd known how hard it was to be separated from him, just by observing Mari after Lalamon was taken semi-permanently. But it wasn't the same as feeling it. And I realized that whatever I felt, Mari had it worse, because she had watched Lalamon die right in front of her. I'd at least had hope that Tapirmon was alive, even if we were permanently trapped in different worlds.

I thought it had been a permanent separation anyway.

"Take a left!" Mari called from the back. Warg immediately started dragging Hideto to the right, while Melga pulled to the left.

"You're going the wrong way!" they shouted to each other, pulling Hideto as hard as they could.

"Melga's right," Hideto said frantically, his voice conveyed just how much strength they were pulling with. He sounded like he was in a fair bit of pain. "Left is _that_ way, Warg."

"I knew that," Warg insisted petulantly. He raced around Hideto's back, and started pulling him along with Melga. Hideto was now walking backwards, trying not to trip. I couldn't help but laugh, because he looked so ridiculous. He stuck his tongue out at me, and it just caused me to laugh harder. Tapirmon was lost soon after in a fit of giggles.

Eventually, Mari's directions led us to a large cave in the base of a mountain. The cave itself was very dark, though the sun was still shining brightly in the sky. The walk had been a long one, but it wasn't long enough for the sun to abandon us. I only had a brief moment of fear before steeling myself. I was brave now. I could do this. Gravimon wasn't necessarily the scariest thing around anymore though…. Tapirmon rested his hoof on my shoulder, and I decided to just go for it.

It wasn't too scary. I knew Mari wouldn't bring me somewhere that was horrifying. She didn't know how much I'd improved during my stay in Witchenly. She knew me as the same Kiyoko that had been whisked away during the virus. I was doing my best to show them how much I'd grown due to my solitude. I had to depend on myself, instead of them while in Witchenly. Thanks to 'Lady Terra' and her meddling, I wasn't even able to depend on Willis or Rei. It was me and Gravimon and the Wizards—all of which were kind of scary. I learned that not everything that _looked_ scary actually was, and not everything that looked sweet—like Gaia—would be.

This dark tunnel into the base of the mountain sure _looked_ scary, but the scariest part of it was when Mari laid her hand on my shoulder to squeeze it and lend me courage—I couldn't see it was her and she surprised me. I let out a rather high pitched squeak that caused her to apologize hurriedly. It was embarrassing too, because I thought I'd gotten brave enough not to do that anymore.

Eventually though, we came to see lights on the wall. The closer we got to our mysterious destination, the more prominent the lights became. I realized they were torches attached to marble walls. I couldn't tell where the cave's rock walls ended, and the marble began.

"Where _are_ we?" Lalamon asked, placing her hand against the glistening stone.

"Olympos," Mari said simply. "This is where the Olympos XII have lived for as long as the Digital World has been around, though different members have been added as time went on."

"Like Minervamon, Lunamon and Coronamon?" I asked in wonder. Mari murmured her agreement. I tried to picture the three digimon living deep in the base of a mountain, but I was having trouble. They'd been partners to Satoe, Natsuko and Kae for as long as I'd known them. I haven't seen them live anywhere except with their partners.

Warg and Melga fell back, letting Mari take the lead, while they clutched Hideto tightly. They were a little nervous. Tapirmon was a little more confident, but he too showed some trepidation. I wondered if they'd been here before…and then I started to worry a little myself. What were they afraid of? How scary _were_ the Olympos XII?

After what seemed like forever, the hallway opened up into a large, shimmering, white chamber. There were columns in neat rows, and murals covering the walls. Large chandeliers heavily laden with burning candles hung from the ceilings, and more torches covered the walls and columns. The place was well lit, and felt vaguely magical to me. It wasn't nearly as strong as Witchenly's natural power, but the magic was still present in the air.

"Hello?" Mari called loudly. There was movement at the head of the room. A large knight that I assumed was a decorative suit of armor since it was made of gold, stood up and brushed his feathered cape over his shoulder. Mari smiled and walked towards him. I noticed two red rings over his head and gulped. That was his crown. That made this Jupitermon, king of Olympos XII.

"Mari," Jupitermon said in an almost jovial way. "We had begun to think that you would never return."

"I've been a little caught up with Earth," Mari admitted. "But I brought someone for you to meet—two people actually. This is Lalamon," she said, patting Lalamon on the top of her head. Lalamon looked like she was shaking, but she trusted Mari. Mari would never do anything to hurt her, so Lalamon took a few steps forward and did a pretty sort of curtsey in front of Jupitermon.

"She is lost no more, I see," Jupitermon said pleased.

"We found her, yeah," Mari said shyly, looking to Lalamon, still in awe about the whole idea. She shook her head to focus herself, and turned to me, beckoning me forward. I didn't particularly _want_ to go on display for the king of Olympos, but she wasn't giving me much of a choice. I walked forward awkwardly. "And this is Kiyoko Izumi."

"The digidestined of Desire," Jupitermon concluded. "The other piece to the puzzle."

"We've finally got all the pieces," Mari agreed. "We just haven't reached the right moment."

"It will happen when destiny declares, and no sooner," Jupitermon said wisely. "It is good to meet such important members of our story." I followed Lalamon's lead and bowed at him quickly, not following the conversation at all. I should've been able to keep up, but I was distracted. There were more digimon now. A woman wearing a similar crown that I identified as Junomon was now seated on her throne, watching us with curious eyes. Another woman who could only be Venusmon was perched on the arm of a beast of a man's throne. I figured him to be Marsmon. A man with multiple sets of arms—who I declared Volcanusmon—was glaring at them.

To my left, there was an aquatic sort of half-man, half-sea serpent that could only be Neptunemon. He was eying the lot of us with distrust. I stepped further away from him, unable to stop myself. The level of hostility in his eyes was alarming. Even Gravimon had never looked at me that harshly—even when I'd first met him and he thought I was invading his precious forest. I looked away from him, to my right, hoping for a distraction. I was met with the sight of a large serpent man with a bulbous body and a tiny head. He was Bacchusmon. Warg and Melga were pulling Hideto towards him, and I wished I was with them, instead of still standing in front of Jupitermon. Bacchusmon looked like a lot of fun—not overwhelmingly powerful in a scary way, like the others were, but he was definitely still powerful.

I heard a huff as a man wearing pitch black armor strode into the room, eying us disdainfully. Jupitermon seemed pleased by his ire, and I didn't want to get in the middle of _that_. Behind Plutomon, who was had shifted his gaze to me specifically which made my skin crawl, there was another man leaning against the wall while he sharpened his knife. He was wearing the skin of a wolf digimon. He was the lone wolf of the lot, Merukimon.

Minervamon, Lunamon and Coronamon would've been a very appreciated group of digimon right about then. I would've felt less like a fraud if they'd been there. I was so proud of how _brave_ I'd become, but once again I was practically shaking in my boots. Why couldn't I hold myself as confidently as Mari? She didn't look like she had anything to fear at all.

"I want to show you something," Mari told me, making me jump _again_ , when she put her hand on my shoulder. Jupitermon nodded to me, and I let Mari drag me towards one of the murals. It was larger than some of the others, and looked like it was carved onto a door. It depicted a digimon, standing proud on the head of a large forested bird…. I looked to Mari, confused. "That's Ceresmon," she said softly. "Do you see her Lalamon?" Lalamon hummed her agreement. "You and Tapirmon will become her, if we ever manage to fuse."

"No way," Hideto murmured. I was too shocked to make a sound. Ceresmon looked so different from the circus flower I'd drawn in my misguided attempts at comforting Mari after Lalamon had been killed. I never would have imagined a digimon so majestic—or _revealing_.

"Yeah," Tapirmon said. "I think it would be cool. We'd be able to beat Omnimon, that's for sure."

"No way," Warg said stubbornly.

"But it would be a close fight," Melga pointed out.

"So…what's behind this door?" Hideto wanted to know. "Is it like, Ceresmon's secret chambers? That'd be cool right, you'd have a place to stay if you wanted to come for a visit." He reached towards the door, as if he was going to open it, but a spear with three sharp toothed shark heads blocked his path.

"Never ask again," Jupitermon commanded.

"No one can _ever_ enter," Neptunemon snarled. I thought his words were pointless, after Jupitermon's orders. All Neptunemon managed to do was make us curious. We were known to get into all sorts of mischief—legal or otherwise—in order to succeed in getting what we wanted. If we wanted to know what was in there…that was just about the _worst_ method available to keep us from going in. Neptunemon seemed to notice this though, in the smirk on Hideto's face, or Warg's itching fingers, or the calculating look I was giving the door as I tried to figure out what we would need to get it open. "I have permission to _end_ any who try," he threatened with a glint in his eye, as if he was excited about the prospect.

I didn't know what we'd done to cause him to hate us, but I wished we hadn't done it.

"I don't like your new friends, Mari," Hideto whined as we backed away from the mural. Lalamon wasn't quite done ogling it, but she wasn't about to stay there with Neptunemon by herself, so she followed after us. Tapirmon led her away though, to go look at some of the other murals, telling her what _he_ thought they looked like and asking her opinion of them. Lalamon didn't want to leave Mari, so she dragged her along behind her. They were adorable, talking about the murals as if they were in an art gallery, instead of looking at what was potentially their future. They would be part of the Olympos XII someday.

If I could ever learn Mari's crest, and at this point that didn't really seem likely.

"This is all pretty crazy, right?" Hideto asked, coming up from behind me and hugging me. He rested his chin on my shoulder, and I leaned back against him. Warg and Melga, I noticed, were back bugging Bacchusmon, trying to get him to show them how he made his wine.

"It's never going to happen though," I said, gesturing to the murals. "I can't do it."

"You'll get there," Hideto assured me. "You heard the boss man. Destiny will light the way."

"Do you think he was trying to convince me to go to Willis for help?" I wondered. "A lot of the ancient digimon and fairies refer to us by our crests. Do you think Willis _could_ help?"

"Don't know," Hideto said, shrugging. "You know him better than I do."

He had a point. I turned my head so that I was nuzzling against his. He shifted so that our noses were touching. "Do you think _you_ could help me?" I asked him.

"I can try," he said. I could feel his breath on my face, and smiled. "But I think Mari would actually be the best bet."

"I know," I sighed. It would be special, for Mari and I to bond over learning each other's crests. It was what all the others had to do. But I didn't want to put so much pressure on her. She was spending so much time with Lalamon, and I didn't want to intrude on that. She was also very busy trying to save her sister from her parents. That was very important, and I didn't want to take her focus off of it.

"I'll give it my best shot," he promised me, leaning forward and pressing his lips to my cheek quickly, before he moved away, releasing me from his embrace and stepping back. "But I don't know how much help I can be."

"Don't underestimate yourself," I chastised him.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes, but he was flushing, so I knew he was happy.

"The virus, is it gone?"

I turned quickly to see the lone wolf, Merukimon. He'd finished sharpening his knife—which wasn't really all that much of a comfort, when I thought about it—and had moved silently over to us. It was actually unnerving how quietly he had moved.

"Not yet," Hideto told him. "It's mostly contained, but Koushiro hasn't gotten around to programming the shields to do whatever it was that Taichi wanted them to do. I don't even pretend to understand. All I know is that it's not gone yet."

"Mostly is good," Merukimon decided. "I couldn't be sure. We aren't told anything. No one comes to interact with us. We know only what goes on around our mountain."

"That sucks," Hideto said. "We used to be like that. I mean, we were the _enemies_ , but no one wanted to be around us. It's kind of like that still. We mostly keep to ourselves, but it's our _choice_ now, mostly, so we can't blame anyone."

I wasn't really paying attention to what Hideto was going on about. I was busy thinking. "Are any of you _holy_ digimon?" I asked, interrupting whatever Hideto was going to say next. He was rambling, and looked embarrassed by it. He just couldn't stop. I had a feeling Neptunemon's threats and the giant knife in Merukimon's hand were putting him on edge.

"Yes," Merukimon answered, nodding towards Jupitermon.

"There's an opening on the Council," I explained. "D'Arcmon perished in the virus, and Taichi is reluctant to find any holy digimon to take her place. He wasn't keen on replacing Divermon either, so he chose a crest digimon, instead of a water digimon, that could fill his shoes. Olympos XII is a large enough collection of ancient digimon that it really deserves a seat on the council."

"Who better than Lord Jupitermon," Merukimon said, nodding his head. He wasn't asking. He was stating, implying that there wasn't anyone better. And there probably _wasn't_ anyone better to fill D'Arcmon's shoes.

"I can't say that it's a guaranteed thing," I warned him. "But I can ask Taichi."

"I'll come with you when he says yes, because we know he will," Hideto offered. I smiled at him and reached out my hand for his. He gave it to me readily. I was using him for support and courage, but I had a feeling we'd be coming here a lot in the future, once I could figure out Mari's crest. It was better that we got used to the powerful digimon now. And if Jupitermon made it to the Council, we'd all probably have to work with him.

I glanced back at the mural of Ceresmon and crossed my fingers. Hopefully, I could learn the crest sooner, rather than later. I really wanted to meet Ceresmon. I'd never thought we'd get this chance before, but with Lalamon back, I felt like anything could be possible.

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

"I cannot believe you did this," Takeru said in both amazement and ridicule. "You're becoming too rash and spontaneous, I might start mistaking you for Taichi.

I didn't find that to be a fair assessment. "I think I thought this out pretty well," I said defensively. "It's been years of living in a crappy apartment and saving money. I didn't outright _buy_ anything, I'm paying mortgage and it's an amazing house in an amazing neighborhood for raising children."

" _Children_?" Takeru asked, worried, turning his head to me sharply but I simply shrugged it off. I wasn't having children _just_ yet, but I hoped to one day. And of course here would be the perfect place, and that was what drove my decisions. Takeru thought I was being impulsive by purchasing something so drastic when I had already bought other expensive purchases, but what else was I to buy with my money? I would need a house one day. I looked down the neatly kept stone pathway that led to the stained wood porch that matched the one in the back garden—the back porch came equipped with beautiful lawn furniture that I never would have thought to buy if the realtor hadn't helped me out. The house itself was made of grey stone and it was much nicer than anything I'd seen while looking for a place to stay. There were several ridiculously pretty trees and other plants that I had no idea how to care for, but they certainly did look nice. The gates surrounding the small front lawn were all made of metal and they added a much more ' _me_ ' feel to the place.

Takeru, who was still staring and taking in the sights of the large house was surprised when I poked his side to move him along. He nodded and hurried forward, moving up the steps to push through the doorway that was already partially open. We stepped into the amazing open entryway and Takeru hesitated once more, taking it all in as the natural light poured through the wide windows. He took control of himself once more and moved along, following the voices from the next room that had a large stone fireplace to add to the simple wooden floors and grey walls.

Takeru placed the box he was holding next to the dingy couch that looked much different _here_ in the nice house than it did in my apartment. It had fit in so much better before.

Next to the small pile of boxes sat Gabumon who was trying to get used to the idea of moving at all. He would grow accustomed to it eventually I was sure. I had a really good idea for his bedroom, and I knew he'd like it whenever I got around to it. He wasn't alone in the room though, and the voices we'd been following had not come from him. I looked to my dad, who was rubbing the back of his head as he looked up and around the room as Katsue chatted away to him.

"I don't know what, but something _has_ to go there," she pointed mindlessly to the corner left of the fireplace. "Maybe we could put a chandelier in this room just to add to the pointless class. A new couch is a necessity, obviously, and maybe a paint job. I have a lot of ideas."

"Clearly," I noted, but she simply stuck her tongue out at me. Monimon wandered into the room, moving slowly as always. He looked up the high ceiling with bemusement and excitement, but his face changed all at once to shock when Patamon and DemiDevimon came barrelling into the room after him, laughing loudly. Monimon let out a small scream as Amai came rushing after the three digimon, pretending to be a monster of sorts.

I couldn't help but smile because I could honestly say that I had never met someone as fun as Amai was. She was always grinning foolishly and playing games, not caring what anyone else thought. She had come a long way from the shy girl on the train where I had first seen her.

My mind was ripped way from Amai as Katsue began listing more changes she would like to see, but my dad cut through her words. "Yamato," he said, looking to the boxes. "You have enough belongings to fill half of this room, but nothing more. What do you plan to do with the rest of the rooms?"

I looked down to my things and knew he was right, but it was okay! I had already thought that through. "I'm going to furnish it obviously."

Takeru looked up to me with a worried expression. "Yamato," he said, folding the top of the box he had been digging in, and pulled himself to his feet. "You don't have the money for this." I would have objected by telling him that I did in fact have money to run around to thrift shops and purchase used furniture—as was my plan—but I was interrupted by Hikari which was definitely a good sign. I knew if I'd opened my mouth I would have snapped. It wasn't fair to Takeru, but of the people here I felt most comfortable venting to _him_ as my brother, but really he didn't deserve that. I felt as though everyone was assuming the worst and expecting me to make bad decisions before taking the time to question what it was exactly that I was even doing. I was not going to spend all of my savings, and throw everything out the window because the feeling of being impulsive was inviting. I wasn't crazy and I wasn't stupid. I had plans and I knew what those plans entailed.

But Hikari had come to Takeru's rescue without being aware that he needed it. "Taichi just called," Hikari declared, holding her phone up as if to explain to us how he had contacted her. "He moved the meeting to an hour from now."

"Why would he do that?" I asked bitterly, looking around to all of my things. "He knew I was moving in today."

Katsue gasped dramatically and looked down to the three boxes next to her. "Oh no, who ever will carve time out of their busy schedules to unpack your belongings? It could take several _minutes_ ; you'd better ask someone really nicely to help out." I rolled my eyes at her sarcasm, but took that to mean that she would in fact unpack my boxes while I was away.

Amai had stopped chasing the digimon immediately and popped out from behind me with a big smile on her face. "Ooh! Can I help?"

"Of course," Katsue said before I could add my own input. Amai let out an excited sound and hugged me tightly before rushing off to Katsue's side and falling to the floor, throwing the top off of a plastic tote. She crinkled her nose and pulled out a pair of my underwear, and dropped it back in with a nervous laugh. "You didn't even fold your laundry?" Katsue asked, perhaps bemused. I shrugged my shoulders, and she sighed. "Well I'll leave that to you, but we're going through your jackets." We both looked toward the two larger boxes in front of the fireplace where I had packed away anything leather.

"I already donated _half_ of them," I objected. "You can't take them from me."

"I suppose you could decorate the house with them," Gabumon added with a snort. "You do need _something_ to fill the space." Katsue showed her agreement by laughing along with him.

I pointed my finger to him daringly, but he knew it was all in jest. "Just for that, you can't come today."

"Perfect!" Gabumon decided, slinking off behind the couch. "I didn't want to be in Sora's crowded house anyway." My gut churned and I noticed Katsue giving me a look of inquiry, like she wanted me to answer her with no words as to whether or not I was feeling up to heading off to Sora's house. The answer was obvious. Of course I wasn't! She probably hated me. I was doing everything in my power to never think of her, and it was working well for the most part. Amai was cute and perfect and I was happy in a relationship with her, because she was everything Sora was _not_. She was not invasive or pushy or petty enough to date Mantarou. However she was not as intuitive as Sora, nor would she necessarily put _everyone_ else above her in the scales of importance. But they were both creative, so at least I knew what my type was. But keeping Sora out of my mind was proving to be more difficult with the drama coming up about her murder trial. I had not visited her _once_ and I did not want her to think there was any reason for that to be true. There _was_ , and that reason was that I didn't feel comfortable visiting her with the recent development of me getting over her and her dating Mantarou. Ultimately the answer was 'no' I did not want to visit Sora. Katsue seemed to read that in my face and she looked comfortingly to me before turning away to help Amai unpack the picture frames. "Have fun without me," Gabumon elbowed me and disappeared behind the wall where Monimon and DemiDevimon had gone to.

"Now that you mention it," Patamon said, fluttering over to Takeru after having taken a break from the game they had been playing. "It does sound like it's going to be really crowded. Sora's house isn't that big."

"You want to stay?" Takeru asked, a grin forming on his face.

"Would that be bad?" Patamon asked.

"You live here now," Takeru reminded him, before looking to me subtly. "For now at least. This is your temporary home, let's put it that way. You go play and don't break anything."

"There's nothing to break!" Patamon laughed as he passed by me and my face deadpanned, but no one seemed to notice. Sure, it was fun to make jokes about me and my stupid decisions, but when it came time for me to laugh along I certainly wasn't going to take part. Maybe I was bitter, but I had a lot of reasons to feel that way.

I didn't bother to lock the door as Katsue, Amai and the digimon were staying inside, but I did hand over the keys to Amai in case they decided to leave at any point. And then we had said goodbye, with my father offering to drive us to Sora's house in Omotesando.

We all piled into the van, with Hikari and Takeru taking the backseat leaving me to sit with my father in the front, which I obviously did not mind. As we drove past the trees tangled with fairy lights, Hikari had practically pressed her face against the glass of the window to look to them. "I'm so glad you live here now. It gives me more reason to come around here. I always thought Nakemeguro was the most beautiful place in the whole world."

"First," Takeru said, and though I didn't look I knew a smile had formed on his face judging by the sound of his voice. "Mimi and Koushiro live here, so you can come whenever you want—as if you really needed a reason." Hikari hushed him playfully and he added. "Second, it's pretty, but—"

"If you say that anywhere that she is would be prettier than here, I swear I'll vomit," I interjected and I saw Dad smirk, but Hikari just hit my shoulder from behind me with her face turning red.

"I wasn't going to," Takeru said, looking down to his feet. "That would have been good though wouldn't it?" Hikari nodded, and allowed Takeru to finish his point. "I was just saying that she hasn't been many places in the world. Several places I've seen were prettier than this."

"Oh that's right," Dad noted, "You travelled with that Catherine girl, didn't you?" I had never experienced such a sudden silence before. Dad's face turned red when he realized what he'd said and he cleared his throat. "So, Hikari, when did you want me to drop Gatomon off?"

Hikari jumped at the chance to change the subject. "Whenever she's ready, if that's alright with you. She doesn't get to visit Wizardmon as often as she should, and I don't want to deprive her when the opportunity presents itself."

Dad smiled to her through the mirror and said. "Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way."

The conversation lightened up exponentially from that point onward, which was a nice change, and no one poked fun at my recent life decisions either, which was even better. I was growing weary of the constant belittling of my choices. I was a grown man and even if I made a few mistakes, I was permitted to make plan my next move on my own, no matter what anyone else thought. Besides, if it didn't work out, I was still making money from the albums released by the Teenage Wolves. The sales had skyrocketed ever since I had become the Digital Man. I was making money in my sleep, and we were hoping to release another album to take advantage of the situation. And that wasn't the only plan I had up my sleeve.

But even if I didn't care for everyone's opinions, they had a point. My house was large, and I had no reason to have so much space. I had planned ahead for any future children, but for now it would seem... bizarre to have empty rooms. I was happy to have Takeru around as long as he was willing to stay, if not for company, than simply to fill a room or two. I wondered if Amai would want to move in—but that would be _way_ too fast in our relationship, and it certainly hadn't worked out when I wanted Katsue to move in with me. She _had_ , but we'd broken up a month later after she—correctly seeing that our relationship was moving quickly—assumed I would propose to her.

I hadn't proposed to her. I had only ever asked _Sora_ to marry me, and she had told me that she did not want that. It was a really _hard_ truth to hear, having someone tell you that they were not in the same space as you. When my mother used to tell me that communication was the key to all problems, I hadn't believed her, but in retrospect she surely had to be right.

"So how is Fumiko doing?" Hikari asked, daring to ask something that to me seemed to be crossing the line, but Dad didn't seem to think the same.

He looked sad though, and that was something I hadn't wanted to see. "She will be alright, I suspect. I do not speak with her often, and when we do it is not planned. We're unable to be each other's support, and instead must find comfort in other places. I hope she has found that."

"I don't think she has," Hikari said, sounding sad.

"Who is your support?" I asked, trying to find the answer on my own but coming up short.

"Haruhiko and Toshiko," Dad said, looking perhaps a bit awkward about the two of them being Sora's parents, but I knew they were his best friends, it wasn't too weird. "And Yuudai, and surprisingly, your mother."

"Mom?" Takeru asked incredulously. "Really?"

Dad nodded, but said nothing more because he had pulled the van to a stop and motioned for the three of us to get out. I looked through the window and saw the white picket fence of Sora's lawn and threw the door open, pushing through the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach as I looked toward her nice little home. We said another goodbye, this time to my father, and then the three of us made out way to the front door.

Before knocking I had heard voices coming from an open window. I knew it would be hot and stuffy inside, despite the late October air surrounding us now. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket and heard Mimi's voice rise above the others as it drifted out of the window. "Mari and I saw a Deramon out and about—it was the cutest thing!"

Hikari and I looked to one another, urging the other to knock on the door, feeling odd about doing it, but Takeru took advantage of our silent quarrel and simply opened the door without knocking at all. He stepped aside to allow Hikari to enter first, and then followed her through, leaving me to take up the rear of our little group.

"Oh good, you're here," Taichi said before I had even made my way out of the entranceway. "You're late."

"We're early," Hikari sounded confused.

"Later than everyone else who was _more_ early," Taichi pointed out, "So you're pretty much late."

"With that logic, it's no wonder you were hired as the ruler of the Digital World," I said sarcastically as I joined Takeru and Hikari in the entrance to the living room. Taichi sneered at me playfully but I paid him no mind, taking in all those that had accumulated in such a small space. The first person I laid my eyes on was Sora and the way she was smiling immediately cast all of my nerves aside as if they'd never been around at all. Sora was sitting on the arm of the couch next to both Rei—who was by the couch in her wheelchair—and Willis, talking animatedly to them about their time in Witchenly most likely. Taichi was in a chair next to Rei, leaving the rest of the couch open for Jou and Michael, with Mimi on the arm opposite arm of the couch. Miyako was sitting on Ken's lap in a comfortable looking armchair that was separated from the couch by only a lamp that had been pushed aside to make room for a particularly stiff looking wooden chair to squeeze into the corner of the room for Iori to sit on. Neo was standing in the opposite corner, near the window with a cup of coffee held in his free hand—of course—and Daisuke and Kurayami were both sitting on the floor by the coffee table.

"Take a seat," Daisuke offered, patting the floor for Takeru to sit down.

"Don't mind if I do," Takeru grinned, flopping down next to his ex-roommate, so Hikari sat next to Kurayami leaving me alone to stand near Neo.

"Tight space," I said in a quiet voice. Miyako, who was the closest to me other than Neo flopped her head back over the arm of the chair and nodded her agreement before flopping her head back to the others. I turned my attention to Neo and asked. "Where is Alias III?" Neo did not answer and instead simply shrugged his shoulders.

Taichi took that opportunity to silence Sora and the others, assuring them that they would have time to talk later, but at that moment he wanted to start the meeting. "Obviously meeting in Sora's house in not ideal, but she can't _go_ anywhere else."

"I'm working on it," Iori promised him.

Taichi nodded, but said nothing in return. "I'm glad to hear that everyone has been seeing digimon out and about. It means a lot because it shows just how far the world has come in such a short time."

"We know that, Taichi," Sora said, and some of the others laughed a little, but Mimi gently placed her hand over her heart and seemed emotional about the topic. I didn't find that to be all too surprising. It _was_ Mimi after all. But as my focus fell on Mimi I realized that Koushiro was nowhere to be seen. I scanned over the room one last time and came up short. I thought maybe he had gone off somewhere in the house, but when I heard a cry that could only be from Haruki up the stairs I knew Koushiro would never have opted for a baby over the meeting. Kurayami looked like she wanted to check on Haruki, but Daisuke reminded her that Biyomon had it covered, and Veemon and Labramon would be there to help out if she needed. "But you're right," Sora continued. "It's good to know that Biyomon can go get the mail without immediately being _shot_." Everyone agreed with this, and it left the room silent enough for Taichi to take control again.

He looked to his right, expecting to see Koushiro writing down the minutes of the meeting as usual, but looked back up, trying to seem alright, when he didn't find him there. "So, we have our Witchenly crew back, and that's _beyond_ amazing," Taichi said looking over to Rei with a devilish smile, she swatted over to him and he just smiled wider. "We're all happy to have you back."

"Well, it's all thanks to Hikari," Willis said, pointing directly to where she sat on the floor. Already her face had begun to turn red. "She saved the day."

"With Neo," she reminded him. "He was there too." Willis looked my way and I stepped aside for a better view of Neo who didn't seem moved by this praise at all.

Rei was elbowed gently by Taichi who squealed quietly in surprise and turned to him as if to ask what he wanted but then she mouthed the word 'oh'. "That's my cue, huh?" she asked, "Okay," she clapped her hands together and looked to the group again. "In Witchenly we encountered Gaia. We didn't learn much about her, just what Kiyoko could tell us."

"Why did Kiyoko know anything about Gaia?" Jou questioned what I was sure everyone else had been thinking.

"Sigma was _married_ to Gaia," Willis filled us all in, looking to Rei who was nodding her head to validate his words. "Kiyoko had memories of her, since his mind was once so connected to Sigma. He remembered their marriage. She was bad, and she hated everything. Or so everyone thought anyway."

"We knew she was married to Sigma," Daisuke said. His head was in his hands as his elbows propped him up from his place on the floor. "But we might be able to have Kiyoko fill us in on anything else he knows. That might help us."

"The fairies sure won't take that role," Michael added bitterly. "If Kiyoko _can_ , he'll be my new best friend."

"I could ask him," Neo suggested. "I cannot guarantee he will wish to partake in such a plan, and I will give him the choice to turn you down. But I _will_ ask."

"Thank you, Neo," Taichi said, though he sounded a bit annoyed that Neo wasn't going to be coming back with answers right away. It wasn't fair to force Kiyoko to relive those memories though. "Now, what we really need to discuss, is _what_ Gaia wants."

"Isn't it obvious?" I was surprised to hear Takeru come to Taichi's aid so quickly. "She wants the keys and she took the light and dark. She—"

"She did what?" Ken interrupted, not having been following along with Takeru's points. Takeru turned sharply to Hikari who was sitting at the opposite end of the table, and she looked down, ashamed. I wasn't sure what that meant, but it seemed that Kurayami was going to be the one to fill us all in.

She straightened her posture and spoke clearly. "Hikari and I fell for Gaia's words and we were stupid enough to let her trick us. She took my darkness, and Hikari's light. I don't know how, but she did so." The room was silent, and I knew why. Everyone was finding this news just as shocking as I was, and that meant that no one knew _how_ to respond. I found that my eyes fell on Sora who was already looking up to me. She tried to smile, but with the recent news she couldn't find it in herself to do so. "I think Takeru is correct in his assumptions," Kurayami said flatly. "Gaia wants total balance. She wants everything in the palm of her hands, and she wants it to remain that way. Without the darkness she would not obtain any of the darkness the worlds possessed, and without light the same would be true."

"So you're saying that Gaia—Sigma's wife—is going to take over all of the worlds and put an end to us all?" Miyako asked in a feeble voice. Kurayami nodded solemnly. Miyako turned her head to Ken and said in a barely audible whisper. "What if Sigma wanted to betray her and take what was rightfully his?" Ken said nothing, but gave Miyako a look of reassurance and I inwardly cringed, having not realized just how affected Miyako had been by Sigma.

"Well," I said before I even suspected that I had anything to add. Takeru groaned loudly, seeing where I was heading with this before the others seemed to, "That to me seems like another reason why we should obey Gennai's wishes and close the worlds off indef—"

"I know I said I was on your side to an extent," Mimi said bluntly. "But I would like to retract that. Closing the worlds off means I never get to see Palmon again, and weirdly enough, it was _Koushiro_ who reminded me of that. I don't want to."

"I agree," Sora said, not making eye contact with anyone in particular. "I think it's a terrible idea."

"That's because it _is_ ," Willis added, "closing the worlds would mean that Terriermon and Lopmon would have to be _there_ to help keep that balance and I'm not on board with that."

"Neither am I," Michael agreed.

"I don't know," Iori said in a quiet voice. "I don't want to leave Armadillomon behind any more than any of you would want to leave your partners, but I at least understand the premise. If presented with the option, I think I'm mature enough now to see why it might be a more legitimate option."

"I love Gatomon," Hikari said, agreeing with Iori. "But Gennai knew more about the worlds than any of us. He was connected with Yggdrasil, right?" Takeru nodded, but seemed surprised that Hikari was disagreeing with his own opinions so blatantly. "We don't _have_ the option to close the worlds, because it's too late. We've already set Gaia loose, but if we _were_ to be presented with the choice, I—and I hate to admit it—but I would follow Gennai's wishes. And I _know_ Gatomon would understand." Kurayami looked up to Hikari and took her hand gently, agreeing with her. The two of them shared a blank look and then diverted their eyes.

"I think our partners serve no purpose in this discussion," Neo said, surprising me. "You are all debating the issue in regards to your own personal desires and wishes, while not looking at the larger picture. Not only is this _none_ of our business, but we should not make this decision—if we were asked to—based on whether or not we want to see our friends. We are a _fraction_ of the world's population, and including each of the other worlds into the equation just proves my point even further. You are acting selfishly if you are strategizing the world's safety with the goal of seeing your best friend daily, and nothing more."

"You don't have to be so rude," Michael pouted.

"He's right though," Taichi said, surprising me even more than Neo had. "It would be selfish to make the decision based on our own needs. Neo was also right when he said it was not our decision to make. So we shouldn't have to worry about it."

"But—" I tried, but the look on Taichi's face shut me up quickly. He wasn't angry, or even annoyed. He was _sad_ , and he simply shook his head. I was not sure I understood, but I obeyed and stayed silent. The rest of the meeting went quickly with nothing to say aside from how optimistic everyone was about the progress of the relations between the humans and the digimon.

And when Taichi ran out of things to talk about Sora suggested that everyone try some of the baked goods she had prepared, but I took the opportunity to leave unnoticed. I was sure they would have noticed eventually, but I took the train home, looking out to the sky and wondering what Taichi had meant with that simple look. I didn't get very far with my theories because I had arrived at my destination and walked the rest of the way home.

Hikari had been right when she said this town was beautiful. It really was, but I wasn't in the mood.

When I had finally made it back home, I found that the door was unlocked still. There was a note pinned to the bulletin board in Amai's swirling handwriting that told me Katsue had taken her home. The house key was sitting on the floor next to it, but I just left it there and made my way to the living room. The place was a mess. Katsue and Amai had unpacked everything without finding a place for it, but I didn't really care.

Gabumon was lying on the couch and I found myself curling up with him, stirring him from his sleep. He hummed happily, but said nothing, falling back into his sleep. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do the same, but just _being_ here with Gabumon was enough for me. Neo might have been right that it wasn't our choice, but if that ever changed, I wanted to know that I'd spent as much time with Gabumon as I could.

I closed my eyes and pulled him closer to me and found that sleep wasn't as far off as I had initially thought it to be.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Iori and Jou are working on separate cases, but hoping for the same outcome, which would be peace.


	25. The Law of Sigma

**Y/N:** The chapter title is kind of meaningless, to be honest. There just wasn't anything in common between the two chapter parts! But Iori got to do some of his actual job, and he's got some inner struggles going on as he tries to come to terms with Natsuni's big news.

 **U/N:** I really like writing with Tatum, and even though she wasn't the narrator of this chapter it was fun to experiment with her interacting with people who she usually doesn't get the chance to. It was also fun to bring Jou's storyline back into play, even if it isn't as big or demanding as a lot of the other characters.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 25: The Law of Sigma**

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

All these books were the same. I couldn't understand how Miyako had spent so long reading them. I couldn't find it in me to want to read the rest of them. I'd read four and a half so far, but these pregnancy books didn't have a lot of variation after a while. The only thing I'd really learned from reading them was that I was extremely unprepared for a child. I was so far from ready that it was ridiculous. I was emotionally unstable still from my stint in the Dark Ocean—and if I was being honest, I hadn't been since Daemon infected me with wrath. I was having a hard time breaking the habit of flying into a rage when everything decided to go against me.

So no, I wasn't ready.

I didn't even really have any experience with a father at all. I knew how to be an awesome Grandpa, when the time came, because my grandfather had taught me that. But he was also the closest thing I had to a paternal figure.

He never once acted in place of my father though, so really, how was I supposed to pull this off even _if_ I managed to finally let go of Daemon's influence and move passed the Dark Ocean?

Natsuni was having a much easier time dealing with the idea than I was. She'd already whizzed through all of Miyako's books, taking notes dutifully. She had altered our diets to ensure that she wasn't tempted to eat something that she shouldn't, and we now only had decaf tea in the house. I tried not to be bothered by that, as it really was the healthier choice, and I didn't want anything to happen to the baby _just_ because I wanted caffeine.

Her father had been shocked to find out we were expecting a baby already. I was a little anxious to tell him, but he wasn't upset by it. He knew, just as I did, that Natsuni would flourish, even if I was more apprehensive about myself.

I had actually hesitated when it came to telling Mom, but Natsuni told me I had to do it. She was already going through a lot with her divorce and everything, and it wasn't fair to tell everyone _except_ her. I understood that. But there had been a long stretch of time that she didn't even want me dating anyone, and we'd _just_ got around to telling her that we were married. I had thought she'd have time to let that sink in before I hit her up with some _more_ life altering news.

I was going to be a father. It was a terrifying—but exciting—prospect.

But Mom had actually ended up being thrilled for us. She was looking forward to having a grandchild, and Meiyomon was actually very confused about becoming an uncle, but he was happy about having a baby to play with in the future. Kotemon was very pleased that I'd taken the time to tell him, instead of letting him find out through the rumour mill. I had to reassure him once again that _just_ because Grandpa was gone, that didn't mean Kotemon wasn't part of our family anymore.

Summer was excited too once I'd tracked her down to tell her. She acted like I was the first one to share the news, and then Natsuni told me later that Summer had been there when Spring had announced the baby's existence. I went back to Summer, and she laughed at me, saying that she didn't want to take my excitement away from me. I had rolled my eyes, and asked whether Winter knew too, because I was going to tell her next—having decided I actually did kind of like having her around, after spending some much needed time apart after she played host to us in the Dark Ocean. Since she knew, I didn't _have_ to tell her.

We decided against telling any of our friends, since they did not yet know that we were even married, but I knew that Natsuni had to tell _someone_. Both of us wanted to tell Hikari but knew that she would tell Takeru and that would only let the chain continue until everyone knew. Every time she entered a room I could see Natsuni struggling the same way I was, desperate to let her know the truth, but we couldn't. So, to ease the ache of needing to tell someone, we let Jou and Momoe in on our secret. Momoe, Jun, Tatum, Rei and Natsuni were rather close and I knew the rest of the girls would know sooner rather than later, but I thought that would be a fair trade because none of them seemed the type to share the secret. Jou was my anchor in almost every situation and so of course I needed him to know. It felt wrong keeping this from Hikari, but she would know eventually.

I often found myself wondering how she would receive the news but it always played out the same way. She would be quiet at first, and it wouldn't take me long to realize why. She would think she'd get kicked out once the baby came. It might be awkward for her, to stay with us while we had to care for an infant, but that baby was still seven months from being ready to meet us—if everything went well, and we hoped it did. I'd seen what Miyako and Ken had been going through and I really, _really_ hoped I wouldn't end up doing the same. I was praying that there would be no impromptu trips to the Dark Ocean for Natsuni. I doubted anything would happen that would warrant such a trip, but I was keeping my eyes open just in case.

But we weren't kicking Hikari out.

We didn't really want to. A part of me kind of wondered what it would be like, living here with just my wife, my child and our partners, but Hikari and Gatomon were family too, and we were happy to have them as long as they wanted to be around. If they had a reason for moving out, or a place to go, we'd let them go without too much of a fight, but until such a time that they found a reason to go, we wanted to keep them.

Neither of them even minded the new diet, which was nice.

Armadillomon felt a kinship to Natsuni. He now had an egg to look after, as he waited for the last of his species to finally emerge from its protective shell. He was very excited, because he would have a child to look after, just like Hawkmon. He was always asking Natsuni what he was supposed to do next, even though incubating an egg and being pregnant were two very different things. She found the whole idea adorable, and was always smiling at him, ready to lend a hand, so long as he helped her. He was always willing to watch a movie with her, and eat her organic, homemade ice cream that she insisted on making, because she _loved_ ice cream and was determined to keep it as healthy as possible, for the baby. The things she got him to do were ridiculous, because it was mostly about keeping her company, but he didn't seem to realize it. He would watch those movies with rapt attention, asking well thought out questions at the end about various things—be they plot related, or simply about human nature—at the end of it that _always_ got Natsuni thinking. She'd actually started a blog where she compared her opinions to that of Armadillomon's, just because she found the differences fascinating.

Armadillomon was flattered to be included.

Goblimon was having a harder time adjusting to our developing bundle of joy. He was actually on high alert all the time. He didn't seem to understand what was happening to Natsuni, but the quick explanation that she was growing another human being inside of her did _not_ go over well. He was paranoid, and didn't understand how it wasn't dangerous. He found the whole thing hard to handle. He was constantly trying to save her, and insisted on following her around just in case the baby decided to attack her.

No amount of explaining could convince him this was a good thing.

We were actually a little worried about that. We hoped that he would enjoy having the baby around, once it arrived. Natsuni feared that he would think he was being replaced, and I understood where she was coming from. It was like we had two kids around in the form of our partners, and now we were having a baby. I didn't think Armadillomon was going to get jealous, because he had an egg of his own, but Goblimon… I wasn't so sure about him.

But the sooner we could convince him that a baby was _not_ the same thing as the plague, the better.

While her partner fretted about her dying at any moment, Natsuni seemed to be doing pretty well. She was a little surprised at first, but she hadn't developed any morning sickness yet, and while both Momoe and Miyako seemed a little jealous about it, she loved it. She felt fine, it was easy sometimes to forget that she _was_ pregnant. I might've forgotten too, if it wasn't for the decaffeinated tea.

It was just too gross to ignore.

"Have you thought of any names?" Armadillomon asked. I was sitting at the table. I put the book down, to focus on putting on my dress shoes, not wanting to divide my attention between a repetitive book and Armadillomon. I felt slightly uncomfortable being so dressed up, but I'd have to get used to it. I'd chosen to be a lawyer, and a nice suit gave a good impression. Natsuni had tied my tie for me, and had kissed my cheek before leaving with her father to go shopping for baby supplies. I thought it might be a tad premature, but she wanted to baby proof the house before the baby arrived. She didn't want to have to think about anything except the baby when it was here.

We'd have a crib in our room, since there were no bedrooms available. That meant we didn't need to worry about decorating a nursery at least. I wasn't looking forward to that. Natsuni was very particular about things like that, and she always wanted my opinion—and my opinion was whatever she wanted.

"We made a deal," I told him, checking over my shoulder for any signs of Hikari. "If it's a girl, I get to pick the first name, and Natsuni can pick a second name, and if it's a boy, then we switch."

"You're hoping for a girl then," Armadillomon said, knowingly.

"Well, kind of," I admitted. "But I'd be fine with a son. I'd love him just the same."

"But he wouldn't be _Kana_ ," Armadillomon said with a laugh. I flushed a little, but didn't comment. I'd picked the name Kana _years_ ago, and it was still the only name I could ever see naming someone. It was my favourite name. But I wasn't about to saddle a son with the moniker. So, yeah, I was kind of hoping for a girl. But it really didn't matter to me either way.

"My baby will be called Tsubumon," Armadillomon said. He was now munching on a muffin, despite having finished his meal only minutes ago. Goblimon was too anxious to eat. He was pacing the hallway, coming to the doorway to peek at us, and see if Natsuni was back, before he continued pacing. He was very worried that something terrible would happen to Natsuni if he wasn't there to prevent it. It was his paranoia that prompted Natsuni's decision to leave him behind. She didn't know what kind of scene he could make in a department store. Things were still rather delicate, and she didn't want to risk giving anyone a reason to _not_ support digimon while Goblimon was on an insane quest to protect her from every thing that ever was.

It was probably a very wise decision.

"That's a good name," Hikari said kindly as she made her way into the room. Armadillomon basked in her praise, before asking whether he should eat a muffin for the egg, since he was kind of eating for two now. It was hard to follow his logic sometimes, but I told him he could decide—and he picked out another muffin.

Now that Hikari was around it would be unwise to continue speaking about the baby, but it filled me with guilt and a frustration that I couldn't just _tell_ Hikari. I had a feeling she might have known anyway. She lived with us after all.

Once I finished tying my shoes, I sighed and got to my feet. It was time for me to head in to the firm.

"I'd say have fun…but…" Hikari said, glancing at the clock. I nodded at her, understanding her sentiment. Fun was something it definitely wouldn't be. It couldn't be fun when Sora's future hung in the balance. If I messed up, even once, I could be the reason she's locked away for twenty or more years. It was a lot of pressure.

On the plus side, I reveled under pressure for the most part.

After exchanging goodbyes, I left the apartment I used Hikari's car and drove to the law firm that Professor—though I supposed he was actually no longer my professor—Horitsu was a part of. He was actually one of the founders. He'd asked me to come in, and I wasn't sure what he wanted. I was worried though, that it would be something not particularly good for Sora. I didn't know what it could be, but I was worried nonetheless.

It took me awhile to find somewhere to park, because I didn't feel like I was meant to park in the firm's parking lot. I didn't work there, and Hikari's car was quite a bit older than the rest of the cars in the lot, and I would've drawn a lot of attention to myself. I was more than a little nervous as I walked down the street to the firm, and walked through the front doors.

I kept my head held high, to have the illusion of confidence. I could've belonged there. I wanted to belong there. I was still awaiting the results of my final exams though, and I wasn't as confident as I would have liked to be as I moved through the lobby and headed to the elevator, pressing the appropriate button, following the instructions Professor Horitsu had given me. I wasn't the only person in the elevator, and I tried to keep my eyes on the numbers flashing to signify what floor we were on. I could feel the man's curious eyes on me, but I refused to acknowledge them. He was several years older than me, and looked like he had some experience. I was practically baby faced compared to him.

I had to keep reminding myself that I was married with a child on the way. I wasn't as young as everyone seemed to think I was. Maybe I was a little young compared to the others that worked on the particular floor I was headed to, but I couldn't help that.

Once the door opened, I took a deep breath to prevent myself from bolting out into the hallway. I had to keep a professional air about me. I couldn't act like the child they all probably thought I was. At a purposeful pace, I walked through, down the hall towards the receptionist. I asked for Horitsu, and thanked her when she pointed me in the right direction.

Horitsu's office had glass walls. I could see through the glass that he was not alone in his office. I didn't want to interrupt whatever they were working on. I wasn't technically a lawyer yet, and it wasn't my business to intrude—even if the other man _was_ Hanzai, the lawyer that put Sora in this mess. I sat on a chair across the hall, and watched them interact. They weren't openly hostile towards each other, but I was sure that was in part because of the lack of privacy the office provided. Their eyes were anything but cordial though.

It didn't take long for Hanzai to stop leaning over Horitsu's desk and straighten himself. Horitsu followed suit, and walked with him to the door. I sat up straighter, and tried to make it look like I hadn't been watching them, but there was nothing else to look at. Hanzai opened the glass door, and turned to Horitsu.

"I look forward to the deposition," he said. His tone was chilling, like he intended to best us during the deposition. I tried to think if Sora knew what to do. It might be best if we ran it through a couple more times. I was worried that he'd try and catch her unaware. We needed her to know the story, and to stick with it. No matter what Hanzai asked of her.

"I'll see you there," Horitsu said, managing a much more pleasant tone. Hanzai was irritated by this, and spun on his heel. He sent me a glare, but I didn't feel particularly intimidated by it. I'd spent two months in hell. There wasn't a lot that scared me—not that his glare would've been all that frightening even _before_ the Dark Ocean; I had a pretty good glare of my own. He walked with purpose and confidence towards the elevator. One or two people actually moved out of his way as he walked towards them. It was rather alarming just how much presence he had. "I don't like that man," Horitsu said with a weary sigh.

"Me either," I said bitterly. He was the cause of this whole problem. No one seemed to care who killed Moretsuna when the focus was on Arnold, but Hanzai lost that case. Arnold couldn't escape prison, but Hanzai wasn't going to let Arnold go down alone. He wanted to take Sora with him. It was absolutely ridiculous, because there wasn't any evidence that proved when or where Moretsuna died. The murder weapon was gone. There was no way to implicate Sora to the crime—only it wasn't even really a crime. Moretsuna was killed due to self defense. He was actively trying to kill Miyako, and had tried to take Ken out with his gun. He'd taken shots at Takeru as well. He most definitely would have gone after Kurayami if he'd had the time.

It was a fight to the death.

And he had lost.

"Now," Horitsu said, clapping his hands together. "I've been working on the deposition, tweaking it, if you will. I want it to be as polished as possible."

"Is that what you needed me for?" I asked, confused.

"Oh no," he said with a laugh. "I wanted to let you know that your results are in. You passed with flying colours, as I knew you would."

His words came so quickly that I needed a moment to really register them. "Really?" I asked feeling very relieved. It had been looming over my head for a while now, and I was very pleased to know that I'd passed. I was a lawyer. That was a surreal feeling. A lot was happening all at the same time. I was a lawyer, a husband, I would be a father. It was a lot to take in.

"Yes," Horitsu said with a smile. "Now, I have two cases on my plate at the moment, with Sora being one of them. I don't have enough time to dedicate myself fully to your other friend, Miss Goutokuji. I wanted to ask you if _you_ would take it. It could be your first solo case. Are you up for it?"

"I—" I said, trying to decide on the spot. There was a lot on the line for Mari's case. It wasn't just the library like the last two times. This time it was about the life and safety of a minor. It was an important case, and he wanted me to do it alone? I felt like I was ready to handle it, but I didn't want that confidence to get the best of me.

"Iori," he said. "You have skills enough for this. I can answer any questions you have, I simply cannot dedicate enough time towards winning this case. I am proud of you, and the work you've shown thus far. You are more than capable."

"I'll do it," I agreed.

"Good," he told me. "I won't be able to attend the trial, as my other case is scheduled for the same day."

I nodded to myself, acknowledging the warning. It was a little worrying that he wouldn't be there during the actual trial, but I would have to learn to do this on my own at some point. I was a lawyer now. And he was giving me a case. I furrowed my eyebrows at the thought. He was giving me a case…but I didn't work for him. He chuckled.

"Caught on, have you?" he asked, still laughing. My eyes were wide. I wasn't a proven lawyer. Yes, the two cases I'd worked on were both wins for me, but I hadn't worked on them alone, and the second was basically a repeat of the first—but with strange tactics shown by the judge.

"Sir—" I protested.

"I don't want to hear it," he said quickly. "I want you for this firm. I don't want you as an enemy Iori. It would be very difficult to win against you."

"You could do it," I assured him.

"Due to experience alone," he agreed. He started to say something more, but he looked passed me, and his brows furrowed. "What is Mantarou doing here?" he wondered. Mantarou? I turned to see that he was right. Mantarou was dressed in a suit and tie, and was looking around himself anxiously. He was holding a stack of papers that were stapled in one corner. When he caught sight of us, he hurried over, ushering us through the glass walls, hoping for some semblance of privacy.

"I know what points your opposition will be arguing," Mantarou said breathlessly. He looked like he'd run all the way here. He was panting, and panicking all at once. He must've had a close encounter with Hanzai as he was leaving the building.

"Mantarou," I growled. "I told you to _stop_."

"I know you did, but this is important. This is for Sora. I need to help her in any way I can. I can't do a lot. I work for the people that are rooting against her. I feel like I'm betraying her every time I go in to work," Mantarou said. "This is all I can do."

"Don't do it again," I ordered him.

"If it'll help Sora, then I won't be able to stop myself," Mantarou warned me.

"With their arguments at our disposal, it's unlikely that we'll need anything else," Horitsu murmured.

"I don't think we should look at them," I argued.

"You haven't seen the list of evidence they submitted," Horitsu argued. "They've neglected to mention a knife at all, let alone a knife with Moretsuna and Sora's DNA on it."

"See!" Mantarou exclaimed. "They're omitting information they are bound by law to give to you. They're intentionally going behind your backs to sway the jury's vote. Is it not only fair that you have a quick peek at their plans?"

"It is also possible—perhaps even _probable_ —that they have a more legitimate reason for keeping this from us," I tried to reason with them. "Maybe they don't think the knife is real evidence or they don't have enough proof to use it. We're performing illegal acts to prove that Sora never did—what does that say about us?"

"A quick peek wouldn't do much harm," Horitsu said tentatively, ignoring me entirely. "And they _are_ being underhanded."

"Fine," I sighed. "But you need to stop doing illegal things, Mantarou. I know you want to help Sora, but if you're caught, what you're doing will only hurt her in the end."

"I won't get caught," Mantarou promised.

I hoped his words weren't going to bite us in the end.

 _ **Jou Kido**_ :

I wasn't sure why I kept coming here. There was something intriguing about the inner workings of a criminal. There was always something behind their actions, stringing them along, and Sigma was no exception. As I read through everything he had written I found myself to be both disgusted and fascinated at the same time. He was insane, truly mad. But he was also _human_ —in the figuratively mental sense of the word, since he was actually _not_ a human according to basic genetics.

This time I was not alone though and even though it was not Koushiro who had joined me, as I had expected, Tatum was a good second choice. I had gone to the research team and requested to speak with Koushiro who was simply 'not around' as they had told me. It was important, and Tentomon assured me that he would deliver a message, but it just wasn't worth it to worry Koushiro more than he was already. Instead, Tatum joined me and together we walked to the Coliseum to venture into Sigma's lost corridor once more.

Tatum hated the Coliseum, but found herself talking about Rei to help keep her mind off of the idea of setting foot inside. The entire walk over she was telling me how relieved she was that her friend was alive, and I could relate. I maybe wasn't as close to Rei as Tatum or Momoe were—because along with Natsuni and Jun they seemed to form a secret club of sorts—but knowing that she was alive was something I knew I needed but didn't think I'd ever get to have. Taichi deserved _this_ of all things. In all actuality, he deserved much more, but having the person he loved more than anything be _alive_ after we had all assumed her to be otherwise was something I was happy to see. If not for everyone else, than at least for him. And of course for Rei as well! Surely coming back from the supposed 'dead' would be a difficult transition, but I knew she, Willis and Kiyoko would cope just fine. And if they needed any help, Sora could give them some pointers.

But then we found ourselves in the Coliseum and Tatum's first words were "Ew, now I know why Betamon hated it here so much," And while that was downplaying Betamon's fear and dislike for the building—which she added in an apologetic tone—it was also accurate. I couldn't see why _I_ would want to come back here after being locked within the walls for so long, but it was important for me to read through all of Sigma's work. If it hadn't felt important before, it certainly did now with all Willis had said in terms of Gaia and Sigma's marriage. We wanted Gaia found and dealt with now more than ever because of what she had done to Hikari and Kurayami. It was important that we find her and put an end to her reign of... whatever it was she was reigning.

At least now I could use my leg—and not just because I was in the Digital World. My cast had finally been removed and my physical therapy sessions were moving along nicely. It hadn't been my first war injury, but had certainly been the slowest to heal. It still felt odd to move between Earth and the Digital World in regards to how _well_ I could use my legs. I was not a fan of the way my abilities flopped back and forth, and if I didn't think it would be rude, I would have asked Rei how she did it with such grace.

"We're going down _there_?" Tatum asked after we had stopped to talk to some of the digimon who were still living inside the building. She peered down the darkest corridor and shuddered, "Why would Sigma want to live down here?"

"Why would Sigma try to steal a baby?" I asked in a dry voice, "or haunt Miyako, or rule as a tyrant?"

"You have some good points," Tatum noted, straightening her hat and braving the hallway. She leapt forward and made her way to the left before I grabbed her hand and pointed the opposite direction. She crinkled her nose, "I was afraid of that. It feels awful down there."

"You get used to it," I promised. It wasn't a lie. After spending so long in that room I barely made note of the dark vibes that still reverberated throughout the walls. Tatum didn't seem to believe me, but she wasn't a coward and she marched down the hallway, pausing by the beautiful antique mirror that hung on the wall. "It was Sigma's," I told her as she traced her fingers around the golden frame.

"It looks so familiar," Tatum said, thinking slowly, but after a moment of her staring into the eyes of her reflection she shrugged it off, and made her way toward the thick wooden door. She looked to me for validation and with a quick nod she had made her way inside, pulling with all her might on the door. It creaked loudly as it slid open, revealing only darkness. Tatum reached in and felt around for some kind of light, and found one hanging on a hook by the door. With a soft ' _click_ ' the damp and cluttered room had filled up with light. Tatum immediately held her nose shut and looked to me, "Smells awful." I nodded in agreement, but I was used to that too. "Why is it so messy?"

"No," I said with an attempted smirk as I slipped past her and into the room, "it's not messy, it's organized." Tatum didn't look like she believed me, but followed me through the door. A moment later I had clicked on three separate lights and Tatum found enough room on the untidy table to place the round lantern she had been holding. "There is a lot of work put into this room."

"I can see that," Tatum said sarcastically as she looked around, trying to relax her already buzzing mind, as she tried to find a better system for organizing the papers.

"I meant by Sigma," I said, ignoring her distaste for my sorting skills. I lifted my foot high and carefully stepped over a precarious pile of dingy yellowish parchment paper. "Over here are his finely crafted plans to break into banks, hospitals, or anything else that he thought he needed to go into for some reason."

"Well why did he want to break in?" Tatum asked.

"I haven't any idea," I admitted, brushing that off, and moving to a separate corner, "Everything over here has to do with Miyako, Lalamon or Mari."

"That's disgusting," Tatum said coldly, "What did he want with them?"

"Maybe it had to do with Winter," I offered as a simple solution. "She was his eldest daughter, she was to take his place on the throne, and he hated those who challenged him. She picked both Miyako and Mari, so maybe that had something to do with it." Tatum hummed, but still seemed unsure and very curious, but I moved along. "This pile of boxes are tools that all appear to be used for torture, or other painful activities, so I don't recommend going through them alone." Tatum looked horrified at the thought of it all and even glanced back to the Mari and Miyako corner with a worried look on her face. I understood. "Everything on the table is unsorted," I gestured my hand wildly toward the table and then moved to the final corner, "These are the acts that he committed. There are plans that link to newspaper clippings for the things he did on Earth, others are about his time before coming to Earth, even before his death it seems."

"Do any of the crimes link up?" Tatum asked curiously, "Or was he just a sociopath?"

"Oh he was a sociopath," I nodded my head fervently, "but they may have connections, I'm not sure."

"You don't have many answers," Tatum noted.

"I haven't had anyone to ask me the questions before," I shrugged.

Tatum smiled and nodded, once again straightening her hat, "Well I'm more than happy to ask you some questions. I was born to ask questions, especially those with no answers." That seemed to be true to me and I was happy to have her join my team since no one else enjoyed the room. I was sure she hated it as much as I did, but her curiosity won her over, just like mine had to me. Her brows furrowed though, and she pointed to a small wooden box that sat on the counter near Sigma's crime files. "What's in there?"

I moved toward the box and lifted it up. It was mostly empty, so I handed it to Tatum easily and she looked inside. "Not much," I revealed as she flipped through the few pages inside.

Judging by how fast her eyes were moving, it seemed she was reading quite quickly, "Anything to do with his personal life," she guessed reading through.

"Or himself in general," I confirmed, "I don't know anything about him, but anything I do know is in there. His name, his favourite colour—anything like that would go in that box."

"Then this is the perfect place for me to start," Tatum said with an eager smile. She placed the box on a pile of papers that sat on the table and reached into her big leather bag, pulling out a large bound book that I'd seen before, but this one was empty. It matched her digimon field guide series in which she collected any and all information she could about each individual species of digimon—even the tidbits of information Koushiro found to be unimportant. "I'm starting an 'Everything You Need to Know About Sigma' book." Tatum's smile was suddenly sheepish as she showed me the book and I nodded my encouragement.

And we were off. I spent most of my time continuing my organization process, moving faster than I normally would have, to clear off the table to make room for Tatum who was busy reading through everything inside the box thoroughly and copying down everything that was important, complete with pictures. I didn't see how they were important but it made the book look less daunting to read in any case.

I was looking over her shoulder as she drew a detailed version of a fairies heart—which was much more complicated than a human heart—when we were interrupted.

"I didn't expect anyone to be here." Tatum and I looked sharply upward to see Neo standing with his arms crossed. I noticed that he wasn't wearing his sling, but was unsure if that was simply because of the world he was in, or because he was truly allowed to remove it just yet. In one hand rested a takeaway coffee cup with bursts of steam erupting from the top. A moment later Rei had popped out from behind her brother holding a floral duffel bag.

"Rei!" Tatum exclaimed joyfully, "What are you doing here?"

"Came to get the stuff I dropped off before running away to my death," Rei said, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"You couldn't know you would die," Tatum comforted.

"A giant man in the sky told us he was sending a virus, it was my own fault," Rei looked sad for a moment and then shrugged, "But I _didn't_ die, so it's all good."

"No," Neo said firmly, shaking his head, "You must be more careful. You were lucky and that fact alone is simply not enough to validate doing something rash again." Rei looked to him in a way I could only describe as a look one might give their siblings and then she rolled her eyes, and Neo pursed his lips. "I knew spending all of this time with Taichi was going to change you. His recklessness rubbed off on you."

"Personality traits are not contagious, Neo," Rei said with a coy smile, she then turned her sights back to the two of us and looked around at the mess with an uncomfortable expression. "Why would you choose to be here?"

"Well," Tatum said, "I'm already planning to remove everything from the room and take it somewhere less disturbing." I refused to say anything at all. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought to do that already. "It is rather _dark_ in here."

Rei nodded her agreement, "it reminds me of Witchenly," Neo suddenly perked up to listen again and I internally shuddered. I hated Witchenly, even after only being there a couple of hours at most. "It's dark, it's wet, cluttered, creepy and it smells like something was rotting for a hundred years before coming back to life and rolling around in a pile of dead fish and apricots."

"Apricots?" Tatum asked, confused.

Rei shuddered, "They're disgusting."

Tatum openly laughed which somehow cut through the darkness and lightened the room drastically. "I'd like to hear more about Witchenly, if you have time." Rei dropped her duffel bag immediately and moved toward Tatum who looked surprised, like she had meant a _different_ time, but didn't mind speaking with Rei.

Neo sighed, realizing that he too would have to stay, and he took a step into the room. I knew already that he hadn't been here before, but he didn't seem particularly surprised by his surroundings. He gently slid a box that was sitting on the counter with his free hand and lined it up with the counter, making it look more presentable and neat. He then reached into the box and flipped through a couple of the sketches inside before his eyes widened exponentially and he retracted his hand quickly as he looked quickly for something to get his mind off of what he'd seen.

"Did you know much about Sigma?" I asked him casually as I looked through the pages in my hand, unrolling a long scroll.

Neo looked up to ensure I was in fact speaking with _him_ and shrugged his shoulders, "Not well, no." He paused long enough that I thought he was finished speaking, and found myself tuning into Rei's story of the civil war that had taken place in Witchenly, but Neo eventually spoke again. "When I met Kiyoko I knew he was not alone," Neo said calmly, "I knew there was someone else, and I'm ashamed to admit that he was the one I initially wanted. I needed his brains and his willingness to do whatever dark deed I requested of him. He created a serum that injected digimon with darkness and educed a sort of evolution in one night." I was jealous of that, because I remembered that serum, and just how long it had taken me to create an antidote for it. I _had_ and I had saved many digimon with it. "He broke through to the Digital World without batting an eye. He trapped Daemon in a cell that he would not have been able to escape from if you hadn't let him out."

"Sorry," I blurted, but Neo didn't listen.

"Sigma was a valuable member of my team," Neo said in a simple tone. "Yes, I valued Sigma more. But I did not need him as I needed Kiyoko. Funny how I needed my team more than they needed me."

"Funny?" I questioned as Neo found interest in Tatum's field guide.

"Ironic, I suppose," Neo decided, "Because I was so sure it was the opposite." Neo looked embarrassed for a moment, though I didn't think opening up was any reason to feel ashamed. Neo was quick to change the subject though, "What's this?" he asked, turning the book around to read more carefully. Tatum and Rei were distracted for only a moment before turning back to one another. I noticed Rei was wearing Tatum's hat now. " _'The heart of a fairy has the power to draw others inside and lock their emotions to the core of their soul.'_ " He looked up to me shocked, but returned to his resting face of disappointment and disgust a moment later, "That is disturbing."

"What in here _isn't_?" I asked rhetorically, but found myself reading what Neo had just looked over. It all made sense, really, but that didn't stop it from being _wrong_. It was like a love potion, the way they could use their hearts. They could essentially eject another with _obsession_ rather than love, and the infected victim would feel a connection and a sense of loyalty to the fairy in question. It was no surprise then, why Kiyoko had acted the way he had in terms of Sigma, and it was all the more powerful and empowering that he had removed himself from the clutches of the dark man.

"A baby?" Tatum cooed, catching my attention.

"Well, yeah," Rei said with a grin, "Not all digimon can start as adults you know."

"None of them can," Neo said pointedly, but neither girl seemed to hear him.

"He was so cute," Rei smiled, "I'm thinking I might introduce him to the Primary Village, since there's nowhere for the Veemon to live now that they won't stay with the Wizards and Fallen Angels."

"Keep him," Tatum dared, but Rei shook her head fervently.

"I'm not ready for kids," she laughed, "I've already got Pal and Pul. They're enough." I cursed my doctoral mind at that moment as I began to scan through the likelihood of Rei being able to conceive a child at all. Tatum diverted her eyes from Rei and blushed, and Rei gently placed a finger under Tatum's chin and brought her around to face her. "Are you pregnant?"

"No!" Tatum said seriously, "But I want a baby!"

"No, you don't," Neo assured her, but again she didn't listen.

"You should have one," Rei said, clapping her hands together, "You and Momoe—and of course _you-know-_ who—could have one together and they can fall in love!"

It was then that the two girls came to realize that they were not alone in the room, and their eyes fell on me. The awkwardness was nearly tangible. Neo even felt uncomfortable. "Why would Momoe have a child?"

Rei looked to Tatum and urged her to answer and she cleared her throat, "Just... isn't it time for her to?"

"There's a schedule?" I asked, a little annoyed because I knew where this was leading. "She told you that she wanted one, didn't she?" The girls nodded and looked away, feeling like they betrayed Momoe. But I wasn't _angry_ so it wasn't anything to upset about. I was simply agitated, and maybe... okay maybe a little upset. "And I assume she told you that I was the reason we aren't expecting another child, am I right?" Again they nodded.

"She didn't say anything else though," Rei assured me, "And she never said that she was upset by your decision. She respects you too much for that."

"She knows how hard it is for you to find time for everyone in your life," Tatum nodded, "You already have Emiko, Gomamon, Bearmon, Monmon _and_ Momoe. Adding a baby into the mix is just a lot to ask for and she knows she can't expect a yes."

"I have to go," I decided. When I had made it halfway to the door, I stopped and turned to Tatum, "I'll be back here tomorrow if you want to meet me at any time." She nodded and sent me an apologetic look, but I just continued on my way.

I paused for that moment as I realized I was still holding a scroll in my hand I unrolled it and it appeared to be a puzzle of sorts. It was all written in Sigma's handwriting and appeared to be about a woman who was kept underground. I knew I wouldn't be able to figure it out alone if even Sigma couldn't. I popped back into the room for one moment and tossed the scroll to Tatum "Maybe you can figure it out." And then I was gone.

I didn't think this was a conversation that I had to have with someone who wasn't Momoe—but she didn't feel the same apparently. On my way to the nearest computer I encountered the annoyingly optimistic MarineAngemon who sent bursts of happiness toward me, but I simply swatted them away feeling annoyed.

"You have to be _happy_!" MarineAngemon bellowed angrily. "And bring me Emiko back, you kidnapper!"

"You don't need my daughter," I told him as I made my way to the computer, with him following along, "There are several other digimon here for you to spend time with."

"But I want _Emiko_!" MarineAngemon hollered and shouted repetitively until I had dragged myself through the computer and the sound of his loud and frustrating voice faded away. I appeared in my office and landed smoothly, but felt the twinge of pain in my leg, forgetting to take the pressure off of it and inwardly groaned as I tried to bend it normally, but found it was still too strenuous to do so. I was already _very_ done with this injury. I heard someone drop something in the living room, but noticed Momoe's shoes by the computer, knowing that she would be in the Digital World, I sent myself back through, this time to our house instead of the Coliseum.

I was hit by the immediate relief in my leg as well as many shouting voices.

"Emiko _go_ to your room!" Momoe shouted loudly, pointing off toward Emiko's bedroom, "You cannot treat people like this. I'm sorry that I've let you down by allowing you to get away with it for so long, but no more leniencies. You've crossed the line too many times!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Emiko screamed in a voice that could only be described as entirely distraught. Her face was beet red, and there were thick tear stains rushing down her face. I felt guilty at the sight of her, but I knew Momoe was right. Emiko had been able to get away with far too much lately.

Monmon was joining in the screaming match as well, just mindlessly and wordlessly shouting at the top of his lungs in a panic. Bearmon was doing his best to calm him down, but Monmon was having none of that, and began bounding back and forth until Emiko finally relented, and ran off with tears in her eyes. She wasn't going to her room anyway since that was on Earth, but at least she would understand she'd done wrong. No matter how hard it was to see her like that. Momoe gazed after her longingly and clutched her chest feeling guilty, but as I came up behind her, her mind was quickly taken off of her daughter.

She shouted in surprise and spun around to greet me before laughing in a humour filled relief. I didn't laugh though. "You scared me," she noted, elbowing me playfully before making her way around the room to clean up some of Emiko's toys. "Such a handful, she is."

"She is," I agreed, "it's a good thing we have so many hands in our relationship," I said, and she looked up smiling, but confused, "Yeah, there's four between the two of us, and of course there's a set for both Tatum and Rei, and surely Jun gets a say as well. I'd even venture to say Natsuni would help us out."

"Sure," Momoe agreed, dropping an armful of the toys into a wooden chest in the corner, before turning to face me again, "They would help, yeah. They're my friends." I didn't smile when she did and she seemed to finally understand that something was wrong. "What did I do? I'm not sure I understand." Bearmon made his way into the room but sensed the tension and spun on his heel, making his way back down the hallway.

I sat down on the couch and waited until Momoe joined me before starting as calmly as I could, "Why did you tell Jun and the others that we were in a disagreement about having another child?"

"Because they're my friends," Momoe said, confused.

"They're not in this relationship," I said flatly, trying to sort through what I was feeling.

Momoe gave me _that_ look and cocked her head to the side with her eyebrows high on her forehead, "Oh no? Then why do Taichi, Yamato and Koushiro get to be involved in the relationship? Or Mimi? Do we only get one person each? Maybe you pick Mimi and I'll pick Minori Himura."

I groaned audibly and ran my fingers through my hair, "I can't believe you're bringing him up again!"

"If your confidant is going to be your first crush," Momoe said as if she simply couldn't see why I didn't see her point, "Then mine will be the same."

"That's petty," I said flatly, "And I don't _have_ a confidant! Why would I talk to someone else about our baby making decisions?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Momoe's lips were pursed and suddenly I was worried I'd missed something major in my calculated anger. I ran through my mind and memories and suddenly remembered walking through a department store with Koushiro, Yamato and Taichi, talking about whether or not we wanted a baby. Koushiro must have told Mimi... "Oh there it is," Momoe said, nodding along, as my face clearly showed my realization. "Mimi's got a big mouth on her. I love her, but boy does she like to talk and make other people's problems her own." Momoe laughed a little, but it was dry and she added, "She brought me a basket of baby muffins, and half of them had secret chocolate inside and half of them didn't. She thought that if the last one I ate had chocolate inside then it was a sign that we should have a baby, and otherwise, it would be best to wait."

"And?" I asked, a grin forming on my face, "What did the muffins foretell?"

"None of them had chocolate in them," Momoe said, sounding disappointed, "So of course she was on _your_ side."

There was a brief moment of silence, but it did not last long. The two of us began laughing at Mimi's shenanigans and Momoe even began snorting, which meant she was _truly_ laughing—though she would never admit to snorting, she always did when she laughed hard enough.

"Natsuni told us that she was pregnant," Momoe said simply, lifting up a stuffed bear and playing with it idly in her hands. "She told Tatum, Jun, Rei and I. Iori told you, and you told me, but I already knew. We tell each other everything because we confide in one another. Do you know how hard it is to watch those that we love be drafted into a war every couple of years? Or months? I never thought I would be able to see you again, and Natsuni and Rei felt the same. About Iori and Taichi obviously. Jun was lucky enough to be with Daisuke, and Tatum with Michael, but that doesn't mean we're out of this just yet. We trust each other. We are not petty school girls who judge one another behind the backs of our friends. We have a bond just like yours with Taichi or Mimi. It might not have lasted as long, but it is just as legitimate."

I didn't say anything just yet, because it seemed likely that I would say something stupid, even if I did understand. "I think I was just upset because I couldn't make the decision on my own." Momoe looked sharply toward me and smiled, like she thought my mind hadn't been made up, but it had. Momoe had just made it up for me. "We're in a war, Momoe. You said it yourself. We cannot have a child in these predicaments. It's too dangerous."

"We already have one," Momoe pointed out, but she and I both knew that was different. Not only was she _already_ _alive_ , but we also hadn't planned Emiko exactly. I was saved from responding to Momoe by my phone ringing. I would have ignored it, but it was Tatum and she knew I was with Momoe now so she would not have called if it hadn't been important.

"Jou!" she hissed through the phone and instantly my heartbeat picked up. "I know why the mirror was so familiar!" I waited for her response, but the wait was not long as her words were practically spewing out, "the designs and patterns were all over Morganna's castle. The mirror is from the palace, and it surely means something."

"The mirror has a connection to others, including Maugrim and Gaia's I think," I told her, realizing that Neo could have filled her in on that as well if he were still there, "Are you alone?"

"Yes," she said quickly, "Why didn't you tell me they had a connection?"

"It wasn't important," I shrugged, "Get out of there though. You shouldn't be alone. It's disturbing."

"There are thousands of digimon within calling distance," Tatum defended, "I'll leave soon. And _yes_ it is too important you twat! Why aren't we using this to connect to Gaia _or_ Maugrim? We're looking for them, maybe this mirror can lead the way!" I stared blankly to the floor as Gomamon wandered into the living room seemingly nonchalant. "Yeah? Didn't think about that, huh?"

"I have to go," I said flatly, hanging up the phone without another word and tossing it to the couch next to Momoe. "When did you get here?" I asked sharply to Gomamon.

"Been here all day," he said, confused. I spun quickly and rushed back to the computer with Gomamon following after me and I zoomed through the portal to Earth without a second though. Gomamon landed beside me and—in a voice that was far too loud—said, "What are we doing here?"

I pressed a finger to my lips and moved to the doorway. I had heard someone in the living room here, but found that everyone had accumulated in the Digital World. That meant someone who was _not_ a part of my family was in the house. I moved down the hallway swiftly, feeling much more confident with Gomamon by my side and I pressed myself against the wall dividing the hallway and the living room. I heard someone shift on the couch and Gomamon looked up with wide eyes.

I couldn't just stand around waiting here, so I—ignoring the pounding of my heart and the whirring of my mind—counted to three inside my head and threw myself into the open.

"There you are," A bored voice drawled as I stared toward Iruka, the girl who had helped me save Jun's life. Her dark hair was hanging around her face that was once again heavily covered in makeup that she had been deprived of while trapped inside the Digital World. "I've been waiting for you."

"In our _house_?" Gomamon asked, entirely shocked. I hadn't found myself able to speak. The shock and relief was mixing poorly but Gomamon always had my back. "You couldn't have knocked on the door?"

"I did," Iruka scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "You didn't answer."

"Then come again a different day?" Gomamon suggested.

"I _did_ ," Iruka snapped, "I was just going to write a note, but I wasn't even sure you _lived_ here since no one was ever home. So I thought I'd wait and find out."

"I do, live here I mean," I had finally found myself able to speak and Iruka nodded. "So what did you need so desperately?"

"I want to talk to you about your friend," Iruka said, leaning forward.

"We have a _lot_ of friends," Gomamon said, rolling his eyes, "You'll need to be more specific than that."

Iruka seemed to think that was a fair point so she elaborated, "The friend who killed my father."

"What?" Gomamon and I gasped together.

"Sora Takenouchi?" Iruka said blankly, "She killed my father, Sakana Moretsuna."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Sora is still caught up in this law scandal, and Kurayami may feel guilty but with some help from her friends she finds time to finally relax, if even only for a little while.


	26. Deposition

**U/N:** I know that this chapter involves more law things that are more than likely not completely accurate, but we did what we could in such a short time. And Kura's chapter was initially planned to be a comedic one, but when writing it I found that it wasn't actually funny content at all, so there's that.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 26: Deposition**

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

I was stuck.

I was trapped inside again and that was the worst thing in the world. It was an awful feeling to be cooped up like an animal in a zoo and it was worse that my face was all over the news so curious people came to my home to peer through the windows to catch a glimpse of the 'murderous tyrant' as the most recent news broadcast had referred to me as. I couldn't believe that the world could be so unkind, and I could not believe how much I missed the sunlight.

It was for that very reason that I was soaking up as much as I could before I was put back into my house. Horitsu was sitting next to me, looking rather uncomfortable, but I didn't care how he felt just then. I was going to take this minute for myself. With the window rolled down I threw my hand out into the wind. I stayed as still as I could for as long as I could and just let the sunlight dance off of my pale skin.

Horitsu's hand was on my shoulder a moment later and I turned to him. He motioned with his head up to the front seat and I followed his gesture to see the driver—a stick in the mud police officer—was giving me quite the stink eye. I relented and withdrew my hand from the window, not bothering to hide my disappointment.

"You know what to say," Horitsu told me, misreading my displeasure for worry. "We've been over it all, you'll do fine."

I nodded, because I was sure I could say what he wanted me to, I wasn't completely mindless in terms of the law. I wasn't worried about that. I was worried about how it would be received. I trusted Horitsu, honestly it would be impossible not to because he had done so much for me, and Iori was my friend who knew what he was talking about, but that did not mean their words were magic. I could not repeat what they had told me and change the view of the entire world who viewed me as a murderer.

And then I was experiencing the familiar sensation of my eyes burning with their desire to shed tears accompanied by my throat tightening up. I wasn't a murderer—I was a good person. I hadn't done anything aside from allow Kurayami the chance to exist without being harassed for something she _had_ to do. She was protecting someone else, and I would do the same for her in payment, just as Michael had paid my bail. Kurayami deserved this to know that we would never let her throw herself under the bus after what she had done.

And Haruki needed _her_. I related to him more than should have been allowed. He was an infant who couldn't say anything, but there was a connection between him and myself in a way that was starting to frighten me a little. But what mattered was that he needed to grow up with two parents. My dad had lived in Tokyo for most of my childhood, and while he and my mother were together they were never _together_ , and that worried me and it hurt me. I'd lashed out at my mother because I wasn't ready to be what she saw in me, and I needed my dad. I needed both parents, and I had them. Had one of them been dead I would at least understand why they could not be together, but that wasn't the case. I was always angry and confused. One day they told me they were getting a divorce, which I saw coming—thankfully they mended their issues and are now living under one roof, but it was just _hard._ I could not let Haruki live in a world with two parents but exist trapped in a world where he could only see one.

Of course I knew that working full-time in Tokyo and being in prison were two different things, but I couldn't help but draw the comparisons when it came to Haruki and myself.

"Has Iori messaged you?" Horitsu asked, leaning closer to speak in a quiet voice. I shook my head and he hummed disappointedly. "Perhaps it is time to shut your phone off, or allow me to hold onto it for you. We wouldn't want to give them any reason to think you were unavailable mentally."

"Sure," I agreed, handing off my phone without question. I didn't need it anyway. No one was messaging me, even though they knew I was crammed up in my house all alone—okay I wasn't alone, I had six others living with me—but that didn't mean I wasn't lonely. But I could deal with being lonely if it meant I wasn't being tried for murder.

I wasn't sure how to recover from this. Not only would my name always be tainted by the prospect of a man's death, but I had essentially ruined any future career plan.

When the car came rolling to a stop I realized that I'd been drifting off into a train of thought that could keep my mind off of what was going on. The nerves had been hidden and distracted, but now the anxiety was kicking in as we got out of the car. The police officer, who genuinely seemed to be just an all around rude man, lead us to the door of the big glass building. Horitsu asked for permission to use my phone without saying a word and I nodded. He looked disappointed. Iori hadn't replied. Apparently we'd be doing this without him today.

Or so I thought.

On the eleventh floor, when the elevator doors opened, he was just _there_. He was speaking to someone I didn't recognize initially, but upon closer inspection saw that it was Teki Hanzai, the lawyer who was working against me in the case.

The police officer behind me, nudged me along and I obeyed, stepping onto the carpeted hallway. The walls to each of the offices around us were made of glass and although I tried, I could not keep my curiosity from getting the better of me. I looked left, into the nearest office and saw a man who was yelling at someone on the telephone sitting behind a desk in a room filled with photographs. To my right was another man, angry as well, sitting in an office exactly like the previous. Nothing here seemed unique or creative and instead was all focused on everything boring. I didn't like it much.

As we made our way toward Iori, I caught sight of a name on one of the glass walls next to an open doorway. 'Mantarou Inoue'. I turned sharply to look into his office but felt rather disheartened when I didn't see him. Under his name on the wall it read 'paralegal' which made sense as that was his position here at the firm. I hadn't taken my eyes away from his desk, since I was looking for _something_ creative, to let me know that the man I was in a relationship with actually existed within the boring office, but instead I ran directly into someone.

I looked up and gasped. I had been hoping it would be Mantarou, but instead it was a man who I recognized as Bengoshi. "I'm so sorry!" I told him seriously, side stepping and allowing him to pass by.

"My fault, honest," Bengoshi said with a nervously friendly smile. I smiled back but as I did his face fell and he stared at me, as though he were trying to read my mind or something. Then he patted my shoulder comfortingly like he thought that stare was kind rather than intense and then he was on his way.

"Sora!" I turned sharply at the sound of Mantarou's voice and I shook my head. I saw him hurrying down the hallway toward me but he stopped when he caught sight of my expression. I mouthed the word 'later' because I could not explain now. But it would not be beneficial for his career to fraternize with _me_ the woman who his firm was against. He seemed to understand though and he nodded, before straightening his posture and his tie. He looked very strange in a suit, as he usually wore brightly coloured t shirts with strange designs, or bleach stained sweaters and a baseball cap. He was just a regular _guy_ and seeing him so dressed up was strange to me. He turned, with a red face, and addressed a woman sitting behind a desk.

At the sound of my name, Iori had turned and his face lit up at the sight of me. He was quick to pull the glass door open and allow me to step through. "Hello," he said as brightly as he could. I nodded kindly, but said nothing. Iori was feeling particularly courteous it seemed as he pulled out my chair for me, and then pulled his own out to sit next to me. Across from us sat Mr Hanzai who seemed all too smug with his tiny camera set up to record everything.

"As you're no doubt aware," Hanzai said. "My name is Teki Hanzai, you may simply refer to me as whatever it is you wish to. I'm not too picky." It became clear to me then that he was acting, rather than actually being kind. One look to the stern faced woman behind him and I could tell why. They were going with the good-cop-bad-cop sort of deal and that was highly predictable. "You are here for your deposition, and it is standard procedure for us to record everything you say. Will there be any issues?"

"Of course not," I told him.

"Perfect," Hanzai said. "So unless anyone has any further questions, we should begin." I looked up to Iori who nodded encouragingly, and my nerves died a little because he seemed to feel particularly confident. "Alright, here we go." With a click of a button, the camera had begun recording. "Could you please state your name and today's date?"

"Sora Takenouchi," I said in as clear a voice as I could muster. "The twenty-eighth of October."

"Have you ever been arrested before, Sora?" Hanzai asked.

"Just this time," I said, my insides churning at the recollection.

"You were not arrested by Officer Truman in May?" Hanzai asked.

Iori leaned forward. "As you know the answer to that inquiry I will assume it to be a statement rather than a true question, and as such it serves no purpose in a deposition."

"I'm well aware that I am to ask only questions," Hanzai said snappishly to Iori. "I am just getting the answers for the record." He tried to smile but looked pained instead, and then he turned back to me. "Had you been arrested before?"

"Not technically, no," I answered.

"Why technically?" he asked.

"The paperwork wasn't signed and it wasn't legal." It was just annoying to have to recall the events of that day. I had never been more stressed in my entire life. I had thought I'd killed all of my friends—but they were back. All of them. Including Rei, Willis and Kiyoko and while I was ecstatic about that, not a single one had come to see me.

"And what was the arrest allegedly meant for?"

"Physical assault," I said quietly. Hanzai held a finger to his ear, wanting me to speak up and I sighed. "Physical assault," I said louder. "A girl threatened to kill all of my friends and I lost control, and I hit her. I was then arrested because her father was the officer, and instead of caring about the murder threats made by his daughter, he instead arrested me for reacting."

Hanzai ignored that entirely. "Have you ever been deposed?" I shook my head. "I will need a verbal response, please."

"No, I've never been deposed." I tried to not sound bitter, but it was just so hard.

Hanzai didn't miss a beat. "Have you ever encountered Sakana Moretsuna?"

I nodded again. "Yes I have." _Several times_ , "Just the once," I lied and I tried to make it convincing. I'd seen him twice inside his base while we attempted to break out the digimon he had kidnapped to _kill_ , and I had also encountered him when he had entered the Temple unwanted, but I was instructed to specifically pretend I had never seen him inside the Digital World—the place of his death.

Hanzai nodded and looked down to his neat file of papers, and waited a moment, flipping through them. The sound of the sliding paper was the only sound in the room and it was just making me feel restless. Instead I tried to focus on the beautiful landscape through the mostly glass wall behind the two lawyers. The city was beautiful from where we were, and the sun was shining down on the beautiful autumn day. "Okay, so where were you during the time of Sakana's death?"

I felt Iori tense up next to me, but he had no reason to. I caught the trick too. "I haven't any idea when he died," I told them seriously. "So I cannot answer that." They were trying to catch me in a lie, or get me to admit to something, but I wasn't stupid. I didn't understand the law particularly well, but that didn't mean I was foolish enough to fall for simple tricks.

Iori relaxed in his seat, but his poker face did not stray.

"Very well," Hanzai hummed to himself. "What steps did you take to prepare yourself for this deposition?"

After that it wasn't particularly stressful. Hanzai continued jumping between serious direct questions and playful inquiries about the generic principles of my life. It was good to know that I could keep up with what he said and even outsmart him if need be, because it helped calm my nerves. It wasn't until the end of the deposition itself that the bad-cop started to play along. The lingering nerves had been trying to escape in the form of tears and when she joined in, my eyes began to heat up.

"What might you say to someone who thought you had killed Moretsuna?" She said, pursing her lips, "How might you turn their suspicions away?"

"I would expect them to trust me when I say that I didn't do it," I replied simply, my eyes stinging with tears. "The truth is subjective and never one sided. I could not ever fully convince _everyone_ of my innocence, but that is because people judge and people have differing thoughts. I didn't do it, and I trust that the law will help to prove that."

Iori smirked, seemingly impressed with my statement, but the bad-cop wasn't. I didn't even know why she was _here_ since she wasn't the lead lawyer against my case, but obviously I couldn't question her. I was the one being tried here. "Okay," she said, turning back to the window in thought, then all at once she turned to me and said. "Who do you think killed Sakana?"

"Yeah, don't answer that," Iori said, but it had been too late. At the same time I had said, "I don't know." Iori stiffened again, but I didn't see how my answer could have been so bad.

"Alright, that's all the questions we have for you," Hanzai said in a bright and cheery voice. "You have a really nice day. It was lovely to meet you."

"Likewise," I said with just as much fake enthusiasm, throwing my hand out to shake his. His hand was cold but sweaty and his grim was firm and hesitant. Our hold didn't last long though and then we were parting ways. Hanzai and his prissy partner left the room first, giving the rest of us time collect our things. I watched the glass doors close and the moment they had met in the middle I turned to Horitsu, "How did I do?"

"Well," he told me with a smile. "The deposition going well is a good sign."

"Doesn't mean much overall though," Iori said flatly. Horitsu gave him a dirty look, like he was afraid that Iori would upset me, but honestly I would have preferred him be even _more_ brutally honest if would help me win this. I didn't want to lose and Iori being honest was only the truth. I loved the truth, because the truth said that I didn't kill anyone. "Is that Bengoshi?" I turned to see where Iori's sights were focused and sure enough, through a glass wall or two, Bengoshi was holding a binder to his chest as he stared down to the city below. "I didn't think he still worked here."

"I saw him earlier," I confirmed. "I don't think he's having a good day."

"Surely not," Horitsu confirmed. "He neglected to attend his job for several months, and his employers are strict."

"He was in the Dark Ocean," Iori said, fumbling with the folder in his hands, like he hadn't ever wanted to speak those two words in that particular order ever again. I understood even if I had only set foot there once or twice for short periods. It was not the same as _being_ there, eating there or _living_ there. "They can't be upset with him."

"With the recent quarrels about digimon, they will not fire him," Horitsu said, as he pulled his bag over his shoulder, looking to Bengoshi. "It would only reflect poorly on their firm, but that will not stop them from being upset with his absences. They may not even believe him when he says he was locked away in a world full of dark water and demons. It sounds preposterous."

"But it's true," Iori clarified.

"I know," Horitsu said seriously, turning to Iori to verify that he did in fact believe him. It was that look of pity and seriousness that sent me back to how much money I owed this man. He looked to me in the very same way when we spoke about a retainer. I didn't have any money. Any money I _had_ had been used on schooling. My parents were not poor, and I lived in a respectable home, but I had been to school for five years collectively, and I was still technically attending until December! My final year was meant to be spent attending internship positions and sending ideas into the world, _not_ fighting for my right to stay out of prison and helping along the creation of propaganda videos by placing manikins dressed in digimon styled clothing in the park. I just didn't have the time or money to offer Horitsu anything, and yet he was still helping me. I would find a way to pay him back. I'd have to.

On the way down the hallway we passed Mantarou's office again and I waved to him discreetly and he held his hand up to represent a phone to imply that he'd call me before he realized he was holding a phone in his other hand. His face turned red and I held back a laugh.

"Bengoshi!" Iori called out happily, but he flinched when Bengoshi dropped his book and turned sharply toward us all with a nervous smile. Iori simply waved, feeling guilty for startling him and then we were on our way, still being led by the annoying police officer.

The drive home was simple and calming because I didn't have to think about anything. The weakness that had filled my body with relief after the deposition was working itself out of my system while Iori and Horitsu spoke about what kind of public statement I should make. I zoned out because I trusted them and I just wanted to relax for a moment. Apparently though, I was required to say _something_ because of the specifics of the situation I was in, but I couldn't simply claim to be innocent, because that's what everyone would say.

It was when we had finally made it back into my house that I started to truly focus on the two of them again. "They didn't give us any information about the knife," Iori reminded him. "We don't ' _know_ ' about it at all."

"But we do," Horitsu said firmly. "We found out about the evidence they are withholding, and it matters not what methods we used to obtain this information, but what choices they made pertaining to the hidden evidence."

"So we're going to cheat?" Iori asked nervously. Horitsu shrugged his shoulders and Iori smirked. "Doesn't that just go against everything you've taught me?"

"I didn't have time to squeeze in a lesson on when to throw your morals out the window," Horitsu said, but Iori's face fell then, and he began to contemplate whether or not it was ideal for himself to cast aside the morals he worked so _hard_ to stand by. I had zoned out again though, because I noticed that Biyomon had not come to greet me at the door. Biyomon _always_ greeted me at the door, and Daisuke and the others weren't even supposed to be here, so that was curious.

"Oh they've selected the first run of jury members," Horitsu said, catching my attention as I stared up the stairwell, looking for Biyomon. "We may swap out up to six of the twelve members. We will bide our time of course, because they may swap out our members immediately after our attempts." My curiosity was being torn in two directions at that moment and eventually Horitsu won out and I hurried to his side to look at his phone where there were twelve pictures on the screen with information underneath them all.

One down the right side of the screen caught my attention and I zoomed in on the page and stared at him. "He works for EVOLVE," I said, remembering the face of the man from one of our break in attempts. "He might remember me," I realized, "I remember him, what if he remembers me?"

Horitsu shook his head. "The jury is not permitted to say anything or be involved. If he worked under Moretsuna's rule, he will be removed from the position. You mustn't worry about this just yet, Sora. There are many other details of this case that require our attention."

I was _done_ focusing on murder for the day, and simply walked away from him and Iori, heading toward the stairs to find Biyomon. Once at the top of the stairs I heard her voice coming from inside her bedroom. But who was she talking to? I knocked on the door and gently pushed it open, and was immediately blinded by the pink that was Biyomon's bedroom.

"Sora!" she squealed in a less excited and more mournful voice. "Look who's here!" My eyes fell on Koushiro who was sitting with his back against the wall, and his head in his hands. "He's sad."

He wasn't _sad_. I knew what sad looked like and I knew what it felt like. His red hair was messy and his clothes were old, wrinkled and dirty. I couldn't see his face but I knew he wasn't crying. I had seen Koushiro cry. I had seen him come to me with all of his problems for years, and I had helped him work through them. This was another one of those situations, and I knew that already. As I made to move toward him I hesitated, hearing Horitsu on the stairs.

"Sora?" he called. "Would you mind if I made some tea?"

"Go ahead," I called, not taking my eyes from Koushiro. "I'm just getting changed."

"Would you like some tea as well?" Horitsu asked.

"I would," Biyomon whispered, but I ignored her.

"No thank you," I told him.

"Very well," and then my eyes were back on Koushiro. He was still hiding his face from me, and somehow it seemed that things were more wrong than I had initially thought they were. I held a hand up to Biyomon to ask her to stay where she was and she nodded.

I made my way around Biyomon's bed and sat down, the mattress squeaked, and that was when Koushiro took his first glance toward me. His face was pale and his eyes were red and he looked like perhaps he _had_ been crying, but it still seemed to be the wrong assumption. I hadn't seen him in a while, since no one visited me here in my prison, but I couldn't imagine I had missed something this big. "Did something happen?" I asked hesitantly. "Is everyone okay?" Koushiro didn't reply immediately and a panic rose in my chest quickly as my hands tightened around the bed sheets, but Koushiro shook his head lightly and I knew my assumption had been wrong. There was something off with him though. He was... _messed_ up. I couldn't find any other way to word it. "You're here to tell me what's wrong," I said knowingly. "So tell me."

Koushiro looked up, revealing his whole face now and just how messy his hair was, but he couldn't find a way to say anything.

"I'm worried," I said honestly, feeling that very sensation whirring around in my chest and my mind. I didn't want something bad to have happened and I wanted him to be okay. But I wasn't sure that he was.

"It's nothing," Koushiro said in a voice that sounded like it was definitely not nothing. "Honestly, I'm here to tell you so you _won't_ think it's something later when I know you'll find out."

"Then why are you pulling all of your hair out?" I asked gently, sliding off the bed to take his hands. I was startled to find just how cold they were, but he didn't react at all.

"T-Takeru!" Koushiro snapped. "It's his fault! He's making me feel wrong about it."

"About what?" I asked flatly, concerned and confused as to how Takeru fit into all of this. Koushiro didn't want to answer, and I wasn't going to force him into it, but he if he needed help like I knew he wanted but wouldn't admit, he would have to say something. He didn't though. Instead he simply grabbed something from behind him and held it up in his fist. Slowly he uncurled his fingers to show me a bottle of medication.

"What is it?" Biyomon asked eagerly. "What is it, Sora? Sora, what is it? Hey Sora, what's that? I can't see it. What is it?"

If he hadn't made such a big show of it all it would be easy to ignore the obvious reality, and yet he had come in with the intention to clear up 'nothing' and that just showed how big of a something it really was. "Koushiro," I said slowly. " _What_ the hell are you _thinking_?" I smacked his arm hard and he gasped in pain. I knew it wasn't the supportive reaction he was hoping to get from his best friend, but I wasn't in the mood to give him _support_. Not after this.

"It's _nothing_ ," he said again.

"I see _something_ ," Biyomon said. "But what is it?"

I ignored her again. "How long? How _many_? _What the hell were you thinking_?" I asked again, smacking his other arm and knocking the pills from his hand. They rolled along the floor and came to a stop somewhere underneath Biyomon's bed. " _Answer_ me!"

"I don't want to," Koushiro said in a weak voice. I straightened my posture and he flinched, thinking I was going to hit him again. I wanted to, but I wouldn't.

"Koushiro," I said in a much more reserved tone. "You have to explain to me so I can at least try to understand." I wouldn't understand, of that I was sure, but that didn't matter. Unless he told me that he had secretly been concealing a case of ADHD for years and was now coming clean, I wouldn't buy the story. Not that I would believe _Koushiro_ of all people had ADHD _anyway_.

"I need to focus," he said in a small voice. "I need to think. Gaia—the great evils. Gennai! I don't understand. I need to understand and I need to help. I—Gaia!"

"This isn't the answer, Koushiro," I told him gently, patting his shoulder.

"You followed that?" Biyomon asked, confused as she dug under her bed to find the discarded pills.

Of course I had followed it. I had experience following disjointed sentences from Biyomon, and I knew Koushiro pretty well. "This isn't the answer," I said again. "We can help. _I_ can help. I don't know why you think _you_ have to take care of everything alone. Is it because of the crest of knowledge? I've activated it too! I can help. Iori has used the Digimental—he fits your standard. We can _all_ help you."

"I don't need help," Koushiro shook his head. "I need you to understand."

"I don't," I told him honestly. There was silence as he leaned back into the wall, defeated. He realized that I wouldn't be able to understand, but if he could just know that I would be able to help him with whatever drove him to take them in the first place, as well as finding a way to _stop_ he would feel much better about this I was sure.

Suddenly he sat bolt upright and looked me in the eye. "You can't tell Mimi."

"You can't ask me to keep a big secret like this," I said flatly, not even considering the idea. "I _would_ give you the opportunity to tell her yourself, because I respect you."

"You _would_?" Koushiro asked. "Why won't you now?"

My face turned slightly red and I looked back over the bed. "Biyomon's already telling her."

Koushiro's face turned to that of panic very quickly and he jumped to his feet as Biyomon's voice floated from my workshop—the home of the nearest phone. "Mimi, what are amphetamines? Sora and Koushiro won't tell me. He's crying about them and he ate them. Are they bad? Is he sick? It looks like— _HEY!_ Koushiro give that back!"

 _ **Kurayami Higorashi:**_

"Just because Norn is gone doesn't mean you should stop trying," Daisuke said with a shrug as he leaned back into Hikari's bed. Hikari, Takeru, Labramon and I were sitting in the open space between her bed and her dresser. Gatomon found comfort in laying near the pillows on Hikari's bed, while Patamon and Veemon had joined Armadillomon, Goblimon and Natsuni in the kitchen where they were preparing snacks for us. Natsuni was a perfect host.

"What good would it do to keep trying?" I defended as Hikari looked toward Daisuke, feeling hurt. "It wasn't working. We didn't stop because Norn left, we stopped because we weren't accomplishing _anything_." Norn had just been here, trying to utilize her abilities to find Gaia, but found herself unable to do anything more than Hikari or I could.

" _Since you're the queen of the universe, shouldn't it be pretty easy for you to find someone?" Veemon questioned, his boredom was not hidden well as he gently knocked his head against the wall behind him again and again._

 _Norn turned to him with frustration written all over her face. "Everyone seems to think I have the power to do everything! I don't! Remember that, okay? I was just trapped in a different world for four months. Not only do I not have the powers you seem to think I do, but I also have a lot of catching up to do!"_

" _Eesh," Veemon defended, throwing his hands up nervously as protection from her wrath. "What kinds of things do you even do then?"_

 _Norn clapped her hands against her thighs and positioned herself so she was looking toward Veemon more than anyone else. "I try to purify spirits in the Dark Ocean for one," she told him, and I noticed her eyes flick toward me. "I ensure that Yume has the continued power to overcome Akumu and keep the dreams flowing at a steady pace. I watch over_ everyone _using the pools in the In Between—"_

" _Like watching TV?" Patamon asked with wide, interested eyes._

 _Norn didn't seem to appreciate his comparison so she folded her arms and decided to ignore them all. She closed her eyes and took Hikari's hand again, trying to use the broken connection between Gaia and the two of us. Norn was just as unsuccessful as we had been, and I would never have said it aloud, but I didn't even care. I hadn't been up late the previous night thinking that we would find Gaia, I had been up with anticipation of seeing Norn again. I was no stranger to losing people, but I had never experienced them coming_ back _. It was something new entirely, and finding a way to cope with unexpected life was somehow harder to me than letting go of someone._

" _Okay," Norn said flatly, dropping Hikari's hand. "This isn't working."_

She hadn't been wrong, but now we were still trying even though neither of us truly believed that we might make any progress. It seemed the only person who was thinking positively at all was—not surprisingly—Takeru. He was leaning primarily on his left arm with his legs folded out to the side as he watched with furrowed brows, looking between Hikari and I and waiting for one of us to find a connection that did not exist.

"What if you hold hands," Labramon suggested, receiving an affectionate pat on the head from Takeru who nodded along with the idea. Hikari gave me a quizzical look and I shrugged deciding to play along. We moved closer to one another and took each other's hands. "Now close your eyes," Labramon suggested. I cocked my head and he shrunk under the look but I still did as he had said. With my eyes closed it was easier to focus, but it didn't mean we would make any true progress. "Picture Gaia in your minds," Labramon said in a soft voice. I tried to do as he said but my mind would not calm itself. I pictured her beautiful skin and her long shimmering hair, but I could not form her face. I could not make heads or tails of the memories I had of her. But I saw the magic pollen she had used to show me my past. I could see her magic, but not her. "Focus on her," Labramon said in a voice that was calmer than I felt was necessary, and it reminded me far too much of the time when Hikari and Gatmon had hypnotized me to learn of my past. My heartbeat picked up instantly. "Remember what it felt like to have her draw you close. Remember the way she called to you."

With a flash of light I saw Fanglongmon's beady eyes open wide in the forefront of my mind and my eyes shot open immediately as I dropped Hikari's hands. I turned to Labramon and shrugged my shoulders. "Doesn't seem to be working."

"It's really not," Hikari said when Takeru looked like he might want to object.

"But it has to work eventually," Daisuke was sitting up again and he had stirred Gatomon as well who had come to sit in his lap. "She wanted you two dead. If she finds out that you're _not_ dead, she'll try to make it happen. I'm not okay with that."

"Neither am I," Takeru said in a low voice. "Let's try again."

Hikari and I exchanged tired glances and thankfully Gatomon seemed to notice. "What if we talk about a different way to catch her?" Hikari brightened up at the suggestion and we all turned to Gatomon waiting for her to save us from more pointless thoughts of Gaia that were leading us nowhere in particular. When Gatomon realized we had placed all of the pressure on her she seemed startled and sat up straight, thinking. "Well," she said, stalling for time as Hikari and I urged her along.

"This does seem like the best option, obviously," Labramon said, interrupting Gatomon's thoughts.

"No," she insisted, as Hikari subtly motioned for Gatomon to deepen her recommendation with an actual example. Then her eyes lit up and she said loudly, "The keys!" There was a small silence following her words but she didn't seem to be put out by that. "Gaia wants the keys. We keep them safe as can be, but somehow make it known that they are _not_ and she will come to them, and _voila_! We'll have her where we want her! Just like trapping a cat in a bag!"

"That's not how you use that idiom," Takeru said before anyone else had bothered to speak up. "In fact I don't even think it _is_ an idiom anymore. You broke it."

"That's brilliant!" Hikari said brightly, holding out her hands to thank Gatomon for her saving words with a hug. Gatomon leapt from Daisuke's lap and landed in Hikari's arms.

"It really isn't," Takeru insisted. "By that logic she just implied that we're going to make a secret out of trapping Gaia."

"We should tell Taichi our plan," Daisuke noted. "He'll know what to do."

"It's just that when you say 'let the cat out of the bag' it means to let the secret out," Takeru said, stroking his chin in thought.

There was a knock on the door and we all turned to see Natsuni holding a massive tray that was held heaps of food. "Maybe you could wait," she offered as she stepped into the room, followed by Veemon—who was holding a smaller tray of food—and Patamon who was fluttering in behind her carrying a bag of mixed nuts. "We could try to relax—just for one night." Natsuni assured Daisuke when he looked at her like she was insane. "Everyone has been worked up for far too long, and I'm worried that you are all going to pass out from overexertion."

"What would you have us do in this night of relaxation?" I asked, hopeful that Daisuke would agree to her offer. I didn't know about him but I for one needed this. I was constantly on edge about Sora's murder trial because she wouldn't let me come clean. This was also my first night away from Haruki in a long time, and while he was possibly the least attention seeking child of all time, he was also a baby and _did_ take a lot of focus. Having a full night of freedom and fun might be exactly what we all needed.

Natsuni shrugged as she reached down to grab a grape. She twirled it between her thumb and forefinger and then let out a soft "Oh!" and popped the grape into her mouth before pulling herself to her feet and running out to the hallway again.

"And we wouldn't be making a secret out of Gaia, so it just doesn't make sense," Takeru continued as if his point was actually much more important than it was. Hikari gently placed a hand on his arm and squeezed softly to show her support. He smiled to her and let Gatomon's grammatical error go.

When we heard a loud crash and Natsuni shriek we all stiffened up, ready to come to her rescue but with a laugh she shouted out, "I'm so good!" her laughter faded and she said in a much less convincing voice, "I'm good."

Hikari was off to help her a moment later, accompanied by Armadillomon's accusatory cries. "You're disrupting my baby!"

Daisuke looked questioningly to Veemon who held a finger up as he swallowed a handful of unsalted crackers with a dry look on his face. "Egg," Veemon managed to say before grabbing a glass of water to pour down his throat. When he came back up for air he explained further. "Armadillomon is incubating a broken egg. He's hoping it'll be alive one day." That seemed like a dangerous experiment to me. I didn't want to see Armadillomon's spirits fall.

"I think it will be," Patamon said with an overly optimistic voice. "At least I hope it will."

"That's the spirit," Takeru said with a bright smile.

There was a second crash, but this time it was further from Hikari's room and it came equipped with a voice to explain itself. "Natsuni, I'm home and I brought company!" It was Iori, though I hadn't a clue what company he had thought to bring along.

There was a moment of silence as Takeru clambered to his feet to go greet Iori, but Natsuni had replied as he made it out the doorway. "It's okay I have company too!"

"I see that," Iori said over Takeru's joyous greeting. There was only a moment of emptiness before Takeru was dragging Iori into Hikari's bedroom. "Why are we—oh hey everyone," Iori said as he nearly tripped onto Hikari's bed. "What's going on?"

"Natsuni wants a night of fun and relaxation," Daisuke explained in his mock-Natsuni voice as he waved a finger toward Iori. "So you can't bail. She's your girlfriend. You have to play along too."

"Playing?" I was surprised to hear Miyako's voice and when I looked back to the doorway I saw that she was not alone. Ken was standing by her side with Hawkmon in his arms and Wormmon was scuttling through the doorway to keep up. I felt Labramon shift to move into the corner to make more room for everyone and I knew he had the right idea. I followed him and leaned against the wall, pulling Veemon toward me to hold in my arms. He struggled for a moment but surrendered and leaned back, using me as a seat. "What are we playing?"

"I don't think we're actually _playing_ ," Daisuke said as Miyako joined him on the bed, dropping her heavy looking bag to the floor by Hikari's nightstand. "I just mean that Natsuni came up with the idea, so it might be eating healthy food, listening to whale songs and giving each other massages." Veemon shook with laughter in my arms and I caught the bug as well.

Ken snorted but Iori's face turned red and he pushed his shoulder gently. "Natsuni wouldn't do that," he objected, but he didn't sound all too convincing.

Patamon, who had sat as close as he could to Gatomon, said, "She has a hundred different candles that are scented as different oceans in a cupboard with books like 'How To: Yoga' and 'The Art of Finding Inner Peace'. It sounds to me like she would do _exactly_ that."

"Would it be so bad though?" Gatomon asked, rolling her shoulders back. "I could use a good massage."

"Couldn't we all?" Takeru joked, moving to sit with Gatomon to give her the massage she had subtly requested. She purred at his touch.

A moment later Natsuni had popped back into the room with Hikari, walking backwards, carrying a large ornate wooden box. Hawkmon let out a surprised shout when Wormmon was nearly trampled and he pulled the green digimon into his feathery arms for protection as Natsuni and Hikari heaved one last time and dropped the box to the ground. Natsuni tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to us with a sheepish smile. "I just couldn't decide!" When she received no replies except for a series of curious and confused expressions she added, "They're games."

Hawkmon dropped Wormmon immediately and rushed over to the box to peek over the edge to look inside to pick the first game to play. His eyes lit up with excitement and he pulled out a sleek black box, "How about 'Take Over the Country With Hotels and Houses?'" He suggested eagerly. Miyako groaned, but Daisuke pushed her aside, toppling her back into the bed with excitement.

"Set it up!" he said with a fierce voice. Hawkmon literally jumped for joy and rushed over to Patamon to get help to set it up. Ken took Wormmon into his arms and followed Hikari to the other side of the room where they sat, leaving room for Natsuni, Iori, and Goblimon who was dragging Armadillomon behind him as he went. Daisuke crawled off the bed to join Hawkmon, while Veemon made his way over to the box of games to take a look for himself.

"There are too many of us to play this game," Hawkmon said as he read off of the instruction booklet. "It says two to eight players. There are sixteen of us."

"Well someone play this with me," Veemon said, holing a large colourful box above his head that, in big block writing, said 'Follow a Direct Path and Make Simple Decisions That Ultimately Lead to Retirement and a Car Full of Unemployed Children'. Natsuni seemed eager to join him in that game, and Ken took Wormmon to play as well. Hikari, Labramon and Goblimon moved to join Daisuke in his game, while Gatomon snuck away, looking in disgust to the game itself. I understood. It sometimes took _days_ to finish that game, it just wasn't any fun. Miyako seemed to be in the same boat and she pulled out a deck of cards from the box and looked to me, asking if I wanted to play with no words. I nodded and she grinned, leaping toward the bed and bouncing more than she had expected to in Hikari's array of white and pink pillows.

Takeru and Iori joined me, sitting around the bed, with Armadillomon, Gatomon and Miyako taking a seat on the bed itself and then the cards were dealt out.

It was weird to be in a room with so much laughter. I hadn't expected to be in such a mood when I had woken up that morning. Daisuke and I had discussed Gaia long and hard, and had a serious talk about keeping secrets from one another. We ended on a good note, but it still set the day off to a rocky start, but even through that, and worrying about Sora, and worrying about Norn and what Gaia was up to, I was having fun _now_.

Miyako roared loudly when Armadillomon took yet _another_ of her cards in his journey to dominate and win the game. He was ginning and laughing along with the rest of us now, forgetting about the egg just for a while, and with a single look to the bright smile on Natsuni's face it was clear that she knew what she had been up to. Even if we all looked like children playing games in our friends room like we were having a slumber party, it didn't matter. Because that release from the problems of our lives was _exactly_ what we needed.

"If you ask me for my card I'll draw a picture of a Numamon on your shell," Miyako warned as it came back to Armadillomon's turn.

He smiled maliciously and looked over to Takeru thoughtfully. "Miyako, you have any three's?" Miyako's face turned bright red as she looked down to her cards and all at once her tense expression turned to that of joyous relief.

"NOPE!" she shouted, "HA! Go fish, you bully!"

"That's a three though," Gatomon said, pointing to Miyako's hand. "The card with the bent corner is a three." Miyako looked confused but separated her cards and found that one had been hiding. Her face reddened again, this time in embarrassment and she handed the card over to Armadillomon before freezing and holding the card tightly when he tried to take it from her.

"Cheater!" she exclaimed, "You've rigged the cards!"

"I live here, what did you expect?" Armadillomon asked, taking the card from her once and for all and matching up his final pair. "I'm the winner!" Miyako screwed her face up but eventually just laughed and dived toward Armadillomon, taking him into her arms to tickle him. He roared with laughter.

The others started laughing along, but I heard something behind me that caught my attention and turned to see Ken clap Wormmon on the back. It came as a surprise to Wormmon to see that he had in fact _won_ the game. He was so shocked in fact that he urged Ken to recount the money, but Ken didn't bother. Natsuni congratulated him and hugged him, but Veemon looked rather sour about the whole ordeal.

And in the final game, though it was still ongoing, it seemed that Daisuke and Hawkmon—who had decided to team up—were in the lead. As time went on, since we couldn't play with a faulty deck of cards, we began to watch the final game, and the room's hyperactive energy slowed itself. The intensity in Daisuke's eyes as he begged the universe to allow him to win was both adorable and hilarious. At one point he outwardly prayed to Norn for the correct roll of his dice, but he didn't get it, so it seemed she wasn't on his side. Hikari and Goblimon were the first pair to fall from the game after Goblimon irrationally spent all of his money on upgrading their most expensive property, and that left Patamon and Labramon who were both still in the game due to sheer luck since neither understood the rules.

Several times Patamon had sent a gust of air toward Daisuke when he took his money, claiming that the game was about 'teamwork' and not 'thievery' but in the end it seemed that their luck had run out, because their money had run nearly dry.

"What time is it?" Takeru asked finally, stretching his arms up and leaning back into Hikari's bed with a yawn.

"Late," Iori replied, though he didn't seem to be paying much attention. He was having a silent conversation with his eyes, and when I followed his gaze I found Natsuni at the other end. She nodded and he shrugged, but when she caught sight of me watching the two of them her cheeks flushed pink, but Iori shook his head ever so slightly and Natsuni looked sad suddenly. I wasn't one to pry, but that didn't stop me from being curious. Iori and Natsuni were a particularly secretive pair, and they'd been that way since before they even started their relationship. Back in high school when Iori was helping me study and get back up to my grade level, he and Natsuni had more inside jokes than they had _outside_ jokes. If that was even a real thing. Hikari and I were always left to wonder what they had gotten themselves into time after time, but never really tried to pull the information from them. Then when they started their secretive relationship it became even clearer to me that there was more than just _something_ between the two of them. Just like now, but I wouldn't ask. I would wait, not matter how badly I wanted to know.

"Maybe we should think about getting home," Ken suggested, but Miyako shook her head and flopped over the side of the bed to grab her heavy looking bag. She dragged it up into her lap and flung it open. She pulled out a box, but the top was facing her. It looked to me like it was another game, and Ken seemingly thought the same. "Is there time for another game, Miyako?"

"It's not so much a game," she said defensively as she set the box down and ripped the top off before anyone could see what it said. Inside was a folded black board, and it was beginning to look more and more like a game.

"Then what is it?" Takeru asked, looking all too excited now after having been tired a moment before. Miyako looked up to him nervously, but matched his eager expression and then pulled the board out and laying it flat on the bed. "Oh you've _got_ to be kidding me."

"I'm out," Veemon declared, recognizing the board.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Hikari offered shyly.

"Where did you even _get_ that?" Ken gasped.

Miyako turned to Ken and shrugged, "When you went out for coffee, I took a walk to the store and bought it."

"But _why_?" Natsuni asked with a horrified expression. "That was a terrible idea, Miyako."

"You're all babies," Miyako snapped, folding her arms in a sort of pout. On one hand, I agreed with her, and on the other hand was right on board with everyone else thinking she had flipped her lid. We were all crowded around now, staring down to the thin cardboard that Ouija board that was decorated with gothic gears and swirls.

Hawkmon cleared his throat and looked over to Hikari's balcony door. "I must say, that does look intriguing, Wormmon, would you care to join me?" Wormmon nodded fervently and the two rushed out of the crowd, but I noticed that they did not open the door, instead choosing to cower in the corner.

"Like I said," Miyako rolled her eyes, "babies."

"I don't think that's it," Labramon inputted in his quiet voice. "It might be more true that we are simply _frightened_ of the concept of your game."

"It's not a game," Miyako added again, "but I guess if you're _scared_ , we won't have to use it." She turned her sights toward Daisuke and looked to him intensely. "Right? You're scared?"

Daisuke's head shook slowly at first, but the speed picked up quickly and he pushed Gatomon aside to lay the top half of his body onto the bed where he reached into the box to grab the device that would make the board useful. Miyako grinned devilishly and joined him, holding the device. "Who's with me?" Daisuke asked. Hikari and Takeru stepped back with their partners instinctively moving toward Ken and Goblimon who were already pressed against the wall. Natsuni pulled Armadillomon into her arms and let Veemon and Labramon cower behind her. Iori looked up to me and we shrugged as one, reaching out to join in the game.

"What's this about though," Ken asked, worried.

"It's about having one last chance to be _me_ , Ken," Miyako said, though it seemed more than likely she was simply using whatever excuse she could find. "Mai comes home _tomorrow_ , and I want to take this last adventure before that happens." Ken didn't look convinced, but he let her have her fun.

"This is silly," Takeru said, shrugging off the tension that had built up in the room. "It's just a toy, right?" Miyako nodded with a smile on her face, so Takeru moved forward, but Patamon didn't seem as brave as he did and he fluttered toward Hikari to avoid coming nearer to our circle. "Ask the spirits if my grandmother takes as many naps now she's dead as she did when she was alive." Hikari looked to him like he was insane, but my attention was pulled downward where the device in my hand was already moving across the board.

I felt like a fool when I noticed my mouth had been hanging open slightly as I watched it slide toward the word 'yes', but when I saw the grin on Daisuke's face I knew it had been he that had moved the small looking glass. Takeru grinned at the outcome and the tension seemed to crack a little, allowing the others to lighten up a little.

"Where is Gaia?" Veemon suggested, hopping forward, and pulling himself onto the bed next to Daisuke. "Maybe they can tell us that?" The looking glass did not move, and Veemon pouted. "Ask why we don't live with Patamon anymore."

Daisuke turned to Veemon and released the device with one hand to pat his head. "Because we're poor, Bud. We don't need a spirit to tell us that."

There was silence as Miyako stared down to her hands, begging to ask a question, but not having built up the nerve to do so. I took the silence as my own chance. "Has my mother interacted with Zeta in the Land of Light?" The device reacted instantly and slid toward the word 'yes'. This time Daisuke was shocked into focus, so I knew it hadn't been he that had slid it this time. We moved our hands back to the center of the board. "What about Yukai?" Once more our hands were sliding down to the word 'yes'.

"Why is the sky blue?" Patamon shot out his suggestion.

"No, ask where that last gumball went to!" Veemon fired off another question.

"Why does Daisuke snore so loudly?" Labramon asked.

"Who is haunting my baby?"

We all froze and the tension built back up in the room as all eyes turned to Miyako who was looking down to the board with wide eyes as if she was afraid to miss the answer. I hesitated, but pulled my hands away nervously. Daisuke had already lost his balance and slipped off of the bed. Iori took one last look to Miyako and then followed our lead, removing his hands. "Miyako," Ken said softly, braving the walk over to the bed to comfort his wife. "I told you, you need more sleep."

"I don't," Miyako said fiercely, slapping Ken's hand off of her shoulder. She rounded on him and stood on her knees to close the gap between their eye levels. Veemon pressed his side closer to me for protection and I wrapped my arm around him, never removing my eyes from Miyako and Ken who were locked in a staring contest of sorts. "I know what I saw. I just want to know _more_ of what I saw."

"This can't tell you," Ken argued. "It's just a game."

"Then it shouldn't matter if we test it out, right?" Miyako countered without missing a beat. It was then that I felt a chill run down my spine, but the intensity in Ken and Miyako's eyes did not falter, even when Gatomon let out a surprised yowl.

"It's dangerous that you're allowing yourself to think this way," Ken said flatly. "I can't allow you to torture yourself like this." Then Labramon snarled, barring his teeth, and when I turned to comfort him I saw that he looked more scared than upset. Takeru had moved to stand behind him and was staring down at the board.

I looked up to him and saw that his eyes were wide. "It's moving."

Another, very different, chill shot down my back, this time spreading through my whole body as we all looked back to the board spread out on Hikari's bed spread. He wasn't wrong. The small plastic device was sliding ever so gently across the board, and Miyako, with wide fearful eyes, was leaning down to read what it was spelling. When it stopped she looked up to us all and swallowed thickly. "Me," she read out.

The moment the word had escaped her lips the lights went out. It had only been for a moment but it was enough to stir the atmosphere. The board on the bed flipped through the air, flying toward Hikari who screamed and held tighter to Gatomon and Patamon, rushing toward the door to her room with Hawkmon and Wormmon closer at her heels.

Miyako's eyes were staring toward the board with more horror than before but when a high pitched squealing sound filled the room she, and everyone else I was sure, looked toward Hikari's cabinet where five thin lines were appearing, as if someone were sliding their fingernails down the wood. Miyako's face paled and Ken didn't waste a second more time, lifting her with ease into his arms and jumping on the bed to escape the room.

I was still staring in a daze of fear and confusion when Labramon tugged on my sleeve with his teeth, capturing my attention. Daisuke's arm was around me a moment later and I was being pulled to my feet, following Natsuni and Iori out of the bedroom.

"My egg!" Armadillomon cried out, but Takeru was quick to lift up the digimon and allow him to guide him to where he was incubating the egg, even if it didn't have _much_ chance of surviving, Takeru wasn't going to leave it behind. There was no telling what would happen to it if we did. No telling because I didn't understand. I _couldn't_ understand. My mind was on Haruki, and on Mai and on Emiko. I was _scared_ for the children, scared like Miyako was.

Soon enough we had all made it out of the apartment, and Goblimon slammed the door behind Takeru, who was holding both Armadillomon and the pale coloured egg.

"I'm not ever going back in there," Hikari said with wide eyes.

"Sleep at our house," Ken said, tossing Hikari a set of keys. "I'm going to Mai."

"Me too," Miyako said, her face still pale and horror stricken. "Iori—come?"

"Of course," he said, taking her hand and hurrying down the hallway, leaving Ken to ensure that Hikari had the keys and new the password for the burglar alarm. She nodded and hurried him along, but we wasted no time in getting a move on. Hawkmon wanted to check on Poromon, and I wanted to see Haruki.

Whatever Miyako had just spoken to was malicious and terrifying, and it was not my first experience with a dark entity. I hoped it would be my last though.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Kari is forced to get over the scare she and her friends encountered while Koushiro decided to run from his problems and finds a way to create bigger, and more serious issues than he had before.


	27. A Shadow From the Past

**Y/N:** Koushiro acts without logic, and follows his gut instincts, though he's impaired by his drug addiction. Some interesting things happen as a result. It was a really hard chapter to write, because Koushiro at this point is so far from being himself that I was almost forced to write as someone else.

 **U/N:** So Kari's part was also supposed to be funny, just like Kura's but since it's them recovering from what happened in the last chapter, it also is not particularly funny, even if we intended for it to be. I hope you like it though!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 27: A Shadow From the Past**

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

I wanted to ask if anyone else found what we were doing to be wrong, but knew that it would only upset Natsuni and I didn't think that would be fair to her. With a quick look over my shoulder to where she stood on her toes, using one of Miyako's kitchen chairs to help her reach higher and I knew that one mention of what had happened in my bedroom would unravel her. On one hand I felt the same, knowing that talking about the incident would only make it more real and even more frightening than it already was, but I also felt like if I didn't talk about it _soon_ that I would burst at the seams.

Instead we had picked up where Miyako had left off in decorating her house for Halloween. It was late decorations, but she thought we deserved to take our minds off of what happened, and for once I actually agreed. Miyako _was_ incredibly apologetic for bringing out the Ouija board, but in my own opinion it was not her fault and I was _glad_ she had used it if it at all brought us closer to helping Mai.

That was where Miyako was at that moment in fact. She had abandoned Natsuni, the digimon and I and took Ken to the hospital. It was officially time to bring her baby home, and I couldn't be more excited and honoured to be here for her first moments at home. I secretly hoped that they would bring her home with at least somewhat of a costume on, it was her first Halloween after all. This was still a couple weeks before her initial due date, but as she had gained enough weight, she was able to come home. It was so scary when she had come early, but overall it was almost worth it because they got to spend more time with her in the end.

Natsuni hopped off of her chair and looked up to the artificial spiders and shrugged, thinking they looked good enough. Usually Natsuni's desire to have everything be perfect shone when she was stressed so I was surprised to see that she was entirely nonchalant about the whole ordeal. She pushed the chair away with her foot and allowed Armadillomon to make use of it, dragging it toward Goblimon who needed it to help him reach above the kitchen doorway.

Hawkmon and Gatomon were working together at a fast pace, seemingly rushing through their task of carving pumpkins, and the little baby Poromon was eating some of the pumpkin seeds raw. I was busy hanging pretty bottles with lights inside that would add to the overall feel of the decorations whenever the lights went out, but wouldn't be too scary and remind Miyako or anyone else of the ordeal from before. But if there were a prize for decorating, it would have gone to Wormmon who was shooting his Sticky Net and Silk Thread attacks at anything he could find and when he was finished he covered them in flour to reduce the stickiness and add an aged sort of look.

Now, while Halloween was not one of my favourite holidays, I did enjoy decorating in general and Miyako was right. It _was_ a good way to keep our minds off of the haunting. The haunting? Was that really what I was going to refer to it as? Had it _really_ been one, or had we all been so caught up in the moment that we overlooked the truth? Whatever it was, it had been scary and that fear hadn't stopped or ever really gone away. Even now I found myself nervously checking over my shoulder for anything out of the ordinary, and the house we were staying in wasn't helping. I hadn't any idea what Ken or Miyako were thinking when they had chosen this place to make their home, but it was _horrifying_. I knew a great deal of that opinion came from what had happened last night, but that didn't stop the wooden floors and the old arching doorways from being the perfect setting for a horror movie. Not that our Halloween decorations were helping any.

"Careful," Hawkmon advised, gently pushing Poromon aside. "You mustn't come too close to the knife. Proper etiquette in terms of sharp objects requires everyone to step away. We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Poromon giggled. "Etiquette!"

"Yes, it's a word that means you do as I instruct," Hawkmon assured Poromon who didn't seem to believe him and began fluttering around the pumpkin Hawkmon was carving. Gatomon did not seem at all pleased to be working with the Poromon, finding his high voice to be annoying, and I would feel bad for her but it was good for her to get used to babies because I was most certainly going to have babies one day.

Natsuni pressed her back against the wall and slid to a sitting position and took a seven second break before taking a deep breath and pulling herself back to her feet. "I'll make some dinner," she decided, looking rather defeated. "It's getting late. I don't know what time Mai will be here, but I think we should prepare something for Ken and Miyako to eat."

"I'll help," I offered, setting the bottle I was holding onto a nearby table. Natsuni smiled, but it didn't look particularly convincing, and then we were off to the kitchen. I had never done any research on what foods you could eat while breast feeding, not that I even knew whether or not Miyako _was_ , but to be safe Natsuni followed the strictest set of rules. I was impressed by how much knowledge she had on what foods were permitted during pregnancy and the likes, but didn't ask any questions, instead choosing to follow every order she spouted during the preparation for dinner.

After a while of cooking, and Natsuni peeking out the kitchen window repetitively, she finally found what she was looking for with a big relieved sigh. She dropped her wooden spoon into the pot she was cooking in and hurried toward the front door. I followed, knowing that it must have been Iori's return that had made her so pleased.

When I stepped out the door Natsuni had left open I found that I was right. There was a large box shaped truck sitting backward in the driveway with Michael clambering out of the driver's seat. Iori was hugging Natsuni and assuring her that everything had gone as planned, while Yamato opened the garage door.

I hurried back into the house to round up the digimon for help and turned Natsuni's cooking down before making my way into the garage where we formed a line for Yamato to pass along the items in the back of the truck.

"You had a _lot_ of stuff for such a small apartment," Michael noted as he, along with Goblimon and Iori, heaved my giant mattress off of the truck. It was true, and I felt bad for making them go to collect our things, but even though I had been to Hell and back a dozen times, been chased by torturous enemies and witnessed countless deaths, I still found myself frightened of ghosts. "Why are you moving out anyway?"

"Oh," Armadillomon said with a small laugh. "Our apartment is haunted like you wouldn't _believe_."

Michael's face paled. "You're joking right?" he asked.

"I wish," Iori said as he and Goblimon carried my cabinet to the far end of the garage. I couldn't help but notice the scratch marks down the side, and a shiver ran down my spine. "Miyako used a Ouija board—"

"Don't finish that sentence," Michael pleaded.

"You said that you didn't know anything about that Ouija board!" Yamato added in a loud voice.

Iori seemingly hadn't heard either of them. "And before we knew it, we were being attacked by a demon," Iori finished.

Natsuni slapped his arm lightly. "Don't be mean," she turned to Michael and shook her head, "We don't know that it was a demon. It could have been any number of different types of ghosts."

"But it's still haunted?" Michael asked, worried. Natsuni nodded. "Why didn't you tell me before?" Michael shouted in horror. "I was just _inside_ that house!"

"Iori was supposed to tell you," Natsuni apologized, "but apparently didn't."

"He wouldn't have come if I had," Iori defended. "I didn't want to carry everything alone."

Michael nearly dropped the lamp he was holding, but caught it just in time before handing it off to Hawkmon, and rounded on Iori. "So you didn't lie, but you didn't tell the truth?" Iori shrugged, not making eye contact with Michael. "Well aren't you shaping up to be the perfect little lawyer?" Michael seemed annoyed for a moment, but it quickly turned to amusement and he laughed. "Well, I didn't die. S'all good."

I was glad to hear that he wasn't upset, because in actuality it was as much my fault as it was Iori's for not telling him. I had requested to _never_ return to the apartment, and Natsuni had joined my cause, but we also could have easily been the ones to inform Michael of the bizarre activity inside the building. I was happy we had our stuff—and happier that we would never have to return to that place again, but worried about what it meant for me in terms of living situations. With Iori and Natsuni's recent marriage, surely their next location would be one where they would live alone. They didn't need me to drag them down.

"Are you all going to live here then?" Yamato asked, looking around the cool garage with pity written all over his face. "It doesn't seem all to welcoming."

"I'm thinking of moving into a _house_ ," Natsuni said, much to Iori's surprise. "I've been talking with my dad, and there's this beautiful home right near Mr Hida's old Kendo Studio. I was thinking that would be the perfect place to start our life together." It was as if they had read my mind and felt the need to validate my fears. But I didn't even mind. I was just so happy for them, even if that meant I was meeting the short end of the stick. I couldn't wait around forever and without a job I wasn't even paying my share of the rent. It was only fair. Iori seemed to be just as shocked as I was and he dropped the box of books he was carrying, turning to Natsuni.

"Are you serious?" he asked, a blank expression on his face. Natsuni tried to keep a serious face, but her smile was too strong and she broke out in a grin, nodding her head. "Oh my god," Iori breathed, moving to pull her into his arms. "I love you." He kissed her, but Armadillomon's blatant sounds of disgust separated them quickly.

"What did you mean by _starting_ your life together?" Yamato asked, nearly tripping on his way down the ramp at the back of the truck. Natsuni and Iori completely ignored his question but he didn't seem to mind. "Speaking of starting new things," Yamato said, handing his box off to Goblimon. "You were talking about Willis, weren't you?" He turned to Michael whose face turned a darker shade of pink as he nodded.

He rubbed the back of his head and turned away from us all, reaching down to help Goblimon lift one of Natsuni's bookshelves. "He was just thinking of starting a business. He doesn't have a job anymore, and he wants a fresh start."

"And not in America," Yamato summarized, and while I didn't know how he made the leap, Michael nodded his head in confirmation. Gatomon handed me a small box full of unused Christmas ornaments and I set it on the wall of boxes we were creating. "That sucks," Yamato comforted Michael in a typical boyish manor. "He'll be here though; you're here so often it won't matter."

"What if he chooses Australia or something?" Michael asked dramatically. "I know it's irrational, but I don't want him to go anywhere."

"He's not going to abandon you," I promised, catching Michael off guard. "Willis values family above almost anything. I'm surprised to hear that he's moving from America, since he vowed to _never_ do exactly that when we were together, but that doesn't mean he's changed his mind on what is important to him."

Michael's sadness turned into sly amusement and he rounded on me. "Jealous that someone else could change the cold and distant Willis?"

"Not at all," I told him with the most serious voice I could must just so there were no cracks in my words that could be misinterpreted as anything aside from platonic friendship. "And he's not all that cold and distant."

"Nah, you're right," Michael shrugged his shoulders, and then lazily turned back around to climb back onto the truck. I left then, to return to the kitchen where Natsuni seemed to have forgotten about her cooking and allowed the others to work away at the heavy lifting. I wasn't much help anyway. Not only was I not a strong person, but ever since my light had been taken, I felt empty and _weak_. I was sure it would pass, but that didn't stop me from feeling a sense of longing for what I once had.

Moments after I had turned the oven off, and pulled out Natsuni's casserole, the front door had opened and I did not need an introduction to know who it was. The sense of pure joy that filled the house was enough for me. I hurried out of the kitchen and peeked around the corner where Ken was holding Wormmon up to see inside the plastic carrier in Miyako's hand. Hawkmon was just tall enough to see, and Poromon was seated on his head. Their whole family was together, and I didn't want to interrupt their moment.

Miyako had different plans however, and caught sight of me, demanding that I come give her baby the attention she deserved. It had been over a week since I had seen Mai, and she looked better than ever now. She was so _big_! Actually she looked very small—but so big compared to when I had seen her before. Her cheeks were bright red from the cold air, but she was bundled up in multi-coloured knit sweater and hat combination. She had her little eyes closed and she was breathing softly, but the pure energy that she possessed captivated me. I never wanted to look away. Her innocence was intoxicating. And then Miyako wanted to see her again and she hurried off toward the stairs to bring Mai up to see her bedroom. Even though the infant was asleep, I knew Miyako just couldn't resist.

"How do you feel?" I asked Ken as he let his eyes follow Miyako up the stairs.

His eyes were filled with tears and I felt my own tears copying him. "It's so weird, but so... _good_." He laughed but with little humour. "I just love her, so much. She's so small—and it was so nice that the doctors kept her healthy, but it feels so much better to have her _here_."

"I wouldn't understand," I admitted. "But she's beautiful, Ken."

"She is," he shamelessly agreed.

"Being a father is a lot of work," Hawkmon said in a very serious tone. "Perhaps I could walk you through what I have learned as of today." Ken couldn't stop the smile from spreading on his face and he nodded.

"Sure, that sounds great," Ken consented, and then Hawkmon was walking off to show Ken his list of rules for Poromon, and the only one I heard was 'Never let them fly too high until they know what they're doing'.

When Natsuni, Iori, Armadillomon, Goblimon and Gatomon entered the house from the garage door, I noticed that the light outside had all but diminished. It was officially Halloween night, and by the sound of the rumbling of the truck outside, Michael and Yamato had taken their leave. When I offered Iori some dinner he politely refused because he still had to talk to their landlord. He said he could have done it later, but would have preferred get it out of the way, and so Ken agreed to drive him to give Miyako her time with Mai before he took his own turn.

"You're almost as good at cooking as Natsuni," Armadillomon said, slurping up the food on his plate.

"It was actually Natsuni who made it," I refused the compliment. "Mostly anyway." Natsuni looked to me like I shouldn't sell myself short, but all I'd done was follow her instructions. She then shrugged her shoulders and saw that Gatomon was having trouble reaching the table and quickly moved to get her something to sit on. "Oh no," I said in a quiet voice as Gatomon thanked Natsuni.

"What's wrong, Hikari?" Goblimon asked me from his seat directly across from me.

"This is one of our last dinner's together," I realized and Natsuni's mouth hung open for a moment. "I mean, as roommates. We won't live together anymore. I'm going to miss this."

"Are you sick?" Goblimon asked worried. "Why will you not live with us?"

"Oh my _god_ , Hikari is sick again?" Armadillomon asked in a panic, nearly dumping his plate off of the table before catching the balance and looking sharply toward me. "You're dying, aren't you?"

I shook my head. "No, it's just time to grow up. It's time to get back out there, get a job and live on my own—with Gatomon of course."

"Naturally," Gatomon said, winking in my direction.

"You're leaving us too?" Armadillomon asked, aghast. "This won't do!"

"You want to move back into that sketchy apartment then?" Gatomon asked.

Armadillomon hung his head sadly. "No, it wouldn't be safe for my egg."

"Exactly," Gatomon said. "So this is our last dinner together."

"And Iori isn't even here," I said, realizing I had whined the words too late. Natsuni reached over and patted my arm. "We're still friends though," I said, knowing what she was getting at. "We'll always be around, but that doesn't mean it won't be sad to leave you all."

"Are you going to be okay though?" Natsuni asked, and I simply nodded my head. It was a lie perhaps, because I did not know what career path I would be taking or how I would pay for an apartment of my own with no employment, and no light, but I wasn't about to worry Natsuni with my problems. Dinner was over far too soon, and Goblimon agreed to clean up, which was helpful because Miyako called for Natsuni and I to come help her up in the nursery.

I had yet to set foot inside the baby's room, as I had no business there but I was not surprised by the intensity of what I saw. It looked exactly as I would have expected Miyako to decorate a baby's bedroom. The crib was next to the far window with a pale purple sheet of thin fabric hanging around the top like a canopy for a princess. The walls were a beautiful lilac colour, and there was a fuzzy white rug on the hardwood floor. Several picture frames surrounded the room, and each one contained beautiful pictures of butterflies and hearts.

"What do you need help with?" Natsuni asked, walking toward the crib where she flicked the musical spinning contraption above the crib, but found that the baby was not in the crib at all. We found Miyako at the other end of the room, staring down at her baby on the changing table. "Oh _really_?"

"I—I've read about it, but I just don't—I can't get it right!" Miyako seemed to be on the verge of panicking so I took one for the team and dove right in, showing Miyako the steps to change a baby's diaper and get it to stay on properly. "Thank you," Miyako said, heaving a sigh of relief as she hugged me from behind. She lifted Mai up and set her gently in my arms before I knew what was happening. A baby was a magical thing, and holding her and all of her purity sent me back to the beginning of the year when Haruki had been so small. His innocence had not faded, only his fragile state, and Mai had not yet grown from that, inducing a total fear of her breaking. "Oh!" Miyako said, clapping her hands together, "I just remembered Mimi's presents! Mai will love them. Hold on, I'll be right back."

"Wait—no!" Miyako was already out the door, ignoring my calls. As I looked down to the beautiful wide eyes of the baby in my hands I knew I didn't want to hold her anymore. I wasn't bad with children, but Mai had already been through _so_ much. She was a fighter, and I knew she would grow up to be very strong one day, but she was not there yet. I did not want to be the cause of the end of her fight. I moved as carefully as I could toward Mai's crib and set her down gently on the pale green bed coverings.

Natsuni stood next to me and peered down to the baby with a gentle smile. "She's so pretty," Natsuni said, her voice choked off from emotion. When I looked up to her I saw tears in her eyes and she diverted her attention from Mai, seeming to realize something. She shook her head and fled the room without another word.

I never liked when people pried into my problems, and I knew Natsuni would come to me when the time was right, and so I let her go, instead choosing to look down to Mai who had immediately fallen asleep. It was simply too precious that she found herself to be so exhausted, but it was all the proof I needed that she had fought so hard to get to where she was now.

Even as the total silence encompassed me, I could not tear my eyes away from her until I heard Miyako coming behind me with loud footsteps. "She's so cute," I said, turning with a grin on my face to an empty room. My smile fell instantly as confusion and caution set in instead. "Miyako?" I asked, braving the silence, but I was met with no answer. The room seemed to grow even more still and quiet in the wake of my call. I moved to the doorway to look into the hallway, expecting to find Natsuni, or perhaps Goblimon, but the hallway was just as empty as the room.

But the footsteps had sounded so close.

Then I heard a low hum from behind me in the form of a song.

The realization set in a split second before I heard the heart shattering scream from behind me, and somehow it didn't matter how scared I was, I was not going to abandon the baby. As I turned back to the room I saw what I had been afraid of. Standing tall over the crib was a blurred dark shape of a man, his hand outstretched, reaching into the crib to stroke the crying baby.

"NO!" I screamed as loud as I could, rushing forward without thinking. I wrapped my hands around the arm of the shadow and gasped as, without hesitation, a freezing sensation rushed up my forearm as traces of the shadows darkness slipped up my sleeve. I screamed in horror, releasing the creature, but it was then that he snapped his head toward me.

I gasped as I felt the back of his hand smack the side of my face, and I found myself crashing into the shelves by the crib. Pain rushed through my shoulder, but I did not want to stop. I had to keep saving the baby. Then Mai's saving grace burst through the door with a fierce look on her face.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her!" Miyako shrieked, tears in her eyes. She grabbed the tiny chair that sat by the door and wound it up before swinging it hard toward the looming figure in the center of the room. The chair exploded into tiny shards of wood and I cowered pathetically, protecting myself with my hands.

The shadow extended his long arm and with his disgusting fingers he wrapped his hand around Miyako's throat, pinning her to the wall opposite the door. She screamed, but her voice faded to a gasp when her back slammed against the wall.

I didn't care what dangers awaited from coming in contact with the darkness. I wanted to help Miyako, and that was exactly what I was going to do. I staggered to my feet and leapt toward the creature who stopped me with ease, kicking my feet out from under me.

"I know who—" Miyako gasped for air as she swatted and kicked at the creature. "I know who you are!" she managed. "You—you can't touch her! I won't let you—Sigma."

A loud _wham_ filled the room, followed by a satisfying vibration sound as Natsuni's frying pan smacked directly into the side of the shadow's head. He released Miyako and slumped to the ground, sinking through the floorboards.

Still gasping for breath, tears rushing down her face, Miyako rushed over to Mai, pulling her into her arms as Natsuni helped me to my feet. I saw that the cavalry had indeed arrived in Gatomon, Hawkmon, Wormmon, Armadillomon, Poromon and Goblimon, but it had been too late. He was gone now. And judging by the hysterics of Miyako's tears she did not know what to do any better than I did.

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

I felt like an outlaw. I was on the run. I couldn't go home again. I could bear the very thought of it. I couldn't believe that Biyomon would betray me in that way. Had I not been a good friend to her over the years? If not _good_ , then wasn't I at least decent? How could she do this to me? She'd ruined the careful balance that I had crafted over the last few months.

Mimi was meant to never know.

She would worry needlessly, and after Sora's violent reaction, I realized that perhaps I'd misjudged the situation. I wasn't simply protecting Mimi from the knowledge that I was relying heavily on amphetamines to keep myself moving throughout the day. I was protecting myself from her reaction. Subconsciously I must've always known that what I was doing was wrong. I wouldn't have been so afraid to tell anyone if it was okay. But I had been, and I'd convinced myself that I had a strong enough mind to never actually become dependent. And once I _was_ dependent, I convinced myself that it was only the matter of a simple decision to quit. My mind was strong.

And I was smart enough to keep up with what I was doing.

So why did Sora think I was an idiot? Why couldn't she see that I had it mostly under control? Why couldn't Biyomon keep _something_ to herself for once? I wished she didn't have this compulsive need to share everything she discovered with anything that moved. If she could keep a freaking secret, more people would be willing to talk to her.

I flinched at the harshness in my thoughts. There were plenty of people that talked to Biyomon. She had a sunny disposition and generally brightened anyone's mood.

But she was ruining my life.

No.

She _had_ ruined it.

I could no longer go home. I didn't know if I'd be welcome there if I _did_ go back. No. It was better to stay away forever. I would avoid Mimi, and then she could never tell me how much she hates me now. If she couldn't find me, she couldn't break up with me. I could continue the illusion that we were still an item, that she still loved me.

Worried as I was, I couldn't help but think that I was still right. I was still okay. I could quit any time I wanted to. I just _didn't_ want to yet. I needed to use them until this situation was dealt with. I had too much on my plate—not that I could work on it anymore. I had no software to run DNA tests with. I didn't have access to Gennai's work in the Temple library. I didn't have Tentomon to discuss theories with. I was alone, in the Digital World.

But I knew where I could go that Mimi would never think of: Gennai's house.

She wouldn't ever look there. Most days she forgot Gennai was the person we'd talked with, the man that had brought us into all of this, and given us our partners and Crests. It was as if Gennai and Hiraga had melded into one person in her mind. She cared deeply for the man she had invented, but that man was neither Gennai _nor_ Hiraga, not really.

Thankfully, she would have her hands full playing host to a teenager, and wouldn't be out looking for me any time soon. She was very excited to have Hiraga's grandson staying in our house—her house, I guess, since I'd probably been kicked out of it. I hoped she at least let Tentomon continue living there. He would be on her side. It was the safer option. He wouldn't be able to watch his nature documentaries if he went on the run with me.

They hadn't formed an angry mob yet to hunt me down, but it would only be a matter of time before they realized I'd made a run for it. Sora would tell them. If she didn't, then Biyomon sure would.

" _HEY! Koushiro give that back!" Biyomon called as I took the phone out of her wing. I threw it towards the table it usually stayed on and headed down the hall towards the stairs. I heard Sora's hurried footsteps as she chased after me. Biyomon was still confused. She was repeating the same question in as many variations as she possibly could: "What's going on, Sora?"_

 _Sora didn't have time to answer her, because she'd caught up to me. She grabbed my wrist with one hand, and used the other to latch on to the railing. I'd pulled hard enough to nearly knock her off balance. I wasn't thinking about her safety though. I was thinking about mine. I needed out of there. I couldn't stay there. Mimi would show up any second now. She would be worried, and then, she would be furious. I couldn't stay there and be a sitting duck. I needed to escape while I still could._

 _And Sora wasn't letting me._

" _Koushiro," Sora said, pleading with me. "Let us help you. Please. Let_ me _help you."_

" _I don't need help," I growled, clawing her fingers off of my wrist one at a time. Her grip was tight, and she tightened her hold with each finger I pried off. She didn't want me escaping. But she wasn't going to win this fight. I got free of her once I'd managed to get her thumb away, and she nearly dived down the stairs in her attempt to catch me again._

 _But I was already moving. I was at the bottom of the stairs before she even caught her balance. Biyomon was fluttering behind her, still asking "What's going on?" repeatedly. Sora didn't have an answer that would satisfy her. She was too busy trying one last ditch effort to stop me._

" _Iori!" she called. "Horitsu! Stop Koushiro. Don't let him get away!"_

 _There was a startled shout in the kitchen as the two men tried to figure out what she was talking about. I didn't waste any time. I raced to the front door and threw it open. By the time Iori came to see what was happening, I was on the stoop. Sora ran after, scrambling to reach the door before I was gone._

" _Koushiro!" she cried. "I can help!"_

" _I don't need help!" I repeated. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'M FINE!"_

 _I ran down the stoop's steps and onto the sidewalk. I heard Iori calling Sora's name and glanced back to see him trying to keep her inside the house. She couldn't leave, or she'd break the conditions of her bail. I was free from her, and Iori was too busy to stop me too. I was free._

She looked so disappointed in me as I fled down the street. But it was _her_ fault. She was the one accusing _me_. She was the one that didn't believe in me. She thought I was in trouble. I wasn't. I didn't need help.

I could still hear her calling my name as I left her in the dust. It was a haunting echo that replayed in my mind on a continual loop. Yes, I had developed a bit of a problem, but she was blowing it out of proportions. Takeru was too. They were putting pressure on me that I didn't need. I had enough pressure without them breathing down my neck. I had to find Gaia, discover what her plan was, figure out how she intended to use Kurayami's darkness and Hikari's light, and find out her weaknesses so we could stop her before she took the keys from us and continued on her quest for complete domination of the worlds.

And that was without taking everything else into account.

Taichi also had me scheduled to rid the Digital World of the last of the virus, and I had to continue to lead the research team, and I had to be on the council, and Mimi still needed me to do her financial reports, and I had my own projects that I wanted to work on too—including an extensive study for which I needed to gain a thorough understanding of genetics and satisfying my intrigue with Theta's land of white.

That was without taking Digidestined meetings, friends, family and Mimi into account. I had literally _no_ time to do anything. What did they expect out of me? I wasn't a machine. I wasn't a robot that could produce answers on a moment's notice. I needed time, and that was something that wasn't available to me. I had to figure it out on my own, and I did. I found a way to give myself the time I needed in order to save the worlds. Was it a _good_ method? No. No it was not, and I was well aware of it. But it worked, and that was all that mattered. Once time became available to me once more, I would be able to stop using the pills to keep me awake. Until then, they were all I had.

I would _not_ disappoint Taichi. He was depending on me to give him the results he was looking for. He trusted me, _always_ me, and he had since he was eleven years old. He'd had me at his side since the very first trip we'd made to the Digital World, and I wasn't about to let him down now, not after so many years. I couldn't. I'd built a reputation for myself, and I would not allow for failure.

Glancing over my shoulder, I checked to see if anyone was following me. No one was. They either still weren't looking for me, or were looking in the wrong place. It didn't matter anymore. I could see the lake where Gennai's house was. I hid in the cover of the trees, scanning the skies just to make sure that Tentomon wasn't there. He was the most likely to figure out where I was headed. He understood me in a way no one else did. Usually, it was a blessing to have someone that understood me no matter how confusingly I stated something. Now, it was a curse. Tentomon would be able to lead them all to me. I simply hoped I meant enough to him that he would keep the others away.

When I was certain that no one was patrolling the skies, I raced towards the lake, running straight into the water, hoping to find the stairs without needing to go to a swim. Luckily my guess was correct, and I didn't get wet at all, and simply ran down the stair case. It probably wasn't luck. It was probably an educated guess. Yeah, I knew where it was, so I'd been able to find it without issue. I'd actually managed to convince myself of that logic, and continued running down the stairs, looking backwards, still paranoid that someone was on my tail.

There was never anyone there when I checked, but I couldn't help myself.

I ran over Gennai's lawn, which was surprisingly well kept, considering how long he'd been gone. I didn't stop running until I'd thrown the door open and closed it behind me. Instantly, I began looking around for something to barricade the door. I found a bench that I lugged over, and an empty garbage can. There was a filing cabinet, and a wooden chair. I was trying to figure out where to hang a coat I'd found when a voice came from behind me.

"That belongs to me, actually."

I screamed and held my hand against my chest, trying to keep my heart inside. My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it as if someone was banging on a drum next to me. I was frozen as well, unable to convince my fingers to let go of the coat, and afraid to find out exactly who it was that was behind me. But I couldn't stand still forever. It was only after I convinced myself that the voice didn't belong to anyone I actually knew that I was able to look at the man who had spoken.

He wasn't anyone I'd ever seen before. He wore a black turtleneck which would've stood in stark contrast with the bulky orange coat I was holding. His hair was a mess of curls, and he had a pair of small round glasses—with no arms—perched on his nose.

"Who're you?" I asked quickly, still focussing most of my attention on calming myself down. I fiddled with the bottle of pills in my pocket. I'd been sure to collect those in my escape. I wouldn't be able to handle this exile without them.

"I am Bitoru," he said. "And you?"

"Koushiro Izumi," I said just as fast as before. "I'm the Digidestined of Knowledge, that's what I'm doing in Gennai's house. Why are you here?"

"I'm here to visit Spring," Bitoru said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. I quirked my head in confusion, before realizing that there was in fact another person in the room. She was standing beside me, leaning forward so that her nose was practically touching my cheek. I yelped and backed away, dropping my pill bottle. I fell to the floor after it, and looked at Spring. What the hell was she thinking, invading my personal space like that? It was rude, is what it was.

"I'm here because I live here," Spring said with a shrug. She tossed her head to the side causing her long coiled curls to fly through the air. "It's my house now. Did you know Gennai? I knew Gennai. Maybe we can tell each other stories about him. That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Not really, no," I answered honestly.

"Then you have no reason to stay," Spring said happily. "I'll help you remove the barricade, and you can be on your way. Then it will just be me and Bitoru again."

"Isn't Bitoru the name of one of our enemies?" I asked, very confused.

"Maybe there are two," Bitoru suggested, sounding hopeful.

"Don't be silly," Spring told him. "There's only one of you."

"You are consorting with the enemy?" I asked her.

"He's not _my_ enemy," Spring said, flashing a smile at him. He blushed and looked to his feet. I groaned. They were star crossed lovers. This was not going to end well for them—not if they continued to be on opposite sides of the upcoming war.

"There's something here," I said, deciding to just pretend they weren't desperate for time alone, away from all the fighting and hatred. I was on a mission. I didn't care if they wanted time alone. They could get it once I'd found what I wanted. "There was writing on the wall," I told them. "It said that the lost pieces of the broken man are in the place the partner called home. I didn't understand it before. Yggdrasil didn't _have_ a partner…or so I thought. But then Tadao Akiyama said that Hiraga created the Digital World, and that he'd had a _partner_. There's only one partner that _I_ know of that could help him create an entire world. Hiraga didn't keep his partner though. No. He made clones of himself, and he passed that partnership on to Gennai. Now, according to my logic—which is actually rarely ever wrong—the pieces of the broken man are here, in Gennai's home."

"That's either insane or brilliant," Bitoru complimented. "I'm a fan of both."

"He was Sidhendor's resident mad scientist," Spring gushed. I was mildly impressed, mostly though, due to the fact that he could follow along with my words at all. He hadn't been to Theta…had he? I looked at Spring suspiciously, and she looked back contorting her face into several weird positions, as though she thought this was a game. After her fourth face I gave up. She probably hadn't brought him there anyway. It wasn't like it was hard to get the key. He could have brought himself.

" _Where are you going?" Andromon asked me._

" _Oh, I'm just stretching my legs. I've been working too hard I think," I said in a forced casual tone. Andromon thought for a moment and then nodded. I walked slowly down the hall, feeling his eyes on me the entire way. Once I reached the door to the stairs, I looked back at him, and saw that he wasn't there at all. I looked for a second set of eyes, because I could still_ feel _them, but there were none to be seen. I sighed, realizing that I was becoming paranoid, and ran down to grab the key._

There was still no lock on the door. It really wasn't a very good place to store the items that keep the worlds as separate entities. Gaia probably wanted everything in that room, and at this point, all she'd have to do was come up with a half baked excuse and stroll right down to get them. The fact that I had both the keys to Theta and the Digital World in my pocket proved that method effective.

"Where do you suppose the lost pieces are kept?" Spring asked.

"I'm not sure," Bitoru murmured. "It could be a scavenger hunt? Whoever finds them gets to give them back?"

"I'm going to give them back," I said. "It was my idea!"

"Do you want help or not?" Spring asked. I nodded. She looked at me. "Then there you go."

I sighed, realizing there was just no way to win with them. I couldn't best them with logic. They didn't seem to function using it. They were abstract thinkers—very abstract sometimes. But the game had begun. We looked in books, and under the couch cushions, and in the garden. We searched the whole house, top to bottom, every nook and cranny, and we didn't find any pieces of a broken man. I sighed, but Bitoru was eyeing one of the bricks in the chimney. He didn't seem to like the look of it. He poked it with his finger, pressing as hard as he could. The brick moved when his finger touched it. It was a secret button. Of _course_ it was. That was just the kind of place Gennai would hide something. The wall behind a painting opened up, revealing a jar, filled with swirling data.

"That doesn't look like pieces of a man," Spring commented. She was right. But maybe, the man was made of data. There were several of them. Each and every one was a clone of Hiraga Akiyama. It would make perfect sense if the pieces of the lost man were stored in his own house.

"It's Gennai," I said, confidently. "I'm going to go get Gennai back!" I took the swirling jar of data from Spring's hands and held it against my chest with one hand while I pulled out the simple, white key to Theta. This was going to be easy. All I had to do was go back to the room with the hole, and pour the swirling data out of the jar, down into it, where it could meld with the monster that guarded the broken man, and allow the man to become whole again.

"I'm coming with you," Spring informed me, leaving no room for argument. Bitoru agreed, holding onto Spring's hand tightly, refusing to let go. He'd be coming too. I didn't even care. I was so excited about being able to bring Gennai back. It was amazing. No one stayed dead anymore.

Well, humans did—with the exception of Sora—but no one else seemed to.

I opened the gate, and we walked through together. There was a bit of confusion, when we all decided we would lead the way. I won the battle, since I actually knew what the room looked like, and they probably didn't. They agreed, however reluctantly.

It didn't take me too long—only an hour and a quarter—to stumble upon the room. I'd succeeded way faster at finding my goal than Patamon had, and I was proud of myself for it, since Patamon had never actually found what he was looking for.

I realized _then_ that Patamon had made me promise not to go to Theta alone. But it was okay, because I wasn't alone. I was one hundred percent sure he didn't mean for me to go with Spring and _the enemy_ , but that didn't really matter. I wasn't alone, and that was all I'd promised him. I felt pretty good about keeping that promise too.

"What do we do now that we're here?" Spring asked. She fluttered her wings and was looking down the hole in the centre of the room. Bitoru had wandered over to the wall where he was staring at the writing with a perplexed expression. He was confused by the digital language. I felt smug that I could read it without a second thought. I practically knew it better than Japanese these days.

"We call the monster," I said quickly before preparing myself to call the beast. "OROCHIMON! We come bearing what you seek!"

"How ominous," Spring said with a giggle. The giggle faded after a moment, when nothing was heard. I scowled. The guard hadn't been overcome by stage fright when it was just Patamon and I. I was worried that I'd made a miscalculation somewhere, and then a growl came out from the deep, and shook the entire floor. Spring squeaked and Bitoru rushed to her side, staring down the hole with a manic excitement that was rather frightening to behold.

I uncapped the jar, and waited, trying to hold myself steady. Slowly, something appeared in the never ending tunnel, and gradually, that speck became a solid shape that I could identify. The closer it got, this strange sort of rattling noise started overpowering the growl. As it grew in size, I was able to see that it was a long, black scaled serpent, with a furry breast, and six metal necks that led to metal snake heads. The rattling was coming from its tail, and its teeth were bared.

My hands shook, and Spring pulled me away from the edge, and pulled Bitoru back too. She stood between us and the coming beast, hands at the ready, prepared to use her magic to protect us if necessary. But I knew it wouldn't be. Orochimon came to collect what we'd brought. Orochimon needed the lost pieces of the broken man, and I was here to deliver—and to hide from Mimi, who would _never_ be able to find me in a separate world, but mostly for Orochimon.

Orochimon slithered out of the hole, and towered over us. I tried to walk forward, to give it the data, but Bitoru held me back. I thought perhaps that the giant serpent was going to attack me or something, but that wasn't it. He beckoned me to hand him the jar.

"No way," I hissed.

"I found it," Bitoru reminded me with a smirk. I scowled and handed it over. Bitoru took the jar and tossed the contents towards the serpent. The data swirled through the air and surrounded the monster. The serpent started glowing, softly at first, and then blindingly bright. I covered my eyes, and heard Spring scream.

I expected to hear the growling of the serpent continue, but it didn't. There was nothing but silence. Eventually, I my curiosity became too much, and I needed to see what had happened. Had I successfully brought Gennai back?

The light had faded, when I peeked through my fingers. I felt confident enough now that my eyes wouldn't burn, and removed my hands altogether. I saw two men when I opened my eyes. One was lying on the ground. He was a lifeless form, and I worried that there was literally no life in him. He looked like he'd once been strong, and had a sort of ethereal look about him. Spring gasped, and I looked towards the other man, assuming that to be who had surprised Spring. He was looking right at me, and I smiled. I'd done it!

It was Gennai.

And he didn't look happy.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Mimi and Michael are both confused and shocked at their resurrected friend, but as a team they must decide what to do next.


	28. Jerk-nai

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 28: Jerk-nai**

 _ **Mimi Tachikawa:**_

I stormed through the gate into the Digital World. There were a bunch of digimon hanging out in the hallway, blocking my path, and if I'd been in a better mood, I would've stopped to chat, and hang out—just generally be friendly. But I didn't have time for that. The digimon all raced to get out of my way when they caught sight of the fire in my eyes. It made it easier to get to the Council room, in any case.

The door slammed against the wall when I opened it. I was too upset to be gentle about it.

"Koushiro, you have some explaining to do!" I growled as I glared at his…empty chair. I looked to all the shocked faces, hoping to find Koushiro among them. Neo was looking rather blasé about my dramatic entrance, but the others weren't so good at keeping their surprise hidden. Babamon was holding her chest, as though I'd given her a heart attack, and Tinkermon had flown behind Andromon's head. Andromon and Ogremon both had their mouths open, literally having dropped open. MetallifeKuwagamon had taken Tinkermon's initiative, and was half hidden behind the table by the time he realized I was a Digidestined, and not a member of EVOLVE. Agumon was on his feet, ready to attack me, because he too thought I was an enemy. Taichi was holding his digivice tightly, halfway through telling Agumon to digivolve. Leomon and Centarumon too, were on their feet, ready to protect the gathered Council. Gabumon and Benjamin were less rash, and more cautious about being startled. Shinkomon looked genuinely fearful.

"Where is he?" I demanded, walking over to Taichi, passing all of my digimon friends without a second glance.

"Mimi, we're in the middle of a meeting," he said, sighing now that he knew there was no danger. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I wouldn't have to be here if Koushiro would've just _told_ me what was wrong," I snapped. "Instead, I had to learn about it from Biyomon."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but he's not here," he said. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again. "He _never_ is."

"Yeah, because he's losing track of time, and he's not sleeping," I told him, feeling a rant coming on. I gave in to that desire, because I was feeling far too overwhelmed with everything, and I didn't know how else to deal with it. I needed to tell someone. I needed to talk, and Koushiro wasn't here to listen. But Taichi _would_ , because he cared about him too. "I can't remember the last time he actually went to bed at night, and I don't even know if he's eating like he's supposed to. I can't know that, because he's always too busy to talk. You've got him pulled in so many different directions and he doesn't want to disappoint you, so he's working on everything at once, and that wouldn't be so bad, if everything didn't need to be done _right now_."

"Everything's happening at once," Taichi said defensively. "It's not like I wrote out a schedule."

"No," I said, feeling my voice breaking. "You couldn't help it. He's always done it before without trouble. But he's in trouble Taichi. He's in so much trouble. He's…the doctor, when we got back, with Summer, you said…. I didn't think anything of it. I didn't even remember until Biyomon said… Taichi… _amphetamines._ "

"What about them?" he asked sharply. I could tell that he remembered the instance too

"He'd addicted," I whispered. "I think. He's not himself anymore Taichi. Something's wrong." I knew that I was acting too rashly in the situation because I didn't even _know_ the details of the situation but I was still worried and scared. There were worse things to get addicted to as well but that didn't mean _anything_ to me!

"No way," Taichi denied quickly. It was a reflex reaction. "Koushiro's too smart for that. He wouldn't do something so ridiculous. He doesn't even need help to figure things out. He's always done it before. Why would this time be any different?"

"If I may?" Neo asked. I looked to him, pleading him with my eyes to explain it to me, because I didn't understand. I _couldn't_. "I don't think it was simply the workload that led to his attraction to amphetamines. Hasn't he mentioned numerous times that the Land of Dreams was more conductive for his research due to the lack of sleep requirement?"

"Yeah," Taichi agreed. "He got used to staying up all hours researching just for the sake of productivity. You don't think he's trying to replicate that _here_ , do you?"

"I think that's precisely what's going on," Neo said. He kept his carefully uninterested mask on, and it was so natural, and _normal_ that I was thankful for it. "I do not believe the amphetamines are the only addiction he's acquired."

"Did you notice it?" I whispered.

"Obviously not," Neo commented, rolling his eyes. "I might be aloof and bitter, but I would never allow Kiyoko's cousin to fall down such a dangerous path."

I breathed a sigh of relief. If _Neo_ had managed to notice, having been off duty due to his bullet wound, and barely having _seen_ Koushiro, then I would have been officially the _worst_ girlfriend ever. I was bad enough as it was. I had noticed some of the signs, and now that I had an explanation, they were easy enough to string together, but before Biyomon's phone call, I'd been unable to see what was now so obvious.

"I don't know what to do," I cried. "I'm so _mad_ at him, and I'm scared. Taichi, tell me what to do?"

"I…I don't have any answers," he said, sadly. He looked to the confused and concerned faces of the council and he shook his head. "This meeting is adjourned. I won't be able to focus anymore. We need to find him."

The sound of hurried feet filled the hall, and I whirled around, hoping against hope that it was Koushiro that was running towards us. But it wasn't. It couldn't be. There were far too many footsteps. And when they got closer, I could hear the sound of panicked breathing and fearful crying. I moved to the door, concerned. Taichi was right behind me. We gasped simultaneously when we saw Hikari moving towards us, followed by Natsuni and Miyako. Miyako was cradling her daughter against her chest, moving as carefully as she could so as not to hurt her. Natsuni was holding herself tightly around her middle. All three girls had tears streaming down their face. Hikari was the best held together, holding herself in a determined way. She walked into Taichi's arms when she got close, and he wiped her tears away, scared for his sister, and worried.

I was too.

The last time she'd been so scared, Gaia took her light from her. I was terrified that Gaia had come when we weren't ready for her. We would never be ready for her. We couldn't be. We were too busy managing the drama and randomness that had become our lives. Half the Digidestined were focused on Sora's trial, and Mari had one coming up too. Willis, Rei, Norn, Kiyoko and Lalamon returned from the _dead_ , which was crazy—and not technically even true, because they'd never _really_ been dead, but we thought they were, and that was close enough. Miyako and Ken were dealing with the premature birth of their precious, beautiful baby girl, and now I was feeling a sharp connection with her. I knew Sora felt similarly to Haruki. I hadn't believed her when she'd first mentioned it, but now that Mai was here, I could _feel_ it. It was insane. She was like me, but I couldn't fathom _how_ that was possible. She was an infant. She still hadn't managed to reach her intended birth date yet. Miyako's due date was still a couple weeks away.

I was still renovating my restaurant. Daisuke was still trying to build his business up to what it used to be. Taichi was still not reinstated as the digimon ambassador. Jou, Koushiro, Neo, Kiyoko, Tatum, Mr Takenouchi and Shuu were all working without a paycheck. Hikari and Hideto were unemployed, Takeru was back at a coffee shop he didn't enjoy, and I still had to find the culprit that destroyed Lalamon's garden.

There wasn't _time_ to deal with Gaia on top of all of that. There wasn't _time_ for Koushiro to have developed an addiction. He needed help, but he had too much work to do, and not very many people could actually take the tasks from him. He was the best suited to the jobs, that's why they were given to him.

I knew that I was going to fire him as my financial planner though. I didn't need to be adding anything extra to his overflowing workload. If I'd had any inkling that he'd shouldered _too much_ , I wouldn't have asked him to help me in the first place. He wasn't the only smart Digidestined—or, I could even just hire an _actual_ accountant to deal with that stuff.

But I couldn't dole out his other projects without him actually _being_ here, and now there was some sort of encounter that needed our attention that had left three women in tears with a wailing baby.

"What happened?" I demanded, since Taichi was too busy wiping Hikari's face to do it.

"The shadow….and then…hurting Miyako…wanted the baby….I don't know," Natsuni said, trying to string her thoughts together. I looked passed her to the digimon. Their eyes were dry, so I knew they were either handling it better, or as confused as I was. Goblimon solemnly shook his head when I caught his eye. He had an egg in his hand, and Armadillomon was fussing over it. Hawkmon was looking very worried, and couldn't keep his eyes from flicking between the Poromon in his wings, and his panicking partner.

I reacted to his worry accordingly, by moving towards Miyako and slowly moving my hands forward. I touched Mai's back and Miyako let out a startled refusal, before realizing it was me, and handing her daughter to me with shaking hands.

Once Mai was safely out of her grasp, Miyako and Natsuni clung to each other. They were bursting from their fear and panic, crying harder now. Gatomon pressed her paw against Natsuni's leg, offering comfort. Wormmon nuzzled against Miyako's leg at the same time, while Patamon fluttered around their heads, unsure what to do, and eyeing Hikari. She was in good hands with Taichi. Agumon and Gabumon stumbled into the hall, wanting to see if they could help in any way. The rest of the Council was unsure of whether they _ought_ to do anything. Neo in particular looked like he wished he hadn't gone in to work that day.

I was feeling more peaceful than I had since Biyomon's dreadful phone call. Mai was nestled in my arms, and she was looking up at me. She was breathtakingly beautiful, even with no hair. I could only imagine what a pretty girl she was going to grow into. She was still crying a little, but she wasn't wailing anymore. I rocked her gently, trying to calm her. She wiggled her arm, and her cries faded into whimpers.

She was so precious.

But this first true meeting between her and I was marred by the fear her mother was experiencing, and the fact that I still hadn't found Koushiro. I didn't know where else to look though. This world was incredibly vast, as was Earth. If he went to any of the other worlds, I wouldn't be able to get to him.

I hoped he wasn't running from me. I didn't want him to feel like he needed to hide. I was furious, but my anger wasn't only focussed on _him_. Most of it was, because he was smarter than that. But I hadn't noticed. I should have noticed. I was mad at myself too.

"Hush, baby," I cooed, trying to keep my mind focussed on this little girl. I couldn't waste time, but was it really wasting time, to take care of a helpless baby?

I wished Sora was here. I wished she _could_ be here. Sora would be able to track Koushiro down, no sweat. The pair of them understood how each other thought. It wouldn't take long for her, if she wasn't trapped in her house. I wanted Jou too. He'd know what to do. He'd be able to help me help Koushiro. Jou was a doctor. He'd be able to help me fix this.

My anger was nearly overshadowed by my sadness and my fear. I could feel them bubbling up inside me, desperate to escape in the form of tears. But I had to be strong. I had to hold on to my anger. I couldn't break down while everyone else was already crying. Someone needed to keep dry eyes.

"Miyako!" Ken shouted, running through a newly opened gate. He had his phone in one hand, and his digivice in the other. He stuffed both in his pockets and ran for his wife. The gate flashed again, and Takeru ran through. Patamon flew at him, and he hugged his partner, scanning the hall with worried eyes, trying to locate his girlfriend. He relaxed a little when he saw that she was with Taichi. Once more the gate activated, and Iori came through, looking harried. His tie was crooked and his suit was disheveled. He was freaking out. He too held his phone in his hand.

Natsuni and Miyako broke apart when Iori reached them. Ken wrapped himself around his wife, and Iori held his arms open for Natsuni. She clung to him just as desperately as she'd clung to Miyako.

"I came as soon as I could," Iori said. "I got Hikari's message…but I don't understand what it meant."

"It was just gibberish, Hikari," Takeru admitted sheepishly, waving his own phone in the air. "I got the part that said _temple_ , but otherwise there were no real words."

"I was in a hurry," Hikari said, holding tighter to her brother. "He was after us. Natsuni got rid of it with a frying pan, but he could come back. We needed to leave before he did. I don't want him to come back."

"Who?" I asked, when none of them chose to elaborate.

"S-Sigma!" Miyako said in a strangled voice.

"He's dead," Taichi said, shaking his head, as if to dismiss her claim.

"We thought so too," Iori said. "But I believe Miyako. If she says it was him, then it was. You weren't there the other night. You didn't see what we saw."

"What happened?" I wanted to know.

But before any of them could explain, the gate flashed brightly once again, and Koushiro walked through it. I glared at him, putting all thoughts about Sigma on hold. He was holding some guy's feet, and when the guy's body came through, there was some other guy holding the rest of them. Spring came through after the rest, along with who I was guessing was Jose or Ilya.

"Koushiro!" I growled. He tensed up and looked at me, but his eyes wouldn't focus. He was searching for an exit. He dropped the guy's feet and started fumbling in his pocket for a key. He wanted to leave. But Jose—or Ilya—reached out at took the key from his trembling hands.

"Koushiro," he scolded. Koushiro looked suitably chastised, and kicked the ground with his foot. I understood that he was feeling trapped, but he didn't need to run away from me. I was seriously upset with him, yes, but it was because I loved him and I cared about what happened to him.

"What're _you_ doing here?" Taichi asked coldly, narrowing his eyes at the conscious guy. He looked to Spring for help and she touched his nose with one finger, laughing before she stood between him and Taichi.

"Koushiro, talk to me," I ordered, not being too bothered with figuring out why Taichi didn't like the other guy. With our luck he was probably an enemy. But if he _was_ an enemy, he might've been switching sides. I was all for that. That wouldn't have bothered me one bit. I was just too interested in Koushiro to worry about it.

"Hogan, move," Taichi ordered Jose or Ilya. We really needed to be able to tell them apart.

"I am not Hogan," whoever he was said solemnly.

"Jose then, or Ilya, or Benjamin," Taichi said, losing his patience. I knew for a fact that Benjamin was hanging out in the doorway to the Council room, watching as everything unfolded before his eyes. But I knew that guy's voice too. It wasn't the same as Jose, or Ilya, or Hogan, or even Benjamin. It was a voice from long ago.

My mouth went dry and my heart started pounding. I juggled Mai so that she was secure while I reached out and tugged Taichi back. I walked towards him, and looked at him closely. "Gennai?" I asked, completely shocked. "You're alive?"

"No," he said. "I am not alive." I barely knew what he was saying, because my mind was spinning so quickly. I heard a few gasps behind me but he continued speaking. "My core was bound to Sigma. Yggdrasil asked me to keep him contained when I was killed, because Sigma's power is nonexistent without a host body. Without his _own_ body, he could never achieve full power. I was left to hide that body, so that Sigma could never find it."

"Nonexistent?" Miyako asked, her voice quivering. It seemed she was the only one that was able to speak for now.

"I don't think they're nonexistent," Natsuni agreed.

There was a silence that followed Natsuni's words and I stared up to Gennai again. "Gennai?" I asked stupidly. He nodded, almost annoyed, but his confirmation didn't seem like enough somehow.

"Wait," Takeru murmured. "That's not the important part. That body, that's Sigma's then. Isn't it?"

"Yes," Gennai confirmed, looking to the unresponsive body that the potential enemy was still holding. He was wearing something similar to what Hideto and Michael wore daily in Sidhendor, which made sense, considering that was where Sigma was born, raised and killed. He had black leather boots that reached up to just below his knee. He had deep burgundy pants mostly hidden by the boots and the length of his tunic—which looked so reminiscent of Yggdrasil that I felt shivers just looking at it. His skin was nearly translucent, and a subtle purple hue covered him. His hair was shaggy, and had a gentle wave to it. If it weren't for the dark blue veins crawling up the side of his neck and face, he might've looked pleasant.

But looks were often deceiving.

Gaia had looked nice too.

"You have made a giant mistake, coming back to the Digital World after I expressly told you not to. Once it was separated, and Fanglongmon was defeated, you should have left them locked apart," Gennai told us. "Now, evil runs rampant, you haven't stopped it. You can't. The only way to achieve peace is separation. And now you've brought Sigma's body from its dormancy. His spirit still roams. You have doomed us all."

"Yeah…well…" I snapped, not liking this man. He wasn't the kind and gentle and wise guy that I'd built up in my head since his death. I'd made him a hero, but he wasn't. He wanted everything to go his way, like a spoiled brat. He'd left us to do this on our own. We were doing our best! Why was he being so mean to us? "No one asked you, Jerk-nai!"

 _ **Michael Washington:**_

"So," I said as casually as I could force my voice to sound. "Are you, or are you not dating Mari?"

Willis heaved an overly dramatic sigh. "I have no idea still."

"Then ask her," I said bluntly.

"I'm giving her space," Willis tried to explain.

I shook my head fervently. "No, you're not. You're not going to turn into Yamato, I won't let you. Go up to Mari and ask her if you're dating, so the record can be set straight. I just need to know these things."

"Honestly," Willis tried. "I'm just doing my best to jump back into normal life. I'm busy enough spending time with you, Jenna, Tatum, Mom, Dad, Terriermon, Lopmon, Betamon—"

"I get it," I cut him off. Our family was massive, I didn't need him to continuously list everyone. He could just say the word 'everyone' and I would more than likely understand. I just didn't want him to suffer anymore, and I knew that if he would just open up and ask Mari the one question I knew he wanted the answer to he would find happiness and peace of mind a lot faster. Obviously _now_ wasn't the time because we were on our way to the Temple which for some reason was 'crucial' and 'needed to happen now' though I didn't see how anything could be that imperative, but I dropped everything and set off on my way with Willis in tow.

It was moments like these that I understood why Willis might want to move away from New York—to be closer to everyone else of course, but that didn't stop me from being upset whenever be brought it up. And _he_ always did, it was never me like he seemed to like to throw in my face. "If you're trying to get your life back to normal, then why move to a new place?"

Terriermon groaned and Lopmon rolled her eyes but I ignored the two of them to the best of my ability, and focused on Willis who ran his tongue through his teeth as he thought of the best way to answer. "Because I have focused so long on one path that I never realized that I had other options. I've been working at the same job since I was thirteen years old, Michael. That's _twelve_ years of the _same_ job in the same house in the same city. I want change because I'm not selfish enough to assume everything should fall into place around me and my wishes anymore. Kiyoko taught me that."

"He's kind of selfish too," I pouted.

"Yeah, I guess so," Willis agreed. "But that doesn't mean we didn't go through a _lot_ in Witchenly. It was Rei who really gave me the idea though. She's so used to being out of the loop of her friends because she lives in the Digital World. I can relate, and I know you're the most talkative of all social butterflies, but I'm really not. I can't worm my way into the loop as well as you can. I'm sick of being stranded on the sidelines, pouting like a child. I'm jumping in."

Something clawed away at my upset feelings, trying to keep them active, but whenever Willis gave his explanations I couldn't stay angry with him. I loved Willis, he was my _family_ , and I didn't want to be the one to stand in his way. He _knew_ that of course, because he was really perceptive. He had always used his powers for dark deeds before, like knowing _just_ what to say to get out of doing the dishes, or to get a girl to come sit with him at a bar, but it was times like this, when he used his powers of perception to help someone understand that I truly understood his genius. He wasn't a genius because he was smart, it was because he understood other people better than almost anyone I knew. Mari being the exception.

"I'm kind of excited myself," Lopmon said from Willis' shoulder, "I love change. I'm going to get my own room, and—"

"No," Terriermon said flatly. "You're sharing with me."

"You're excited to leave me?" Betamon asked, hurt.

Lopmon realized she'd affected her friends and she looked away to the sky pretending she hadn't said a thing. It didn't work because Betamon seemed upset. I reached down to my feet and pulled him into a hug. He seemed to feel better about that, but still kept his eyes on Lopmon, thinking she hated him or something irrational. Just because she was leaving didn't mean she hated him. Willis on the other hand _obviously_ didn't like me as much as I liked him or he'd stay.

We had made it back to our house and hurried in through the door. Kudamon was curled up on the welcome mat and I almost stepped on him, but thankfully Terriermon had spotted him. We all carefully stepped over him and made our way through the house. Jenna was listening to loud music in her room, so I didn't know why we bothered keeping quiet for Kudamon, but soon we had made our way to the computer and without a word, we'd sent ourselves inside.

As always we appeared in the Temple hallway, but this time we were not alone. There were no bodies in the hallway exactly, but there were many voices coming from the meeting room and I figured that was where we were meant to be.

Willis reached for the door and pulled it open without knocking and allowed me and Betamon to slip in first. My eyes immediately fell to the chair by the door where Takeru was seated with a laptop in front of him, and Hikari leaning over his shoulder to look into the screen where Sora's face appeared. "Sora," Takeru said loudly. "Can you hear me?"

There was a long pause and then Sora had finally gotten his message and nodded, "Sure can," she said before Biyomon shoved her out of the way to look into the screen.

Patamon was resting atop Veemon's head and the two were sitting in the corner surrounded by many other digimon. Betamon made his way over after squirming in my arms until I set him down. He sat between Palmon and Gomamon who, just like Tentomon and the others, were listening to Hawkmon and Armadillomon talk about fatherhood. I saw that Wormmon was in the arms of a younger boy with brown hair that I didn't recognize, and a scary looking black dragon digimon was standing tall behind him. That had to be Trust, the boy we had been searching for to give the crest to. Ryou, I thought Ken had called him. Agumon and Gabumon were sitting at the opposite end of the table with Taichi sitting tall between them, looking toward the door to check that Willis was also here. I stepped out of the way, bumping into Warg who nearly fell into Hideto as I did so. I apologize with my eyes, but just sidestepped to make more room for Willis.

"Hey Princess," Hideto said, holding my shoulders and guiding me along. "You're in my way."

"Hey Jack," I said in a pathetic sarcastic attempt to form a comeback to Hideto. "You stole a goose."

"Yeah," Hideto agreed. "I did do that." He finished guiding me when I had passed Kiyoko, Melga, and Dracomon, and I pressed myself against the wall. I saw Willis and Mari make eye contact from where she stood at the other end of the room with Tapirmon and Lalamon. It had been the first time I had gotten to really see Lalamon, and it was really bizarre. She was floating next to Mari and both of them seemed _happy_ , which I was somehow surprised to see. I saw that Neo was sitting in his regular council chair next to Gabumon and Benjamin was by his side. Centarumon's place at the table had been emptied because he was standing next to a different Gennai clone, and a chair had been added in his absence which was filled by Jou who didn't look at all upset that he had gotten one of the two free seats, while Takeru had taken D'arcmon's usual chair. The rest of the seats had been filled by the council's usual members, Babamon, Tinkermon, MetallifeKuwagamon, Shinkoumon, Ogremon, Koushiro, Andromon and Leomon.

Yamato was with Daisuke and Ken, standing near Ryou, while Kurayami was with Gatomon and Labramon in the opposite corner to me. She looked rather unsettled and I thought it may have had to do with the crowded room, but she looked pretty safe in her corner. Miyako was with Mimi, and oddly enough Mimi was holding Mai, looking rather distracted from the world and Iori was standing nearby with his hands shoved into his pockets.

Once Willis, Terriermon and Lopmon had made their way into the room and found an empty place near Kurayami, Taichi found that it was time to start whatever this urgent meeting had been formed in reference to. It was strange, because even though Sora and Biyomon weren't _here_ , they were at least on video chat and that was the closest we had come to a full group interaction for a long time. Even Koushiro was here, which I found to be quite strange.

Taichi held his hand up like he was teaching a kindergarten class and waited until silence filled the room. When it finally had—the last to speak was Sora who could not see that Taichi had asked for silence—he cleared his throat and stood from his chair. "It feels wrong to be sitting here," he said finally, looking to Centarumon. "Why don't you sit here instead?"

I thought that was a little _weird_ because he was half horse and surely wouldn't fit into the chair, but it was not Centarumon who spoke in response, it was the Gennai clone. "I don't think that will be necessary." It hit me pretty hard how familiar that voice was, but I felt bad because I couldn't remember which agent it was. Perhaps Ilya?

"No, come on," Taichi insisted. "I took this chair from you, it's only fair that you take it from me while you're here." Those words seemed a little off. Was I missing something? The agent silently agreed and moved from Centarumon, making his way toward Taichi's empty chair. He sat down and folded his arms across the table. "Ladies and gentlemen," Taichi said in a dramatic voice, "Gennai."

My heart practically stopped, and my mouth actually _did_ drop open.

"Who?" I heard Hideto whisper to Kiyoko who waved him off like he would explain it later. There were several gasps and a couple shouts of surprise, but soon it all died down. And then finally Sora said "WOAH!" Clearly there was a delay in the connection.

"Gennai!" Biyomon shouted from the computer. "SOMEONE BRING ME IN THERE!" There was silence for a moment as Sora sent Biyomon through the computer. The bird digimon ran across the table and threw her arms around Benjamin. "Oh my god we have so much to talk about! Have you seen the new episode of—?"

"I would love to watch television with you," Benjamin said, prying Biyomon's wings off of him. "But Gennai is sitting over there." Benjamin gestured to Gennai and an embarrassed Biyomon rushed over to hug him.

"How many more people are we going to bring back from the dead?" I asked, unaware of my brain making such a decision. Hideto elbowed me sharply and leaned closer.

"That's insensitive," he whispered, but I mostly ignored him. It was much odder to me to see that not only was Gennai back, but also Lalamon, Rei, Willis and Kiyoko. Either the universe was making up for kicking us in the teeth so many times, or something weird was going on, and if I was being honest, I didn't believe the former could ever be true.

"I would like to say something," Iori said loudly, stepping away from the wall, Gennai looked up to him and Iori's face turned pinkish. "Thank you for saving my life."

"That is not necessary," Gennai said, holding a hand up to refuse Iori's words. "I should not be here and neither should any of you."

"We all have things we want to say," Taichi interrupted Gennai shamelessly. "But instead we should talk about what Koushiro has done."

"Yes, why _don't_ we talk about what Koushiro has done?" Mimi questioned in a daring voice, Koushiro looked purposefully away from Mimi and his eyes found Biyomon where they formed a sort of glare.

"I'm not talking about that," Taichi explained, silencing Mimi with a simple hand. "I'm talking about bringing Gennai back. Because he didn't do it alone." It didn't surprise me that it had been Koushiro to bring Gennai back from the dead. It _did_ surprise me that Mimi wasn't draping herself off of Gennai like Biyomon though. I had found Mimi countless times trying to make use of the keys in order to talk to Gennai again, like he was some kind of drug for her.

"Spring and Bitoru are nothing to worry about," Koushiro assured Taichi in a very dry and tired voice. I had never heard someone who sounded more worn out, and I was genuinely worried for the poor guy. He'd been working _way_ too hard.

"I worded that poorly," Taichi said, correcting himself quickly. "What I meant was that Gennai was not the only person brought back from the dead."

"Are you serious?" I asked, my face deadpanned.

Taichi shrugged and looked my direction for a moment before pacing behind Gennai. "Long story short, Gennai was keeping a boy hidden—"

"No, I was not," Gennai said, pompously interrupting Taichi who didn't seem to mind. "There are three parts of any man. A soul, a body and a heart. The body is simply a vessel in which to make use of the two other, arguably more important, pieces of the puzzle. A heart contains the ability to feel and to exhibit what you all know as crests. A soul is the person behind those motives, the ability to think or to act. Without a body a soul is weak, and without a heart the soul is, for lack of a better term, heartless."

"That makes sense," Taichi agreed, but I was sure he had to be _lying_ because, sure I followed the words, but what the _hell_ did they have to do with today's meeting?

"As humans, you are unable to separate those pieces of yourself," Gennai explained. "You are whole and true, just as you should be. But a fairy can take themselves apart piece by piece, and that is exactly what he has done."

"Who is he?" Kiyoko asked in a loud but scared voice. It seemed to me like he already knew the answer, and that worried me, because that meant _I_ knew the answer, and I didn't want that to be true.

"Sigma!" It was not Gennai that had answered though. It was Tatum! She marched into the room wearing the clothes she'd been wearing the previous day like she hadn't bothered sleeping at all. In her hands was a big leather bound book which she slammed onto the table next to the computer that held Sora. "He separated himself and I think I know why."

"He's crazy, that's why," Hideto snapped as he made his way to Kiyoko to pull him into a hug.

"He _was,_ " Tatum corrected. "But he's dead."

"He isn't," Miyako shouted. "He tried to kill my baby!"

"That may be so," Tatum told her. "But he's still dead." She then turned to Gennai and waved. "Nice to see you again by the way." He managed to input a quick "likewise" before Tatum continued. "Sigma's body was killed when the fairies ripped his soul away, and they had the opportunity to do just that because he locked his heart away. His soul, heartless and without a host, set off in search for someone to possess." Tatum's eyes scanned the room, pausing a moment on Mari before she turned to Kiyoko. "He could use any form that had been touched by darkness, and so he made use of Kiyoko because he was desperate for a place where his power could take its true form, but because he was so drunk with power and rage he did not know that only _his_ body could give him the full power he needed. He thought the rules would not apply to him."

"He was wrong," Kiyoko said, his voice much quieter now. "I was strong enough to cast him aside, he was weak."

"He was," Tatum agreed, nodding her head. "But that didn't stop him from trying. But when Tapirmon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon defeated him three years ago, they simply weakened his soul. A soul _has_ no life-force and thus it cannot die. If his body is dead and his soul cannot, there is only one way to kill him."

"The heart," Koushiro said. "Yes I know this already."

"Well fine then," Tatum said, sticking her tongue out at him. "But there is an easy way to stop the soul, if you're interested."

"A frying pan?" Hikari asked dryly, Tatum turned to her, confused and then shook her head.

"No," she told Hikari. "You simply weaken it again. It will not last long, because a soul without a heart feeds off of negative emotions, and there are enough of those to go around."

"Then why didn't he come back sooner last time?" Ken asked, looking to his wife and daughter with worry in his eyes.

"He did, but he also found a path home," Tatum explained. "Now I have no documented proof from this point on, but I am able to make educated guesses. I think, since Sigma wanted nothing more than to be back in Sidhendor—which is why he broke the portal open to the Digital World and released the keys, he just wanted to find a way home—that was where he went. When you weakened his spirit, he followed Yggdrasil's roots home."

"Oh. My. God," Mimi said, her face pale. "I just realized something."

"What?" Jou asked her, but she simply shook her head, allowing for the conversation to continue. "Well that doesn't explain his obsession with Mari or Miyako."

"Doesn't it?" Tatum asked. "He was looking for a strong body and the strongest person he knew was _himself_ , and the one person who he had met to rival himself was his eldest daughter, Winter. He praised power and knew that she did as well. He followed her sights and tried to make use of the two women she chose to save the world, assuming they would be right for him."

"We weren't," Miyako said in horror. "He was wrong. I was too weak."

"No," Kiyoko said, this time his voice was stronger. "You were too _strong_. He was correct in assuming you were the strong choice. I was the weak one, but I _became_ stronger, like you and like Mari." Miyako seemed even more upset knowing that she _was_ what Sigma had been looking for. I could understand that to an extent at least, but what I _couldn't_ understand was _how_ no one had told me that Sigma was back until now. He was _my_ grandfather, so why wasn't _I_ in the know?

Gennai leaned forward, repositioning Biyomon in his lap. "Perfect timing, as usual, Tatum." Tatum beamed at his praise. "You have just proved how _imperative_ it is to have Sigma's body concealed. That was my last promise to Yggdrasil. In my final moments here in this land, I swore to Yggdrasil I would be the one to keep his son concealed for all of time."

"So what are you doing here?" Mari asked.

"Why don't you ask Koushiro?" Gennai suggested, gesturing toward Koushiro who diverted his eyes and his face turned red. "He broke me free of my prison, and as such, did the same with Sigma's true form."

Miyako and Kiyoko both whimpered, and Ken made a big show of moving around the room to get to her side. "I don't understand," Babamon shouted out. "Where is he then?"

"We have kept him safely concealed to the best of our ability," Centarumon informed her. "Spring and Bitoru are with him at this moment." I groaned. As if we could trust Spring or any of the other fairies. They wouldn't even tell me about my mom. "That is all the information we feel comfortable disclosing at this moment."

"Are you complaining about being alive?" Gatomon asked, confused.

Gennai shook his head. "I am not," he assured her, "because I am _not_ alive. Nor am I dead, though I never truly have been either. I was simply existing on borrowed time as a tool to keep D'arcmon happy for her life. Where is she?"

"She died," Hikari said softly.

Gennai's mouth hung open for a moment as the room filled with emotion, but he shook off the feeling quickly, his eyes flicking over to Ryou for only a moment. "Well that matter's not." Hikari gasped, like she felt the need to disagree, but Gennai amended his words—at least kind of. " _Nothing_ matter as of this moment, aside from keeping Sigma from gaining true power."

"Except Gaia," Willis added. "She matters too. She's insane."

Gennai looked over to Willis curiously and tilted his head. "Who is Gaia?" If he was so close to Yggdrasil and knew everything about Sigma, then why did he not even know who Gaia was? While I didn't really know Gennai well, I certainly remembered him to be the guy who knew _everything_. "Once we find a secure place to keep Sigma's body, you should all say your final farewell's to this world, for you should never have returned."

"Don't start with me," Mimi warned, waving her finger in the air.

"Gennai, we _want_ them here," Palmon insisted, hurrying toward Mimi.

"But it is _not_ your decision," Gennai snapped, slamming his fist down on the table, startling Biyomon enough that she leapt toward Gabumon to escape him.

"And it's not yours either!" Mimi shouted in return. "You're not even alive!"

"Mimi!" Palmon insisted, wrapping her arms around Mimi's leg to stop her from arguing any further. There was a long silence that followed Mimi's words because no one really knew how to react or to fix what she had said.

It was Gennai who eventually broke that silence though. "She is not wrong," Gennai said softly. "I am no longer in a position to tell you what to do, if I ever was. But I strongly urge you to look at the facts." The calmness of his voice even captured Mimi's attention, without inducing a rage. "When I asked you all to leave after Apocalymon's first defeat, it was because the world would have remained peaceful. It was when Ryou returned that everything began to fall apart. Ken was granted access and the worlds began to shift and slowly open themselves to one another again and when darkness began brewing in Arukenimon and Mummymon, the Digital World overruled my decision and brought you all back. I had argued with destiny, and lost the battle. But when you defeated Apocalymon once more, I swore we could take care of ourselves."

"And we _would_ have eventually won," Babamon added. "We only found trouble when Dragomon returned from the Dark Ocean."

"Sorry," Hikari and Kurayami said quietly as one.

"Even with the imbalance, we would have defeated Fanglongmon and Dragomon," Gennai assured us all. "It would have been _your_ power that assisted your partners in defeating the evils, but that did not mean you were necessary. When Sigma broke open the gateway you all used ancient powers that were never meant to fall into the hands of mortals."

"The keys," Taichi surmised, rubbing Agumon's shoulders gently.

"Precisely," Gennai nodded. "You made use of something even I could not fully understand and you shifted the balance too far. You created a merged world, one that would _never_ have existed if you had not returned."

"But we fixed it," Takeru interjected.

"To what end?" Gennai countered. "I see the worlds are once more as they should be, but I see hurt and pain behind every eye in this room. I can only imagine what the rest of the world has been through. The Great Evil's, which I have been informed you now know of, are not to be _killed_. They are to be maintained. Death only adds to the chaos that fights the peace in a war of balance. You were misinformed if you thought otherwise. Your roles here in this world are finished."

"The worlds use to be one," Mimi pointed out.

"But they are not anymore," Gennai reminded her. "That is for good reason. This world was made by my counterpart, Hiraga. He created a world out of the void that the humans sent the digimon to. Yggdrasil had kept this world secret because this was the place where balance would be kept. When Hiraga created a world, Yggdrasil came to him in awe, and in disappointment. The power of the digivices—created by the bonds one shares with their partners, Theta's true accomplishment—opened the gateway to this hidden world. And ever since it had been closely watched to keep the balance in check. Your imbalanced presence could ruin _everything_."

"Then we better make the most of the time we have left before the worlds fall apart," Taichi said flatly, seemingly ignoring most of what Gennai had said, and looking to Yamato who looked unhappy that he had been right all along. "We'll kill Sigma."

"Gennai _just_ told us that killing was wrong," Koushiro pointed out.

"Alas," Gennai said thoughtfully. "Sigma may just be a different case. His lifeless and heartless state is an imbalance alone. We must remove him from every world before he crowns himself once more as the king of all worlds."

"Then what will happen to you?" Hikari asked, worried.

"I will cease to exist once and for all," Gennai told her, not even sounding sad. "It is time; please do not worry about me." There was another silence because _of course_ we were worried about Gennai dying, but he was looking around the room with a very serious gaze and when his eyes passed over me I somehow understood that it would be wrong to deny him of his final wish.

"So how do we kill him?" Ken asked boldly.

"The heart must be destroyed," Gennai said. "His life-force remains inside the organ he abandoned long ago."

"But we can't find it," Patamon said, worried.

"We'll look again," Kiyoko said firmly. "This time I'll help. We'll get it and we'll take him down." Kiyoko had never been the member of the team to be so dramatic that the meeting broke off before, but of course there was a first for everything, and he was already heading out the door, but Koushiro stopped him as everyone else prepared to leave the crowded room.

Kiyoko spun back when Koushiro grabbed his arm. "I'll come with you," Koushiro said.

"Oh no you will _not_ ," Mimi said flatly, pushing between Andromon and MetallifeKuwagamon. "We have to talk." Koushiro's face went blank, but he tried to defend himself for—well, whatever he had done wrong.

"I needed them Mimi," Koushiro said flatly. "I brought Gennai back, and I'm going to find Gaia and I am going to keep trying. I need something to support me."

"You have _me_!" Her eyes were already welling up with tears. "You shouldn't need them because you have me, and I'm here for you to help you thorough anything. Forever. I want to do that _forever_ with you, and if you can't be bothered to feel the same, than _what_ am I doing here?"

Apparently Mimi did not care to make a scene in front of a crowd of people, while Koushiro did not feel the same. His face changed to a deep shade of red and he turned on the spot, and rushed out of the room. A single tear fell from Mimi's eye as she and Palmon rushed off in the opposite direction to Koushiro. Unfortunately, they had left quite the awkward silence in their wake and everyone attempted to make the most of the situation and lined up to leave the room, even if it seemed wrong now.

I simply backed away, pressing myself against the wall as the others all piled out the door, until there were only five of us left in the room. Tatum stood with her big book, while Agumon and Taichi waited with Gennai who was giving him orders. "If you have found those chosen to bear the crests of Honesty, Tenacity, Darkness, Pride, Desire and Trust I would like to see them inside this room immediately."

"I'll see what I can do," Taichi agreed, taking Agumon with him to go get Allis III, Kurayami and Ryo.

Tatum reached her hand out to me, to leave with me, but I wasn't ready. I took her hand, but chose instead to turn to Gennai. "Mr Temporary Jesus," I said, trying to catch Gennai's attention. He looked up with a bemused smile but said nothing. "Can I ask you a question?" He nodded simply, and I wasted no time. "Do you know anything about my mother?"

Gennai seemed shocked for a moment then questioned, "Autumn?" I nodded. "Ah, yes I do." My heart swelled with excitement and a smile grew on my face. It didn't last long. "It is not my place to tell you her story."

I released Tatum's hand as anger built up inside of me. I didn't want to squeeze too hard and I knew myself enough to know that I balled up my fists when angry—even if it didn't happen very often. "How am I supposed to live up to my mother if no one will tell me anything about her? I need to be the person Tatum wants me to be, and I can't be Audrey Hepburn without learning about my heritage!" Tatum placed a hand on my shoulder and I already knew what she was going to tell me. I hadn't really understood what she had told me, but I _had_. She just didn't understand how important this was to me. "I can't live up to a person who I know nothing about." I tried to keep my voice calm when I spoke again.

"I apologize," Gennai said softly. "For my inability to give you the answers you seek, and for being rather bitter before."

"I don't care that you're bitter," I shrugged. "Hideto's amazing and he's bitter. Neo too."

Gennai nodded, but looked sad. "Yggdrasil sought only for peace, and that is what you digidestined were chosen for. Peace. We need to live for peace, and for nothing else."

"We need to seal the worlds," Tatum said in a quiet voice, looking up to me sadly. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and Gennai nodded as the door opened again.

"Found who you were looking for," Taichi declared, marching back into the room with Kiyoko, Mari, Hideto, Warg, Melga, Tapirmon and Lalamon. Agumon followed right after him with Cyberdramon, Neo, Ryou and Dracomon. "What did you need them for?"

"It is time for the crests to be passed along," Gennai said, finally standing from his seat. "You all passed your crests to your partners, and I think it would be safer if each partner digimon possessed the crests instead of the way we see it now."

Hideto shrugged his shoulders. "Kay," he paused and looked to Warg and Melga. "I have two."

"It will still work," Gennai assured him.

"How do we do it?" Ryo asked eagerly.

"You simply hold your partner," Gennai instructed. "Feel your crest and pass it along."

I was aware of the others trying, but my eyes were trained directly on Ryou. He held the crest of Trust in his hand and he reached out to Cyberdramon. A faint warm, brownish light surrounded his hand and he passed the power over to his partner. The true bearer of the crest of Trust finally had the power, and that meant, according to the prophecy, peace would soon envelope the worlds, just as Yggdrasil wanted. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but it was no longer our choice, because the prophecy had been fulfilled.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** So now that we've had a moment to talk to Gennai, we take a leap forward in the planning to take down Sigma, with Daisuke leading the charge. Taichi is feeling overwhelmed still, but hopefully his friends will be there to ground him before he goes too far!


	29. Jet Black Heart

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 29: Jet Black Heart**

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

"Do you _really_ know where we're going?" Takeru asked, sounding tired.

"Totally," Patamon said. I had my doubts though. He'd been trying to lead us all—us being Takeru, Koushiro, Kiyoko and me—to Sigma's heart, but so far, we'd accomplished absolutely nothing. I'd gotten a lot of exercise that I didn't really need. I walked around all day for my job. I didn't want to spend my day off walking too. It was the opposite of relaxing.

But for the fate of all the worlds, I could make that small sacrifice.

It wasn't like I would have been doing much at home anyway. Veemon was at Knight training, and Kurayami had taken Haruki to visit with an old friend of hers: Porcupamon. I was a little antsy about it at first, so Kurayami made me go with her the first time. He looked really creepy, but he was pretty much a sweetheart. He was eager to help, and loved to play. When Haruki was older, he was going to have a ball playing with Porcupamon, even if all Porcupamon's toys were creepy and broken.

Even Norn seemed to get along with Porcupamon, which basically cemented his place in our family.

" _Norn," Kurayami asked. We were sitting in Sora's basement. Norn and Kurayami were on the floor, playing with Haruki. I was on the couch, with my feet up on a cardboard box. Labramon was snuggled next to me, his head in my lap. I ran my fingers through his fur absentmindedly, as I watched my wife and son playing. "Porcupamon has a question for you."_

" _Does he?" she asked, catching the ball that Haruki 'rolled' her way. Kurayami was using his hand to push the ball, and he was laughing like a hyena every time it actually went somewhere. It was hilarious. Norn looked over to Porcupamon and Veemon who had made a fort out of Sora's cardboard boxes, and were playing with decapitated dolls and armless army figurines and cars that were missing wheels. It was a complicated game that they'd created. I tried to follow along for a while, but I gave up. It didn't make any sense, no matter how many times they explained it._

 _I wondered when I had become such a boring adult, and vowed to fix it at a later date, when I wasn't so tired. My feet hurt, not being used to working anymore. Things were going well though, so I wasn't going to complain. I wanted to be able to move out of Sora's basement. I wanted to have a home again, that Kurayami and I could keep on our own—if Takeru didn't want to come back, anyway. I was so tired of needing to rely on Sora's generosity. There was only so much that she could give, and she'd already given too much. She was risking prison for my son's sake._

" _Porcupamon," Kurayami prompted. He dropped his ragged, headless doll that was losing its stuffing, and looked to her in surprise. "You wanted to ask Norn…."_

" _Oh yes," he said, nodding excitedly. "You can find people, can't you?"_

 _No._

 _I didn't say it, because it would be rude, but she wasn't getting anywhere with the search for Gaia. Either Gaia was really good at hiding herself, or Norn was really bad at tracking enormous power levels. She hadn't managed to prove to me that she could find anyone. It didn't make me care about her any less. She was still a part of this family. But she her powers seemed to have unfortunate limits._

" _Sometimes," she said, obviously having more confidence in her abilities than I did. "Who do you have in mind?"_

" _Fangmon and FlyBeemon," Porcupamon said shyly. "They're mine and Kurayami's friends. Fanglongmon took them away somewhere at the same time that he sent me to Witchenly. Kurayami wanted for us to have a home, and I liked Witchenly, I did. But I miss them."_

" _Do you know where he sent them?" Norn asked. I was confused, because Porcupamon wouldn't be asking her to find them, if he knew where they were. "Do you have any clues about where they would want to call home? I can check the pools to see if I can find places like that."_

 _Her offer was enough for Porcupamon, who jumped up and down, doing a happy little jig. He did some jumping jacks and attempted a cartwheel. Haruki started laughing again when Porcupamon tried to wiggle like a worm on the ground, doing a very poor job._

Norn was more willing to help Porcupamon than me. I wanted her to find Gaia. It didn't seem like it should be all that hard. She was an exceptionally powerful individual but she consistently eluded us. I didn't know what she was planning, but she'd stolen Kurayami's darkness, and that was extremely worrying. She had both light and darkness. She had the balance in her hands. I didn't know what it meant, but it didn't seem to be great for the fate of the worlds.

The fact that we couldn't seem to find Sigma's heart didn't bode well for the fate of the worlds either. We'd been looking for hours. Three whole hours. Koushiro seemed to think it wasn't too bad, considering he and Patamon had been here before searching for longer. It wasn't very comforting to know that this was the _second_ time looking for it, and we still had no results.

I doubted Koushiro would lose the drive to search any time soon either. He seemed determined to stay away from Mimi for as long as possible. She was very upset with him. I didn't understand their argument, because I had no context for it. They'd just started fighting—though it was more one sided than anything—in the middle of our reunion with Gennai.

That was another thing that just kind of floored me. When Taichi had texted us about an urgent meeting, I was worried Gaia had somehow found something else she could take. Maybe she'd taken Norn again, or had drained one of the fairies of her energy. Never in a million years would I have guessed that Gennai was back from the dead—but not really back, because he wasn't alive, so it was just a temporary resuscitation—ready to do nothing but yell at us for not listening to him.

I mean, sure, I kind of understood what he was saying. We did have a tendency to screw things up, but still. I liked the way things were now. Well, that wasn't entirely true. I preferred it when Gaia hadn't stolen from my wife and pseudo-sister, and when the human race didn't hate digimon so much that they tried to delete them entirely. I kind of wished we could rewind until about a year ago. I still had a home then, and we weren't crammed in a basement. No one was freaking out over the idea that Veemon was serving them food. It was much better back then.

But I was still holding out hope that things could get better again.

They already _were_. Digimon were able to go out in public without the humans shooting at them. They still couldn't have jobs yet, or at least, I hadn't seen a digimon on Earth with a job since the DWD movement started. Veemon was still too nervous to attempt to sell noodles on Earth, and had chosen to remain in the Digital World instead.

Everything was on the rise though. Things would be better soon. We wouldn't need to close off the worlds in order to find peace. That was what peace meant. Closing the worlds off wouldn't bring it about. It would just bring segregation and suppression. Hiding the digimon away wasn't going to win us any battles. This was an issue of rights. And the digimon _deserved_ them.

They didn't deserve to be locked back in their cage—though Hiraga had done an admittedly great job with furnishing it when he developed the world—to stay prisoners forever. They didn't belong there. Gennai himself said that the Digital World was the balance. It was the only world that wasn't a piece of Yggdrasil's wife. It was unnatural, but the digimon weren't. They were living beings that had been taken from their home and tossed aside. They weren't _meant_ to be digital. They were meant to live just the same as the humans did.

Now, after being in their artificial world, they were permanently changed into what we knew them as. It wasn't fair, not by a long shot.

But it _would_ be safer.

I was incredibly torn on the subject, not that it mattered. All that mattered right now was fixing the mess we were in. Even if Gennai was right, and everything was happening because of our continual presence in the Digital World, we couldn't just block the worlds off and hope for the best. We actually needed to clean things up.

Sure, we were all better off when Gaia was trapped in Witchenly, and yeah, maybe Kurayami and Hikari left the doors to the Dark Ocean open, letting both Dragomon and Sigma go free. Hikari had created the Reaper during her time in the Land of Dreams, and it nearly destroyed that world, because Yume didn't have Norn to help keep the balance. And so what if it was because of everything that we'd accidentally set in motion that Yggdrasil became too unstable to continue to keep the peace? None of that mattered anymore. We couldn't change what had happened. We could only work to build a better future.

"I'm pretty sure you _don't_ know where we're going," I sighed. Patamon might've had a lot of confidence in himself, but I didn't. This maze was playing tricks with my mind. I could see monsters everywhere. I was on edge constantly. I knew logically that they were just figments of my imagination, but I couldn't keep my mind in the present. The walls were moving even when they were stationary. There was blood everywhere, from Neo's bullet wound, and I had this burning fear building inside me that Kurayami was hurt.

But she wasn't even here.

It was all irrational, but I couldn't stop it.

Kiyoko was lucky. He'd never been to this world before. He hadn't needed to fight against Arnold and his monster army. He didn't have to watch as all his friends fought for their lives. Jou's leg was healed, but I could still hear the sickening crunch of when Behemoth snapped it in half. I could see Hideto being flung across the room as Behemoth's teeth sunk into his chest. Koushiro was bleeding out because of claw wounds. Takeru's wrist, my head, Mari's ankle, Iori's… _everything_ and Taichi's electrocution; he'd missed seeing it all. He didn't need to experience the fear of when Miyako was giving birth far too soon. He had missed all the horrible excitement.

I was sure he'd had plenty unwanted excitement of his own—Rei was shot during a fight, after all—but he'd missed the battle. I hadn't. I knew that if I hadn't been there, I would have wanted to be. But right then I was tired of fighting. I would always step up to the plate, but I wanted to take a breather before things got big again.

That was impossible though, because Gaia could strike at any time—or Maugrim could, either way—and we could never be prepared for it.

"I _do_ so," Patamon insisted, grumpily, dragging me back to the present. My mind kept turning down dark paths. I needed to find some hope, and I needed to find it fast. I casually moved closer to Takeru, so we could walk together. He always had an excess of hope, I thought maybe some would rub off on me.

"Don't worry about it, buddy," Takeru said. "We'll find it eventually."

"Even if it takes all night," Koushiro added, seeming a little _too_ excited about the possibility of just not going home.

"You should just talk to her," Takeru told him, obviously thinking along the same lines.

"She doesn't want me around," Koushiro said stubbornly. "You heard her. She doesn't know what she's doing with me anymore."

"That's not what she meant, and you know it," Takeru insisted.

"Do I?" Koushiro asked, sounding both exhausted and broken. "Do I know _anything_ anymore? I thought I had it under control. I _still_ think I have it under control. Logically, I know it's gotten out of hand, but logic doesn't seem to matter anymore. What am I, without logic? What am I without _Mimi_?"

"Lonely," Patamon suggested.

"What did you do?" Kiyoko asked softly. "What made her so mad at you? We can't help you fix it, if you don't tell us what's wrong."

"I don't want to tell anyone," Koushiro said, frustrated with himself. "I did something stupid, which is highly out of character for me. She's very mad. She won't forgive me. There's no point trying."

"You're wrong," I said, shaking my head. "She said she wanted forever with you. That doesn't sound like she's kicking you to the curb. It sounds like she's trying to reach you. You just have to reach back."

"Don't let her go," Takeru agreed. "She's worth fighting for. I know you love her. I _know_ it. Both of you will get hurt if you do nothing."

"You never know if you'll have a chance to apologize," Kiyoko murmured. "She could be whisked away to another world tomorrow, and she may never come back from it. You could go the rest of your life wishing you hadn't been so stupid, and that you'd just _talked_ to her."

We all had the very distinct feeling that he was talking from experience, since it was a rather particular situation—one that he'd been sure was _his_ future, until Hikari managed to steal the key from Gaia. But, whatever the situation, he was right. I definitely had a similar mind set. I never wanted to go to bed angry or upset. I didn't want to leave arguments unsolved, or feelings unshared. Kurayami had been gone once, to me. She was hiding, but I hadn't known that. I thought she was gone forever, and I'd had to live with that. I wanted to make the absolute most of the time I had with her. I wasn't going to waste a second of it, losing myself over petty arguments.

I didn't know that this argument _was_ petty, because Koushiro refused to share any information, despite the fact that Takeru seemed to know about it already. I mean, it had to be _something_ , because Koushiro snuck out of the house early in the morning, before Mimi was even awake in order to come with us to Theta. Mimi had told him specifically not to come.

"I don't know," Koushiro hedged. He stopped walking, and Patamon flew back towards him before any of us noticed. I turned around. He was holding his head, his fingers curled in his hair. His eyes were squeezed shut tightly, and he was shaking—not a lot, but it was noticeable. He shook his head back and forth, as though he were trying to convince himself he shouldn't do something, but in the end, he gave in, pulling a bottle from his pocket.

I tried to grasp what my mind had decided was the most probable solution, but I couldn't. It didn't make sense to me. But I watched as he popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed it dry.

"Koushiro," Takeru hissed, walking over and taking the bottle from his hands. Koushiro desperately pawed at Takeru, trying to get it back, but he couldn't. Takeru was stronger and taller. It was a fight he knew he would lose from the start, but he was desperate enough to take a chance anyway.

"Takeru, I need that," he pleaded.

"No," Takeru said, looking disappointed in him. "I thought I took them all. You _let_ me think that way. You weren't letting me help you, you were playing me. I can't believe that. You blackmailed me into keeping your secret, threatening to end our friendship, and you couldn't be honest with me?"

"You knew?" Kiyoko asked, looking horrified, and sympathetic. He was torn between the two choices. He didn't want to believe what had obviously happened—right under our noses!—but he was also able to see the sheer desperation Koushiro was exhibiting. It was distressing to know that it got _this_ bad before any of us noticed. "I need to clear my head…I need a minute."

Kiyoko walked off into the maze before any of us had a chance to stop him. He didn't know about the moving walls. He was in danger of being lost to us. But we were too focussed on Koushiro's meltdown to really do anything about it.

"Is that why he thought you sent me to spy on him?" Patamon asked, aghast.

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Takeru said, angrily stuffing the pill bottle into his pocket. He held Koushiro's shoulders, leaving no choice but for Koushiro to look him in the eye. "Koushiro, listen to me. Mimi loves you, but even she has her limits. You can't keep doing this to yourself. She won't watch it happen. She can help you, if you let her, but if you _don't_ , then there's nothing for her to do but walk away, because I _swear_ she won't stick around and watch you destroy yourself."

"I kn-know," Koushiro said, his voice cracking. "But I can't help it."

"You'll have to help it," I said, firmly. "I know it's gotta be hard, but is it really worth losing everything?"

"Guys," Patamon said warily. I turned to him. "The wall moved."

"They do that," Takeru said, waving it off.

"Kiyoko was over there," I realized.

"What?" Takeru gasped, turning away from Koushiro. Koushiro didn't try to steal his pills back, which I thought might be a small step towards recovery—since he realized his worry over Kiyoko was more important than having them in his own pocket. He knew where they were in any case, which was more than we could say about Kiyoko.

"Do you think he's looking for the heart?" Patamon wanted to know.

"Maybe," I decided. "He might have a connection with Sigma, like how Kurayami and Hikari had one with Gaia. Maybe his instincts could bring him to it."

"Or maybe he's just lost out there," Koushiro said, raining all over my limited positivity.

"We have to find him," Patamon said frantically. We knew there wasn't a lot of danger out there for Kiyoko to run into. Theta's human body was apparently the only thing left in this world. But we still ran the risk of losing him indefinitely.

We picked up our pace as we searched, looking for both the heart and Kiyoko. We couldn't leave without him. Not only did we not _want_ to, but Alias III would be super furious with us, and we couldn't do that to them. They just got him back. I didn't want to be responsible for taking him away again. I could have stopped him; I'd _seen_ him wander off. I just _didn't_ bother.

And now we were all paying for that.

The seconds turned to minutes, turned to _hours_. We just kept running through those halls and rooms, all so similar, with only slight differences. Each one of them sending me flashes of the battle we'd fought in this world. I couldn't take much more of this. It was too much to handle, but we needed Kiyoko.

We couldn't split up. It was too dangerous. We all had to stay as a single team. Not much was said. We were spending our energy on speed, instead of entertainment. Koushiro stopped twice, because he wanted another pill so badly, and Takeru refused him both times. I didn't like seeing Koushiro so desperate and broken, but I firmly believed in Takeru's decision. We needed to get Koushiro off of those pills. I also knew though, that he would need to be weaned off of them. Trying to get him to stop completely would just make it harder on everyone involved. I knew he could do it though. He could kick the habit.

"There!" Takeru shouted, excitedly. We all turned, following his pointed finger. I wasn't expecting to see anything, because Takeru had done this four times, thinking he saw Kiyoko run around a corner, only to find out that wasn't true at all.

"It's him!" Patamon called, happily. He flapped his wings quickly, and raced towards the hunched figure in the distance. It was definitely Kiyoko. He was stuffing his sweater into his backpack. He looked up quickly, anxiously. I smiled. He tried to mimic me, and I wondered just how scared he had been lost in this endless maze. He was with us now though, so he'd be fine.

"Let's just go," I decided, pulling the key to the Digital World from my pocket. "We're not gonna find it today. We might never find it. This maze is just too complicated."

"Perhaps Gennai would be able to locate it," Koushiro mentioned reasonably. "He's been bound to Sigma's body in this world. It would stand to reason that he understands how Theta operates at the very least."

"Yeah," Takeru agreed. "We'll come back with Gennai. But we can't wait too long. We need to find the heart."

"Yeah," Kiyoko said. "Thanks for finding me though."

"We weren't going to leave you here," I told him with a grin as he blushed. "Let's get out of here, huh?"

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

I couldn't handle much more. I was exhausted. I collapsed into my chair in the Council chamber. I wasn't the only one in the room, but I _was_ the only Council member. I couldn't talk to Mari or Miyako about what just happened. Not with my mind still reeling from the exchange. I couldn't understand it. What had I ever done to get Rida so riled up? What had the _digimon_ ever done?

" _You best get to the point quickly, Yagami," Rida said the moment I stepped into his office. He looked put together, as always, but I was pleased to note several gray hairs that had grown in my absence. It looked to me like his hair was mostly gray now. It was a small pleasure to take from all of this, but I was spiteful enough to enjoy the idea that he was going old before his time, while I wasn't—even when_ I _was under the heavier stress load. "I don't want you here, and I've already alerted security."_

" _Great," I said, growing angry after only two sentences from Rida. But I had to try. I needed to do this for my people, the hundreds of thousands of digimon that had survived the virus. They were counting on me to ensure that peace was brought to them. "There isn't a war, Rida, and I don't know who you're trying to fool. No one believes in you anymore. You're getting voted out at the next possible term, and you know it. Do something that will gain their trust again. Stop fighting the digimon. They aren't fighting back. All it's doing is making you look like a bully."_

" _I don't believe you," Rida said simply. "You've given me no reason to believe you. It_ was _you after all that started this war in the first place."_

" _No," I snapped. "I talked about it. I threatened it. I know. I didn't mean to, but you didn't leave me much of a choice. But I never did anything. No digimon did anything. They didn't even try to build an army to avenge their fallen comrades—their_ friends _that_ you _deleted when you funded the_ only _offense in this stupid war. It's one sided, Rida."_

" _You started it," Rida insisted, rather pettily in my opinion. I wanted to roll my eyes, but it was too important to do that. This topic needed respect. If I couldn't convince him, then…well, convincing him was my only hope._

" _And now we need to stop it," I told him. "A war can't happen if no one participates."_

" _No," Rida said coolly. "It can. We will continue to pursue the digimon's destruction."_

" _Are you going to tell the_ press _that? Or are you going to feed them more lies, to try and sway the public's opinion?" I demanded. "Because that didn't work too well the last time."_

" _Yes, you had your little plant, that loud woman with the Digital Man," Rida said, narrowing his eyes at me. "And you say you're not doing anything in this war. You're turning the human population against itself. You want them to support the digimon, when in reality, the Digital World is unsafe, and we can't trust it. The people don't understand this because of all the lies and slander you've spread. EVOLVE had the right idea."_

" _I know_ you _think that," I growled. "You're a part of it."_

" _We're right," he insisted. "And since the public won't accept that, because of_ you _, I will have to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Digital World is destroyed. It's the only way to save the human race."_

" _You're never getting a new term," I reminded him. "Whatever you start is just going to be negated by whoever takes over next."_

" _We'll see," he said slyly. "EVOLVE will not let simply_ anyone _take command."_

" _And I_ will not simply _, allow you to destroy my world," I said, mocking his tone._

" _So you have taken a side," Rida commented. I realized that once again, I claimed the Digital World as my home. It was true; I lived there now, but it was still strange to know that I no longer viewed Earth as my home world. "Know, Yagami that you will fall with 'your world'. I will take no prisoners. The world will be vanquished."_

" _I wish you wouldn't," I said tiredly. Couldn't he learn from his mistakes like most other people? Couldn't he see that no one_ wanted _to go along with EVOVLE anymore—except EVOLVE members? I didn't know how many members EVOLVE had, but I knew that it couldn't be too big of a percentage of the human population. Why should the desires of the few dictate the fate of my world?_

" _Now, you don't always get what you want," Rida said cruelly. "But I do. Remember that, Yagami. I will get what I want."_

" _Not if I can stop you," I pointed out._

" _Yes, well," he said dismissively. He looked passed me and nodded to the security guards that I knew were there. I'd been through this a couple times before. I stood and held my arms out for them. They nodded to me—and at least one of them looked like they didn't want to do this, which was more than I expected._

I'd been backed into a corner. I didn't know how much damage Rida could do in the short time he had left. I was one hundred percent sure that a new ambassador would be selected within the coming months. The controversy of the virus was too volatile for his career. He wouldn't make it to the end of the year.

But would the digimon?

He had destroyed hundreds, if not thousands, of digimon in one single attack. He'd launched a virus, and it had crippled us. We weren't able to leave the confines of our shields. We were sitting ducks. Jou had figured out a solution for us, but it had taken months. We didn't have that much time, not if EVOLVE was planning on stepping up their game.

How many digimon had they deleted with their virus guns, before the virus had been launched? The digimon weren't all in the shields anymore. They were slowly moving back to their homes. If EVOLVE broke into the world again, when we were off guard, how many more could they take from us?

And most importantly, would they stop if Rida wasn't in power?

No.

They wouldn't. They wouldn't stop, because EVOLVE was a global organization. If the majority of the ambassadors of the world were made up of EVOLVE members, then it wouldn't matter if Rida wasn't in office anymore. He was just one man, in an organization of many. I couldn't help but wonder just how many of the others _were_ EVOLVE members, because they didn't exactly lift a finger to stop Rida when he launched that virus.

It didn't matter though. EVOVLE had the technology to break into the Digital World without the use of a digivice. They could come at any time, whether or not they had permission from the government. They were always going to be a threat. Unless we could bring them all to justice, anyway. I refused to give in to Rida's goading. Any war that was happening would be all on his end. I wouldn't let the digimon do anything he wanted them to. He wanted them to come across as mindless, murderous monsters, and I couldn't let that happen. They weren't mindless, and while some _were_ murderous, they were few in number, and were almost exclusively focussed on killing other digimon—who would simply be recycled after the death occurred. Even the worst of the digimon always let their victims have a second chance.

Rida wouldn't give them even that much.

There was very little I could do that would keep the entire world safe from him, but I didn't want to think about it. I couldn't bear the thought of doing what needed to be done. But I didn't have much of a choice. I would have to make a decision soon, though, since I'd talked to Rida and gotten him on edge once again. It was very stupid of me to go to him, but he was spreading his lies—that thankfully very few people actually believed anymore—about the war, and I couldn't let him do that.

And now the Digital World would have to pay for my mistakes once again.

It was a mistake to think Rida could be reasoned with. It was a mistake to believe he had a heart, and could sympathize with his victims. He couldn't. He was the mindless, murderous monster he thought he was trying to protect Earth from. He just couldn't see it.

"Hello, Taichi," Lalamon said, patting my knee with her tiny hand. I tried to smile at her, but it came off as a grimace. She just patted my leg again, and hummed a little song, trying to make me feel better. It was working. She was a sweetheart. And she was just reminding me of the digimon I swore I would protect. It was for people like her that I was fighting. I smiled a better smile at her, and she trilled a bell-like laugh. It was amazing how little she needed to do to brighten my mood.

I wasn't done thinking about the subject, but she had granted my mind a brief respite, and for that I was immensely grateful.

I tried not to let any other intense issues to take over my mind, and more than once I had to force thoughts of Sigma's body from my thoughts. The body was just under our feet. Tatum was studying it— _him_ , I guess—and adding anything she learned to the book she'd written about Sigma. I'd had to call Haruhiko and Shuu to tell them _not_ to come in to work, after we'd decided to store the body there. Neither had minded. All work they were doing was voluntary, since I no longer had funding to pay their salaries. Shuu needed the time anyway, since his wedding was fast approaching.

Koushiro would not stay away. It was his fault that Sigma's body was back at all, and he refused to just ignore that the way Gennai wished he would. He was with Tatum, in the laboratory. Tentomon was helping him with whatever research he was working on, while observing Koushiro's behaviour, and keeping non-prescription medication out of the work place. Koushiro was rather irritable, but he was following the newly instated rule—it didn't exist before _only_ because it never occurred to me that it could ever be an issue. I _still_ had trouble believing that it _was_. Gennai was there too, just to keep Koushiro suitably motivated. Centarumon and Andromon were currently at Knight training, but they knew of the secret as well.

But no one else did.

We had to keep the numbers low—the fewer people that knew the less of a chance that Sigma's spirit could find it. Koushiro had been forbidden from telling Mimi, which he readily agreed to, since he was avoiding her anyway. Tatum couldn't tell Michael, and even Monodramon wasn't invited, not that he would blab the story to anyone anyway, mute as he was.

But I couldn't think about it. The more I thought about it, the likelier I was to spill the beans, and I didn't want to be the one that did that. I was the ambassador, I was the leader. It would look really bad if I couldn't keep even a single secret—especially one as important as this.

Lalamon was singing another song, slower and sadder this time. She was swaying in time to the imaginary beat, and was twirling around the room. I watched her for awhile, emptying my mind. I focused on her movements, and let the sounds of Miyako and Mari's conversation fill my ears. I only needed to focus on that. My own, worried and tired thoughts didn't matter.

"I wanted to be happy," Miyako lamented. "I got to bring Mai home. It was her first Halloween. It was supposed to be a good day. Why couldn't it be? Why can't anything go right for her? Why does everyone hate her?"

"Not everyone hates her," Mari said. I could hear the rolling of her eyes in the tone of her voice. "Just Sigma and Gaia. Admittedly, they're probably the worst people to have hate your child, but they're not _everyone_ , and you've got a lot of people in your corner."

"I know," Miyako sighed. "But it's still so hard. I don't want to lose her. It feels like I will at any given moment. Sigma could be here right now, and I wouldn't even know it. He could be lying in wait, getting ready to snatch her up the minute I look away."

"Yeah," Mari agreed, though she sounded unhappy about it. "But I'd teach him a thing or two. And Lalamon's here. Taichi's right there too." I tried to pretend I wasn't blatantly eavesdropping on them. "And none of us are going to let anything happen. We'll protect her."

"You're going to protect _her_ too," Miyako murmured, noticing, as I did, the tension in Mari's voice. Miyako was, of course, speaking of Aneko now. "You'll save her from them. Don't worry."

"How can I not?" Mari asked. "Everything's going my way for once. Nothing _ever_ goes my way. I'm supposed to be miserable, that's how my life plays out. That's what I know. What if I'm being led into a false sense of security? What if, I _think_ I'll win the case against my parents, but I actually lose it? Do you know what they'd do to Aneko if they won? They're going to marry her off to someone, and she's not like me. She doesn't have it in her to run away. She's so timid. They've got her under their control, just because they taught her not to have a backbone."

"You'll win," Miyako insisted. "Iori's on your side, and he's two for two so far. Your parents haven't been able to beat him yet."

"There's a first time for everything," Mari warned her.

"Then you can be _happy_ ," Miyako countered. "If there's a first time for everything, you can be happy. Maybe this is your time. Maybe there's nothing to worry about."

"But there's still a chance," Mari sighed. "I can't get arrogant. I can't risk my sister because I got full of myself. She's my _sister_. I don't really know her. I never got that chance. I want to though. I want to know her. She has so much more potential than what they want for her."

"Your parents are being inspected by a social worker, aren't they?" Miyako asked, using it to support her case. "I know they're as bad as you say they are, so the social worker will definitely find something."

"I'm worried about that," Mari murmured. "My parents excel at manipulation. They probably manipulated the situation so that the social worker that came to inspect them thought they were perfect, well rounded parents. I know that social workers are _trained_ to notice things, but they're only people…and people are susceptible to my parents' talents."

"You're not," Miyako reminded her. "Maybe you should be a social worker. Think of all the kids you could help simply because you don't fall into people's mind games. You wouldn't get tricked, and kids could be safe. Saving Aneko is kind of like that."

"Maybe," Mari murmured, sounding like she was actually thinking it over. She would be good for that job. She was one of those kids that got overlooked. She would definitely be able to save kids, because she knew what to look for. She could read people's faces and know what they were thinking or feeling. It was unnerving most days, but it was really spectacular when she was doing it to someone else.

"What about you?" Mari asked, after a long pause.

"What _about_ me?" Miyako prompted, while she made silly faces for her daughter. Lalamon twirled around the girls, and Mari patted her head. Lalamon beamed, before continuing on her dance.

"What are you going to do?" Mari asked. "You quit at Hypnos, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Miyako confirmed. "I wasn't okay with their methods. I would rather rally to get digimon rights, instead of tracking their every move. They aren't animals to be gawked at. They have brains, and feelings and they deserve their freedom, you know?"

"I think we all know that," Mari said with a smirk.

"Exactly," Miyako said. "If I knew how to do _that_ , then maybe that's what I'd do. But as of right now, I have a little, pretty baby to look after, and she takes a lot of my time." As if Mai knew her mother was talking about her, she made a cooing noise, which caused Miyako to melt, and Lalamon stopped dancing in order to gawk at the baby. "Speaking of Mai, _someone_ needs a diaper change."

"I am _not_ doing that," Mari cautioned.

"It's fine. I'll take her to the rest room. It's time to feed her anyway," Miyako said with a laugh. She scooped Mai into her hands and left the room, keeping up a constant stream of babble as she went. Mai didn't seem to mind her chatter.

"I wonder how long it'll take for her to realize she forgot the diaper bag," Mari said with a snort. Lalamon giggled, but didn't offer to bring the bag to Miyako. I supposed she was wondering the same as her partner.

"It can't be _too_ long," I pointed out.

"So you _are_ here," Mari said dryly. "I wasn't sure, what with all the vacant staring and blatant eavesdropping."

"So you _could_ tell," I said, laughing. Mari rolled her eyes at me, but then she bit her lip, and looked up at me with worry. "What's up?" I asked, cautiously.

"We have to keep it a secret," she declared. I might've been a little slow on the uptake, but I didn't know what she was talking about. I let my confusion take over my face, and she groaned when she realized that I was blanking. "The _k-i-s-s_."

"That spells _kiss_ ," Lalamon provided helpfully.

"Yeah, I got that, thanks though," I told her. "What _about_ it?"

"We can never talk about it again, to _anyone_ ," she insisted. "It didn't mean anything, and it could ruin what we have now that Willis and Rei are back. I don't want to risk it. It's safer to keep it to ourselves."

"Maybe," I said, nodding, though I felt guilty at the thought of the kiss, let alone the thought of keeping its existence from Rei. I didn't really want to do that. But Mari was _happy_. She's said so herself. I didn't really want to risk that either.

"We can still be friends," Mari was quick to assure me. "There's no reason we can't be. We just need to pretend that the you-know-what didn't happen at all."

"I don't know what you're referring to," I said playfully. She rolled her eyes, but she smiled too. She turned to Lalamon, probably to get a promise out of her too, but was surprised to see that Lalamon wasn't alone. She was talking to Mari's parents' old lawyer. He didn't look so good. His skin was paler than almost anyone I'd ever seen, and his face was gaunt, as it had been when he'd first gotten back to Earth after his stay in the Dark Ocean. I feared he wasn't healing from that experience.

"Lalamon?" Mari murmured. Lalamon was introducing herself to Bengoshi, and when she reached up with her tiny hand to shake his, she backed away quickly, looking to him with fear shaking her from head to toe. She raced back over to Mari and hid behind her partner's legs.

"How did you get here?" I asked Bengoshi. "You don't have a digivice, do you?"

"Miyako let me in," he supplied. That made sense, so I let it slide. He sat down with us, and we tried to come up with polite chit-chat. We talked about his work, and how he was doing with his transition back to Earth. He was very polite and ready to answer whatever questions we threw at him.

But a couple of minutes later, Miyako was coming back, chatting to her daughter still about how silly she'd been to forget something as important as the _diaper bag_ when she was trying to change a diaper. She froze in the doorway, when she caught sight of Bengoshi. He waved to her, and I don't think it was my imagination that saw the smile he gave her as sinister.

"NO!" she shouted. "Don't let him in here! You can't. He's working for Sigma!"

Mari and I were on our feet in an instant. Mari shuffled Lalamon behind her, more willing to fight this man herself than risk her partner's safety. I was nearly on him, ready to grab him and stuff him through the gate, when he spoke, freezing me in my tracks.

"Now, now, my dear," he purred to Miyako. "I thought you were intelligent. I'm not working _for_ Sigma. I _am_ Sigma."

"W-w-what?" Miyako stammered, backing away into the hallway.

"Oh yes," Bengoshi said with a smile. His face contorted in pain, and then his body fell to the ground. A shadow remained standing though, a shadow with a stupid hat. "I'm here for something that belongs to me."

"I don't belong to you!" Miyako shouted.

"Not you," he amended. "Not _yet_ , anyway. I'm here for my body. I could feel it the moment it was restored. I can feel it now."

"You can't have it," I snapped. "You won't be able to find it."

"It's below us," Sigma said, sinking into the floor. I shouted, but he wasn't about to stop. I ran to the door, and Miyako moved out of my way. I raced down the hall, and down the steps, but I was too late. By the time I reached the laboratory, Gennai was the only one still standing. Tatum was on the floor, her head had smashed into a chair. Tentomon was now Motimon, and Koushiro was on the ground, conscious, but unable to get to his feet.

The shadow sank into the unconscious body, and Gennai screamed, flying at it. Sigma opened his eyes for the first time—blood red, where mine were white, and black irises, with a white pupil—and smiled. He waved his hand, casting Gennai to the side, and when Gennai slammed into the wall, Sigma let out a bone chilling laugh, before disappearing from the premises in a flash of magic.

"No," I gasped in horror.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Gennai shouted at me, as if it was somehow my fault alone. "You've doomed us all!"

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** We're finally stepping into a bit of a finale for one of our characters who has been waiting a very long time to feel some happiness. Let's just hope she can finally find it in the climax to all of her strife!


	30. Judgement

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 30: Judgement**

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

I had woken up from a nightmare, far earlier than I would have liked to have awoken. Sigma was _back_. It was a nightmare for me, and for Hideto but for Kiyoko it would be so much worse. We had not told him what had happened recently with the soul meeting the body because there was no telling how Kiyoko would respond to the news. It was hard though, to imagine. Sigma had been after Mai and Miyako but had not come for the three of us. There had always been a connection between him and Alias III, and I knew why. Or I assumed I knew why. The fairies had chosen us while still under their father's influence—though he may have been dead, his words still etched into their minds and they chose us based on his ruling. We were wrong for them, but we were right for Sigma. Which explained a lot. It did _not_ explain why we hadn't seen him, or why he hadn't begun hating on us—especially me since I had always been his least favourite—after his return.

But I didn't have time to worry about that, and even if Kiyoko was the least observant person I may have ever met, that didn't mean he wouldn't be able to see fear. We couldn't let on that Sigma was back. We couldn't break him so soon after his return from Witchenly. Warg, Melga and Tapirmon were left in the dark as a preventative measure because they were awful at keeping secrets. Lalamon and Hideto could be trusted not to spill the news. And as it was, that would have to do, because we couldn't talk about it anymore. We couldn't even think about it.

At least not today.

Some days it took less time to get ready in the morning. Some days involved normalcy and perhaps a calm mind. Some days did not require stress levels to rise above and beyond their typical levels. Those days were not today. My hair had been straightened and then lightly re-curled so nothing was out of place. I had tried on sixteen different dresses and none of them were right, so there was even a point where I went to the internet to purchase one, but realized it would not arrive in an hour or less. I had to settle with my most professional and expensive dress, blue, knee length and sleeveless. It was uncomfortable, but comfort wasn't what I was looking for today. Makeup had taken longer than it should have, because my hands shook and I messed up several times. While it was all very tedious and stressful, Lalamon found it to be hysterical and her laughter continued to pull away at the negative feelings brewing in my chest.

Lalamon.

I was sure she could stab someone and I would brush it off as quirky and spectacular. She was _perfect_ , because she was _here_. I didn't care that it had already been three weeks. I didn't _care_ because I would never get over the joy of seeing her again. I knew what it was like to have her disappear, and I wasn't going to _ever_ live through that again.

She wouldn't actually stab someone, I knew.

Lalamon handed me a light pink lipstick and I used it, even if I wouldn't have made it my first choice. Lalamon could do whatever she wanted and I would play along.

When it came to the shoes I panicked, ripping everything out of my closet and throwing it over my head to the other side of the room. My studded boots, the bright pink raised stilettos, the loud pattered wedges, the candy cane striped platform heel that Hideto had gifted me from my most recent birthday, mock alligator skin heeled boots, pale blue cut out heels, the oxfords, the sea horse themed fantasy heels that Kiyoko thought were a good idea, my workout sneakers, my fuzzy blue slippers, my knee high black stiletto boots—all six pairs—the red and black corset heels, and more. None of them were appropriate for today, and I was going to explode. How had I managed before, when I had gone to trial for the library? Where had my simple black pumps gone to?

I turned toward the tap on my shoulder and saw Lalamon holding one of the pumps high in the air, and pointing under my bed to the other. With a heaving sigh of relief I pulled her into my arms and kissed her head before diving under the mattress to pull it out. How had I managed for so long without her?

Her simple empathetic link that connected our two minds so well was beautiful and amazing. How had she known exactly what I was looking for? Because she knew _me_. She knew and understood me in a way that no one else could. The only person who knew enough of the basics to even _try_ to solve the riddles that my brain produced was Willis, and that was because he was around when I was a child. I had been _afraid_ of that connection before, but somehow, knowing that I could have lost him changed everything. I wasn't afraid anymore. I didn't have to be, and I now knew that. Willis' ability to understand me was the exact reason I had always wanted to be in a relationship with him. And he deserved someone _better_ than me, after the way I had treated him and strung him along.

We kissed. I didn't know what it meant or where it was going to lead, but we had kissed and for now that was enough.

With one last look at the full sized mirror I decided I was ready. I could have looked better, but I was running out of time. Lalamon took my hand, still floating in the air, and began dragging me toward the door of her bedroom. I was sure she was hungry, and while I felt rather apathetic about eating myself, she could have gone at any time to get food without me. I would have missed her and she knew that which was more than likely why she stayed, but I wouldn't have wanted her to _starve_!

The silky quality of her touch, like she was crafted of the most beautiful flower petals, was much softer than I remembered it to be. The way the air changed from staleness mixed with autumn leaves to Lalamon's sweet flowery scent that somehow brought out the smell of the old books was much more relaxing than I could have ever imagined it to be. Ever since Lalamon had died, I had put her on a pedestal in my mind, and she did not disappoint. She was better than I remembered her to be. And she was perfection.

I wanted to be perfectly happy now that I had her back, and Willis, Rei and Kiyoko too—even if I hadn't yet spoken to Rei about kissing Taichi, which was definitely forming a rift between us—but I wasn't there yet. I mean, _yes_ , I was _more_ than happy, but there was one last thing I needed to see taken care of. And that may or may not find an end result by the end of today.

Hideto and Kiyoko were sitting around the counter, eating eggs and toast as they seemingly gossiped. Neither noticed me as I made my way down the stairs, but Tapirmon, Warg and Melga certainly spotted Lalamon. Their immediate reactions of excitement were adorable and I ushered her along. If they wanted to play, I wouldn't stop them. I would have to prepare Lalamon's breakfast anyway, so her busying herself until I was done was fine by me.

As I reached the little opening to get into the kitchen, flipping the section of the counter over and lowering it again when I had passed by, I heard the tail end of what Hideto was saying. "It's insane how similar they are."

"I think you're over thinking it," Kiyoko told him gently. "I know you want it to be your business, but maybe you're too clouded with judgement."

"No," Hideto assured him, ignoring me as I made my way to the refrigerator to pull out some fruits and vegetables for Lalamon. The smell of the kitchen was reacting with my stomach, and while I was suddenly hungry, I didn't think eating would sit well with me. "I'm not clouded, I'm just saying, their relationship doesn't make sense."

"What relationship?" I asked, my interest had suddenly peaked. Hideto and Kiyoko both looked toward me like they hadn't noticed me at all, and looked me up and down. "If you're done ogling me—"

"A little dressed up, aren't you?" Hideto asked worried he may have forgotten something. I shrugged my shoulders and returned to the fridge. "Wait, is today Aneko's trial?" I didn't answer, which gave him the results he needed anyhow. "Why didn't you tell me—I have to get dressed _right_ now."

I dropped the armful of vegetables onto the counter and turned to Hideto, wiping my hands on the nearby towel. "You don't have to come."

"I don't _have_ to do anything," Hideto said flatly. "I do what I do because I want to. I want to be there for you Mari."

"It isn't for me," I assured him.

"Then for her," Hideto nodded firmly. "I'll be dressed so fast you won't even know I'm gone."

"Mhm," I nodded, though I couldn't hide how thankful I was that he cared so much about what I cared about for no other reason than because I did.

He pointed away toward the stairs, and muttered, "Like the flash" and then he was off. Kiyoko snorted into his orange juice and splashed it all over his remaining toast. He looked down disgustedly and slid the plate away from himself. He set his orange juice down and I tossed him the towel I'd found to clean himself off.

I knew I shouldn't have kept the trial a secret, but it really wasn't my place to ask them for support. That was their decision, and Hideto for one had made a decision that proved how much he cared about me. "I want to come too," Kiyoko said finally, setting the towel down.

I turned away from him and began chopping up the carrots and spinach to make a sort of salad for Lalamon. "I was thinking, since we're both going, that you could stay with Lalamon."

"But I want to support you," Kiyoko said firmly. "I want to go too, and I know Lalamon will feel the same." I didn't answer because I didn't want to upset him. "I know you're scared that Lalamon might get hurt, but I take Tapirmon _everywhere_ , and he hasn't been shot or anything."

"Not yet," I reasoned. "It's dangerous."

"You can't protect her forever," Kiyoko said in a quiet defeated voice. I had never had such an intense argument with him, and as we were both speaking calmly and neither one seemed to be angry, that was saying something. I noticed a distinct difference in the way he spoke, ever since he had returned from Witchenly. I thought he maybe figured I kept all of my attention on Lalamon, but I had a busy mind that noticed everything. Nothing could escape my knowledge and I had been analysing Kiyoko since his return. When he thought no one was looking, he would hum to himself and even prepare his own food. Rei had taught him some things I imagined, since Willis was a terrible chef—then again, so was Kiyoko now, so perhaps it really _was_ Willis who had taught him. Kiyoko came back as a different man, but whenever Hideto or I were around—to his knowledge—he would revert back to the small codependent boy who had barely cast Sigma aside. _Why_ he did that, I wasn't sure just yet, but I thought it may have to do with routine. I would have to be sure to shake things up and stir the pot to get him to burst back out of that shell before it encased him once more.

"So who is too similar to be in a relationship?" I asked, changing the subject abruptly as I finished with some peppers.

Kiyoko seemed confused as he hopped over the counter with his dirty dishes, but with a soft "Oh," he seemed to have caught on. "No, Hideto was just saying that Katsue and Yamato are like the same person."

I hummed my amusement. "I like Katsue." Once you share an experience like jumping around in time with someone to witness them get their digimon partner, your relationship just kind of became a forever staple in the timeline of your life.

"Why don't you date her then," Hideto announced his return, leaping down the last few steps. "She dated Yamato and he was a lot like her, maybe her type is people who are as bitter toward love and relationships as she is."

"Mari's not bitter toward love and relationships," Kiyoko came to my defense. "She's dating Willis after all."

"No," I shook my head, turning back to the vegetables in case my face showed the slight embarrassment I felt. "I'm not." Neither answered and I just _knew_ they were silently discussing my answer, so I threw another question into the mix. "Why are you talking about Katsue's love life?"

There was a small silence as they finished their not-really-a-discussion. "We were talking about Yamato's love life, actually," Hideto told me as he made his way over to the vegetables I'd already used to put them away for me. "I don't want him to date Amai. Before you say anything sarcastic about how he's my idol—it's not jealousy." Either he knew me well enough to know that I would have said something, or everyone else had also said something along the same line, which was funny either way. "They're _perfect_ for each other. Amai's dreaminess and pure wonderment is complimented by Yamato's intensity and his desire to protect those he cares about, because Amai's innocence _needs_ that protection. Amai doesn't get upset with his sarcasm, because she loves all humour, no matter how subjective you think it is, and everything she does no matter how bizarre is an act to show that she adores you. She gave me a leaf once and I still have it because it was a genuine present." I didn't say anything but she had given me a lumpy rock with a hole in it and I still had it up in my vanity drawer, so I knew he had a point.

"If they're perfect for each other, then why don't you just play along and let them be happy?" Warg surprised me as he pulled himself onto one of the many stools surrounding the counter. "You just said they're perfect."

"That's the thing," Hideto groaned. "I _know_ they're perfect, but there is just something off about the whole thing and I don't know what it is."

"Maybe that Yamato is in love with Sora," Melga snorted as he joined his brother at the counter. "He won't admit it, but does anyone believe that he's not?" I shook my head because I really didn't and offered Melga a carrot stick. He took it with a big smile and then Lalamon had returned, looking down to the bowl with glee. I decided I was done anyway and slid the bowl her way. She seemed happy to finally get to eat.

"Well, have any of you see them, like, kiss?" Hideto asked in a worried voice. "I mean seriously."

"I've never seen Yamato kiss Sora either," I pointed out.

"That's because they haven't been dating for a million years," Hideto groaned. "I want them to break up because something is wrong and then Sora and Mantarou—who, don't worry guys, I'm working on—will break up so Sorato can be endgame." I rolled my eyes at Hideto's ridiculous tendencies and broke off a stick of broccoli to eat _something_ before the trial. Hideto then went on and on about how he just wanted everyone to have a happy ending, but for the most part my mind was back to Lalamon and how I was hoping that she was a sign from the universe that it was apologizing and that everything was going to go smoothly from now on.

I knew it was selfish to think the universe would put so much effort into me, but this last request was for someone else and I hope that Norn or whoever else was in charge could understand that.

When Lalamon finally finished eating, I decided it was time to go. Hideto and I made our way to the door but I noticed something wrong, and I turned back to the others. "Aren't you coming?" Kiyoko looked shocked but I ushered him along. He grinned and rushed over to collect Tapirmon and was on his way out the door before anyone else even moved. Warg and Melga were happy to not be left home alone again and Lalamon hummed beautifully as she floated toward me.

I wondered if Kiyoko had really thought I wasn't going to let him come after his convincing argument, but it was clear that he _had_. That boy needed more confidence behind his perspective if he ever wanted to understand tenacity.

We took a taxi, which was far more crowded than the driver seemed to be comfortable with, but I didn't mind being pressed against the window, because it meant that we were all _here_. The whole family was real and existed for the first time without Sigma. Well, it may not have been the _first_ time, because there were a couple months between Sigma's release and Lalamon's departure, but Kiyoko was so broken then. Now it was _real_. We were a family and we existed together finally.

All that was missing was Neo.

"Neo?" Hideto questioned, staring toward the courthouse. Neo had his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall and Dracomon was jumping up and down with excitement next to him. I wondered if I told the universe I wanted Rei, Pal and Pul to show up if they _would_ , but decided not to push my luck because I would need whatever remaining wishes I had for the trial. I paid the taxi driver and he was on his way, leaving us in the light rain of the November day. I shivered, wishing I had brought a warmer coat than the one I had—both because it was thin and because it looked a lot like Neo's coat, just much more feminine—and then we all made our way toward the building.

"You didn't think I would miss this, did you?" Neo asked seriously, looking toward me specifically though it had been Hideto to question him. "We're a team, Mari. You swore that you would do anything for me when I hired you to delete all living organisms in the Digital World. When that failed, I stopped being the leader of a group that no longer needed one. If you can do anything for me, I'll be anywhere you need me to be." It was sweet of him to even bother to think of me, especially on a day like today when I knew he would have preferred to be in the clean warm apartment he had back home. I would have hugged him if I thought he would appreciate it, though I was glad he wouldn't because I wasn't much a fan of hugs either. He also had his arm wedged into a sling and I didn't think he would be able to do much more than stand awkwardly until the interaction was over.

So instead, we all made our way inside. The building was warm and bright which was nice, but I didn't have time to embrace the change, because my eyes had fallen on my parents who were speaking with their new lawyer—since Bengoshi had 'died' apparently—and as my mother looked up to me her eyes narrowed in disgust. I diverted my eyes instead of sneering or glaring. I had to act as maturely as I could.

My eyes fell on Iori, and confusion overtook me but he made his way immediately into the court room without noticing us. "What's he doing here?" I asked.

Hideto shrugged, "he's a lawyer, right?" Of course he was a lawyer, but this wasn't my case anymore. I had nothing to lose and while I knew Iori wasn't specifically my pocket-lawyer that I could through into any fray to pull me out of legal trouble, it just seemed curious to me that he would be here at this case. "We'll ask him," Hideto decided.

Everyone set off toward the courtroom but I stopped and announced far too loudly for how many professional looking people were surrounding us, "I have to pee." My face turned red and Hideto smirked, making fun of me of course. "Shut up," I whispered, turning to the washrooms. Lalamon floated after me, humming all the way, and then a hand slipped into mine. I looked down surprised and saw Melga. "Hey," I said softly. "I just have to go to the washroom."

"Me too," Melga said firmly.

"I'll go with you," Hideto offered, moving toward his partner. "I don't want you in there alone."

Melga looked up, confused. "But I'll be with Mari." Hideto and I shared Melga's confused look.

"Mari is going to the girl's bathroom," Hideto said, taking Megla's other hand. "I'll take you, it's no trouble."

Megla gently pulled his hand away from Hideto and looked nervous now. "I want to tell you something," Melga said quietly. "It's just that, my species doesn't really have different sexes, right?" Hideto nodded and turned to Kiyoko then to me looking confused. "Well genders are a different case. A gender isn't defined by what part of making a baby you take part in." Kiyoko squeaked with excitement and clapped his hands over his mouth as Warg rushed over to hug Melga. Hideto clearly understood which seemed to help Melga with the delivery. "With that in mind, we identify with different genders, just like you humans do." Hideto knelt down and patted Megla on the head. "I'm a girl, Hideto."

"That's awesome," he said with a wide smile. Melga seemed relieved that he was okay with the ordeal but I couldn't help but be reminded of all the many things Melga had done that could have proven this before her announcement. I felt horrible for not noticing the signs, but I would be sure to have several girls' nights with Lalamon and Melga from now on. "Now you get to use the cleaner bathrooms." Melga beamed with excitement and looked up to me, eager to see the aforementioned cleanliness.

It seemed that everyone was proud of Melga for her courage to come out, and she was lucky to live in such an accepting environment. Sure we had always thought she was a boy, but that didn't mean we loved her less now that she wasn't. Equality meant that girls were just as loveable as boys. Also, we were _that_ much closer to evening out the ratio, adding Rei and Pal and Pul to the group and kicking Neo and Dracomon out _would_ make it an even number, though we'd never do that to Dracomon.

Or Neo.

The bathroom was less clean than Hideto had implied it might be, but as a washroom that was to be expected. Melga announced that she had quite the breakfast and made her way to the toilet which was both disgusting and hilarious at the same time.

When I had finished, and was washing my hands, the door to the stall behind me opened up and I smiled, expecting to see Melga, but my smile fell when I found someone else.

Aneko stopped dead in her tracks, staring into the eyes of my reflection, her eyes were as wide as mine and neither of us knew how to react. We had never formally met, nor would our parents permit such a thing to occur at all. I swallowed thick as she made her way slowly to the opposite end of the row of sinks where she began to wash her hands.

"I like your dress," Lalamon chirped up, hopping over the nearest sink and making her way to Aneko who jumped back in surprise. "Oh, I won't come closer—I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Aneko shook her head slowly, though her wide eyes did not show any signs of lessening. "Y-you didn't scare me," she told Lalamon, nervously moving back to the sink. "I-I-I'm not allowed t-to t-touch your k-kind."

"That stinks," Lalamon pouted. "I'm real cuddly." Instantly Aneko's worry filled eyes began to shine with the smile she could not hide. Lalamon seemed content that she had made her smile, though it was clear she did not recognize her from any other human we may have passed by on the way to the washroom.

I made my way over to the paper towels and began to dry my hands, though Aneko seemed worried that I was so close. I noticed that she was eyeing me up in the mirror, looking nervous again, but I flashed a smile in her direction. She relaxed and smiled back, but as my eyes fell to her bare wrists she pulled on her sleeves, breaking eye contact.

"Aneko," I said before I could stop myself. "Do you know my name?"

She nodded. "You're Mari."

"Do you know who I am?" I asked her, crouching down to be at her eye level for her own comfort.

Again she nodded. "I'm not allowed to say."

"But you _know_?" I asked, and she nodded. "Your parents are pretty controlling, huh?" Aneko nodded but felt guilty so she corrected herself and shook her head. "Do you know why we're here today?"

Aneko nodded weakly, like she wasn't sure. "M-maybe," she decided, "A lady came to see me a bunch. She asked me questions."

"That was a social worker," I told her in a soft voice, as my eyes threatened tears. I couldn't believe how _small_ this girl felt in a situation where I deliberately made her an equal. My parents were demons. They did not deserve someone who was as obviously innocent as Aneko was. "You heard what I said last time, didn't you? About your parents?" Aneko nodded. "They were mean to me."

Aneko looked to Lalamon and then jumped, nearly screaming, as Melga made her way out of the stall she had shut herself away in, when Aneko looked back to me she said in a voice that was barely audible, "They are mean to me too."

"How do you feel about living there?" I asked, my heart aching and my mind daring me to pick her up and run away and never stop.

Aneko shook her head sharply with her nose wrinkled like she knew she wasn't supposed to tell me anything, but still wanted to. "I don't—" she paused and looked back as Melga turned on the faucet next to her, "don't... like it." She looked back to me and then her eyes fell to her sleeves again. "I don't like them hurting me." The helplessness in her voice broke my heart and a tear fell from my eye, despite my best efforts to keep it from happening. I knew I couldn't hug her—I knew I couldn't touch her in case it was turned into something else, but there was someone who didn't know that rule.

Lalamon had reached out to Aneko and floated down to the ground, hugging her. Aneko was shocked for a moment and then hugged her back. "Y-y-you _are_ cuddly," Aneko said, laughing nervously. Lalamon giggled and pressed herself into Aneko's shoulder.

"Aneko," I said gently, wiping the tear from my cheek. "I'm not going to let you suffer." Lalamon released Aneko and stepped back nervously. "You might not be allowed to say who I am, and your parents might not like me, but right now, I'm your ticket out of that house and I'm not going to stop until you're safe."

Aneko looked nervous as the door opened. I jumped to my feet in case it was my mother, but it was not. It was just an elderly woman who made her way to the stalls, eyeing me suspiciously. I knelt down when she had closed herself off and said in a quiet voice, "Aneko." She looked back to me. "Just tell the truth and I promise that everything will be okay." Aneko nodded nervously, but the door to the bathroom opened once more and I decided it was time to make my leave.

Aneko watched me as I held the door open for Melga and Lalamon and she even waved to me and I waved back, and then, as I made my way out into the hallway, I knew that this case had to be won, or Allias III would be back in action and no one would want that. Either way though, Aneko deserved to be happy and I wasn't going to let her suffer.

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

Recess.

"Okay," I said to myself, as I fled the court room. The judge had called for a recess, which was probably a good thing. At this point in the trial, he wasn't sure one way or the other. There wasn't enough convincing evidence against the Goutokuji's to take their daughter from them, but he was obviously deliberating carefully, because this was a young girl's life that he was making a decision over. It was imperative that he gave the decision the right amount of thought. He didn't want to put Aneko back in an unfit home.

I could appreciate that.

I wasn't so keen on the fact that he couldn't see that she _needed_ to be removed from her home life, however. He couldn't see what was blatantly in front of his face. Aneko was in the front row of the pews with her nanny sitting next to her. She was shaking, and trying not to keep eye contact with anyone, _especially_ not her parents. They were seated in front of her, at the defendant's table. They were trying their hardest, working with Heikin Hanamizu—their new lawyer, since Bengoshi was no longer willing, or capable. He was actually in the hospital right then, since he was recovering from having Sigma possess his body. It was horrible that he'd been taken once more by the darkness, but I didn't have time to worry about him, or Sigma, or Gaia.

This case was kicking my butt.

I had to wonder if Horitsu had known it would be this difficult. If he _did_ , he either had much higher expectations of my abilities, or he wanted to take me down a peg, because I'd won each of the cases that we'd worked together on. But I didn't think he'd done it on purpose. He was very invested in saving this young girl from Mari's original fate. I had a feeling he'd simply underestimated Hanamizu, because he had a way of twisting the truth into a meaningless frivolity, and supplying lies in its stead.

He was a very talented lawyer, and it was embarrassing just how intimidated I was by it. This was not the best choice for my first case. I was too emotionally invested. Not only was this Mari's sister—a fellow Digidestined, and a woman I would now call a friend—but Aneko was a child. Natsuni and I were going to be parents, and I felt oddly emotional about the whole thing.

How could anyone be so terrible to their child? How could anyone have a child when they had no intentions to love it—and then have a second one and repeat the exact same treatment hoping for a different result?

I kept seeing Aneko as though she was my child and I needed to protect her from these horrible people, and it was stressing me out, because I couldn't _do_ that. I needed to keep a clear head. I needed to focus on the facts.

It didn't help though, that several of my new coworkers were here, watching from the pews. I could hear their thoughts—not literally, obviously. I didn't even have to look at them to know what they were thinking. They didn't think I was ready. They didn't think I deserved to be given one of Horitsu's own cases. I was new. I was the newest employee he had. I'd been handpicked from his class, and given special attention due to my inexcusable absence. They didn't seem to think that being trapped in literal hell was a good enough reason to be able to take my finals later. They didn't like that I was his favourite—their words, not mine. I didn't believe Horitsu _had_ favourites. I thought he just saw potential in me and was testing me. He wouldn't want a mediocre employee.

But that wasn't all my coworkers were mad about.

Horitsu was actually a friend to me, and we got along really well. He came to talk to me often. This was just singling me out as a teacher's pet even now that he wasn't my professor anymore. They thought I was a brownnoser, sucking up to him, but I wasn't. I didn't like him because he was my boss; I liked him as a person. He was helpful, and he was going out on a limb to help my friends.

Which was _another_ thing that my coworkers didn't like: I was assigned Sora's case. I would be working alongside Horitsu to defend Sora and get her off. It was a highly publicised murder trial, and I evidently didn't have the seniority to be working on it. They liked to glare at me, as though _that_ would be enough to get me to back down. They didn't think I deserved to defend Sora. Technically, I _wasn't._ I was aiding Horitsu on building the case and nothing more. I couldn't be Sora's lawyer. I was too close to not only the defendant, but I was too close to the case itself. I was a Digidestined, and they were targeting Sora in an attempt to discredit us. It would be wrong for me to actively participate in the trial itself.

Not that any of that mattered to my new coworkers. They were all angry with me, and while I wished I could get along with them, I didn't feel the need to go out of my way to befriend angry, judgemental people when I had plenty of friends in my life already. I would probably enjoy being in the office better if they didn't all seem to hate me, but I could deal with the hatred. I didn't even mind it too much. But it was stressing Natsuni out, and I didn't want that.

I just wanted to prove myself today, so that my coworkers would see that I _was_ a capable lawyer, and there was no reason for them to belittle me. It just wasn't working out the way I'd hoped it would.

At the same time though, I hadn't lost. It was more of a stalemate than anything else. I sighed, and tried to focus myself. I needed to free this little girl. It didn't matter what Hanamizu wanted. I would succeed because that's what I needed to do. There was no option for failure.

"Iori?"

I turned around, half expecting it to be Horitsu, but it wasn't. He said he'd be here if his own trial ended in time, but he'd been called away last minute—very last minute, as in five minutes before the trail started. He meant to be here to oversee my progress, but I was doing this one alone. It wasn't him though, it was Hideto. He was walking towards me, with Warg and Melga, while Kiyoko tried anxiously to comfort a very stressed Mari, without actually touching her. Lalamon danced at Mari's side, keeping up a string of encouraging words, and Tapirmon floated dejectedly behind them all, with Neo and Dracomon to keep him company. He, at least, looked to have lost hope.

I was glad that not all of them had. It made it easier for me to keep some for myself.

"What're you doing here?" Hideto asked. He didn't mean in as an accusation, but I rose to defense anyway. I was too prepared for my coworkers.

"It's my case," I told him, feeling rather frosty. He held his hands up, and his eyes widened. I sighed and apologized. "I'm tense. Horitsu was supposed to be here. I'm kind of freaking out. Hanamizu is better than Bengohsi ever was."

"I'll say," Mari said. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. "He's just as manipulative as my parents. He's got everyone thinking that the social worker _approves_ of them. But I'm sure he didn't."

"No," Neo agreed. "Not with the descriptions used. He continually pointed out how scared Aneko was of the interviews, and how tense and quiet she was. She was afraid of saying something wrong and getting into trouble. It was obvious. She's afraid to stand up to her parents."

"But Hanamizu has the judge half-convinced that Aneko is just shy," Kiyoko said grumpily.

"She's not _that_ shy," Melga commented.

"She talked to me in the bathroom and everything," Lalamon agreed.

"Okay," I said, not bothering to point out that maybe talking to her beforehand wasn't the best idea. "I just need to make a plan. I need another witness. Judge Fajji is reasonable man. I just need to pick someone that can shine a real light on the situation."

"Put me on the stand," Mari suggested. I shook my head. "Why not?"

"Hanamizu won't stand for it," I said bitterly. "Now that he's convinced you lied about Willis' death just to sway the judge's opinion."

"That's your own fault," Mari said, narrowing her eyes. "There was no reason to bring it up."

"There was every reason," I corrected. "Judge Fajji allowed a digimon to take the stand to verify everything you said. I needed to make sure that it wouldn't negatively affect that kindness if the truth got out later. By sharing the truth with him _now_ , he knows pretty much as soon as we did, and that means we weren't withholding a witness. Hanamizu is already trying to pressure Fajji into a re-trial, but because he knows the truth, and still accepts Terriermon's testimony, there won't be a chance of that."

"Well, if the judge won't care, why _can't_ Mari go up?" Warg wanted to know.

"Because Judge Fujji already knows everything Mari has to say. He's already sympathetic to her and therefore our cause. He doesn't need the same information to be repeated to him. It would be a waste of a witness," I said with a sigh. "But I don't want to bring one of your parents up to the stand, because they _have_ proven themselves to be rather manipulative, and I don't want them to try their hands at my questioning. I won't be able to force them to comply the way I'd like. They'd take control, and I'd look like an idiot."

"What will you do then?" Dracomon asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I don't know who else I _could_ call. Rida would be an interesting choice, if only to try and get him to bring up the marriage contract that they seem to think is a good idea. But I doubt Rida would be fooled so easily. He already got twisted up when Katsue questioned him at the press conference. He's not going to let me sway him again."

"Everyone's heading back inside," Tapirmon pointed out. I groaned, and psyched myself up.

"No pressure," Hideto said as lightly as he could manage.

"All the pressure," Warg corrected, looking at Hideto strangely. I tried to pretend his correction helped, but it really didn't. I was very glad that Natsuni had decided to skip out of the trial in order to look at our potential future house with her father. I didn't want her to see me floundering up there. It would be horribly embarrassing.

"Good luck," Lalamon murmured. "Aneko needs you."

"Aneko," I murmured. "Right."

I walked back inside, knowing that Mari was looking at me the entire way. This was very important to her, and I couldn't let her down. I'd done all I could to keep her parents from stealing her inheritance, now I needed to prevent them from hurting her sister any further.

I could definitely do this.

"Order in the court!" the judge called, slamming his gavel on his bench. The crowd grew silent once more, and everyone looked up at Judge Fajji. "Hanamizu, call up your final witness."

"With pleasure, your honour," he said, flashing a bright smile, and turning to the defendant's table. "Mrs Goutokuji, if you would?"

Mrs Goutokuji made a show of looking timid and upset. She nodded, and her husband pulled her chair out, squeezing her arm and she looked to him, expressing her thanks with her pitiful glance. She was hamming it up, trying to garner sympathy. It was disgusting. It was also potentially working, if the way Judge Fujji's eyes softened was any indication. She made her way on unsteady feet to the stand, where she swore to tell the truth and nothing but the truth—though I knew it would be a bunch of fabricated lies, because that's what she did the _last_ time she was up there. I really hoped that Fujji remembered that she swore she witnessed Bengoshi's death while on the stand not very long ago.

Bengoshi wasn't dead. He was in the hospital because Sigma had taken his body. Then Sigma left and was out there somewhere and we didn't know where and—

My hands were sweating. I shook my head. Itami Goutokuji was a liar. That was where I had to keep my focus.

"Could you tell, Mrs Goutokuji, what you have been accused of?" Hanamizu asked.

"Someone, s-someone thinks that I w-would _ever_ r-raise a h-hand against my child," she said, sounding confused, and terrified by the thought of it. I rolled my eyes. She wasn't quite lying though. We _did_ think that's exactly what she did.

"Now, could you rebuttal that accusation?" Hanamizu asked. I wanted to hear what she'd have to say, so I stayed silent. She deliberated, looking to the judge, before she took a deep breath, preparing to start.

"It's a vicious lie," she said firmly. Her lips trembled then, and she covered her mouth with her hand. She took a moment to compose herself. "I would never do such a thing. A child is a precious gift, and we've been blessed with the most beautiful daughter in the whole wide world."

"Have you ever raised a hand against her?" Hanamizu asked.

"Never," she swore. "Violence solves nothing. Calm reasoning and conversation keep love alive."

"Have you ever harmed her in any way, mentally, physically, emotionally?" Hanamizu pressed.

"Of course not," Mrs Goutokuji said, sounding offended at the implication. "I can't….who could possibly think that we'd hurt our baby girl?" She paused to wipe tears from her eyes. They were actually real, which was surprising, but I was one hundred percent sure they weren't genuine. "The thought alone…I can't bear it. She's our future. She's so sweet, and who could even _think_ of hurting her? I can't—I can't. I'm sorry!"

"Mr Hida, anything to comment on?"

"When you say she's your future, you're of course referring to the marriage you intend to lock her in sometime in the near future?" I asked her. She looked up sharply, pausing in the middle of her 'sobbing' and glared at me. I hoped the judge noticed.

"I object!" Hanamizu called. "That's hearsay and speculation. There's no evidence to support such a wild claim."

"Objection sustained," Judge Fujji agreed, looking to me sternly, but I could see he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. He was starting to get suspicious. _Good_. "Any further questions?"

"What makes Aneko different?" I asked loudly.

"Pardon?" Mrs Goutokuji said, wiping away at her 'tears' remembering the façade she was meant to keep up. "I don't understand the implication."

"Aneko is the second daughter," I reminded her. "Mari was your first— _is_ your first, sorry, as you've not disowned her. You have a history of abusive behaviour. What is it about Aneko that is different than Mari? What difference is there that is able to surmount the verbally and physically violent tendencies that you and your husband have been known to exhibit in the past?"

"Objection your honour!" Hanamizu shouted.

"On what grounds?" the judge inquired.

"He's leading the witness," Hanamizu accused.

"The questions are legitimate," Fujji decided. "Mrs Goutokuji, if you could answer?"

"Of course, your honour," Mrs Goutokuji said. She looked to her husband. It was a frantic look, but it only lasted a second. I turned to see him nodding solemnly at her. She looked back to the judge and allowed her eyes to water once more. "Our dear sweet Mari would do anything for attention, your honour. We gave her as much attention as we could, and it wasn't enough for her. She was always going out of her way to act out, and gain _more_ , even if it was not us that provided it."

"What are you implying?" I asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Hanamizu said, rolling his eyes. "The girl lied for attention. It's simple."

"Did she?" I asked, mockingly, though I obviously didn't believe one word of it. It was clear by my tone alone that I didn't put much worth in his words. The judge didn't either, if his sigh was anything to go by. I was sure it had something to do with the fact that all of this was covered at the _last_ trial this family partook in. I was reminded of Mrs Goutokuji's lies, however, and decided to go with it. "I suppose she comes by it honestly then, as this is the _second_ time Mrs Goutokuji has blatantly lied after swearing her oath, the first being when she claimed to be a witness to the death of a man who happened to be alive."

"I object!" Hanamizu said.

"Objection sustained," Judge Fujji said tiredly. "That case has already been decided."

"No further questions," I said simply.

Mrs Goutokuji glared at me again, as she made her way back to her table. My heart was racing, but not for fear of _her_. She was inconsequential to me now. I didn't have a witness picked out. I was supposed to call one forward any second now, and I didn't know what to do. Mari would be pointless, and calling her father would just be a repeat of what had just happened.

There was really only one choice, when I thought about it.

"Mr Hida, your final witness?" Judge Fujji prompted.

"I'd like to call Aneko Goutokuji to the stand," I said, trying to balance the firmness with a gentle tone. I didn't want to give Aneko any reason to be scared.

"No," Mr Goutokuji responded immediately. "She's a child. She can't handle the pressure. She's too shy."

"Miss Goutokuji?" Fujji asked, looking directly at Aneko, who was sitting frozen right behind her parents. "Will you take the stand?"

The courtroom was silent, as we waited for Aneko to make her decision. She was looking down at her knees, but she tilted her head to the side, as though she was looking towards her older sister, though she wasn't able to actually see her through the people between them. She looked up, ignoring the 'whispers' of her mother, telling her to stay put, and nodded. She got to her feet, flinching when her mother hissed at her to "stop this nonsense" and made her way towards the stand. She placed her hand on the bible when she was prompted to, and she swore the oath to remain truthful.

Her voice was soft and shaking. She was obviously very nervous. I hoped she was actually up to this. I didn't want to face Mari if I put her sister on the spot, and she broke down. This was a risky choice, as it was. She was definitely under her parent's control, but Lalamon was _sure_ that she didn't want to be, and I was taking Lalamon's word for it.

I hoped that the gamble would pay off.

"Miss Goutokuji," I said. She shook her head and smiled.

"My name is Aneko," she said quietly.

"Aneko then," I said, smiling at her, encouraged by her cooperation. "Would you be willing to answer a few questions? You will only need to say yes or no, unless you feel the need to elaborate."

"Okay," Aneko said softly. "I can do that."

She flinched, when her eyes met her father's, and I turned to see him shaking his head, glaring at her. Aneko started shaking, and forced her eyes away from him, turning to look towards Mari and Lalamon instead. She smiled and waved at them, and Mari smiled back, putting Aneko at ease.

"Has either of your parents ever hit you?" I asked.

"Y-yes," she said. Her whisper was so soft, I could hardly hear it, but she was nodding her head, and her answer was clear.

"Has either verbally lashed out?"

"Yes," she said, her voice still soft, but much clearer.

"Do they make you feel safe?"

"No," she said, shaking her head quickly, and I could see tears starting to form—genuine, unlike her mother's had been. She paused, and wiped her face with her sleeves.

"Do they have certain expectations of you that are harsher than those of your peers?"

"Yes," she said. I was about to ask another question, when she looked at me. "They want me to get married…. You were right. Mom lied. They want me to marry a mean man. They say it's good for the family. I will add to their immense wealth. I was born to make them better. I must do as my husband pleases, so that our family name will not be tarnished. If I ask questions, I am punished. If I don't obey, I am punished. I am not to voice my disagreement, or I will be punished."

Her voice was growing in volume as she spoke growing more passionate about her declaration the longer she looked into Mari's eyes. She'd been there when Mari had made _her_ confession, and I thought for sure that she was drawing strength from her sister—because Mari had strength to spare.

"Anything else?" I prompted, not knowing what to ask after her little speech, but I could tell that there was more. She wanted to keep talking. Once the flood gates opened, she couldn't keep it to herself. She'd been holding it all inside for her entire life, and now, within the safety of the stand, she could finally free her voice.

"I-I'm scared!" she cried. Her tears were flowing more freely now. "Daddy's mad, and he hurts me when he's mad and I don't want to go home with him. I don't like it at home. I get scared and no one helps me. I'm all alone, and I….I don't love them. Why don't I love them? They're Mom and Dad but I don't love them. They scare me. I don't want to be bad. I'm sorry I'm bad. Please don't punish me! I didn't mean it. I have to tell the truth, don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me!"

My heart clenched at the sounds of her cries. Her parents were on their feet, ready to storm over to her, but Hanamizu held them back, desperate to try and salvage the case, but it had already been won. Judge Fujji slammed his gavel again and again, until the chaos of the courtroom had quieted, and the Goutokujis were secured.

"It is clear to me what decision must be made," Fujji said solemnly. "The Goutokuji's are unfit parents, but more so, are _abusive_. Custody of Aneko will be granted to her next of kin, should one be located, and the Goutokuji's now face a five year incarceration."

"You cannot be _serious_!" Mrs Goutokuji screamed.

"She's a child," Mr Goutokuji snapped. "She's just like her sister."

"Enough!" Judge Fujji bellowed, banging his gavel again. Aneko was still sobbing, and was lowering herself behind the stand so it could protect her from her parents. I saw Mari move passed me and head to the stand, crouching down next to Aneko. I followed her, because she really wasn't meant to be up there, but I knew Aneko would need her. Lalamon headed up the same time I did. Aneko held her arms out for Lalamon, who went to her without a word.

"I told you I was good for snuggling," Lalamon told her in a singsong voice. Aneko choked out a laugh, and nuzzled against her.

"You're a Goutokuji, are you not?"

I looked up to see Judge Fujji looking pointedly at Mari. Mari's face flushed and she nodded. "I'm Mari Goutokuji, yes. I'm her sister."

"Then you are her next of kin," Fujji pointed out.

"I guess so, yeah," Mari said, seeming to realize what that meant. Her eyes went wide and she looked from the judge to Aneko and back again. "I want to, but…I don't know."

"It will be temporary custody, of course," Judge Fujji told her. "You will be monitored at semi-regular intervals for the first year or more. Aneko cannot be placed in an unfit home. If you do not meet the requirements, then she will be taken from you."

"No," Aneko cried into Lalamon's head.

"I'll take care of her," Mari said, her resolve breaking at the desperation in her sister's voice.

"Social services will want to speak with you, before Aneko can be brought to your home," Fujji informed her. He nodded towards a professional looking man, wearing a suit and tie. He had a clipboard in his hands. He was the social worker that had observed the Goutokujis. Aneko seemed comfortable enough with the idea so long as Mari and Lalamon would be with her.

It worried me how quickly she was clinging to Mari. I knew she was starved for affection, but it seemed a tad reckless. I knew though, that Mari would always treat her right. They had similar pasts, and Mari would make sure that Aneko's future was a bright one. She'd give her the home she always needed, but didn't know could exist—and I helped with that. That feeling was more important than putting another victory under my belt. The sneers of my coworkers weren't so annoying when I thought of the beautiful thing I helped bring into being.

I hadn't needed to save her.

In the end, she needed to save herself.

They were family, and now they were together, and it was beautiful, and wonderful. And they could finally be happy—if only Sora could already feel the same, and Gaia and Sigma would just disappear, then everything would be perfect.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** So one trial is down, but Sora is still facing some serious trouble. Jou and Jenna are both on the case in the next chapter, because they're not going to let their friend down!


	31. Truth and Lies

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 31: Truth and Lies**

 _ **Jou Kido:**_

"Look, I've waited until you were ready," I reasoned, kind of annoyed, "You can't go now. Sora needs you, and you promised you would come."

"This is a really big deal, okay?" Iruka snapped, folding her arms across her chest, "I can't just force my mind to be ready to face my father's murderer!"

Okay, while that seemed fair, it would also have been fair if she would have taken the time to realize that she had the potential to help Sora out of the predicament she had trapped herself in. I had done my duty to Iruka and kept her identity a secret as long as she had asked, and then this morning she had come to me, claiming to be ready to go see Sora together, and yet now she was trying to turn the other cheek and go home without speaking to Sora at all. I was a pretty understanding man, in fact I became a doctor with the sole purpose of helping people, and so I understood when someone needed their time. But if Iruka thought I would let this run on any longer while Sora's trial grew ever nearer then she was mistaken. My duty would be to Sora if ever there was a time in which I had to chose between the two, and it was beginning to look like that time would be _now_.

"I understand that it hurts," I told her softly, "but you will regret not meeting with her if you decide to leave. You are seeking answers, right? Then go in there and find them." Iruka seemed annoyed that I had gotten to her, but I could see that I _had_ gotten into her mind at least and she began to think. She tossed her voluminous hair over her shoulder and looked back down the wet street. If she didn't think up her decision soon, it would start to rain again and we would be caught in the cold wet autumn weather that I hated so much. "If you're not going, I'll go in and tell her about you anyway—"

"You promised you wouldn't," she insisted, sounding hurt.

"I know," I admitted, "but you promised that you would help Sora if you could and her trial is _soon_. I need you to understand that she needs all the help she can get."

"And what makes you think I actually want to help someone who killed my _father_?" Iruka snapped, her face contorting into anger. "If I killed your dad would you be on my side?" I hadn't exactly thought of it that way, and I had to shake my head to be honest, and it was clear that she had made her point. "I know what may have gone on, but that doesn't make it any easier of a pill to swallow. My dad is _dead_."

"I'm sorry, Iruka," I said in a weak voice. She turned her entire body, arms crossed and deliberated which direction to storm off. "My mother died when I was young," I blurted, capturing Iruka's attention. "I'm not going to pretend to know what you're going through because everyone experiences things differently, but at the very least I understand what losing a parent is like." Iruka's shoulders stiffened and she looked back to me, I could see pity in her eyes, but that wasn't what I had been asking for. "I know what a relationship to someone important feels like, and I also know what it means to betray someone."

"I didn't say anything about betraying him," Iruka defended herself.

"I just assumed," I added quietly.

She finally turned back to face me, "He was a jerk," she admitted lazily, "My dad was a bad person and he abused his power as a police chief. I know that as well as you do. I'm not pretending my dad was a saint or anything, but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw him under the bus for your friend."

I hesitated, and she nodded seeming to understand, "No, I didn't ask you to. That's not what I meant."

"It sure sounds like it," Iruka said, pouting her bottom lip slightly. "You're acting like you're a good friend to _me_ , but you're only looking out for her. I'm not stupid, I see that."

"She's one of my best friends," I tried to reason, and she simply let her eyebrows slide up her forehead and I sighed, "You're right though. I haven't been fair to you as a person. What if you came in and _met_ her, and then made your decision? No one can force you to do anything you don't want to." Iruka looked like she wanted to yell at me and tell me that I could find someone else to bother, but her face relented all at once and she slowly nodded, agreeing to my suggestion. A sense of victory rushed through me and I ushered her forward, down Sora's garden path and toward the front door.

I balled up my fist and knocked three times before turning to Iruka to see if she was ready. She didn't _seem_ ready as she tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and straightened out her jacket, but when the door opened she froze, staring up to Daisuke who smiled down the steps at me.

"Are you here to talk about Jun's pre-pre-pre wedding ceremony?" Daisuke asked, "I agree, she's insane. There's no reason for her to be as prepared as she—" as I shook my head his eyes trailed over to Iruka and he smiled sheepishly, "Oh, sorry!" he stepped aside to make room for us to enter the house, I allowed Iruka to go first and then followed the two of them inside. "I'm Daisuke," he said, throwing his hand out for Iruka to shake. She smiled politely and obliged, but looked rather nervous.

"I'm Iruka," she added when she realized she would have to introduce herself as well. She looked into Sora's living room with an intimidated expression written all over her face and finally she seemed ready, marching forward.

Daisuke looked curiously toward me, but he would find out soon enough so I simply pushed him along, steering him into the living room where Veemon was sitting with Sora who was teaching him to knit. She had paused though as she looked up to Iruka, worried and confused. When she saw that she had come with me her worry faded, though her confusion burned steadily. "This is Iruka," I said awkwardly, moving to stand with her for support. "She wanted to meet with you, Sora." I diverted my eyes, looking toward Labramon, sitting by Daisuke's feet. It was wrong of me to continue to lie to Iruka about who had killed her father, but it was not my decision, and I had to trust that would be enough to ease my mind.

"Okay," Sora said, shifting uncomfortably while still holding her knitting. Veemon peeked through her arms to get a better look at Iruka who looked just as uncomfortable as Sora. "Well, I'm here."

"Right," Iruka moved forward and folded her dress under her as she sat on the couch, turning to face her, "I'm Iruka," she said, blushing when she realized I'd already mentioned that, "You killed my father."

Sora dropped her knitting and Veemon nearly fell of the couch, but both managed to compose themselves long enough to shoot me an accusatory glance. I gestured to Iruka to draw their attention back to her because she was the reason we had come, not to get upset with me.

"I'm not going to yell at you or anything," Iruka promised, correctly reading Sora's intimidation, "I wanted to talk to you, that's all."

Daisuke pulled my arm and I nearly fell flat on my face, tripping over Labramon, but I had just caught myself as Daisuke continued to move, dragging me into the kitchen. Once we had turned the corner he rounded on me and in a whispered voice shot out, "What were you thinking?"

"She's here because she wants peace with what happened," I tried to explain, "She just wants to know what happened."

"And we're supposed to lie to her?" Daisuke growled, " _You_ lied to her! You told her she was right in assuming Sora killed Moretsuna and brought her here! What the _hell_ were you thinking?"

I felt my face pale as I realized what he must have been suggesting. What if Iruka was working for the people who were against Sora? It would not be a far stretch to assume that she might have wanted to find justice in her father's death, and to do so she had used what connections she knew. What if she—right now—was recording Sora? I wanted to believe that I could trust her, but I was lying to her now, so our relationship was evidentially not an honest one. "She seemed so genuine," I said in a quiet voice, poking my head around the corner. "She's trying to find pea—"

Daisuke had pulled me sharply again, retracting back into the kitchen, rubbing his face with his other hand, "I'm sure she pulled out all the stops in convincing you, but you _can't_ keep her here." He pointed out to her, and with a serious voice added, "Go now, and tell her that you just came here to set the record straight. Sora didn't do a _damned_ thing."

"How would that be convincing _now_?" I asked, trying to understand just _how_ I had made such a serious mistake in judgement.

"I don't _care_ ," Daisuke insisted, "If she gets confirmation—however false it may be—that Sora killed him, she'll go to prison, and otherwise she'll find that Kurayami did it. Your brother is marrying my sister and the wedding is in mere _days_ , Jou, you don't want to ruin that ceremony by throwing Kurayami in prison and making the bride's brother _bail_ , do you? 'Bail' has a double meaning here because I'll leave the wedding _and_ sell my soul to get Kurayami out of prison."

"She won't go to prison," I decided, filled with confidence. I stormed back out into the living room, leaving Daisuke behind and found Sora shaking her head fervently to Iruka.

"I didn't kill your father," she said seriously, "I'm sorry for you loss but it _wasn't_ me."

"And I'm not here to get upset, so you can stop lying," Iruka insisted, "Honestly, just talk to me. Tell me how it happened. I want to know what he did to deserve it!"

"I didn't kill your father," Sora said again.

" _I_ did," Kurayami had appeared at the top of the stairs to the basement and Daisuke shoved past me, rushing into the living room.

All eyes had turned to Kurayami and everyone ignored Daisuke as she tried to play up the conversation, "Funny, sweetheart, now go back downstairs with Haruki—"

Kurayami swatted at Daisuke's hands and stepped toward Iruka. Kurayami was wearing a lose grey cardigan that was hanging off of one shoulder, and her hair was messy like she had just taken a nap with her baby, but she didn't seem worried about the way that she looked, instead she kept her eyes glued to Iruka. "I killed your father, and I did it to save my friends." She spoke with such intensity that I nearly missed the crack in her voice. "He was on top of her—and he was trying to take her away. He was taking her _baby_ away, and I could only think of Haruki—and of Norn. I could only think how I had _promised_ never to kill—never to become the demon I feared—but I did it. I took his gun and I killed him. But I only killed him to save innocent lives." Iruka looked horror stricken and her face was whiter than a sheet as Kurayami added, "I—I am _so_ sorry." Tears were silently streaming down her face, but no one in the room seemed ready to step in to say anything. Daisuke and Sora were still in shock that she had admitted to the crime she was never supposed to speak of, while Veemon and Labramon were gauging Iruka for her reaction.

Iruka's hand moved slowly to cover her mouth as she diverted her watering eyes to her lap. "I didn't know he had a family," Kurayami said through her tears, which sent Daisuke into comfort mode. "I-I took him away from you—I'm _so_ sorry." Moretsuna had taken her _grandfather_ away from her, and it was no different aside from the circumstances involved but she seemed to realize that two wrongs did not make a right, and that bringing this up would only upset Iruka more.

"He _didn't_ have a family," Iruka said coldly, "He had _me_. That was all that was left. We had each other—now he's gone."

"I'm so sorry," Kurayami said thickly, trying to escape Daisuke's arms to get to Iruka to help, but Daisuke didn't seem to think it was a good idea and was holding her back. "I—I have made many mistakes—"

"Stop," Iruka said very loudly, holding her hand up, "Don't you dare tell me that killing my father was a _mistake_." Kurayami shrunk backward and Iruka finally looked up to reveal that her makeup was running down her cheeks. "He was a human being, and he had strengths just as everyone else," her eyes were wide with a stern sense of tenacity, but Kurayami could not match her gaze and was scared now. "But he also had many weaknesses. He was a _bad_ man. He did many _bad_ things, and if what you say is _true_ and he was hurting your friend, then you did what you had to do, and you should _never_ tell yourself it was a mistake again. If you had not done it, you might be dead now as well." Kurayami was so shocked as the sense of relief passed through her that Daisuke had to hold most of her weight to keep her upright, but when I felt a small tug on my arm I looked down to see Sora, jerking her head toward the stairs to get the two of us out of their way. I agreed and we slipped out of the room to give them some privacy.

"I'm the one who made the mistake," I said bitterly the moment we had closed the door to Sora's bedroom. Biymon was sitting on the bed, watching the television Sora had installed above her dresser and looking like she hadn't heard a thing that had gone on downstairs. "I shouldn't have brought her here."

"No," Sora agreed, dropping into the bed next to Biyomon, "You shouldn't have." She wrapped her arm around her partner and pulled her closer to her chest. "But it seems to be working out. She knows the truth now, for better or for worse, and she _deserves_ that much. Moretsuna was an _awful_ man, but he was her father. She needed to know the truth and now she does. I think that's fair."

I narrowed my eyes at the blankness of her expression and I moved toward her, pushing her feet aside to make room on the bed, "It bothers you that she humanized him, doesn't it?" Sora ignored the question entirely and I knew it to be true. "What you're doing is still brave, Sora. It is still honorable and it proves that your love is stronger than you give it credit for."

She looked away from the television and smiled weakly, brushing my arm gently, "Thank you, Jou." She sighed, and leaned her head back, "Daisuke will be upset for a while, but he'll get over it, I promise."

"You think?" I asked, worried.

"When the trial is over, he'll have to get over it," Sora shrugged, "There won't be any reason to hold onto the grudge."

"Unless Kurayami is the one to go to prison," I argued, catching Biyomon's attention. She looked worried, and Sora gently patted her head, "It won't happen," I promised Biyomon with empty words. "Have you spoken to Koushiro?" I changed the subject as fast as I could to keep Biyomon from reacting poorly. She seemed interested in this answer though so I hadn't done a great job at easing her mind, but she seemed less worried if anything.

Sora nodded, and opened her eyes again, "I have, he won't talk about it though."

"About Mimi?" I asked, "Or the drugs?"

"Mimi told you, huh?" Sora asked and I nodded. Of course she did. When I had found her crying in a corner, ignoring Palmon's pleas for her to get up, she had no choice but to let me know. I hadn't seen Koushiro since our brief meeting with Gennai, but if I had, I probably would have punched him for stealing and being a complete fool. "She hasn't spoken to me," Sora said, "I think she's scared I know something she doesn't about Koushiro."

"Why would she think that?" I asked.

"Because I told her about the drugs," Biyomon said in a sad little voice, "She thinks that Koushiro goes to us for troubles and maybe he doesn't love her, but hasn't told her yet."

I was impressed. "You got all of that from her running away?" I asked Sora.

She shrugged, "I got all of that from Biyomon's retelling of the event," she said with a sad smile, "I'm perceptive. It's true though, isn't it?" I nodded.

" _Jou!" Mimi sobbed, "H-he left when I t-t-told him I wanted to be there for him forever. Th-that means he doesn't want the s-same thing as me!"_

" _Mimi, that boy has never loved anyone aside from you," I promised her, "You don't have to worry about that."_

" _But why am I like_ this _if he loves me as much as you say he d-does?" She cried, throwing her arms around me, "He doesn't love me, and I th-think Sora knows it!"_

"They need to talk," Sora decided, releasing Biyomon and leaning forward. "They need to talk, or her fears will become reality and they will fall apart." I knew she was right, but I didn't think either of them was ready to talk rationally. Koushiro had fallen to a place where he had never been before. He was broken and stressed and _scared_ , and he would not admit this to himself, or to anyone else. But he had fallen apart. Mimi had been _so_ ready to move on with her life, but Koushiro hadn't quite been there, and just as we all thought he might have made it to that place, the virus had hit and his entire world was altered. They needed _time_ , but if they took that time, it seemed that they would only drift further apart.

There was a knock on the door and Biyomon pushed it open gently, poking his head inside, "Iruka wants to leave, Jou."

I turned to Sora, silently pleading for her to wish me luck, because I did not know how this had ended. I may have inadvertently sent one of my friends to prison because I had been worried about a girl I didn't even truly know. A girl that I knew I had to have more faith in. She had come from a place of working under her father's rule to destroy digimon, to a girl who willingly spoke to and befriended a digimon. She was a grown woman who had been the very reason for the virus' depletion. She was a pivotal member of this war whether she even knew that to be true or not.

As I made my way down the stairs, following Veemon closely I found that Kurayami was sitting on the couch, sitting on her hands, right next to Iruka who seemed pleased to see me. Kurayami looked like she had fallen apart, but with Daisuke next to her I knew she would find the strength to pick up the pieces. He glared at me, and I was worried about what had gone on in the confrontation, but Iruka was already making her way to the door.

"I'm sorry, Daisuke," I said, backing my way toward Iruka.

Daisuke slowly shook his head, but did not look pleased, "Thanks," he said, looking nervously to his wife. She nodded her head and leaned closer to him, "I think everything worked out okay." My chest swelled with that news, though of course there would be no proof until after the trial, but as for now, Daisuke seemed to be less upset with me if nothing else.

After a quick goodbye, I followed Iruka out of the house, and closed the door behind me. "Are you okay?" I asked her, worried. She turned back to me and nodded, though her face was still stained with tears and makeup. "You're really brave for what you said in there." This time she shook her head in disagreement, "You're not going to speak up against her in court are you?"

Iruka looked to me, her turning in jerky movements. "I would _never_ ," she insisted, "Believe me. If anyone knows how cruel my father could be it would be me. It doesn't change the fact that I want him to be alive, and it doesn't make me hate her any less. But it makes me understand. I would not hurt someone who was helping someone else." She then smiled which shocked me more than it should have, "You taught me that, Jou." The way her face flushed worried me, because it was not a simple embarrassment, for I was used to that expression myself. She looked like she might have had a crush on me, but of course I would never act on this. I was happily married to Momoe—though it was odd seeing that it might be a possibility even. I had never experienced someone aside from Momoe having feelings for me. Though, that was more than likely my own fault having spent most of my time with my closest friends and digimon.

"I'm happy to help," I told her kindly, then put my hands in my jacket pockets before motioning to start walking. We walked down the path together and I agreed to walk her home, which I probably shouldn't have done if I wanted her to be clear that there wasn't any chance that we might go somewhere together, aside from her house of course.

When we arrived at her doorstep I nearly let her go before asking, and yet somehow found it to be a good idea anyway, "Would you say those things in front of the jury?" She hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob, "if we needed you, could we rely on you to help them understand why he died?"

She turned around once more and looked to me like I had slapped her across the face, "Absolutely not," she said flatly, "I said I _understood_ , not that would fight _against_ my father."

"But—"

"No, Jou," she said with a very determined expression. She looked hurt again and then turned back to her door and disappeared into her house. I cursed myself for being stupid enough to ask because now she was upset with me and we couldn't have that be the case if she held one of our dearest secrets.

With an audible groan full of frustration and embarrassment—something I was prone to—I turned on the spot and made my way down the street. I wasn't ready to go back home just yet, so I made mental plans to get back to Tatum in the Coliseum to see what we could do about using the mirrors to locate Gaia. At least in that aspect I couldn't do anything wrong.

Unless I broke the mirror! But I didn't like to think of the negatives anymore. Too much worry. But in times like these, when there were just so many negatives, it became increasingly harder.

 _ **Jenna Washington:**_

"It's a wild accusation though," Chi sounded grumpier than I would have liked. He ran his hand through the mohawk of deep violet hair and he sighed. He was leaning against the wall of my bedroom looking for all the world like he wanted to help me, but finding himself unable to. I felt like a crazy person. I thought better on the floor, so there I sat, with papers strewn about in a giant scrambled mess. Kudamon was nearby, reading from one of the pages I had cast aside. Each page was filled with ideas or thoughts regarding Sora's trial. I knew Iori wasn't looking for any more help, and I knew Sora was willing to take whatever punishment came to her, but I wasn't going to sit back and let Veronica get away with this.

"But she _did_ it," I assured Chi. "I just know it."

He removed himself from the wall and crouched by my side, taking my hand, "And I believe you, really. Veronica is a tortured mind, and I think she could do any of a long list of crimes. I just think that you're jumping to conclusions and if you do that you will overlook the line of truths that will help to prove the end result."

I pulled my hand away from him and fell backwards until I was laying still and staring up to the ceiling above. "The truth," I said through my frustration, "is that Veronica thought she was smarter than she was, and she took the knife from Sora's house. She then got some of Moretsuna's blood and smeared it on the knife, being careful not to incriminate herself, and then she planted the knife at a murder scene."

"Where was the murder?" Chi asked, "The fake murder, I mean."

"Arnold's base over in Japan," I responded with ease. I knew this forward and backward. "If you're going to ask why the police haven't wondered why Sora was smart enough to clean up the murder scene but not the weapon, don't bother because apparently there were traces of blood on the floor."

Kudamon looked uncomfortable when he curled up next to me for safety. It wasn't as if Moretsuna was going to pop out of the ground and attack him though. "Where did the blood come from?" Chi asked.

"I'm assuming Moretsuna had blood streams inside his body," I said sarcastically, "Unless he was a digimon too."

"He wasn't," Chi said, though his voice sounded bitter now as he retracted his hand from its place on my knee. I hadn't meant to be rude, or to upset him but sometimes I found that my voice was uncontrollable, like something else was speaking for me and that my brain took breaks every now and then as if to sabotage me. I reached out for Chi's hand and he wove his fingers through mine, accepting my silent apology. "So if Veronica was the culprit, where did _she_ find the blood?"

"While that is a wonderfully worded question," I said, finally sitting up, dragging Kudamon along with me. He slid to a stop in my lap and nuzzled his head closer to me. "I have not found the answer yet."

"Maybe if you're unwilling to move forward," Chi suggested, "You should go backward. Work from Veronica, to her motives, all the way back to the start. I still think you should widen your search, but if you're sure it was Veronica, then proving her innocent _or_ guilty would help the case."

"She's innocent," I reminded him, "That Kurayami girl killed him."

"Planting false evidence is a crime," Chi said in his softest of voices, "Whoever did this is still a criminal."

"Whoever did this has something against Sora," I realized, releasing Chi's hand to look back down at the papers. "That's so obvious, how did I miss it? Whoever is planting this evidence would have to some kind of bad blood with Sora, or they wouldn't have started the crime at all. If they were against the Digidestined, then letting it sit would still keep Kurayami guilty."

"What does Veronica have against Sora?" Chi asked, his expression blank. "We've been following her constantly and she's almost spotted me at least ten times, it's getting dangerous. I don't know how you stay hidden so well." I was _really_ good at hiding, and I always had been, but that didn't stop Veronica from being good at seeking. She had nearly spotted me several times, and once I was sure she _had_ because she made sure to shake me off, but I wasn't going to tell Chi that or he would tell me it was too dangerous to go back out and play law and order. "I haven't noticed her blatant hatred for fashion or gossip or red haired people. What would she have against Sora?"

I shrugged my shoulder and scooted backward so I could lean against my bed. It was a lot harder to solve crimes in secret when not a single member of the crime knew what you were up to. I couldn't even ask questions. But it had to be obvious. I had spent two full months living in a dusty old restaurant with Sora, what had I learned?

I learned that Sora hated that she wasn't allowed outside. She wasn't allowed outside because she had been arrested. She had been arrested because of Arnold. And Arnold was the key.

"Arnold!" I said flatly. "Veronica is working for Arnold who has _everything_ against Sora for _no_ reason! He killed her once with Arkadimon, he locked her up, made her send the virus out, stole Biyomon and turned the world against her and her fashion shows. Arnold _hates_ her because she bested him. No one has ever bested him before—except when Allias III broke Willis out of his prison! He's taking Sora down now because she put him in jail."

"But she saved his life," Chi reminded me, worried that there were flaws in my logic.

But I shook my head because I knew better. I had already jumped to my feet and grabbed a scrunchie and began tying my hair back. "Arnold's pride was lost and his name was smeared through the dirt. He would have preferred death to prison," I explained as I hurried toward the closet to grab a jacket, throwing it over my shoulders, "and she killed his precious Behemoth." I was trying to draw the connections to Veronica, but it seemed vague at best. "She was talking to Marshall," I said, and Chi followed my new train of thought. He was so smart. "She said that she was going to ensure that she was not relying on her word like he was. Marshall was taking down Mari, but Veronica is taking all blame and hate off of the EVOLVE by pointing fingers to the 'Angel in the Sky'!"

"The who now?" Chi asked quickly, not catching my Teenage Wolf reference, but it didn't matter. I was on the move now. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Veronica to kick her ass," I announced without a second thought. Chi was always there for that though—second thought. He practically—or maybe literally, I wasn't sure how his powers worked yet—flew through the air to stand in the doorway to block my way. "Chi," I tried to reason.

"Jenna," he mocked me, but did not move. "It isn't safe or legal for you to go beat on her."

"Oh Chi," I said with a smile full of mock pity. I patted his shoulder and ducked under his arm, slipping through the doorway. "Here on Earth, 'kicking ass' doesn't have to be physical." He didn't have any more chance to stop me because I had already set off down the stairs. Mary-Mom and Dad were sitting in the dining room with Willis, talking to him in loud joy filled voices. Terriermon and Lopmon were snickering, sitting against the outside wall and listening in, but refusing to join in the conversation. I knew Tatum was out in the back garden with Betamon and Monodramon teaching them about autumn and why the leaves changed colour here on Earth, but I hadn't any idea where Michael was. I was hoping to get out without having to think of an excuse to get by him.

But I was unfortunate, because Michael was like a super hero in the sense that he always knew when I was leaving. He was sitting at the fountain that separated the laneway, leaning back and staring up to the thick wall of grey clouds above us. When Chi closed the door sharply behind us Michael looked our way and grinned. I smiled back, but only to be polite. There was no real reason to smile while on a mission.

As I made my way toward Michael I pulled my sleeves down my arm and shivered. I was never a fan of November weather around these parts because as much as I loved Autumn, it just wasn't fair that it had to get so cold so early. "Where are you two going?" Michael asked as we came closer. "A date?"

"Sure," I reasoned, thinking that sounded like a pretty good excuse. "Dinner and whatever," I expanded when Michael didn't seem to be convinced. He shrugged his shoulders though, probably thinking I was just annoyed that he was prying into my business and then he laid back, laying along the ledge of the fountain. "Weird that Willis is leaving, right?"

"It is," I agreed impatiently. I would be more than happy to have this conversation later though because it _was_ weird. I moved into _Willis'_ house, and it was going to be very odd to live there without Willis. He was my brother, and while I knew he was back now, having him gone was _bad_. I didn't like it at all. Sure, him moving away would be much less painful than him being dead forever—or even temporarily—but it didn't stop the concept from being sad in general. But I was all for personal journey's, self focus and inner happiness, so whatever Willis needed to do to find those things, I was on board with. Even if it meant him leaving. "Sad and all that jazz, but hey, guess what? We're going to be late for the movie."

"I thought you said dinner," Michael said, cocking his head suspiciously at us.

"Dinner and a movie," Chi clarified.

"Ah," Michael grinned, "The classic date."

"Have fun being entirely random and staring at clouds," I offered, sidestepping and making my way to the garage. Chi was surprised, but if he thought I was going to walk _forever_ to get to Veronica, than he was crazy. I loved a good dramatic walking moment as much as the next person, but when that moment lasted hours in the cool November afternoon, it wasn't worth it. I decided to use Michael's favourite car, just to see his reaction as we drove off, but he didn't even look up when he heard us. What a stinker.

The drive was silent for a bit as Chi experimented with the buttons the car's dash had to offer, and finally, as we pulled up to an unfortunately large traffic jam, he looked up to me and said, "What if we could prove Kurayami's innocence?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to look above the cars in front of us and silently wishing that we had brought Mr Smith so we could have ditched him with the car and walked the rest of the way.

"When Sora is proven innocent," Chi said, "They will look for the real criminal."

"We'll pin it on Veronica," I said with a ferocious sort of laugh. My maniacal smile faded when Chi looked horrified in my direction. "I'm kidding you know," I promised, "But Kurayami will be easy to prove innocent. She as a billion alibis. They'll have to lie, but everyone in the Coliseum will fake it for her, and she'll be free to go."

"Then who gets sent to jail?" Chi asked.

I shrugged again, "Dunno."

"I just think it might be easier to have Kurayami confess and then prove her innocence by self defense or something," Chi offered.

"Won't work," I told him, "Sora won't let her confess and something about still going to jail if it's self defense. I dunno. I'm not a lawyer. Anyway, it won't matter if Sora is the one who goes to jail, this is serious and we need to focus on bringing Veronica down." Chi looked worried that I was getting myself in too deep but I was really sick of everyone thinking of me as a child. I could drive a car legally, I could pretend to be interested in politics, and I even once paid rent. I wasn't a complete baby anymore and I was going to help out for once.

"How do you expect to do this?" Chi asked.

"I'm just not going to take no for an answer." It was the best way to describe my plan and still be vague and dramatic at the same time. Chi was still nervous but we were finally able to move again as the traffic began to move slowly, and Chi silenced himself again until I had found what I was looking for. "I guess you can stay in the car," I told him as I searched for a place to park.

"I'm going with you," He assured me, "definitely."

"You can't," I told him, remembering the last time we had been here. "Veronica has an anti-digimon shield. You won't be able to get through."

"Damn," Chi muttered. "Then—"

"Don't tell me I can't go," I warned him, a finger flying into his face. I caught sight of a parking spot and was on my way.

"I was going to say good luck," Chi said, though I couldn't be sure if he was being truthful or not. "And I'll come with you until the barrier doesn't allow." I thought that was sweet enough, and then we were out of the car and on our way. I didn't know the exact directions, but I knew there was a kind of maze of alleys that lead her way and that I could get there if I tried enough different paths. Chi thankfully had a much better memory and whenever I set off the wrong path he would stop me and help me see the true course. Eventually though, we encountered the barrier and Chi cursed loudly as he walked right into it. His hand slipped from mine and I faltered, looking back to him, with his hands tracing the barrier, and I sighed. Maybe going alone _wasn't_ a good idea. The look of worry and frustration on Chi's face was enough to make me seriously consider turning back, but I wasn't a baby. I was fully capable of confronting Veronica, who was basically the anti-me anyway.

Chi nodded encouragingly and I took that as my sign to move on. I checked in my bag for my safety precaution and felt the smooth metal. I felt a lot safer knowing I would be able to fight back if I had to. And then I was standing in front of the big smelly old house that Veronica spent all of her time. I wondered if she would even be home—though if she wasn't it would give me a chance to go through all of her things.

Unless Marshall was there too.

I swallowed thickly, but decided to take the chance, marching straight up the steps and pulling the door open, stepping over the threshold and into the run down crap-hole.

There wasn't much time for sneaking around because Veronica's voice pierced through the brief silence like a knife. A bloody knife that she may or may not have planted at a fake murder scene. "Marshall, is that you?"

I didn't answer, but followed the sound of the voice, faltering for a moment as I passed by the broken living room where a picture of Veronica's 'dead' parents hung. I sneered with anger and headed into the kitchen. As I stepped through the doorway I saw Veronica sitting at the chipped table, reading a book. "Honey, I'm home," I said as firmly as I could manage. Veronia looked up, shocked and hopped to her feet, dropping her book. "Did you miss me?"

Veronica let out a short and blank laugh before shaking her head, "Missed seeing you squirm, maybe."

Okay, that was a pretty bad comeback, but I had nothing else to add, so she definitely won. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket and fiddled with my phone, hitting the record button. "Veronica, I'm going to get right to the point," I told her simply, "I'm here to put you in jail for planting evidence at a murder scene that never existed."

Veronica seemed shocked, though I wasn't sure why, and then she rolled her eyes, "Well that won't work because I didn't do anything."

"You did, but okay," I decided to play along. "Any idea who did it then?" Veronica shook her head, "No? Okay," Veronica was a liar and while that could have meant she had the potential to see lies in other people from a mile away, I had a sneaking suspicion that her lies were much more than that. If she convinced herself that her tales were true, then she would know nothing about lying at all. I decided to give it a try. "I saw you do it, Veronica. I'm not stupid. I've been following you around. I've seen you talk to Arnold, I was there when you planted the knife, and all—"

"Stalking is a crime!" Veronica shouted, slamming her fists down on the table.

"So is planting incriminating evidence!" I shouted, following the waves of emotion in the room and improvising like I'd been taught to do every summer at acting camp. Veronica was weaker than I'd thought and if she'd done it, I would soon know. "Where did you get the blood, Veronica?"

"I-it was in the lab!" She shrieked, falling backward into the chair, and running her hand through what little hair was not held in a braid. "W-we all had to give samples of our bl-blood!"

"So you found the blood, put it on the knife and planted it in a fake murder scene?" I asked for clarification, though my excitement was already building.

Veronica nodded weakly, "I didn't mean to," she said in a broken sort of voice, "It was an accident."

I felt ridiculously triumphant, but I couldn't stop yet, because seeing Veronica in such a sad state gave me an unsettled sort of enjoyment. "You can't accidentally ruin someone's life, Veronica. You're a selfish little _bitch_ , and you don't deserve any of my sympathy."

Veronica did not take kindly to my words and she reacted quickly, whipping a gun out from under the table, and aiming it directly toward me. I reached into my bag as swiftly as I could to pull out a gun of my own, keeping it as concealed under my hands as I could, so Veronica would not recognize it as a Tracking gun, and realize it was not an actual weapon. "You won't shoot me," Veronica said with a wicked grin.

"I did before," I reminded her fiercely. Veronica hesitated, looking down to her own gun and I used it as my chance to get out of her way. I ducked into the hallway, my heart beating fast and hard as sweat began to bead up along my brow. I didn't wait for a second as I shot toward the doorway, but I screamed when a figure emerged from the nearby stairs, blocking my path. I pulled on the trigger of the gun in my hand and fired three red balls toward Marshall's face, hitting his forehead, throat and shoulder. He fell back, unconscious and fear filled me as I looked down to his unmoving form.

Veronica appeared behind me though, screaming with a violent rage at the sight of her fallen boyfriend and she fell to her knees by his side, checking his pulse. I realized I was letting my chance of escaping dwindle and set off out the door, praying to every god I could think of that he was alive.

But when I heard a loud _bang_ I screamed and found my legs giving out under me, my fear had gotten the better of me. I hit the ground and rolled, smashing into a brick wall as Veronica ran after me with tears pouring down her face. My heart nearly _stopped_ when I saw the look of pain across her face. He couldn't be dead. That couldn't be true.

With my shaking hands I dug my fingers into the creases between the bricks and pulled myself to my feet, rushing down the path as Veronica pushed with all her might to catch up to me. "Stop!" Veronica shrieked in a voice thick with emotion. " _Please Jenna_! We were once _friends_! Remember that! _Please_!"

I was no longer in control of my legs, because I had stopped abruptly in place and Veronica's heavy panting grew louder. I turned toward her with wide, fearful eyes and saw that her gun was in her hand as she gasped for breath. She slowed to a stop nearby and doubled over, holding her gun up in surrender before tossing it aside. Her face was stained with tears, and she fell to her knees, looking up to me. Her radiant beauty was hidden under her fear and panic, and somehow it made me feel _horrible_ for what I was doing.

"Jenna," Veronica panted, "You have to understand, I was doing this because I was _forced_ to! You don't know what it is like to work for Arnold!"

"He's in prison," I said flatly, "You don't have to work for him anymore."

"I do," Veronica insisted, "He knows things! He knows all I've done!"

"You shouldn't have done it then," I insisted, forcing myself to take my eyes away from her and take a step in the right direction.

"I didn't do it!" Veronica screamed loudly, her emotion making her voice warble drastically, "I planted the evidence but I didn't kill him!" I turned back to her and saw her _begging_ on the ground. Guilt rushed through me as I stared down toward her. Maybe she wasn't lying. Maybe she really _had_ been told to do it. Maybe she hadn't had a choice. Maybe I had been too quick to learn not to trust people. Veronica had been my fist look at the people outside my inner circle, aside from Chi of course—and both of them had lied to me. But I forgave Chi, and now I could forgive Veronica. She wasn't lying, I just _knew_ it. "Arnold did it!" Veronica said in a desperate voice, "Yeah! I saw him! I saw him kill Morestsuna! It was _him._ Not me! I swear! I didn't do it!"

 _Neither did Arnold_.

I had been too quick to revise my morals. Veronica was a pathological liar who was able to convince herself everything was the truth. I didn't trust her for a second, and even if she had been forced to do this for Arnold, she had still _done_ it, and whatever he held over her head was worth noting too. Veronica was a bad seed, and no matter how guilty I felt, it was not right for me to let her get away with it.

"You can't put me in jail!" Veronica shrieked, "I deserve to be _free_!"

"No," I said flatly, looking her dead in the eye, "No, you really don't." Veronica lunged for her gun again, but I had the upper hand this time. I readied my gun and fired it directly to her arm, hitting my target for once on the first try, and then spun on the spot and ran off, ignoring her cry of pain. I found Chi waiting by the barrier and hurried him along. We had to get back to the car before Veronica returned because we couldn't risk losing the recording I had received. We couldn't let an innocent girl go to jail when someone so horrible was able to walk free.

Veronica was finally going down.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** We've been building toward this moment for literally ever! Since the start of 04 we've been dragging this character toward her finale and this next chapter is her final narrative section. Jun is finally getting married! But as things go, weddings don't go so smoothly within this world, so both Yamato and Rei are there to catch the problems when they arise!


	32. At Last

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 32: At Last**

 _ **Jun Motomiya:**_

"It looks like it fits perfectly," Sora said with a relieved smile. "I was afraid with all the tweaking that it might've gotten tighter."

"I love all the beading," I told her, running my hands down my stomach. I was wearing my one of a kind, Sora Takenouchi, original wedding dress. It was amazing. The seams were flawless, and the beading was exquisite. I hadn't known this was exactly what I wanted until Sora handed it to me to put on. It fit like a glove, and looked nothing like the rough dress she'd thrown together for measurement purposes. I never should have doubted her, but I had. Of course I had. This was the only part of my wedding that I wasn't able to control. She had offered to make me a dress that no one else would ever have, and I jumped at the chance. I saw what she did when making Kurayami's dress, and Kurayami hadn't had any input either. Her dress though, was all lace and dramatic sleeves, and was perfect for her.

Sora had done it again.

My dress was perfect. The beading was dramatic and eye catching, the skirt was loose, but slim, with an elaborate train to flow behind me. The gown itself was sleeveless, but she'd made me a pair of shimmering gloves with a slight hint of green to them. The beading also had that same tint, and I felt like I was meant to be getting married in a frog's castle. I looked beautiful. I looked like a princess.

"I have a veil too," Sora commented. "I know you didn't ask for one, but I'm going stir crazy, being trapped in this house. I got bored of making Christmas presents. There're only so many sweaters I can knit before I need a real challenge, you know? Working with the threads to weave the veil was actually a lot more difficult than I'd expected, and it took a long time to figure it out, which was awesome, because I actually have a _lot_ of free time these days."

"Can I try it on?" I asked. I saw the veil. It was on a mannequin, and it had green threads weaved through the white ones, with a green, purple and peach bow made from ribbons above the fastener. I was impressed that she'd managed to incorporate Otamamon, Gekomon _and_ ShogunGekomon in that veil alone. I was very happy about it too, because I really wanted them to feel like they were a part of this experience, and that I wasn't just using their building because it was pretty and cheap—it was actually free, which was just a bonus, really.

Shuu was going to be wearing a yellow tie, while his brothers would be wearing orange and red. Those were the three warmest colours I could think of, and I didn't want Meramon to think that we were forgetting him.

We never _could_. He was part of our family. He always would be too.

Kurayami and Momoe were going to stand up with me, and Kurayami would be wearing purple, for Otamamon, while Momoe wore a bold peach, for ShogunGekomon. I felt that the soft green went best with the white of my dress, so I chose to represent Gekomon. Otamamon was upset only as long as it took me to tell him about Kurayami's dress, and then he was excited. He really liked Kurayami—she always brought the baby with her when she visited.

"Of course," Sora said happily. She took the veil off the mannequin and attached it to my hair. She'd pulled it back in elaborate curls, but there were strays. There were always strays with my hair. It didn't like to cooperate with me. And that was fine, because it really showed my personality—even if I wished it would stay put for today, at least, of all days.

"Oh wow," I gasped, seeing the finished product. Sora had done my makeup—subtle, nothing too bright, she wanted my emotions to carry the show, which was actually terrifying, because I knew I'd be a sobbing mess—and everything just fit together perfectly. It was probably because Sora was so involved with every piece of the puzzle.

"You're beautiful, Jun," Sora complimented me. "You'll knock Shuu off his feet."

"I wish you could be there," I whispered, afraid to speak too loudly and to break the illusion I saw in the mirror. There was no way the girl looking back at me was actually _me_. It seemed impossible. I was in a wedding gown. I was finally getting married! It had only taken three years. I'd gotten so used to pushing it off, that it was hard to believe it was actually happening now.

No more waiting.

Shuu and I were going to be married _today_!

My eyes started watering, and I was so happy. But it felt like an ill omen, not having Sora able to come. We were friends, her and I. I wouldn't say we were best friends and hung out with each other all the time, but we got along, and always found something to talk about, something fun to do.

She was also the Digidestined of _Love_.

Not having _love_ be at my wedding wasn't exactly a part of my plan. I had always figured she would be there. I'd even toyed with having her be a bridesmaid, because I wanted everything to be wonderful for Shuu and I. Fate, though, had other plans. Sora would be at home, alone, while everyone else was out having fun. It didn't seem fair.

"I can't be," Sora said firmly. "There's no point getting worked up over it. It'll all be over soon, and maybe I'll plan a party for after, you know, if I get off."

"You'll get off, no problem," I said. "You've got to think positively."

"Of course I do," she said, though I didn't know if it was actually helping her any. "Biyomon's going to the wedding, and she'll be getting hundreds of pictures, if I know her—and I do—and she'll tell me literally everything that happened. I'll hear so much about it, it'll be like I _was_ there."

"I know," I said. "But it's not fair."

"Not everything in life is," Sora said. "But this is the only way to keep Haruki with Kurayami, and that's the only thing that matters to me. Haruki is very important to me."

"He's important to me too," I agreed. I was overwhelmed with her dedication to my nephew, and I couldn't help but throw myself at her. I hugged her close, and tried not to cry. I failed at that. "Thank you. Nothing will ever be enough to thank you for what you're doing for my family. You're keeping us together. I don't know what Daisuke would do if he lost her again. He's strong, but I don't know if even _he_ is _that_ strong."

"Exactly," Sora said, wiping at her eyes, but pretending she wasn't tearing up too. "He and Haruki and Labramon, and Veemon and Takeru and Patamon and Hikari—they all _need_ Kurayami. She's so important in their day to day lives. If I can keep them from suffering, I will do it—even if I lose the case. I will be helping them. That's all that matters."

"It's not _all_ that matters," I corrected, stroking her hair, feeling for all the world like I was her big sister too—even with just the year difference in our ages. "You matter Sora. Don't ever forget that. I appreciate everything your doing for my family, but don't forget that you matter too. Think of Biyomon, and Mantarou, and Takeru, Hikari, Taichi, _Koushiro_ and Jou. They need you too. You're so important. Don't ever doubt your worth. They don't know what to do without you. You're the glue that keeps them together."

"I thought the _Digital World_ was the glue," Sora said. It was a weak joke, but she was trying to keep her emotions in check, so I laughed and agreed.

"But you're a close second," I assured her. "They're running around, accomplishing nothing. Now, it _might_ just be a coincidence that you're stuck in here and out of the search, but they stopped finding things pretty much as soon as you were put under house arrest. I'm just saying. You're pretty important to the fate of the world. Don't put yourself down, and look out for yourself. I love that you're saving my family, but you need to save yourself too."

"I know," she said. "It's just harder to think of me, when I'm so determined to keep Haruki with his mother. It's like the only way I can be _sure_ I get free is if I throw Kurayami under the bus, but I _won't_ do that, no matter how many times she offers. I'm just losing hope, I guess." She wiped her eyes, and looked to the floor, embarrassed to be confessing her feelings to me—since we were just sort-of friends. "Look at me," she chastised herself. "I'm crying and it's your wedding day. Don't let me rain on your parade. You're supposed to be happy."

"But you don't have to be," I assured her. "And I'm here for you, whenever you need me. I'd drop everything to help the Digidestined, and not just for a fight. You have all done so much for Jou and Daisuke, and to Shuu and I, that makes you amazing people. Daisuke wouldn't be the man he is if it wasn't for you guys. And he's so brave, and strong, and loving. He didn't close himself off after Dad kicked him out, like I feared he would. You guys rallied around him. And that's amazing. I can never make up for that. I didn't do enough. I could have found a way to do more, but you picked up my slack. You helped him along his path. And—"

"Don't cry," Sora said, reaching over to a table for a box of tissues. I took one and dabbed at my eyes, laughing at the foolishness of it all. She was right. It was my wedding day, and here I was crying over the past, even though I didn't need to. I could cry about that some other time. Today, I was going to finally become Mrs Kido.

And that was amazing.

I put all my emotions on the backburner, ready to cry again later, over the emotional development of my brother, and all the amazing people that helped him with it. I waved my hands towards my eyes, trying to dry up whatever residue was left.

"Oh," Sora said, looking again to the table where the tissues had been. "I made something for Melga. I know you invited Alias III, and I _think_ they're going, right?"

"They agreed to come, even though we really don't know each other. Mari's bringing her little sister though! I'm so excited to meet her, and show her how fun digimon can be," I said, practically vibrating with renewed excitement. Mari and I had been trapped in the Coliseum together. We weren't _that_ close, and I wouldn't say we were even as close as Sora and I were, but we got along, and I wanted her to bring her family and have a real celebration, because I knew they didn't often get chances to do that.

And if Lalamon, Kiyoko and Aneko were not on the original guest list, that didn't matter, because coming back from the dead—or getting freed from horribly suppressing, and violent parents—was a reasonable excuse for missing the RSVP. Willis, Norn and Rei all got similarly excused. Kurayami had also offered to pay for an extra meal for a friend from her childhood—Porcupamon—but I refused the payment. I could pay for all of my guests, and if Porcupamon meant that much to Kurayami, then he was in.

"Could you bring this then?" Sora asked, holding a bow that matched the one in my veil. The three coloured ribbons were swirled together. Sora looked rather sheepish. "I was just so excited. I felt bad too, you know, because I just _assumed_ that since Gabumon was a boy, then _Melga_ was too. I thought this could be a way of celebrating the fact that she was a girl, without being too over the top."

"I love it," I said quickly, taking the bow, and putting it in my purse. I caught a glimpse at the clock, and I knew I needed to get moving, if I wanted to make it on time. I still had to bring Momoe, Emiko and Kurayami's dresses, as well as the boys' ties. Sora had made them all, during her seemingly endless spare time. I was very appreciative of it, and she seemed to enjoy being able to do something that would be able to pay her bills, since she couldn't leave her house to go to work or anything.

It was a win-win situation.

"You have to go," Sora said, before I could mention it. "Biyomon's already there, taking pictures of the castle and the flowers Mom made. She's very excited about documenting everything."

We said our goodbyes, and she wished me luck, and happiness, and I _didn't_ cry, though I was close to it. She sent me off through her computer, bringing me to the Temple. Daisuke and Veemon were waiting outside for the final guests with Otamamon, Gekomon and Mom. I took the dresses to the Digimental room, where Momoe and Kurayami were waiting for me. Emiko was bouncing around the hallway, running up and down the stairs, nearly crashing into me when I started down them. She shrieked happily, pawing at the dresses, trying to find hers, and I made her wait until we were with her mother before I gave her the small white and green dress that matched mine.

The girls dressed quickly, while I assisted Emiko. She wouldn't stay still while I was trying to fasten her into it. Momoe was dressed rather quickly, and started heating up the curling iron, so that their hair could be curled similar to mine.

Everything was taking shape. The wedding that had taken so long to arrive was happening all around me, and excitement filled the air. I couldn't believe that anything this happy could happen—so of course that happiness took a sharp turn.

"Jun?" Veemon called through the door, not wanting to accidentally catch us when we weren't dressed. I opened the door though, because everyone was covered. He looked afraid, and that should have clued me in, but it didn't. I was just very confused. "Jun, your dad is here."

"Where is he?" I asked, my happiness dropping quickly. It was replaced with annoyance and bitter resentment. What the hell was he doing that scared Veemon? And why in the world would he choose to ruin my wedding with more of his petty crap?

Veemon led me away from the room, which was probably a good thing, since Emiko was starting to get worked up about the whole thing. He brought me outside, where I saw my father—dressed to the nines in his suit—talking down to _my_ Gekomon, as though he didn't have a right to be there. Daisuke tried to get him to leave Gekomon alone, but of course Dad pretended that Daisuke didn't exist, as always. Even Haruki's noises of protest weren't enough to stop him. Mom was just fretting with the baby, looking anxiously at Dad, but not doing anything—like always. I pretty much snapped.

"Is he bothering you?" I asked.

"He is, actually," Dad said, feeling superior.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't actually talking to _you_ ," I growled. "Gekomon, sweetie, come here." Gekomon raced to me at the invitation, and he stopped before he could touch my dress, afraid of ruining it. There was nothing he could do that would ruin it. It could be covered in dirt for all I cared. I just needed to know my friend was safe, and happy. He wasn't my partner, but I would've kept him as one if he hadn't decided to live at the palace. He was family to me. I'd already decided it, and when I made a big decision like that, I stuck to it. Not even my father could change my mind.

I scooped Gekomon up, and cuddled him close. "Was that mean man annoying you? I can make him go away if you want. I don't want you to feel unsafe at my wedding."

"You can't talk to me that way," Dad informed me. "I'm your father, and I need to give you away. You can't get married without me."

"I think you'll find that I can, actually," I told him, glaring straight into his eyes. "People get married all the time without parents."

"Jun Motomiya, I am your father, and you need to respect me," he ordered.

"Sit down and shut up!" Mom screamed, catching everyone off guard. Dad actually sat on the wooden wheel of the wagon that ExVeemon was going to pull me to the ceremony in. "You are going to enjoy your children's lives and you are going to love them unconditionally, do you hear me? You're going to accept your grandson, and your daughter-in-law, and you're going to acknowledge your son, or so help me you will leave and you'll never speak to me again—this I _swear_ to you!"

I had never heard Mom say anything to defend Daisuke or I against Dad, and she'd never once tried to support Kurayami or Haruki. There was silence all around us, and Dad actually seemed to be thinking about what she said.

Daisuke laughed, causing Dad to glare at him. I elbowed my brother, because it was rude, and he could have ruined Mom's ultimatum. This was a big decision for Dad. He had the choice between his wife—and family—and being alone.

There was no doubt in my mind, that if he chose being alone over being with Mom that I was going to be gone too. I was not going to be able to string this family together anymore. He needed to be the one that put the effort in, because it was all on Daisuke and I for so long. I couldn't even remember being the child, just the mature, responsible one.

Dad just looked to Mom and nodded his head. She smiled, a soft, genuine smile at the small effort that he'd put forward. It wasn't enough, and it wasn't fixing anything, but it was _something_ , and that was a small miracle in itself. Daisuke helped Veemon digivolve, and ExVeemon got in place to pull the wagon. Kurayami, Momoe and Emiko came out of the Temple, smiling brightly. Their smile dimmed at the sight of Dad, but Daisuke gave a sort of encouraging look to his wife, and she sent a smile Dad's way, just to try and help him warm up to her. Mom passed Haruki to Kurayami once Daisuke had helped her inside. Daisuke got in once everyone else was settled, and then ExVeemon started pulling the wagon.

"I'm Otamamon, what's your name?" Otamamon asked. I looked to see him trying to forge a relationship with my father. Everyone was watching Dad, and he looked to Mom, exasperated, but she glared, and he sighed.

"I am Manabu Motomiya," Dad said formally.

"That's cool," Otamamon said eagerly. "Do you know any funny stories about little Jun? She won't tell me any. She's too embarrassed."

"I…" Dad paused and looked to me. I didn't _want_ Otamamon to have that sort of ammunition against me, but if Dad was going to put the effort into _not_ making my wedding day suck, then I didn't care what he told Otamamon. Just so long as he remained cordial and didn't hurt Daisuke's—or Gekomon's—feelings. That was all I wanted for today. The rest could come in time.

But for now, I needed to focus.

I was getting married!

 _ **Rei Saiba:**_

"In conclusion," Jun said into the microphone. She'd been talking for forty minutes straight. It was the longest wedding speech I'd ever heard. It was almost exhausting to just listen to her. But no one was going to say anything to her. She was funny at least, which made sure most of the guests were still awake. It was her special day anyway. If she wanted to talk for an _hour_ we couldn't do anything to stop her.

"Finally," Taichi murmured under his breath. I elbowed him.

"I guess, I just want to thank everyone for bothering to come at all. I know that the Digital World is a pretty big journey to come to a wedding, and I know it's difficult for some of you to get here, without digivices and everything, but it really means the world to me to see a sea of happy faces sharing our special day. I can't believe I'm _finally_ Mrs Kido!"

There was a polite spattering of applause, and several people got to their feet, preparing to go to the buffet and get more food, but then Isao Kido was walking to the microphone. There was a soft groan out in the crowd, and I was fairly certain it was Agumon—who was seated with Palmon and Gomamon, at the kids table, watching over Emiko and Masa while the speeches were going on.

"Hello," Isao said calmly into the microphone. "I realize another speech is the last thing most of you want to listen to, so I'll keep it short. Shuu, I know that I gave you a hard time…for most of your life. You weren't the kid I thought I wanted, because you weren't going into the family profession. But now, more than ever, I can see myself in you. You have the spark, you found something that makes you want to be better, and you found a partner that helps to keep it fresh. You found _two_ partners. Meramon and Jun both better you in ways I didn't realize were possible. You've grown so much, and I suppose I have too. I am so proud of you, Shuu, looking at you today. And your new bride, I gave you so much trouble about her when you first introduced me. I thought she was loud and flamboyant and she was so energetic all the time. It hurt, to see her, because she is so much like your mother. She has the same fire in her. I know that you won't let her slip through your fingers. You keep her close, Shuu, and your life will always be wonderful. You two are two sides of a coin, and I know now, that you always have been, even if I couldn't see it before. I wish you all the happiness in the world, as you continue your journey together through life."

Another round of applause rang through the crowd, and everyone waited with baited breath to know whether they were finally able to move, or if there'd be another speech. Just when everyone had relaxed, Shin got to his feet.

Agumon groaned again, louder this time.

Shin looked up, and saw everyone's eyes on him. He quickly held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not making a speech," he assured everyone. He picked his plate up. "I'm just hungry."

Laughter filled the air, and the tension was broken.

Everyone that wanted more food went to fill their plates, and everyone else just started mingling. Jun looked like she was searching for something, so I knew I shouldn't get too excited about wandering around just yet. When she found a throwaway bouquet, I knew I'd made the right call.

"All you single ladies, get on up here and fight over the bouquet!" Jun shouted. Taichi nudged me, and I got to my feet, rolling my eyes the entire time. I didn't feel the need to go catch a bundle of flowers. It wasn't going to make my future marriage come any faster. They were just flowers. They weren't magical, like Lalamon was.

Lalamon had shoved Mari forward, and Mari had dragged her little sister up too. Aneko looked excited, even if Mari wasn't thrilled. Palmon was holding her hands up, ready to use her poison ivy to help Mimi, who had her game face on. Biyomon was taking pictures of the crowd, and I thought I saw Hideto inching Katsue towards the centre of the group of girls.

It wasn't until he threw Mantarou into the mix that I understood what he was doing. When Mantarou bumped into Katsue, they looked at each other and laughed at the absurdity of it—and Biyomon was there taking pictures. I did not approve of Hideto's chosen pastime, but I wasn't in any position to stop him. He was his own person and he often made horrible decisions—horrible because of how mean they were, and not because they didn't work. They _always_ worked.

I wasn't paying attention to Jun, since I was watching Hideto work his 'magic', and I got pelted in the face with a bouquet of flowers. I let out a startled shout, and flung my hands out to catch them. I held them high in the air victoriously, before running in a quick circle, doing a little dance as I did so. I was kind of excited about the whole thing, even if I _did_ get hit by them, as opposed to actually trying to catch it. I laughed, and headed back to my seat, only to find it had been filled with a dejected Mimi, who had really wanted the bouquet. Taichi caught my eye and shrugged his shoulders. Mimi wanted comfort, and Jou was too busy—since he was one of the groomsmen. She could have gone to Koushiro, but that would be admitting defeat in her eyes, and they were doing a fairly good job at avoiding the subject.

Taichi had told me as he broke down about Koushiro's addiction, and the part Taichi was _sure_ he played in creating it. He should have seen the signs. He shouldn't have put so much pressure on Koushiro. Koushiro wasn't a robot, he _knew_ that.

He told me all of that and more.

I didn't have anything to say in response though. I didn't know how to help him. All I knew was that Koushiro needed to _want_ help, before he would take it. He didn't understand the problem at hand, and while it was strange for him to not see what was so blatantly obvious to everyone else, it had to be _his_ decision, or it wouldn't stick.

Leaving Taichi on his own to deal with Mimi's problems, I headed over to the table that Alias III had commandeered. Pal and Pul were there, floating in circles around Melga, trying to snatch her bow—which was super cute!—and failing miserably. Warg kept batting them off, waving his clawed hands in the air, to protect Melga. She was laughing at the whole thing though, looking very proud of her bow. Lalamon was talking with Tapirmon across the table from them, while Aneko listened in. She wasn't being very subtle, but she obviously thought she was—and they let her keep thinking that way. Kiyoko was stirring different foods together on his plate that he most likely wasn't planning on eating anymore, while he listened to Neo talking. Mari was watching Hideto across the room, laughing at his antics.

"When's the wedding?" Mari drawled, as I sat down in what I assumed was once Hideto's chair.

"Next week, I think," I told her. They all laughed, but I was actually being serious. Taichi had asked me two nights ago, and had poured his heart out to me. And I just couldn't say no. We got the marriage licence immediately, and planned it for the earliest available date. The serious expression on my face must've tipped them off. "You'll all be coming, won't you?"

"You're not serious," Neo said, sounding horrified that I would marry Taichi.

"Rei…" Mari murmured. "Could I talk to you…alone?"

"I guess so," I said. I knew we'd be back, so I didn't bother saying goodbye. She brought me out into the hall, away from the bustle of the very busy ballroom. Jun had invited everyone they knew so that the enormous ballroom wouldn't seem like overkill. She wanted the grand location, but she didn't actually have enough friends or family to fill it between Shuu _and_ her. She'd enlisted Daisuke, Jou and Shin to fill in the rest of the guest list.

"Rei," Mari said, anxiously. "There was a moment between Taichi and me, and it didn't mean anything, I _swear_ to you, it didn't. But we kissed, and it wasn't even nice, because all either of us thought after was how much we betrayed you, but…it happened, and if you're going to marry him…I guess I just thought you should know."

"I do know," I said, with a small smile. "Taichi told me."

"But he promised _not_ to," Mari said, shocked. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not going to say it doesn't hurt, but you both thought I was dead," I pointed out. "I can't fault you for it, even if I'd like to sometimes. I know that if I'd actually been dead, I would have wanted Taichi to move on, and if it was to you, then so be it…even if it wouldn't have been my first choice. But you both said the same thing, about how much you regretted it."

"From the moment it happened," Mari confirmed.

"And I love him," I said, earnestly. "I want to spend forever with him. And he's offering that chance, offering himself, and I took that deal. It was a once in a lifetime thing, you know?"

"I think he would've kept asking if you said no," Mari pointed out dryly.

"I'd like to _think_ so, but I don't know," I sighed. "But we're getting _married_ in like a week or so. It's all very exciting for me." It almost didn't feel _real_ actually, and it was clear that everyone I had told thought the same. Or they thought I was joking, but that simply wasn't the case. This was genuinely happening and I was _so_ glad that we weren't waiting three years like Jun had. While this wedding definitely lived up to all expectations, we had other reasons for needing the wedding out of the way as quickly as we had planned.

"Hey!" Warg called loudly, rushing over and interrupting whatever Mari was going to say next. "They want people to dance for a father-daughter, mother-son dance."

"Neither of us are mothers," I pointed out, confused.

"Aneko wants to dance," he said looking to Mari. "I think you should go dance with her. That would make her happy, right?" Mari patted him on the head and smiled.

"Good thinking," she complimented. "I'm going to get the hang of this big sister thing some day, right?"

"I wouldn't know," I said, laughing. "I'm the little sister."

I watched her head to her own little sister, looking rather anxious the entire way. She wasn't used to being the guardian of a child, and it showed, but she would get to the point where it was natural sooner or later. I was sure of it.

Aneko practically leaped at Mari when Mari suggested they dance, and I smiled. It was beautiful to watch the two bonding. I knew what it was like to need someone to look out for me. I wouldn't change Neo for anything. He'd made some bad decisions in the past, and some rather questionable choices in regards to my safety—for example, the time when he locked the wheels to my wheelchair and locked me in our mother's house, and unplugged the phone so that I couldn't call for help, or the time that he kidnapped me, thinking I would be thankful for it, or that time he destroyed the Digital World…there were actually a lot of examples—but he loved me, and I could see that Mari loved her sister, no matter that she'd just started to get to know her.

Mari and Aneko were far from the only pair on the dance floor. Jun was dancing _elegantly_ , with her father, who looked stiff as a board, and uncomfortable, but was _trying_ to do what Jun wanted. She was beaming at him, and was doing her best to waltz properly, but didn't actually know how the dance was done, so it came off looking a little silly. But that was Jun. She was silly and wild and crazy, and it was perfect. Jun's mother was on the dance floor too, with Daisuke on her arm. He was just as unsure as Jun, but unlike their father, Mrs Motomiya was willing to make a fool of herself to make sure her son was having fun. He was grinning like crazy, and it was beautiful. Kurayami was swaying with Haruki, while Ken had Mai. They were adorable, since the babies were sleeping, but it was Emiko and Jou that stole the show for me, since she was standing on his feet as he made his way through the dance. She was beaming at him, and he was holding both of her little hands tightly.

Taichi was swinging Hikari around, despite the fact that they were brother and sister—no parent involved—and Takeru was trying to drag Yamato out to dance too, with no success. Yamato was blushing and looking to Amai and Katsue, who were next to him, embarrassed by Takeru's behaviour. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of his friends. I could understand that. But it was a night of fun and romance and _family_. Hawkmon was out dancing with his Poromon, and Armadillomon was being swayed in the arms of Goblimon. Iori was dancing with his mother, who was invited, despite the fact that she barely knew the bride and groom. A lot of parents were around actually—including Taichi's, so I was a little confused by his decision to dance with Hikari, but I also knew _why_ , so I didn't want to bug him about it.

Shuu was dancing with Aimi, who was absolutely blown away by the idea that she got to dance with him at his wedding. She—as far as I knew anyway—often felt detached from her step-sons, since there was such a strained relationship between the boys and their father when she'd been brought into the picture. Momoe and Miyako were dancing wildly together, since they were both mothers, and sisters, and didn't have any sons to dance with. Mantarou was snapping pictures of them, and took a sweet picture of Chiziru who was dancing with Masa. Hideto was next to Mantarou, and gently guided him to take pictures of Yamato and Takeru, while Katsue and Amai laughed. Amai's sister Tafu came and pulled Amai away to dance, and Yamato had to give in—since no one laughed at Amai dancing—and let Takeru pull him away. Katsue was alone, and Mantarou had been instructed by Hideto to take her picture. I narrowed my eyes at my friend. He was up to something. I just _knew_ it.

"Can I have this dance?"

Neo was standing beside me, taking my hand even before I gave him an answer. I smiled at him, and let him whirl me out onto the dance floor. I spotted Mimi looking longingly at Koushiro, but she was still too upset to dance with him. Yamato's fellow Teenage Wolves were chatting it up with Jou's step-sisters, who seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Gatomon was dancing with Wizardmon, Tapirmon was dancing with Melga, while Dracomon danced with Lalamon. Kiyoko was dancing with Warg, since Hideto was too busy making mischief to dance with him, but he didn't seem to mind one bit.

Neo's hand found my waist, and I started swaying, happy to be able to do that again. I'd been worried, while in Witchenly, that I would never get to dance again. I loved dancing. It was one of my favourite things in the entire world. And I could do it again. It was a wonderful day to be alive.

"Having fun?" Neo inquired, trying to seem nonchalant, but I could see right through his pretenses.

"Tons," I told him. "Spin me?"

He did as I wanted, and we whirled and twirled around the dance floor. I barely even noticed when Hikari went to get some punch, and Taichi started dancing with his mother instead. I was glad that they were taking this opportunity. With the way everything was going, there probably wouldn't be that many chances left. Neo and I danced through the mother-son, father-daughter dance—that no one really seemed to care too much about, based on the random couples dancing—and through the next song, which was also rather slow. But just before the end, Dracomon came running over.

"Neo!" he cried. "I have to pee!"

"Go," Neo said simply.

"I'll get lost," Dracomon whined. Neo sighed and looked to me, apologizing with his eyes. I laughed, and sent him on his way. I wasn't going to be responsible for any accidents Dracomon might have. I was sad to see Neo go though. I was enjoying my time with him. I'd have to hunt him down again later. Until then though, I decided to find a seat somewhere, with a plate of snacks and a glass of punch. I found some incredibly unhealthy squares and cookies and tarts and cupcakes and fudge, and took some of everything, before throwing myself into the chair beside Koushiro. He was eating watermelon, that the little tadpole digimon beside him had to have provided, based on Otamamon's look of pure bliss. He and Koushiro had always been at odds, and I supposed the watermelon was the figurative olive branch, and that distance was being mended.

It was cute.

Not as cute as Kiyoko dancing with Gravimon, but it was cute. Kiyoko had to look _way_ up to dance with Gravimon, which gave him the look of a child dancing with an adult. Gravimon had manipulated the gravity around Kiyoko, so that he was floating off the floor, and being spun around in time to the faster song that was now playing. Warg and Melga were laughing wildly at them, while Tapirmon looked on in terror as his partner was thrown through the air. Lalamon had wandered off to Mari's side, and the two were "dancing" in order to disguise the fact that they were spying on Aneko, who was dancing with a _boy_. Ryou had offered, and she'd been tickled pink at the idea. Aneko was really the only one that was anywhere close to Ryou's age. Emiko was eying him up though, and would probably go out of her way to be his next partner—she _really_ liked dancing, just like me.

"Congo line!" Shin shouted loudly. He dragged Tafu behind him, and she gamely put her hands on his hips. Amai fell in behind her, laughing excitedly. Shin grabbed hold of Shuu, making him the new leader, while the rest of the fight club fell in line behind Amai. The Teenage Wolves lost their flirting partners, when Isao pulled them into the Congo Line behind the Fight Club—but the boys weren't too disappointed, since they joined right in. Shuu grabbed Jun, not wanting to lead, and she panicked, grabbing Daisuke instead. Daisuke laughed, and dragged Jou into the mix, which prompted Emiko to want to join too, so Momoe helped her join in at the back. Warg, Melga and Agumon all ran for the line, and behind them, Michael joined in, followed by Tatum, Willis, Jenna, Chi, Lopmon and Terriermon. It was a pretty good Congo Line. I was impressed.

Biyomon bopped her head along with the beat, and danced as if she was a part of the Congo Line, but she didn't go over to them. She sat herself down beside me, and looked at Koushiro, narrowing her eyes, analyzing him.

"I'm _fine_ ," Koushiro said, annoyed, before taking another bite of watermelon.

"We're friends now," Otamamon told Biyomon. Koushiro was thankful for the new subject, because Biyomon forgot all about the drugs that he'd been taking before, and started praising the virtues of friendship. He was off the hook—with one friend at least—for now. He peeked over at Mimi, who looked away quickly, and pretended like she hadn't been staring at him for the past hour.

But everyone except for him knew that she _had_.

"Hello people," Hideto said looking to the others at the table, and taking a few large gulps of his punch. "Hello Rei."

"Hi Hideto," I said, looking at him suspiciously. "What's up?"

"I need some advice actually," he said. He glanced at Biyomon quickly, before looking back to me, and raising his voice. "I just don't know what to do. If _I_ was Sora, I'd want to know, but I don't know if I should wait until after the trial to tell her. I don't want to add more stress, but in the long run _not_ telling her might be more stressful. I'm just _so_ confused."

"I know Sora the best," Biyomon said excitedly. "Tell me what it is, and I can tell you what to do. I like telling people what to do. It's the most fun. Tell me!"

"Okay," he said, sounding anxious, as if this _wasn't_ what he was hoping for the entire time. He took a deep breath, and looked to Mantarou specifically, letting his eyes linger there, before he exhaled. "I overheard Mantarou talking with Iori. He was thanking Iori for _not_ telling Sora that he broke his promise. Well, he didn't use those words in particular, but that's basically what he meant. He mentioned breaking into his office, and Iori fired back that it was after Sora expressly told him _not_ to."

"That's bad," Biyomon gasped.

"I know," Hideto said, conspiratorially. "So what should I do? If I was Sora I'd want to know that my boyfriend was a big fat liar, that's way too obsessed with taking pictures of Katsue, and can't be bothered to keep promises. But that's just _me_. What would Sora want?"

"Let me take care of it," Biyomon said. She turned her analyzing gaze towards Mantarou and slipped off of her seat. He was at that moment taking a picture of the elaborate ice sculpture, that Warg had just pushed Katsue behind, before ducking under a table. Yep. Hideto was definitely up to something. He was up to his old tricks. I wasn't very pleased with the development, but I couldn't really do anything about it. The damage had already been done. Biyomon had left the table, and was now suspicious of Mantarou. Sora's latest relationship was on its last legs. "I'll figure out what to tell her."

"There you are," Taichi said, spooking me, when he put his hands on my shoulders. I let out a startled yelp, and he laughed as he sat down in Biyomon's chair. He swiped a piece of fudge off of my plate and tried to steady his breathing. "I don't think I've ever danced this much in my life."

"You're having fun," I pointed out, glancing to Hikari—who was dancing with Takeru—and then his parents—who were now dancing together and it was cute. "You need this."

"You too," he said, nodding his head towards Neo. I smiled at him, and nodded. I took a bite of a cookie, and finished off my punch, before getting to my feet. It was a wedding. This was a party! I needed to be dancing, and celebrating Jun and Shuu _finally_ being married. Taichi had pointed out the perfect partner. I kissed Taichi's cheek before racing through the crowds.

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

My mood was particularly contrasted at the time of the wedding. Sure, we were celebrating love and there was enough cake and food to go around as we enjoyed the party, and so being happy should have been easy and made a great deal of sense. And yes, I was happy, of course I was! Jun was married and she had finally gotten the happily ever after she had been dreaming about since I met her—even before that, back when she stalked me and thought I didn't notice. I was happy for Jun, and I was happy because we were at a party. But, and of course there was a 'but', Jun had asked us to invite everyone we knew to fill the space, and that meant inviting my whimsical girlfriend Amai to the party. I didn't have a problem with being around her, in fact I loved it because of her joyful jubilant nature, but we were at a _wedding_. This kind of party was meant for those who are not afraid to talk about the legitimacy of their relationship. I could not find it in myself to even ask her where we stood, and yet here we were, celebrating someone's _wedding_ —something I was getting further and further away from celebrating for myself it seemed—and dancing to the music played by the colourful and excitable frogs who couldn't even tell that there _was_ a problem.

Amai didn't seem to notice the problem either. She was spinning in circles with DemiDevimon, her red hair whipping wildly around as she twirled and kicked away. It was because of her eccentric dancing that I found the opportunity to slip away unnoticed to give myself some time to think. Even with everyone's attention focused solely on whatever pleased them, I felt that their eyes were on me. I _knew_ they were watching Jun, or their loved ones, or their partners, but somehow I just knew that someone was watching me and perhaps even following me, but I just needed a single moment of solidarity.

I found freedom in the entrance hall to the castle where I sat on the massive staircase that ran up to the next floor of the palace. I rested my head on the stole railing that ran along the side and closed my eyes to think. I heard soft footsteps but only opened my eyes when someone had sat next to me. I wasn't sure who I had expected it to be, but I loved that it was Gabumon. He rested his head on my shoulder and I tossed an arm around him. He didn't say anything, and for that I was thankful. He knew I just needed a moment.

And when the conversation did start, it was because I had initiated it. "Gabumon," I said. "What do you think of Amai?"

Gabumon retracted his head to sit up straight and think. He hummed in thought for a moment but finally decided. "She's very funny." He seemed proud of his response. "She's silly and kind too."

"Yeah," I agreed with a faint smile. "She really is. Do you like her?" He hesitated and looked to me, confused, but nodded his head. "Just wondering," I assured him before he could ask why. He shrugged his shoulders and looked up to the high ceiling of the stone room.

The door to the 'reception hall' burst open and several of Jun's cousins flung themselves out the door laughing in a fit of hysteria as though they had never experienced a happiness as pure as they felt then. The last one in the group looked up to me and winked, but I was too stunned to react. Was she hitting on me? Was she really in a state of mind to be doing that? I ignored her and her company until they were out the door, still laughing.

"I think they tried too much of the spiked juice," Gabumon said, sounding thoroughly amused.

"Someone spiked the punch?" I asked dryly, and Gabumon nodded. "Who?"

"I think it was Jazz, that boy from the fight club," Gabumon said, shrugging his shoulders. "That's what I heard anyway." I didn't understand why there was a need to spike the punch. We were at a wedding, and weddings always came equipped with alcohol. I only hoped that Emiko didn't get her hands on any of the infected substance. If anything it would give Jun's wedding that flair that it was lacking in terms of 'mayhem' and 'disaster' to live up to Miyako and Ken's wedding, or Jou and Momoe's, or even Daisuke and Kurayami's to a lesser extent. I wasn't sure Jun _wanted_ a disaster at her wedding, but it seemed empty without it now.

When the door opened once more, I nervously looked to see who was fleeing the party scene and found that it was Patamon, pushing with all his might to keep the heavy wooden doors open. Gabumon hurried to his feet to help Patamon worm his way out of the hall and while taking deep breaths Patamon thanked Gabumon for his efforts before fluttering over to where I was sitting. "I was looking everywhere for you!" Patamon exclaimed breathlessly.

"Why?" Gabumon wondered.

"Amai thinks you're playing hide and seek," Patamon explained and Gabumon snorted. I couldn't help but smile, but said nothing. "She thinks you're very good at disguising yourself as other people, but I knew better. Your Halloween costumes always stink." Again, Gabumon snorted, but this time I sent Patamon a playful glare. "I knew you just left, but there's a slow song playing and Amai gave up looking for you."

"She's dancing with herself, isn't she?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"She was," Patamon nodded, confirming my theory. "But she got bored and dragged Katsue out onto the dance floor." That time _I_ was the one who laughed because the thought of Katsue dancing at all was funny in and of itself, but what kind of dancing Amai may have roped her into helped my imagination create the funniest scene possible. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said, my smile faltering for a moment. I pushed through the confusion and kept my smile as steady as I could to hide whatever Patamon may have noticed. "I'm smiling, see?" I pointed to my face. "I'm happy."

"Sure," Patamon agreed, nodding his head. He then turned with a roll of his eyes. "I believe you even," he said with a heavy sarcasm weighing down his voice. "I'm going to go explore the castle."

"Don't get lost," I advised, but Patamon wasn't even listening. He had flown off up the stairs. Gabumon's eyes never left Patamon, even as he flew straight up, avoiding the stairs all together, skipping floors.

When he was sure that Patamon was out of earshot he turned to me curiously. "Was Patamon right?" he asked, "Is something the matter?" I shook my head, but it was clear to both of us that I didn't truly mean it. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready, but I don't appreciate being lied to."

"I'm sorry," I reacted quickly. I did feel bad for lying to him, but it just wasn't something I was necessarily ready to talk about and somehow that meant, at least to me, that I didn't want it to be known at all. But Gabumon deserved to know what went on in my head. "It's Amai," I told him calmly, and he gasped. I wasn't sure how it came as a surprise, but I allowed his shock to set in. "It was something Hideto said, really."

"Oh, you can't listen to him," Gabumon insisted. "He doesn't like letting people be in the relationships they choose for themselves. He's very invasive! And he once kidnapped me—and while he was a very sweet kidnapper, it still did happen."

"You're right," I confirmed. "He's nosey and probably _too_ invasive, and he shouldn't have taken you."

"And you should have noticed Melga wasn't _me_ ," Gabumon pointed out with a glare.

"You look the same," I gave in.

"She's a _girl_ ," Gabumon argued.

"But neither of us knew that," I reminded him. "She just came out with that recently. I couldn't have known. I mean, _now_ it seems obvious. She's wearing bow and everything."

"She's very pretty," Gabumon agreed, blushing. I elbowed him with a grin, but didn't poke fun at him. I didn't think he'd appreciate it very much. While I didn't see how wearing a bow helped differentiate between genders and it was probably a rather large stereotype to assume that it _would_ help show differences, it seemed that Gabumon didn't care. Nor did Melga if the way she was showing off to everyone was any indication. "What did Hideto tell you?"

"He didn't so much _tell_ me anything," I responded sheepishly. "He was actually speaking to Warg and Melga and all he said was that he would never lead them on and use them as a rebound to get over someone."

Gabumon made a soft _tut_ sound and shook his head. "Well obviously that was still aimed at you," he said, annoyed with Hideto. "That doesn't even apply or make sense in context to his partners. He was manipulating you."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I think he's right," I sighed, leaning into the stone railing again. "I just feel like a _bad_ person for dating her. The reason I walked out with her when we had first met was out of spite. I was upset that Sora was on a date with Mantarou."

"Sora was only dating Mantarou because she thought you were dating Katsue," Gabumon noted.

"What?" I asked sharply, looking down to him.

He shrugged and said, "That's what I heard anyway."

"It doesn't matter." I shook my head "This isn't about Sora—"

"When is it _not_ about Sora?" I turned sharply to see Hideto standing at the top of the stairs. His hands were in his pockets and he slowly made his way down the stone steps towards Gabumon and I with Warg and Melga following closely behind him. "Everything you have done has always been in spite of Sora, or because of Sora, or _for_ Sora. You're run by Sora, and making decisions has always been difficult for you because you're far too focused on the reality of how it might affect a person who doesn't have the same consideration for _you_."

"Hideto," I groaned, turning from him and running my hands through my hair. "No offense, but I'm not really in the mood."

"Of course you're not," Hideto said, slipping past Gabumon. Warg gently pushed Gabumon aside to fit through the two of us, and as a result Gabumon bumped into Melga who locked eyes with Gabumon momentarily before both jerked away from one another to avoid contact. "You're too busy trying to find the answers that I'm here to give you."

Gabumon got to his feet and objected loudly. "He can make his own mind up, Hideto!"

"Eesh," Hideto retracted at Gabumon's defense and shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so. But if you're wondering what I think still—" "We're really _not_ ," Gabumon interjected. "—I would say that since you're entirely imperceptive, you should really start a relationship with someone who can compliment your assets and support you where you're weak."

"That's all you've got?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Amai and I aren't perceptive so we shouldn't be together?" Hideto shrugged his shoulders yet again as if he were embarrassed that he couldn't find a better excuse. "For your information I'm incredibly perceptive."

Hideto's embarrassment melted away and he grinned. "So if I were to pull the bow off of Melga's head and get her and Gabumon to dance around each other for a minute, you could tell me which one was which?" I was pretty sure I pouted based on Hideto's triumphant reaction. "Exactly."

"Yamato doesn't have to be perceptive to be in a relationship with Amai," Gabumon snapped. "It's not your place to say." It amazed me just how much dislike Gabumon had for Hideto, and I wondered if it had more to do with the way Hideto manipulated others without valuing friendship or respecting their boundaries, or if it was primarily about the kidnapping three years ago. "The two of them work really well together and she's the sweetest person, like, ever!"

"Nah," Hideto shrugged. "Aneko is the sweetest person ever."

"She really is," Melga nodded her agreement.

"But you're right," Hideto relented. "Amai and Yamato work _very_ well together, but that doesn't mean there isn't something wrong."

"You know there's something wrong?" I questioned.

"Of _course_ I do," Hideto confirmed, nodding his head proudly. "I—well I'm not sure what it is, but if were to guess I would say it had something to do with your inability to love two people at once."

"I don't love—" I tried, but Hideto cut me off.

"Sure," he said flatly. "If you say so. But I'm going to go back to my boyfriend. Did I ever tell you how we got together?" I shook my head. "Well I told Mari that if she ever wanted to have what she desired she would have to be open and talk about what that was. Kiyoko overheard and told me he liked me. I didn't respond right away, but that was _okay_ , because there was no reason to rush through it. Kiyoko and I then began a relationship because the two of us found the courage inside of ourselves to be honest with one another."

"What does that have to do with me?" I asked.

"I'm sure you can figure that out," Hideto grinned, and he was right. I had only asked to be bitter and I only wanted to be bitter because I knew he was right. And the worst part of it was that I knew I had to break up with Amai because I just _didn't_ have the same feelings for her as I might have had for someone else. Not that there was proof that I _did_ feel that for someone else, since I hadn't spoken to Sora in months and she was dating Mantarou, but it wasn't fair of me to use people as place holders anymore. I had done the very same thing with Katsue—but the circumstances were different. That time Sora would not accept my affections, and so I was forced to move on, whereas with Amai, Sora and I had not interacted at all and it was my own fault, which only made it worse.

Though, Amai and I hadn't had a very steady relationship. No, that wasn't true. The steadiness of the relationship had always been solid, it was the steady _incline_ that was missing.

" _Amai," I told her on our first date. I had been too nervous to really ask her out, so I had simply asked her to hang out and she definitely understood. "I think we should take things slow."_

" _Oh okay!" she agreed before taking a very slow step through the park and looking up to the moon in slow motion._

" _I mean in the relationship," I said, laughing. "Between us. I don't want to rush into anything too serious. I'm kind of a mess."_

" _That seems fair," she had agreed with a smile_.

And since then she had taken 'slow' to mean a flat line of a relationship where the furthest we had actually _gone_ was holding hands. She was adorable and she loved holding hands, but that didn't mean it was _normal_ necessarily.

I sighed and looked around at the empty antechamber. Hideto had disappeared with his partners, leaving Gabumon and I alone. "I have to talk to Amai," I decided.

" _And break up with her_ ," an eerie whispered voice came from my left. I turned sharply and looked through the decorative carvings of the railing and saw Hideto crouching with his partners in the shadows.

"Go _away_ , Hideto," I groaned.

"Fine," he sighed, defeated.

To stall for time I decided to find Patamon before making any decisions about what to do with Amai. I knew that I would have to be honest with her whatever the case, so whether I were to break up with her as Hideto wanted, or to talk about the relationship at all like Hideto had inadvertently told me to do, I had to talk to her.

Gabumon adored the walk around the castle, which I was thankful for because in his amazement, looking to the beautiful walls and paintings and tapestries kept his mind occupied, giving me a chance to deliberate on my decisions. We found Patamon in a large room sitting in the largest window I had ever seen in my entire life, staring up to the stars in the sky. It reminded me of the night Katsue had told me that story about her mother—the _first_ story about her life at all.

" _My mother used to tell me that the stars would align for everyone when the time came,"_ she had said. When I looked up to the stars then, I could only see a mess of lights, cluttering the blue net that had caught them. It wasn't much different now, as I looked up to the constellations that I could not make out, but there was _one_ difference. The difference now was that I knew Hideto was right. He was right because it was time I made my own decisions and I had to make them for _me_ and no one else.

I had to make the stars align for myself. I couldn't wait for them to do so _for_ me. I had to genuinely figure it out for once, and it was going to have to happen soon too, because I couldn't take any more indifference and clutter.

Patamon agreed to come back with us, and we made our way back into the antechamber before pulling the big wooden doors. The sound from the party flooded out toward us and we all made our way inside where Hideto's voice immediately caught my attention.

"Yes, I know he has a girlfriend," he was saying. "But he's super fun, and after your last known boyfriend Yamato, you'll _need_ someone fun." I turned toward him at the sound of my name against my better judgement and saw that he was speaking to Katsue who had been backed into a corner, looking all too annoyed in her pretty blue dress. "He's dating Sora, but look at him—he's obsessed with you. Do you know how many pictures he's taken of you?"

"I'm sure that's supposed to be flattering," Katsue said, pursing her lips. "But it's kind of scary, and I'm not interested."

"What about Yutaka then?" Hideto asked sharply. "You two are so sarcastic and cute together, you should really have a boyfriend. If you're not going to help me with the Mantora couple situation, than you may as well partner up with Yutaka before it's too late. He's getting real close with Jou's sister—"

Katsue flung her finger up into Hideto's face. "And I suggested that for him. He and I have become close friends and he taught me that I don't have to be so closed off to everyone so I repaid him by showing him a girl I know he'll like. I don't need your help, so if you're done meddling—"

"I'm not," Hideto said, stopping Katsue by poking her forehead and stopping her. She groaned but let him continue. I didn't listen anymore because I knew Katsue could handle herself. Patamon flew off when he saw that there was still some leftover cake and he made his way to Takeru who perked up when he saw him.

I was busy though, trying to find my way to where I could see Amai. Several people tried to stop me to talk, but I really wasn't in the mood. I stopped only when I found DemiDevimon and Monimon talking animatedly to one another, knowing that I wanted to leave with Amai I figured it was only fair to allow him to come along.

When I had finally found Amai I found that she was creating a pile of cherries on her plate. She was sitting alone, which wasn't too surprising, since Tafu, her sister, was busy dancing with Shin still. When she looked up to me she had a giant smile on her face, but when I didn't smile back she seemed to know something was up. "Can we talk?" I asked her. She nodded and got to her feet without hesitating.

As I was leading her toward the door Takeru stopped me, placing a hand on my chest, "Mr Tuxedo!"

"I'm not wearing tuxedo," I rolled my eyes. "It's a suit, just like yours."

"But much more expensive," Takeru pointed out. Before I could comment he continued. "I was just wondering if you could tell Hikari that I'm going outside."

"I can't," I told him flatly, looking to the nervous Amai. "I'm going outside right now."

"Oh great, I'll come with you," Takeru grinned. I shook my head but he hadn't noticed. He was already marching on ahead. I groaned, but followed in his footsteps. I knew Amai, Gabumon, DemiDevimon and Monimon were following behind me and saw that Patamon had joined Takeru in his walk to the outside world. It didn't seem like I was going to get the alone time I wanted with Amai. Our talk was just going to have to wait.

Monimon lit up—quite literally—when he saw Katsue. "We're going outside!" he said in the most excitable voice he could muster.

Katsue looked just as excited back to him and then turned to Hideto. "Sorry Hideto, you heard him, I have to go."

"You really don't have to—" I tried, but with one last look at Hideto I knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. Katsue pulled Monimon from the ground and into her arms and together the eight of us made our way from the wedding ceremony to the antechamber, and soon had followed in the footsteps of Jun's drunk cousins and left through the massive front gate.

A set of Gekomon bowed to us kindly and thanked us for coming, but didn't seem all too invested in their words. We made our way down the massive set of stone steps that had been carved into the cliff, leading all the way down to the ocean below.

Amai seemed to have left her nerves inside the palace because her amazement at the sky above was astounding. Her mouth hung slightly open as she made her way down the steps, staring to the stars and swirling colours in the night sky. "It's so prett—" Her words faded into a loud scream as she lost her footing and she was nearly sent tumbling down the long line of stone steps. My heart dropped and Takeru lunged forward, but it was _Katsue_ who had caught her, and we all froze, watching as she pulled her to her feet.

"Be careful," Katsue advised, and Amai nodded. As I looked down the steps I came to realize how high we were and how dangerous it could be if we were to fall. If only the Gekomon had thought to add hand rails that led down the mountain. I swallowed thickly and decided to watch my step. Personally I couldn't find it in myself to talk as we made our way down the dangerous slope, but I appeared to be the only one to feel that way.

"So one day I'll be an Angemon too," DemiDevimon assured Patamon. "I'll be so pretty you won't even know what hit you."

"But I'll look the same," Patamon said confused.

"No silly, you're not an Angemon," DemiDevimon giggled. "You're a Patamon."

Patamon laughed. "That's true! But I _can_ be Angemon," he assured DemiDevimon. "And one day I'm sure you'll be whatever you want to be. Maybe even prettier than _me_!"

"I find that hard to believe," Takeru said, squeezing Patamon tighter. He froze and turned to DemiDevimon. "I just meant—"

"I know," DemiDevimon assured him, still laughing. "You think I'm ugly!"

"No!" Takeru insisted, rushing off after DemiDevimon. My heart began beating faster, watching him run down the steps, but they didn't seem to fear the fall as I did. Amai didn't even seem to be afraid of falling, though she had been the one to almost demonstrate the dangers we could have been facing. She was still looking to the sky, but keeping her sights lower to the horizon and glancing down to the stone steps whenever she felt unsure of where to step. As a result she was walking rather slowly, but I didn't mind. I was walking slowly too.

Gabumon and Monimon were taking turns hopping down the steps in front of them, laughing all the while, and Katsue was eyeing me up like I was insane.

"You alright?" she asked, but I wasn't in a state to answer. "Rock star? You look really pale..."

"I'm not great with heights at the moment," I admitted, though it wasn't necessarily _just_ this moment. There was a reason I preferred to ride Garurumon rather than Birdramon whenever we needed to get somewhere quickly. Katsue seemed to find this phobia to be amusing, but said nothing, instead choosing to run off after the others. Amai laughed at her as she ran, thinking it was funny, but I didn't find _any_ of this to be very funny at all actually.

It was comforting to know that we had made it down at least half of the steps already, but that didn't change the fact that death could be immediate if we were to fall. "It's okay," Amai assured me warmly. "I'm afraid of things too."

"Heights," I guessed not able to keep my mind off of the situation at hand.

She shook her head. "Nah, I'm scared of... the dark!" she decided loudly. "It freaks me out because I always picture creepy things lurking around the corner."

"It's dark now," I noted. "You don't seem scared."

"Because I have my friends, silly," she said, hitting my shoulder playfully. My face paled even more and I could feel it happening as I toppled sideways. Amai noticed my fear and as I balanced myself again she said "sorry" rather quickly. I shrugged it off and together we made our way down to the sandy ground.

The moment my feet found the shifting ground beneath me I wanted to collapse and just thank Norn that we hadn't died, and added a personal memo in my mind to use a portal to get back up if we had to, rather than walk up those steps.

I heard a sharp _thud_ and turned to see Takeru kick a familiar swan-shaped boat. He patted the head of the boat curiously and looked inside. It was empty. "Weird," Takeru decided.

"Maybe it's for Jun and Shuu to ride off together," Amai suggested playfully.

"Do you really see Jun pedaling away in a boat while in her wedding dress and shoes?" Katsue asked, amused and Amai simply shrugged before flopping down into the sand to tear off her shoes. "So I was thinking we could paint an angel on Rida's office building."

"Ooh!" Amai seemed intrigued already. "I think that would be so funny! He hates digimon!"

"I think Angemon should be painted _everywhere_ ," Takeru said affectionately, from the top of the boat where he sat with DemiDevimon and Patamon who both agreed fervently that Angemon was a solid symbol of hope. "But painting on Rida's building seems reckless."

"So we'll do it at night," Katsue shrugged. Amai had gotten to her feet now and rushed off into the water, hoisting her pale pink dress up to reveal shorts underneath. She nearly fell, and released her dress, deciding she didn't care if she got wet. Katsue's attention was diverted as Amai tried to splash her, but she jumped back just in time, pointing her finger to mock Amai. "I was just thinking that Rida is the reason Sora is in so much trouble, so we should send a message with Angemon. She deserves freedom, and we should end this with a good sign."

"For Sora?" I asked, my voice choked off momentarily. Katsue nodded. "I thought you didn't like her."

"Nah," Katsue shrugged. "She doesn't like _me_ , but like I told Hideto, Yutaka taught me some things. Being honest with someone doesn't show weakness. Being rude doesn't make people like you, and disliking someone just because they dislike you is petty. Sora's a kind girl, and she has her reasons for not liking me—mostly jealousy," Katsue elbowed me and winked, "but she's great. She's risking her freedom for a friend and if that doesn't show a good spirit, I don't know what would." Katsue sighed and gestured to the sky. "She's the great 'Angel in the Sky' after all, and she needs her freedom." I rolled my eyes. Why did everyone make fun of _that_ song? As I looked to the sky however, it seemed to make so much more sense. The stars weren't aligned, but it all pointed to Sora and that was enough for me. It was enough to remind me that I had to talk to Amai, and that I had to make a decision that didn't involve Sora before I made any rash accusations or plans.

Takeru let out a yelp as he slipped from the swan and he landed in the water. Katsue laughed, but rushed off to help him, with Monimon following closely behind. Gabumon noticed this and pulled on my pant leg. "I'm going to walk aimlessly over here until you're done talking." I thanked him silently and made my way to the water line, just out of reach of the waves. Amai held her arms out wide, inviting me in but I shook my head and she made her way toward me, looking nervous again.

When she had come close enough she sighed, "You wanted to talk?" I nodded and her shoulders slumped. "I-if it has to do with me not being very competent, I understand. My sister and her friends always tell me that. That's why they don't want to be my friend." That seemed rather harsh. "If you don't want to be my friend, I understand."

I shook my head. "I want to be your friend," I objected, trying to ignore the tight feeling in my chest, "I like you a lot. You're totally competent. Just because you think in a different way doesn't make you stupid." Amai beamed at me in relief, and I realized I shouldn't be giving her emotional whiplash. "I just want to talk about our relationship."

"R-relationship?" she questioned.

I nodded, "I think we need to break up."

"Break up?" Amai looked shocked, but her response was drowned out by Gabumon shouting out, "Run!" Whatever nervous feeling I'd had before turned to a total panic when I rounded on Gabumon. He ran right into me and pulled on my pant legs again. "He's coming! We have to run—or _hide_!"

"Who?" Katsue asked nervously, making her way toward us again.

"That man!" Gabumon tried, "The—the one—you know the one!"

"The man who was waiting by the big metal door when we destroyed it," Katsue surmised and Gabumon nodded his head in a panic, "Maugrim," how she remembered his name I didn't know. I barely remembered it and we had mentioned him several times in our meetings. "Where can we hide?"

"This way!" Patamon exclaimed, and was already leading us to a large rock formation that formed a sort of alcove in the cliff. Takeru and DemiDevimon were the first to take action to follow him, followed closely by Monimon and Amai who made her way noisily out of the water, but Katsue seemed to realize my unwilling stance. She grabbed my arm and pulled me along. I just didn't see how hiding made much sense. We could have run from him, or got to the others—or _anything_ else, but instead we were enclosing ourselves in a small safe space that just didn't seem reasonable to me. I could hear the music from the reception coming from the large open windows of the palace and I knew Maugrim would be able to hear it as well. The others weren't hidden well, and neither were we _really_.

But was too late, because we were all enclosed in a tight space and I could hear him coming. Surely he had to have heard our panicked cries. He had to have been close enough or he would never have made it toward us so quickly. I could not see him but his footsteps, even in the sand, were heavy and loud. My heart was _slamming_ against my chest and my grip around Katsue's wrist tightened in my fear and she slapped my hand away when it became too tight. I looked to the others and saw that Takeru had pushed Amai into the most secure section of the enclosure and she had both Patamon and DemiDevimon in her arms, both of which looked rather nervous. Gabumon was sitting by my side, waiting calmly, eyeing the opening cautiously.

The footsteps stopped and I panicked, realizing I hadn't been judging how far or close they had been. More importantly, the question of how Maugrim had made his way all the way to the very place the Digidestined had gathered seemed to hit me, but my answer did not come because it seemed, judging by Gabumon's snarl, Maugrim had found our hiding place.

A massive arm reached around and grabbed Katsue's leg, but Gabumon was quick to move forward and sink his teeth into the flesh of the man who retracted his arm and dragged Gabumon with him. I didn't hesitate to move after him, with Takeru calling for me to stop and as I emerged from the safety of the cave I found Maugrim, standing tall and strong with a scar down his face, punching Gabumon in the side of the head. I was shocked with how strong he seemed to be as Gabumon was tossed through the air, slamming into a rock and seemingly falling unconscious.

"Gabumon!" I shouted, rushing toward him. Maugrim was quicker though and slammed into my side, pinning me to the stone wall. I gasped for air, but Maugrim was too strong and I couldn't breathe.

He tilted his head back and looked down to me, running his tongue along his bottom lip, "This should be fun."

"Demi Dart!"

Maugrim released me, spinning on the spot to catch the dart DemiDevimon had sent his way. He caught it mid fire and whipped it through the air back toward the small round digimon. DemiDevimon let out a squeak and ducked under the attack, but his distraction had given me time to slip away from Maugrim and get to Gabumon. I was still taking in air as I pulled Gabumon into my arms. He was stirring awake which was a good sign, but Maugrim was making his way toward me now.

"Hand of Fate!" Angemon cried out, punching the air and sending a blast of golden light toward Maugrim who turned again, this time choosing to avoid the attack. As he moved I could see the beautiful angel digimon with his flowing hair whipping in the wind. Takeru was standing by his side and I noticed DemiDevimon looking to him in awe and admiration.

"You were beaten up by two weakened girls," Takeru said fiercely. "You stole their light and their darkness and tried to kill them and you couldn't even do _that_. How do you expect to defeat my partner?"

Maugrim did not respond and instead stood his ground and entered a sort of staring contest with Angemon who would surely win since his eyes were concealed. "Step aside," Maugrim said finally, "I am not here for you. You may live if you keep out of my way."

"We wouldn't do that!" Gabumon assured him angrily, "You're not going to get our friends!"

"And even if we did," I pointed out, "There are too many digimon up there for you to win." Maugrim seemed annoyed and looked to a clunky device strapped to his massive wrist like a watch. It was beeping and I knew instantly that it was a modified version of the technology Arnold had created to follow the tracked digimon. This time he was following the digivice signals, I was sure.

"I do not intend to _win_ any fight," Maugrim informed us, "I simply wish to receive the Digidestined Gaia has requested I find, and be on my way."

"Hikari?" Takeru questioned, a sense of protectiveness growing in his voice, "Not a chance." He motioned with his head for Angemon to set off and he did so, using his Angel Rod to strike Maugrim in the side of his neck.

The man staggered, but did not fall from his place. His gruff expression froze in place as we all watched with wide eyes. How had he not been affected by the strike? As his thin lips curled into a smile it seemed clear to me that Angemon was in trouble. Maugrim reached for Angemon's weapon, grabbed it tight and with all his might, hurled Angemon over his shoulder, crashing him into the sand by his feet.

"A-Angemon!" Takeru stuttered as the shock of Maugrim's strength washed over him. Maugrim was reaching down to the fallen angel now and I turned to Gabumon with a nervous expression but he understood. We couldn't let Angemon down.

The entire shore lit up with the colour of my crest and Gabumon was the source. A moment later he had emerged from his evolution as ZeedGarurumon and he set off for the others, but Maugrim had already thrown Angemon, this time with more purpose and sent him toward the water. Takeru was already running toward him, and I really wished he wouldn't. I didn't want him getting into the battle, but it was too late. He was gone into the mess of it all. My chest tightened again as I watched him go, and when Maugrim spun, sensing ZeedGarurumon advancing behind him it only got worse.

His thick hand wrapped around the side of ZeedGarurumon's face and he twisted quickly, knocking him off of his feet and slamming his head into a nearby rock, splitting it in two.

I gasped, unable to say a thing as my partner cried out in pain. Amai shrieked her fear, but Katsue was right by her side to keep her safe with Monimon as protection. I had to take a double take at that. Monimon was protecting them?

Maugrim moved toward the girls and I set off, running after him, not willing to let them get hurt. They weren't part of this war by force, they had chosen it, but that didn't mean they deserved to be hurt in the process any more than the rest of us.

Maugrim reached into the sky and the air around his right wrist and arm began to glow until a long metal gauntlet had formed around his hand with a long spiked blade emerging from the back of his wrist.

Amai looked too afraid to speak, but Katsue's razor sharp tongue never ceased to cross a line or two, "Where did you learn to do that, Wolverine?"

"Where I am from, everyone has abilities," Maugrim said coolly, "My ability is _war_."

"Where you're from is the home of the fairies," Katsue noted, "So you're a war fairy, are you? Well, even a fairy focused on killing is still a _fairy_." Maugrim did not take kindly to her words and with such quick movements he had wound his arm back and sliced forward.

I was lucky that Angemon was much faster than I was, because otherwise Katsue's sass would have been the end of her. Angemon had landed between Maugrim and the girls and was holding the opponents arm above his head, struggling against the brute strength of the—as Katsue had said—fairy.

"Go!" Angemon insisted. Amai, who was star struck at being saved by an Angemon was pulled away by Katsue who set off toward Takeru near the water. Monimon however chose to stay and wound himself back before lunging forward and tackling Maugrim. He looked down sharply and kicked Monimon aside before using his free hand to punch Angemon in the gut. Takeru screamed out in shock, but I turned my attention to ZeedGarurumon who was still lying motionless.

With shaky hands I rushed to his side and fell into the sand, looking to his face and pulling it into my lap. He looked to be unconscious, but I knew he would have reverted if he was. "Hey," I said softly, "You have to get up. We need you." His eyes lit up at the sound of my voice and he got to his feet, shaking more than I was.

When I returned my attention to the fight I saw that Angemon had attempted to digivolve, but had been stopped in the process, and had found himself pinned to the wall of the cliff. "Takeru!" ZeedGarurumon called, shocking my brother into stopping in his tracks, "Stay back." ZeedGarurumon rounded on Maugrim and ran like lightning toward him, tackling him directly into the side, crashing him into the alcove that we had been hiding in, crashing straight through the wall.

Angemon moved quickly to avoid the falling rocks, and stood by ZeedGarurumon. My eyes wandered to Monimon who was in Katsue's arms. He looked pretty hurt. She looked proud of him, but unwilling to let him back out to the fight.

When I looked back to the cloud of dirt, sand and dust where the rocks had fallen my heart dropped. There was a pinprick of violet light glowing from the center of it all. "MOVE!" I yelled loudly. ZeedGarurumon reacted quickly, but Angemon was too slow. The blast fired his way, and with all eyes focused on the angel attempting to escape it seemed clear that he wasn't going to.

But then the blast had made contact.

Not with Angemon, but with DemiDevimon.

As the small black creature fell to the ground I saw the remnants of the blast—red. It had been red, not violet. It wasn't the virus. A disturbing sense of relief washed over me as the small creature burst into a cloud of data. Amai screamed in horror, watching as the golden dust collected in the air and formed an egg. The egg dropped from the sky and she was quick to catch it, tears in her eyes as she fell to her knees with her partner in hand.

Angemon looked to DemiDevimon's with admiration and distraught, and then turned to Takeru and nodded before being engulfed in more light. " **Seraphimon**!" He declared when the light vanished. He stood tall in his majestic armour, looking to where Maugrim was pulling himself from the wreckage. His face had a deep cut near his eye, and other than a few other scrapes and tears in his clothing he seemed to be fine. He ran a finger through the blood dripping over his forehead and flicked it aside before wielding his deadly gauntlet again.

I was trying to remember a time when I personally had faced something from a world other than the Digital World, but the closest I could come to was Yggdrasil, and I didn't even know _what_ he was. It was very different fighting a man—even if he wasn't human—than it was a digimon, and it was disturbing just how well he was faring.

"Zeed Cannon!" The massive metal barrel on ZeedGarurumon's back light up and the lines tracing the weapon itself glowed brightly too, setting me in motion. As the blast shot, Maugrim crossed his arms in a cross shape in front of him and a large bluish metal shield appeared to protect him from the blast.

I however was on my way to the others, and stopped when I got to Takeru. Katsue was helping Amai to her feet and assuring her that they would keep DemiDevimon safe, but she wasn't too convincing keeping her focus on her own partner that was trying to worm his way out of her arms to help with the fight.

"This guy is crazy," I noted, startling Takeru when I came up behind him.

He nodded his agreement, "And to think, I once made him coffee."

"Ehh," I shrugged, "you probably got his order wrong." He elbowed me sharply, and I couldn't tell if he was being playful or not, but it wasn't the time so that was really none of my concern. Takeru then yelped for the second time that night as he shoved me sharply to the side. I hadn't seen it coming, but the metal shield that Maugrim had created was whipping through the air toward us.

With a crash it had slammed into a massive rock sticking from its place in the sand, sending vibrations through the air. I threw my hands over my ears to block out the sound and noticed Katsue do the same. I the process she dropped Monimon whose emoticon face was particularly sour as he rushed through the sand.

My eyes followed his path and saw that Maugrim had his back to the group of us, while ZeedGarurumon was snapping his jaw wildly his direction and Seraphimon was using his 'Excalibur' sword to threaten Maugrim.

Katsue gasped when she noticed Monimon's escape but she froze when she saw him glowing.

" **Monimon digivolve to... Monitamon**!" Monimon grew a body and appeared to be a ninja television now and Katsue, while impressed, was very upset with him for having headed into the battle. But he leapt into the air and spun three times and threw three well aimed glistening shuriken stars toward Maugrim. The first two hit his shoulder blades and the third struck the back of his neck, each one causing the fairy-man to flinch.

He spun sharply toward Monitamon and did not hesitate to ready his weapon, aiming his direction, but he did not get the chance to strike. "Hallowed Knuckle!" Seraphimon called, punching the air and sending a blast of light to the center of Maugrim's spine. My eyes followed Monitamon as he leapt toward a nearby rock and I was amazed to find that he disappeared. As I looked closer I could see that he had simply disguised himself to look like the stone, blending in like a chameleon.

Maugrim staggered forward and then was hit with a "Zeed Cannon!" It was a cheap tactic to hit from behind, but if we had to, I wouldn't complain. I wanted him to stop fighting—not to die—but whatever tricks we had to use to see it through, had to happen. I wasn't going to let another digimon die here. Not tonight.

If Maugrim managed to kill another digimon we would not win—we may not have won as it was, and that meant that everyone up in the castle had the potential to fall into danger too.

"Takeru," I said sharply, pulling on his arm. "Take Seraphimon and warn everyone in the castle."

" _What_?" he gasped sharply, "Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you!"

"Bring _help_ ," I corrected.

He hesitated but decided it was a good idea. He nodded and pulled himself to his feet before running in a wide circle around Maugrim. Takeru had been spotted, but ZeedGarurumon leapt in the way and was hit by the red blast that had taken DemiDevimon's life. My heart skipped a beat as the blast hit but I was glad to see that we would be okay.

When I looked back to Takeru I saw that he was flying off already, zooming up the nearest window, following the sounds of the distant music.

"Where is he going?" Katsue asked. I jumped at the sound of her voice and when I turned I saw that she had left Amai, who refused to move herself from her place on the ground with her egg. I swallowed thickly, ignoring the stinging in my eyes, "Yamato!" Katsue snapped her fingers in my face, catching my attention again.

"T-to get others," I said, nodding. Katsue seemed relieved and then pushed past me to get to where she knew her partner was waiting. She had cast aside her heels in favour of running in bare feet, as Amai had done earlier, and neither girl seemed worried about the state of their expensive looking dresses.

Maugrim cried out when ZeedGarurumon clamped his razor sharp teeth around his forearm and as a response he wound his weapon arm back and slammed forward, slicing through ZeedGarurumon's metal exterior.

I was running toward him before I knew it, but Katsue had grabbed my arm sharply to stop me. I spun around with momentum and saw that she had collected Monitamon again. "You can't go in there," She said seriously, looking at me through her square framed glasses, "If you go, you will _die_."

"But G-Gabumon—"

"I know," Katsue said, her eyes filling with water. She looked away from me and over my shoulder, only to look confused very suddenly. I took that as a bad sign and I looked back to see ZeedGarurumon lying alone in the sand, hurt. Where was Maugrim.

When I heard a scream I knew we had made a mistake.

"Amai!" Katsue screamed, horror filling every thread of her voice. She released Monitamon and set off across the sand toward the girl whose wrist was held in Maugrim's hold. Her other hand was occupied holding the black and white egg, but her face was just as filled with fear as Katsue had seeping from her pores as she made her way to her friend.

"ENOUGH!" Maugrim bellowed, shoving the air in front of him sharply and sending Katsue flying backward into the sand. Monitamon was quick to hurry to her side, but Maugrim set his sights on me, holding his metal blade up to Amai. "Bring me the boy."

"Who?" I asked loudly. Hadn't he wanted _Hikari_?

"Autumn's son," Maugrim snapped, "Bring him to me, or I will kill this girl."

My heart stopped. I couldn't bring him Michael, and even if I could it would take me too long to run up the steps again. I couldn't decide what to do, and my legs shook violently as I remembered ZeedGarurumon lying in the sand alone. I panicked and turned sharply. I had to bring Michael. At least GigaSeadramon would be there to help if I did.

As I looked up to the castle I was relieved to see Seraphimon and Takeru returning flanked with two Rosemon—one red and one black—Omnimon, Piedmon, Anubismon, Ophanimon, VictoryGreymon, Valkyrimon, TyrantKabuterimon, Plesiomon, GigaSeadramon, Leopardmon, UlforceVeedramon, Vikemon, GrandisKuwagamon, Examon and last but not least—well, kind of least—Birdamon, since Sora wasn't here to help her evolve further.

Maugrim grunted his frustration, but I noticed his eyes focus on GigaSeadramon. Why did he want Michael? He released Amai, shoving her to the ground and reached into his pocket and threw something to his feet. The ground around him exploded.

I shielded my eyes and backed away, but when I risked a glance I saw that he was gone. Katsue was quick to get to Amai but I couldn't stop myself from checking on ZeedGarurumon who was reverting slowly to Gabumon. I slid through the sand, not caring for a second if I ruined my suit and pulled him into my lap. "You alright?"

"D-did we win?" he asked weakly.

I shook my head. "No, not really."

"What the _hell_ happened?" I turned back to see that Taichi and the others had all landed. It was amazing to see the cavalry all together at once—aside from Sora—and even though there were a few flaws—such as Mimi and Koushiro being upset with one another, or Hikari and Kurayami missing their light and darkness—they still looked magnificent.

Though it did offer the question of how Labramon and Gatomon digivolved at all, but that was a question for another day.

Takeru took the opportunity to explain what had happened to us when Maugrim had attacked, but I couldn't take my eyes away from Michael and he noticed, looking nervous. "Then I left," Takeru finished.

"He wants Michael," I said nervously, "I don't know why."

"Maugrim wants me?" Michael seemed worried again.

"Likely the connection between your mother and his lover," Gennai said, surprising me. I hadn't noticed him at all, but Michael turned to glare at him.

"Well, want to fill me in on some of the details?" Michael asked sharply, but Gennai simply turned his head to ignore him, upsetting Michael further.

I rubbed my sore neck and loosened my tie but the battle was done and that meant it was time to return to the palace, even in our condition. Maugrim had gone, but that didn't mean he couldn't return—not that he _would_. Not with the army we had accumulated. But that didn't stop him from going after other chosen children around the world—or even _us_ later on when we all went separate ways. I was starting to think that living in the Temple for a while might be in everyone's best interests.

"Jun's gonna hate this," Daisuke groaned, "Her wedding was crashed."

"Sorry," Takeru sighed, "I could have been more discreet."

"Don't worry about it," Jou assured him, patting his shoulder, "She'll get over it. We were needed."

"You saved Amai's life," I told him and he looked proud, but his face twitched when he remembered DemiDevimon. Then he looked behind me to where Katsue and Amai had been. I followed his gaze and found that they were gone. We shared a curious look as the others made their way back to the palace. I handed Gabumon off to Seraphimon for safety while Takeru and I went off after Amai and Katsue, following their footsteps. It wasn't safe to be out alone—hadn't they learned _anything_ from almost _dying_?

But when we found them it all made sense. Takeru pulled me sharply behind a rock when we heard Amai crying.

"I'm so sorry," Katsue said, her voice thick. I had only seen her cry _twice_. Once when I had broken up with her, and once when I had accused her of being the cause of the hatred of digimon. I didn't like to think of her crying. She was so strong and that chink in her armour worried me. "Digimon remember their past lives. I mean, usually. I don't understand the specifics, but I'm sure DemiDevimon will be fine."

"He's _dead_ ," Amai sobbed. "He's _gone_!"

"I promise, he'll be back," Katsue said softly. I risked a peek and saw the two of them on their knees in the sand and Katsue pulled Amai in for a hug, the egg held between the two of them. Monitamon patted Amai's back softly and she cried for a while. I felt pretty invasive for being here, especially since breaking up with her could have been part of the reason she was crying. "Amai?"

"Hmm?" Amai responded, when her sobbing had softened to a steady cry.

"I was so scared you were going to die," Katsue said in a weak voice. "I—I don't have many friends. My mother always told me I wouldn't have any friends unless I lightened up—but I liked being distant because it was a screen for the jerks and the idiots."

"I _am_ an idiot," Amai said through her tears, "that's what everyone tells me. I'm stupid. And I _am_! I let DemiDevimon _die_!"

"Hey," Katsue said, taking Amai's shoulders and gently pushing her away to look her in the eyes. Amai's hair hung over one eye like the day I met her. I had not been reminded of that shy, broken looking girl so much until that moment, watching her stare toward Katsue. "Don't say that. You didn't let him die. He _saved_ Angemon. He was so brave, and you did that. You showed him what it meant to be a hero and to be kind. You did that because your intelligence is far superior to that of logic or common sense. You're the smartest person I've ever met Amai because you just _know_ how to be you and you _know_ how to be good. You know the things that everyone else goes their whole life without knowing, and I think that's amazing. I think _you're_ amazing."

My eyes widened as Katsue leaned in and kissed Amai full on the mouth and Takeru gasped, pulling away, having been watching as well. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him to get me out of their business and the two of us sat with our backs against the rock we had been hiding behind.

"I did _not_ see that coming," Takeru said breathlessly.

"Yeah," I agreed, not knowing what else to say.

"I know you're there, morons," Katsue shouted blankly and Amai laughed through her tears.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Woah! Katsamai! Didn't see that coming, did you? YukiraKing didn't either... but the hints are there if you re-read it! Next up is some pretty progression content in which Ken, Daisuke and Hideto all learn some pretty heavy information that could lead to the final showdown between Sigma and our team!


	33. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 33: Something Wicked This Way Comes**

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

I was sure that Gennai had hoped for a better turn out. When he'd announced that he would be searching for the heart, very few of us actually volunteered to go with him. It wasn't _just_ that he was annoying and a jerk-face and no one could stand to be around him for long. He'd also just happened to pick the worst day possible to make the trip.

Sora's trial was today.

Everyone was on edge, afraid to hear how things turned out, but desperate to know at the same time. Sora was innocent. She was meant to be free. I knew that. Everyone that we know knew that. It was just Hanzai that didn't. No. That damned lawyer probably _did_ know that Sora was innocent. Arnold most likely was desperate enough to take one of us down with him that he was willing to pay a boatload of money to the guy just to try to get Sora a prison sentence as long as Arnold's own.

Then, of course, there was the fact that Jun's wedding reception had been interrupted last night by Maugrim, who was trying to get _Michael_ for Gaia. It wasn't safe for Michael to be wandering around Earth or the Digital World, so he was a logical addition to Gennai's quest, even though Michael would probably rather watch paint dry than be in the maze with the man that simply _refused_ to tell him anything about his mother—and for no good reason. Everyone was pretty shaken by what happened. When we'd left, Jou was watching over Emiko like a hawk as she tried to play in Main Square. Miyako had Mai with her, and was desperate to keep her safe from Sigma, which was the only reason she was out in the open in Main Square too. She didn't want to stray too far from the others.

But she also didn't want to bring Mai into the maze. Miyako didn't ever want to step foot in here again. Gaia had attacked her within these walls, and while it was troubling, that attack also provided Mai with her life—the life that the Dark Ocean had temporarily stolen from her. At least, that was what _I_ believed anyway.

I would've liked it better if I could see Mai and Miyako right now. Miyako was always teetering close to panic, since Sigma was around and at large. He'd made his intentions clear several times. He wanted Miyako, and for once, I finally understood _why_. Winter chose her, and Winter was Sigma's successor. She was currently Queen of Sidhendor, and was sitting on _his_ throne. He obviously wanted to get back at her for stealing what was 'rightfully' his.

As if Miyako needed another reason to resent Winter.

I got to be on the receiving end of that particular rant several times. Miyako was jealous of Iori's relationship with Summer—and Winter for that matter—and Daisuke's easy friendship of Spring. Miyako and Winter didn't get along. Winter didn't _care_ for her, the way her sister's cared for their respective choices. Winter had done nothing to save Mai, but when Bengoshi was in trouble, she reacted instantly. It wasn't fair, really, that Winter had chosen Miyako, and then left her to fend for herself. I knew why she did. It was because there was nothing really similar about them at all. Unlike Summer and Spring, who had actively tried to better themselves and grow as people, trying to use the influence of Iori and Daisuke to become the people they wanted to be, Winter didn't even try to emulate Miyako.

Daisuke, Miyako and Iori were chosen to replace Alias III, because they had the traits that the fairies most wanted to have within themselves. But obviously, Winter didn't care too much if she shared any traits with Miyako, since she was more like Mari than _Mari_ was these days. Mari was happier than I'd ever seen her, and it was _strange_ to see her that way. It was awesome too, don't get me wrong, it was amazing in all sorts of ways, but it was still strange.

But then again, Mari and Miyako had been friends since childhood, and had been able to pick that friendship right back up again when they met again while Alias III still did what Alias III was _meant_ to do. Winter and Miyako had never managed even a little friendship.

The nicest thing Winter had done for Miyako was give her a list of all the great evils that we needed to destroy—though I _still_ wasn't sure why Winter had the list to start with. I wasn't sure what her powers were, but omniscient knowledge probably wasn't it….right? Not that it mattered. We'd finished off the list to the best of our abilities—leaving of course, the one that Ryou and his future team would need to deal with, as we were instructed—and we _still_ were facing horrible evils at every turn.

Not that we were even _meant_ to defeat the great evils, according to Gennai. It was all so confusing. How could we have two very different set of instructions? Gennai somehow thought peace was meant to be achieved _years_ ago. I couldn't understand how that was possible. Even if the worlds were closed off permanently after Taichi and the others had their first adventure, Myotismon still would have been lurking around Earth in Owikawa's body. It's not like _everything_ would have been peaceful.

For the most part, all of the other great evils wouldn't have been a problem; that was an absolutely undeniable fact, once I actually bothered listening to Gennai as he explained it. But he never seemed to have a solid excuse for the Myotismon issue. Maybe it wouldn't have been a problem, since Myotismon wasn't able to do any real damage until he broke his way into the Land of Dreams on his quest to find the Digital World. But you know, _maybe_ it would have been a bigger problem than it actually ended up being, _because_ we didn't have our digimon around to protect us.

I was also more than a little bitter that he was blaming _me_ for the majority of the bad things that had happened over the course of my journey with the digimon. Well, it wasn't _just_ me. He was blaming Ryou too. Ryou refused to even be around Gennai, because he just upset him, and Ryou liked being happy too much to risk ruining his mood—besides, D'Arcmon apparently told him to ignore Gennai, and to find a way to be happy while he waited until he reached 2027 once more.

No one was sure if Ryou knew the significance of D'Arcmon, and I was too afraid to ask. He didn't _talk_ like he knew she was his grandfather's mother. He also didn't talk like he had any idea that Gennai was Hiraga's clone, and therefore his _grandfather's_ clone. He just seemed pretty out of it most of the time. I guessed that spending who knew _how_ many years in the past, trying to get back to your present can do that to you. I wouldn't enjoy it, that was for sure, and I was an adult. I couldn't imagine having to deal with it being a kid. He had to grow up pretty quickly if he wanted to survive, and it really wasn't fair.

It was almost as unfair as Gennai trying to convince him to stay on Earth as he waited for his own time. I mean, the kid wasn't _aging_ while he was in the Land of Dreams, or Neverland. He would still _look_ like the same kid to his parents when he got home. If he _wasn't_ in one of those places where time was relative, he'd be my age before he got to meet his parents again.

And that wouldn't go over well.

I knew, because Mimi told me how well Ryou's dad reacted when she brought a fourteen year old Ryou into his house. I would hate to see how he'd react to a twenty-six year old when he was expecting Ryou to be fourteen.

Answering Gennai's call would literally ruin his life, if Gennai got his way about things. I didn't want that to happen. I wanted him to be happy. He'd saved the world. He'd saved _all_ the worlds. And in return for his heroic actions, Gennai wanted him to literally get old before his time.

To me, that seemed like the worst possible rewards Gennai could give to him.

Gennai didn't seem to be particularly interested in rewarding anyone for their actions. Koushiro had brought him back to life, however temporary, and he had this limited time to share whatever wisdom he possessed, and instead of sharing it, he was just complaining all the time. Koushiro was really put out, because Gennai seemed to complain about being brought back the most, and was always putting Koushiro down for doing such a 'stupid' or 'idiotic' or 'foolish' thing. It was like he was listing only the words that would cause Koushiro emotional injury. Koushiro measured his worth by his brain capacity—which wasn't saying much since lately he'd done a couple very stupid things—and he'd literally idolized Gennai since he was ten years old. That was sixteen years that Gennai was his hero. And now, after spending so much time looking up to him, Gennai was letting him down in the least gentle way possible.

Koushiro obviously was still holding out hope that the Gennai he knew and looked up to was still in there somewhere, because he volunteered to come along with Michael and Gennai. He was also avoiding Mimi, because he was still afraid that she was going to break up with him if they were alone together for any length of time. It was unhealthy of him to not just face this head on, but I didn't want to meddle. I didn't like it when anyone meddled with my life—mostly, it was just my mom, really—and I wouldn't meddle with anyone else's.

I decided to go, because Michael wasn't looking forward to spending time with just Gennai and Koushiro, and of course, Betamon decided he wanted to come too. Wormmon wanted to explore the white maze, and so I brought him along. Takeru joined us with Patamon, who was determined to find the heart, after failing to do so twice already. Yamato also knew where the heart was, but he was too embarrassed to be doing anything—or so Takeru told me. I didn't ask questions, though I was able to piece some of it together when I saw Katsue and Amai looking adoringly into one another's eyes when they thought no one was looking—and had elected to stay behind. Willis was dragged along with Terriermon and Lopmon though, since Willis had yet to see the land of white—or _Theta_ as Koushiro called it.

There were eleven of us total, once Tentomon joined the team—since he wanted to spend time with Koushiro, and felt like a failure for not understanding human addictions and missing all the signs, and wanted to make it up to his partner—aside from Gennai, ready to search for the heart.

Koushiro had warned us right from the start that it could take awhile, which was why we started so early. Mai and Miyako had been awake, because Mai didn't like sleeping through the night, but most of the others were still sleeping. It was so weird to have everyone so close. We were all staying in the Temple guest housing to make sure we were a formidable force when—more likely than a simple _if_ —Gaia, Sigma or Maugrim came to attack. Usually we were spread out, living in different districts. It was much more convenient to be able to walk across the street, or down the hall to find one of the others. It would be a bit longer of a commute to work, since I'd have to go to our house first, and then make my way to work—appearing at my desk by using my computer as a doorway probably wouldn't go over very well—by car.

"This world doesn't make any sense," Willis commented, as another wall shot out to block our path. "How are you ever supposed to get anywhere?"

"You're not," Gennai said simply. "This world was not meant for visitors."

"Seems strange to have so many hallways, fountains and benches then," Terriermon grumbled. Lopmon elbowed him, but after doing so, they both broke into snickers.

"Those are simply elements of Theta's natural beauty and warmth," Gennai informed us. "She was a kind woman."

"Then why is it a maze?" Betamon asked. "That's just confusing. She's being confusing on purpose."

"It is a natural defense mechanism," Gennai said, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Theta has been hurt and irreparably damaged in the past," Koushiro said, knowingly. I should've known that he already understood this world. He spent enough time running off to it, hiding away in here when Mimi was after him. "This way, all intruders will be turned around and trapped. They won't be able to find what remains of her—her core—and destroy it."

"Good," Gennai said. "Almost entirely accurate."

"Almost?" Koushiro asked bitterly. "I read her entire life history. That's the only logical explanation."

"No," Gennai corrected. "Yggdrasil created this world with her core. She is not in control. Yggdrasil made the maze to protect her core. You had the right theory, just the wrong creator."

"Sorry for not assuming the leader of the great evils was actively _protecting_ the wife he ripped to pieces," Koushiro said sarcastically. "I must've missed the fine print that said he actually _cared_ about her fate."

"Yggdrasil was many things," Gennai said sharply. "But he was never a great evil. He was above that. He fought for peace, and peace alone. He and I were the only ones that could see that fighting would not bring peace. It would bring only more violence. But now that he's gone, it is just me—a mere fragmentation of my former self—that is striving for true peace."

"Seems to me like you're fighting with _us_ ," Wormmon commented. "That won't bring peace. You just said fighting wouldn't."

"You are all deliberately misunderstanding me," Gennai said, growing annoyed.

"I think so," Takeru agreed. "I guess it's just really hard to see it from your perspective because the only time we really got to see Yggdrasil was when he was trying to kill not only us and our partners and family and friends, but every living thing in all of the worlds, so…yeah, his thoughts might've been all for peace without fighting, but his actions clearly told a different story."

"The Yggdrasil you met was not the same one that I did," Gennai said sagely. "He lost so much during the time that Theta was torn to pieces. He separated himself from her, creating the in-between so that he could watch over all the worlds the pieces created. He wanted to watch over her to repent for what he had done. He created this world, to keep her core—her _heart_ —safe from everything, including him. He was responsible for her destruction, and he no longer felt worthy to be in her presence, which was why he drew out whatever innocence he had left and created Norn, a child full of innocence and wonder. He was intending to send her out to the worlds to assess the beings living there, when I died. I don't know how his plan fared, but I do know that he lost his partner _twice_ , as well as losing his wife, and his son, and his daughter. He was under a lot of emotional stress. Everything he tried to keep safe was destroyed by his influence."

"So he decided to kill everything," Michael said, rolling his eyes. Yep. He was still mad that Gennai wouldn't talk about his mother. Yggdrasil was his grandfather's father, so he was still learning _something_ about his family, but I could understand why he would be less interested in the guy that tried to destroy us than he would be in the woman that gave him life. "Real stellar."

"He wanted peace," Gennai insisted. "I don't know what changed, but he wanted peace. He wanted Theta to be peaceful, and having the worlds in constant strife ruined that perfection. The pieces of Theta were at war with one another. It was impossible to keep the peace without doing something, and _you_ didn't listen to my warnings. I tried to do it the right way. I tried to stop the fighting."

"But Ryou and I ruined everything, I get it," I said, still irritated by the assumption. Logic stood to reason that it was true, but I still hated the thought.

"Yes," Gennai said. "Because of you, true peace has yet to be achieved. But it _can_ be, if you stopped focussing on fighting, and started thinking of others."

"I don't understand how you and Mimi are so in sync with one another," Patamon said, shaking his head on his place atop Takeru's hat. "You guys really don't like each other, but you're so similar in your quest against fighting."

"I don't dislike Mimi," Gennai said, sounding genuinely confused by the statement. "She was a wonderful girl that grew into a spectacular woman. I chose her, and she more than fulfilled all my expectations for her. I chose _most_ of you, and you've all grown into more than I could have imagined. You understand your crests now more than _I_ do. You're in tune with yourselves on a level that truly astounds me. It's not _you_ —any of you—that I don't like. I don't like that you keep postponing the peace. Twice now, a chance has come and gone, and your continued interference prohibited it from taking root. I had thought the original six had succeeded, but I was wrong, and I will admit to that. But twice now you have done what was required, and _still_ you continue to interfere with the balance."

"But Winter told Miyako—" I protested.

"Winter does not know as much as she _thinks_ she does," Gennai interrupted before I could continue. He confirmed what I'd already guessed, but that didn't mean she was _wrong_.

"Why would you pick us?" Willis asked, bending down to pat Terriermon and Lopmon on the head. Gennai stopped moving and turned to Willis, confused, as though there was an obvious explanation that he couldn't imagine had slipped over our heads. When no one tried to explain his reasoning to Willis—not even Koushiro, who had grown suspiciously silent, as he pondered the answer for himself—Gennai sighed, and got a faraway look in his eyes.

"When I felt the evil stirring I knew that Takuya and his friends could not hold the evil off forever," Gennai said. "I would need to prepare the next group of children that could come in and finish the job for them. They had done their best, but it was not enough to keep the peace forever. I didn't know where to start, you must realize. It was such a daunting task…but I knew which crests were in need of a bearer. I needed one bearer for each crest, because the original six all had three, and it was too much for them to contain. Having a single crest would make it easier to exhibit. The power would be purer and more focussed. There are twenty-one crests in a sense, but there were three with two faces and the fairies took them to find bearers on their own. I was left to find homes for the other fifteen."

"Didn't my mother find _anybody_?" Michael wanted to know. "And how could you know that the evil was stirring _while_ Izumi and the others were still fighting that same evil. That doesn't make sense."

"I received warnings of the future," Gennai said very carefully. "And I acted accordingly."

"And his mother?" Betamon insisted.

"She chose one, but she died before he was born," Gennai said quickly. "She left me to find him and to pass on his crest. I was unable to provide him his crest, before _I_ died, but that's beside the point. I don't know her reasoning behind the choice she made, but Ryou has proved himself to be quite useful, despite that he showed up much sooner than either of us could have predicted."

"How did she know though?" Michael asked desperately. Gennai refused to even look at him, looking for all the world like he was berating himself for providing Michael with even _that_ much information. I couldn't understand why he was upset. Michael looked almost _happy_ to have heard about _anything_ his mother had done.

"Willis," Gennai said, clearly changing the subject. Michael pouted, and kicked the ground. Betamon rubbed against his leg, trying to cheer him up. It didn't work well, but Michael smiled to his partner anyway, and Betamon looked pleased—if not a little worried.

"Yeah?" Willis asked, realizing that Gennai was waiting for his full attention.

"You and Alice were actually the first that I chose," Gennai said, caught up in the past. "I was pointed in your direction by a dear friend. I was at a loss for how to begin, but she guided me towards you. Your birth was heralded a miracle. The two of you were born very early, and it was thought that neither would survive. It put strain on your parents, as I'm sure you realize. But you pulled through. Destiny had something more in store for the pair of you. I knew that you were the right choice. By the time I had a test put together though, I learned that the strain was too much for your parents to bear, and they separated not only themselves, but the two of you. Terriermon and Lopmon were already being prepared for you, and as they were in the same egg, I simply sent them to the first twin I could find: you. I could not locate Alice. I never got to speak with her. But I know that she was the right choice for miracles, for she died, soon after your birth, and was brought back. Most would say that it was simply medical technology that saved her, but I believed the crest of miracles chose her for a greater purpose."

"But she died anyway," Lopmon said, sadly. "I never got to meet her before it happened."

"Yes," Gennai said, sounding rather torn up about it, as though he actually cared about us. It seemed to go against his general opinion that we were all useless and arrogant, but it was nice to hear anyway. "I feel that the crest has great need of her yet. It may not be in the conventional sense, and she may not get the chance to act the part of a true Digidestined, but she will play an important role. The crest would not have chosen Alice McCoy if she was not vital to the peace of the worlds."

"But you want to block off the worlds for eternity," Willis said. "How is Alice meant to play her part if that's the case? You can't tell me you honestly think separating the worlds could be viable as a permanent solution."

"I do think it will succeed," Gennai said. "It was foretold to me."

"But who told you? Yggdrasil?" Michael asked. "I'd take everything he said with a grain of salt. He'd already destroyed his wife by the time you'd met him, and his son was already killed by his granddaughters. He wasn't exactly stable."

"I realize that, yes," Gennai said, trying to stay calm and not lose it. He didn't want to give in to his anger. I could sort of see where it was coming from too, because Gennai and Yggdrasil were partners. They had to be. Koushiro had said so, and Gennai hadn't pompously corrected him. If Gennai was standing there insulting Wormmon, I probably would have decked him for it—but then Wormmon never tried to commit genocide to all races, species and life, so you know, it _was_ different. "But it was not Yggdrasil that told me."

"Then _who_?" Tentomon inquired.

"I cannot say," Gennai said firmly.

"You say that a lot," Michael said bitterly.

"So you chose Alice and I first," Willis said, trying to get Gennai in a more positive mood again. We'd be stuck with him until we found the heart—and since we were now moving at a snail's pace, it was going to take a long time. It would be much more enjoyable for everyone if Gennai wasn't furious.

"Yes," Gennai said, thankful for the distraction. "Afterwards, I found Taichi and his little sister. Hikari was sick, and had been from the moment of her birth, though that sickness was dormant for quite some time, only showing its face in brief moments of weakness. Yuuko had been given a daunting choice between light and darkness for her daughter, and I do believe she made the right choice. I believe now, that it was Theta herself that offered the choice, and it needed to be a _choice_. She would not thrust such a heavy burden upon a child. It needed to be freely taken. And Yuuko chose the gift of light. It was too much for her young body to handle. She wasn't strong enough to keep it, not without understanding it, and as such, she was ill a lot. I met them, actually, when Taichi had taken her outside, and she nearly died, though the doctors misdiagnosed her with some silly human illness. I needed to test them, as I was unsure that they were the _right_ fit. I knew Alice and Willis were, because I'd been pointed in their direction."

"They passed the test," Koushiro said, confidently. "You sent Greymon to Earth, and then Parrotmon came. They fought, and the rest of us witnessed it. Right?"

"I sent _Botamon_ ," Gennai corrected, and Koushiro actually growled in frustration. "He grew astonishingly fast into Greymon, and yes he did fight. They passed the test. You were right about that, yet this may not be the last you learn of that night. Taichi feared so much, but nothing stopped him from living as he felt fit. He feared that fight, but he loved his sister. He would always protect those who needed him to, even when he was subjected to complete fear. He would never let another be scared when he could help them. And it was as he demonstrated that courage while protecting his sister that I knew I'd made the right choice."

"But the others _were_ picked because they saw the fight, right?" I questioned.

"They saw it, yes," Gennai confirmed…sort of. "Kurayami was next, however. Kanashimi, her mother, was given the choice of accepting darkness for her daughter. Like Yuuko, Kanashimi accepted it, fearing what the darkness could hold if Kurayami didn't possess that power. Kanashimi knew of her family's curse, and she knew too, that if Kurayami held the power of darkness, then the curse could not harm her. Nothing could harm her, unless it was stronger than the purest of darkness. Only the great evils hold that much power. The curse of Zeta could not hurt her, for it was a curse of eternal sorrow."

"Zeta was created because of Yggdrasil's sorrow over tearing his wife to pieces," Koushiro supplied quickly, looking to Gennai, who for once, had nothing to say to correct him. He simply nodded and gifted Koushiro with a slight smile. Koushiro looked like he'd answered the million dollar question on a game show, just to know that he'd drawn a _smile_ from Gennai once more. It was sad how powerful a simple smile was, when it came from a grumpy, annoying, confusing man.

"Yes," Gennai said. "Kanashimi might've chosen wrong, or for the wrong reasons. But Kurayami was the clear choice to bear the crest of darkness, as she would need to learn to understand the power her mother chose for her, in order to live a peaceful, loving life. I do believe she was at that point when Gaia took the darkness from her. I fear for her son, and for her family line, now that Zeta's curse is free to wreak havoc upon her family line once more."

My stomach dropped at the implication. Haruki might not be safe after all. And most importantly, he was safe the entire time that Gaia implied that he wasn't. Of course, once again it was clear that Gaia was lying to us. She'd done it when she said Willis and Kiyoko were dead. There probably wasn't much that she told Hikari and Kurayami that was actually the truth. She was manipulating them, as we knew, but she was doing it in the worst way, by targeting a baby.

Takeru looked shaken by the revelation, and I tried to think of solutions. Wasn't it just the impending birth of a second child that caused the madness to occur? Didn't she say that there was always just a single descendent of each generation? Only one could survive. She knew that, so she could make Haruki be her only child, and that could save him…couldn't it?

"Who was next?" Patamon asked, trying to find something happier to talk about. And Gennai actually delivered for him.

"Takeru," Gennai said, looking to him. Patamon's eyes lit up, and he looked down from his perch on top of Takeru's head to smile at his partner. Takeru was suddenly anxious. I wondered how intimidating it must feel to be the centre of the conversation, to know _why_ this man chose us for such a hefty destiny.

"Lay it on me," Takeru said, trying to sound braver than he clearly felt. "Why me?"

"You were always keeping everyone around you from falling into the darkness. It was clear, even as a young child that you would never let anyone—even those that didn't perhaps feel that they deserved your assistance—fall into the darkness of the worlds. You were the brightest source of hope I had ever come across," Gennai said. "And after finding you, it was a simple step to look to your brother. He is caring beyond compare. He would never show it, however, not wanting to accept praise for his good deed and actions. He would keep his kindnesses to himself. He would help any and all around him, simply because he _could_ , and help was needed. It was his immense humility mixed with his adoration for any and all living beings that made him perfectly suited for the crest of friendship."

"Was Koushiro next?" Tentomon asked, looking far more excited by the prospect than Koushiro was.

"Jou first," Gennai said. "I knew he was the perfect fit for the crest of faith due to the nature of his relationship with his mother. The series of promises that held them together were astonishing, and I knew that Jou understood the importance of keeping promises, and the bond that they could create. He would never break the promises that he and his mother made together, and that is a confidence he still carries with him today."

" _Now_ Koushiro?" Tentomon inquired, excitedly.

"Yes," Gennai said. "His tale is much less cheerful than the others. It was due to his parents' demise that he even was considered to bear the crest of knowledge. In his quest to keep his adoptive parents happy, so that they might keep him, he discovered his love for knowledge. I found him just on the cusp of learning of that adoption. He was a smart child, but he did not yet have the drive. I honestly considered looking elsewhere, finding someone else to grant the crest too, but I held off, not wanting to make a mistake. It _would_ have been a mistake to choose anyone else, for your thirst for knowledge only grew from that moment on until it nearly consumed you. You have, I hope, learned to balance that drive with the rest of your life?"

"Kind of," Koushiro said, ignoring Takeru's pointed look that plainly said _no_ , _you have not_. Koushiro didn't look very happy though, hearing that his idol had nearly chosen someone else just because Koushiro hadn't been desperate enough to please Yoshie and Masami yet. He was also embarrassed to have such a personal childhood worry aired out in front of his friends—I doubted any of us would've been his first choice to share that information with. I wasn't sure he'd even told Sora, and she was his _best_ friend.

"Mimi was the clear choice for purity, and no one ever stood in her way," Gennai said, obviously feeling the tension, and seeking to remedy that awkwardness. "Children have this air of innocence and purity because they are not affected by outside forces telling them who to be. But Mimi already was subjected to this at home, and _still_ she did not hesitate to be herself. In all circumstances, when it seemed she would slip up and her personality became tainted, she persevered and pulled through as herself. It was truly remarkable how naturally she took to her crest. It is also remarkable how easy it was for her to be swayed from it by her friends in elementary school, nearly taking the child of purity down another path. But when the time came for her to shine, she did it marvellously, just as I had predicted."

Gennai was silent for awhile, and Tentomon started having a whispered conversation with Koushiro, telling him that he really ought to talk to Mimi. Koushiro actually looked like he was contemplating it too. Wormmon was scuttling along the wall, enjoying the idea of walking sideways while everyone else was below him. It was ridiculous, but he was having fun, so it didn't really matter. The walls were still the same white that they'd always been, and the intricate detailing was still there too. It was actually pretty boring. We got stopped once again by a wall jutting out and cutting us off, but Gennai just calmly led us down a different path. Patamon kept his ears alert, hoping to hear any trace of the heart's beat.

Lopmon dragged Willis ahead happily when we entered a room with a fountain, and started telling Willis about when she first got here, only to realize this was a different fountain, since there was no bench, and lost all interest, feeling embarrassed about getting confused. Terriermon teased her about it, and Betamon assured her that he was easily confused in this place too.

Michael just glared at Gennai, hoping to annoy him into telling a story about Autumn—any story, Michael really wasn't picky. He just wanted _something_.

"You never explained how you picked _me_ ," Michael said, after he realized glaring wasn't going to get Gennai to talk. Gennai didn't even seem to realize Michael _was_ glaring at him.

"Neo was next, actually," Gennai told him. He looked conflicted for a moment, and then nodded to himself. "Neo was hurt as a young child, and while I'm sure he wouldn't think highly of me telling you this, the reason he was hurt was because of a series of lies. He vowed to himself to never tell one after that time, so that he could never become a man that he despised as much as his father. It was simple really, to make the conclusion that such a seriously meant promise would lead to him being the bearer of honesty. I never saw him come into his destiny, but I'm _sure_ he honoured his crest. He did after all have much riding on him, as his sister relied on him to take the place of her distant mother and missing father."

"He tried to take over the Digital World," I told him. He faltered for a second, and then turned to me, looking upset.

"I once banished him from my library during his search for any information pertaining to Arkadimon," Gennai admitted, almost sheepishly. "He honours his crest now," he decided firmly. "And he wasn't the only one to try to take over the Digital World." I'd walked right into that one. My heart started beating quickly. I really wasn't that interested in being in the hot seat. I didn't want a secret unveiled, like Neo's or Koushiro's. "It was the fear you held that drew me to you. You feared becoming the person you thought that your brother was. You feared that, although people found you to be kind, that there were those that saw you for who you were, and saw that you were faking and lying and cheating. Fundamentally, you feared that you wore a mask and that you could not see through it. That mask did not exist, but because you were self-aware, it was clear that your kindness would always show through to the end. That genuine kindness was rare to see in one so young, filled with so much fear. It was refreshing actually."

Yep.

I didn't enjoy that.

Wormmon was looking down from the wall at me, worriedly. I hadn't ever told _anyone_ that I'd felt that way about Osamu. Well, I'd told Miyako, but that was different. We were very open with one another about our pasts. We liked to think we shared everything in the present too, but I knew that wasn't true. Miyako kept a lot from me because she didn't think I would understand. And she was right. I didn't understand when she was _certain_ that Sigma was back. I liked to try and be the supportive and understanding husband she wanted from me, but I still had a long way to go. We'd been married for five years, and together for nearly eleven. There was always more to learn though. Elevenyears seemed like such a long time, when I was only twenty-four, but it hadn't _felt_ like a long time when I was living it.

But no one else knew about my fears. Not even my parents. Wormmon _knew_ , but I'd never told him. He'd just understood from the way I spoke about Osamu.

How was it then, that Gennai was able to figure it out so easily?

"And me?" Michael asked, sounding annoyed. I was happy that he seemed to want to draw the attention away from me. I didn't like Takeru's softened eyes, and Wormmon's worry. I wanted to just not think about it anymore.

"I chose you, because I knew your mother," Gennai said. He wasn't speeding through the explanation, but it was clear that he wasn't open to interruptions either. He was going to get through this, and then move on. And Michael wasn't going to like it. "When I met you, I knew that you would be much like she was, and when she died, I passed the crest to you, because I knew that you would carry your mother's _heart_ through your life, and always show the trait that made your mother so special."

"She was like me?" Michael asked, sheer desperation in his voice. But Gennai didn't want to elaborate. It was enough though, to know that Gennai thought the crest of strength was the one that Autumn exhibited the most. Michael wanted more, but he was happy enough to know that he had _something_ in common with his mother. He wouldn't pester for more…for now anyway.

"You haven't mentioned Sora," Takeru realized.

"Was she really the last?" Tentomon wanted to know.

"But she was one of the first to go on the adventure," Lopmon said, confused.

"Yes," Gennai said. "Sora was the last to receive my approval. Not because of _her_ , but because of the crest I debated bestowing upon her. Love is not an easy trait to understand or to show. Love is nothing at all, and yet it is everything. Expecting one human being to stand for all the love that has ever and will ever be shared throughout all time was something I could not take lightly. I spent a great deal of time watching Sora, and it was clear that even then, as a young girl, she would never stop trying to understand the feeling, and never stop trying to put that feeling into words. She would always search for new ways to express it. Sora was the hardest choice and yet…she was the easiest. I always feared that I had chosen wrong for Sora, as it seemed evident that the crest was too powerful for a child to fully grasp, but she has proven me wrong countless times and now I am proud to say that she is proving to be more than up for the task."

"Hey!" Patamon called excitedly taking everyone's minds off of Gennai's less than motivational—but still kind of uplifting—speech about Sora's ability to exhibit love, "Spring grew that tree!"

"What?" I asked, confused. My head was still filled with Gennai's words. He was somehow proud of us all, even though he was angry with us. I hadn't realized just how carefully he'd handpicked us all—well, except Daisuke, Miyako, Iori and Alias III. Maybe Daisuke, Miyako and Iori should be known as something too—though the Fairy's liked to refer to them as the Holy Three, it seemed kind of tame and boring compared to the way Alias III sounded.

"Look," Takeru said, nudging me. He pointed and I saw a legitimate tree growing in the hallway. I shrugged, but Patamon seemed really excited, and started flying ahead of us. He flew around a corner and into a room, and we all raced after him, hoping that no walls would grow to separate us. None did, and we entered the room behind him. He fluttered around, searching high and low.

"What's wrong?" Wormmon asked.

"This is the room!" Patamon said, frantically. The room itself was dimmer than the rest of the maze, like Yggdrasil—or Theta maybe—wanted it to be less inviting, to keep the heart concealed and hidden.

"Where's the heart then?" Willis asked, looking for a box. He saw it and walked over. Patamon was still freaking out. Takeru was looking anxiously at his partner, and I was quick to catch on too. Patamon couldn't hear the heartbeat. I knew what Willis was going to say when he bent down to look in the open box, but it didn't make it any less surprising to hear it. "It's _gone_."

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

It felt like we were back in the frying pan, waiting for the storm to hit for a second time. We weren't hanging out in the Coliseum this time, and it felt wrong almost. Instead, we were just hanging around the Temple, waiting for Maugrim, or Sigma, or Gaia to show up. Yamato had made the suggestion of having everyone be in one place, and while it made sense to some degree—we were stronger as a united front—it was impractical. Some of us still had jobs on Earth. Not me in particular, but I knew Michael had a new role coming up that he was meant to be working on, and Ken, Iori, Daisuke and Takeru had jobs they needed to attend daily. Taichi, Koushiro, Jou, Neo and Kiyoko all worked without pay in the Digital World—mostly in the Temple itself—which was convenient to them at least. Mimi had to be on Earth to watch over the repairs of her restaurant, which were getting close to completion, finally, and Sora also had to stay on Earth, trapped in her house, so the plan to keep everyone safe and together was flawed from the beginning.

Daisuke and Kurayami chose to remain in Sora's house with her, and Mimi joined them—mostly because she was actively trying to avoid Koushiro, because she was still mad at him, and he wasn't making any strides to bridge that gap. In fact, he'd left with Ken, Michael, Willis and Takeru earlier to search Theta for Sigma's heart, _just_ in case Mimi decided to show up at the Temple.

She actually _had_ , and was beyond irritated to find out that he wasn't here.

It was a vicious cycle that they found themselves in, and for once, I didn't want to be in the middle of it. I was actually a little busy at the moment. I hadn't heard yet whether Sora and Mantarou had broken up, and it was getting me on edge. I'd pulled out the big guns, and yes, I lost my subtle manipulative nature when I'd had more than a few glasses of punch, which turned out to be spiked. I had just started blurting things out to Katsue, hoping that she would take Mantarou off my hands, and that she could finally have her happily ever after.

But she hadn't actually needed my help.

I'd finally figured out what it was that I couldn't put my finger on. Yes, personality wise, Yamato and Amai were a perfect pair. But they never worked. Obviously, it was because Amai was not interested in _him_. It was glaringly obvious now to me why. Katsue and Yamato were so much alike—which was why _they_ hadn't worked out. Katsue and Amai were also a perfect pair, personality wise—better than Yamato and Amai actually, since Amai was definitely into Katsue in a way she just _wasn't_ for Yamato.

"You should talk to them," I told him. He was sitting near me on a bench in Main Square. He was watching Amai and Katsue, who were holding hands and laughing with the Teenage Wolves—who had all managed to secure dates with Jou's step-sisters, and were freaking out, wondering what to do about it. Amai was giving them rather _interesting_ suggestions, and they weren't sure whether to take her seriously or not.

I could've given them better suggestions, and I'd only met the three women once. I knew the differences in their personalities, and which date ideas would appeal to them as a first date—but they seemed determined to go on a triple date, and even I couldn't come up with a perfect choice that could make everyone happy.

I wasn't sure how a triple date would _work_ , but I knew that Jou and Momoe had gone out with Jun and Shuu during that couple's first date—and had Shin and Chiziru along for the ride, though that pairing was doomed from the start. So I knew they _could_ work out, at least for some people.

Sighing I tried to banish the thoughts from my mind. What did I care whether the Teenage Wolves succeeded in their upcoming dates? Obviously I cared though, I mean, I wanted them to be happy, since they produced their best music while they were in positive frames of mind.

"I can't," Yamato said, glaring at the ground. Gabumon glared at me too, and I rolled my eyes. That guy didn't like me. He never had though, so I mean, it wasn't surprising. The first thing I'd done upon meeting him was kidnap him, and replace him with Melga. I wasn't sure if _that_ was what made him despise me, or if the fact that Yamato didn't notice was the cause. I doubted he was fond of the discovery I had inadvertently gifted him with. The fact that Yamato had confused the pair several times since that initial kidnapping wasn't exactly helping matters either.

And yeah, so he probably thought I was nosey and always butting into Yamato's life when I had no place to be there—except that I kind of did, since we were friends now, and Sora and Mimi did that all the time. They were always sticking their nose in other people's interest—and Sora even did it to _help_ people, like me. Mimi sometimes just did it for fun.

I helped people.

It was practically my _duty_ to make people happy. They might not realize they're unhappy—or they might actually have some level of happiness on their own—but I always could tell. I _knew_ instinctively who worked best for which people. I wondered some days whether that was why Spring had given me _two_ partners—because I knew that they worked together on a deep level, and was therefore able to fuse them together.

Just because people didn't know they were lacking true happiness didn't mean that they didn't want it on a deep, subconscious level. Yamato had been _content_ 'going out' with Amai—though Amai had never known that they were in fact dating in Yamato's opinion—but he wasn't _happy_. He thought he was happy enough, but there was so much more out there for him. He didn't need to tie himself to someone that wasn't going to bring him an ultimate sense of peace and wholeness—the fact that Amai would never have been able to provide that for him was moot. It didn't matter, because we both knew who _could_. He just was determined to move on from her.

As noble and justified that decision was, he could never do that. They were each others' true happiness, and they couldn't see it because of their bullheaded, stubborn, jealous, impulsive personalities. They never sat down and discussed things. They just assumed they knew what the other was thinking or feeling, and that often ended up with them dating people that they didn't really _want_ to date, just to make each other jealous, or because they were hurt that the other was dating someone that wasn't them—which was probably only done to make the other jealous.

My head was practically spinning as I tried to piece together the puzzle that was Sorato.

Never in all my life had I met two people that wanted so desperately to be together find so many excuses to just _not_ be. It was insane. I didn't believe for _years_ that there was anyone out there that I could be worthy of being with—and I sometimes _still_ felt that way, despite Kiyoko's constant assurances that I was the only one he wanted—and _I_ didn't make as many excuses as them. I accepted the happiness that was offered to me, forgoing my pride in the process. But Sora, who's crest was _love_ couldn't manage to put her differences aside and just _tell_ him how she felt.

At least Yamato had tried, time and time again—through song even, dozens of times—and she always turned him down, pushed him away, making herself miserable for no real reason.

I was tired of it.

So Gabumon's opinion of me didn't matter one bit. Not anymore—it wasn't like we ever interacted anyway, I wasn't exactly isolating myself from his friendship. Yamato needed to be happy. It was imperative that he remain so. His music was actually _good_ again.

"Get off your high horse and go talk to them," I told him, not caring if he didn't _want_ to. "Their happiness isn't to spite you. I don't care how embarrassed you are, you can't alienate any more friends."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yamato said stubbornly.

"Yes, you do," I said, rolling my eyes. "You pushed Sora away. Does that ring any bells? How about when you pushed everyone else away, _just_ so they wouldn't have to pick between you and Sora? That was a real kicker, to me. I wouldn't ever pick Sora, and you know that. But whatever."

"Sora's amazing," Yamato argued. "You shouldn't pick _me_ over her."

"I _will_ ," I said, astonished at just how obvious he was being. He loved her still, I knew he did—and I liked to think that _he_ knew it now as well. How could he ever have convinced himself he was over her? I didn't think I could ever understand the workings of his mind. "But I don't need to. Everyone can be friends with both of you without taking a side. You and Sora haven't dated since before I even knew you. I've never seen you as a couple. I don't know what was going through your brain when you decided _now_ was the time that people would take sides. But you did, and that's done with. You can't alienate _more_ of your friends. Yutaka and Katsue are close friends now, you might lose _him_ if you do. And that basically leaves you without a band, because the others like Katsue too. You can't risk them having to pick between the two of you, now _can_ you?"

The sarcasm was rolling off my tongue in heavy doses, but for a long moment, I feared he didn't understand that that was what it was. He looked genuinely worried that he'd lose the last of his friends in this 'divorce'.

"They're not mad at you," I pointed out. "They're happy, and they're together, but they don't hate you. Just because they like girls doesn't immediately mean that they hate all men. That's a superstition and a stereotype and it's rude to think that way."

"That's not why I can't talk to them," Yamato protested right away.

"It _better_ not be," Gabumon said firmly. He had finally turned his glare away from me. It probably had something to do with me actually supporting his current friendships and not manipulating him into dissolving them. Not that I would've done that ever. I was strictly in the business of breaking imperfect couples up—but I always found someone else for both parties. That's why I was so determined to get Katsue with Mantarou, since I'd ruined hers and Yamato's relationships, and she and Neo didn't work out.

I mean, now I knew _why_ , but since I hadn't known girls were an option for her—and it was incredibly rude to assume anything about anyone's preferences—I hadn't understood at the time.

"It's embarrassing," Yamato admitted, exasperatedly.

"Are you referring to the time when you thought you were dating a girl, and broke up with her before realizing that you were never dating at all, because she was interested in your mutual female friend?" I asked, wryly.

"What _else_ would I be talking about?" he asked in a harsh whisper, looking over to Amai and Katsue, to see if they were paying attention. They weren't. They were talking with an unusually animated Kiyoko. He was grinning and waving his arms around, and I could tell that he was talking about his new friend Gravimon based on the movements he was making. He was so bright and happy and excited. He didn't look shy at all. I wasn't sure whether it was because Amai was so easy to talk to, and was just as into his story as he was, or if Mari was just right—and he _was_ reverting to his codependent tendencies when he was with Alias III out of habit and fear of offending us, if he were to do things on his own.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

On the one hand, I knew it was incredibly selfish and horrible to wish he was codependent and not maturing into his own person. I knew that. I did. But he was also so much more confident when he wasn't with Mari or I, and I felt like we were holding him back.

He loved me still. I knew that. That was the first thing he said to me when he got back, and he said it every day since then—sometimes more than once. He was determined to never let me question it, and it was an amazing feeling to be reminded so often that I wasn't screwing it up.

But maybe I still kind of was, if he didn't feel like he could be himself around me, and that he needed to give me all the power and control in the relationship—and friendship too, because we were still friends, even though we were dating.

"Why don't _you_ talk to _him_?" Yamato asked, grumpily, catching me staring. I glared at him. It wasn't _his_ business to talk about my personal confusion and struggles. I didn't care if he was just trying to help. My personal business was my own. And I didn't care how hypocritical that made me.

"We're not talking about me," I hissed.

"How about you both talk to them?" Gabumon suggested. I turned my glare to him, and decided that his dislike of me was now mutual. He glared right back, not intimidated in the slightest. I mean, if _I_ could digivolve to super-ultimate, I... well I probably wouldn't be afraid of me either, but still.

"Deal," Yamato said, before I could convince Gabumon out of it. I sighed. I didn't actually need to do it if I could get Yamato to talk to the girls first. Besides, Kiyoko's behaviour was his choice, not mine. It wasn't my place to change him. He was getting there on his own. With my excuses in place I turned to Yamato and looked at him pointedly.

"Go ahead then," I told him. "Just remember, you're hurting not only them with your avoidance—because they probably think you don't support their relationship—but you're hurting yourself."

"Gee, thanks," Yamato said, getting to his feet. Gabumon hesitated, and then decided to go with him. I watched him wander over to Amai and Katsue. Kiyoko clammed up, looking between the three, and suddenly looked very awkward. He didn't want to be a part of that interaction, but Amai was holding his hand, and he was trapped. I felt bad, but I also thought it was going to be hilarious, and I was happy that he was there to tell me how it played out.

I sighed, now that I was on my own. Today wasn't the greatest of days. Everyone was on edge, and Gennai had taken people away that could have helped to protect everyone that was gathered at the Temple—we didn't have access to GigaSeadramon, Leopardmon, GrandisKuwagamon, Seraphimon or TyrantKabuterimon thanks to him—and it was actually horrible to think about.

Because they weren't the only ones missing.

Sora's trial was happening today. Biyomon was obviously going to go with her, so any of her digivoutions were out of the running, and Taichi was going to support her—he'd already left actually—so Greymon was the best we could hope for on that front, since Agumon was here with us still. Daisuke and Kurayami had decided to go as well, and so UlforceVeedramon and Anubismon were off the table. Iori was practically working the case along with his old professor, and so Armadillomon wasn't going to be any help either, really.

Not when ZeedGarurumon and Seraphimon were no match for Maugrim alone, let alone Sigma or Gaia or any other allies on top of it.

Being collected at the Temple wasn't giving us much of a chance against our enemies anyway. There was really no point in being here. There was nothing to do, except buy noodles from Veemon, who always tried to refuse payment, since he wasn't asking for any from the digimon still—but really, he and Daisuke weren't going to pull themselves out of poverty if they didn't start getting paid. It was only common sense.

I was done eating noodles for the day though. Warg and Melga had abandoned me in favour of going on a tour with Mari, Lalamon and Tapirmon, since they were going to show Aneko around. She was taking everything extremely well, what with the whole world jumping stuff that was going on. She was a little freaked out while actually getting sucked into the computer, but she was okay now that she was _in_ the Digital World. She kept looking around, half expecting a digimon to jump out of nowhere and decide to be her partner.

Tapirmon had decided to drag everyone over to the café, just outside the Temple grounds, that he helped Yoshie run. He was very proud of the progress it had made towards being reopened. Mimi was jealous of how much faster it happened than her restaurant, but she was also happy for them.

She was actually sitting with Neo, who was doing his best to look anywhere _but_ at her, while Hikari talked to him. I hadn't realized that the two girls had wedged their way into his life, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy at least Hikari's company, which was pretty spectacular. Mimi kept looking to her phone, checking the time, and then glancing back towards the Temple, as if she was waiting for someone.

She probably was, I realized. Koushiro was out with Gennai, but surely they would be back soon. They'd started their search obnoxiously early in the morning. It was the only reason I hadn't gone with them. I was not a morning person. I kind of wished mornings didn't exist.

Other than the digidestined themselves, the Temple was pretty scarcely populated. The bravest of the Coliseum digimon had moved back to their homes, but not many others had yet. The idea that the Temple could be attacked at any moment was doing very little to convince them that it was a good choice. The impending attack was making me question my decision to be here as well. Mari was only granted temporary custody while social workers made some inquiries and home visits. Having Aneko in a location that was pretty much _guaranteed_ to be attacked seemed like the worst decision she could make if she wanted to keep her.

Aneko didn't seem to mind though.

She wasn't magically better either. She had spent her entire life under the suppressing force of her parents. She was a lot like Kiyoko had been once Sigma had been forced from his body. She had a hard time making decisions of her own, and would always look to Mari to provide an opinion for her to have. It was really hard seeing this behaviour again at all, let alone from someone so young. But we made it through victorious for Kiyoko, and we could do it again for Aneko.

"I don't know where you got my number, Mimi, but I wish you'd lose it."

I looked up to see Evelen—Neo's not-girlfriend—walking down the steps from the Temple. She looked a little worse for wear, and was not very happy to have been called here by Mimi. Mimi looked brighter though. Neo on the other hand, wasn't.

"Mimi," he groaned. She smiled innocently to him.

"It's not what you think," she said with a smirk.

"What is it then?" he demanded. Hikari looked concerned. She didn't want to be rude, so she smiled and waved at Evelen, but when Mimi didn't do the same, she started to get antsy. I was a little confused too. Wasn't Mimi desperately trying to do my job and get Neo and Evelen together—which was very helpful because Neo had actually forbade me from doing it myself.

Mimi avoided looking to Evelen and kept her focus on Neo. There was much more here than a simple matchmaking game, and my nerves twitched as I watched Mimi's gaze intensify. "I'm sorry I wasn't being particularly active in the Nevelen department, because I was busy with something much more pressing." She looked angry now and I felt the same feeling rising inside myself aimlessly. "I solved the mystery," Mimi said, sending Evelen the frostiest look I'd ever seen Mimi give anyone. "I know who destroyed Mari's garden….and you're looking at her."

"Don't be ridiculous," Neo said, rolling his eyes. But I wasn't so quick to dismiss it. I could see the shift in Evelen's eyes as she looked back towards the Temple, to the exit from this world. She wanted an escape, and the only reason someone would want that, was if they were guilty.

"Why would you do it?" I demanded, getting to my feet. I felt very protective over Mari—and the rest of Alias III. It was something we did. And I didn't particularly like that this woman, who I'd _thought_ was a good choice for Neo, had done something to hurt my friend.

"How did you find out it was me?" Evelen asked, ignoring me. I didn't really like _that_ either, but I was curious too. Mimi was a horrible detective. She was picking random suspects without reason, and putting forth a minimal effort when it came to actually doing anything about it.

Yet she'd somehow solved the mystery.

"It was Neo that gave me the idea," Mimi said, sending him a triumphant look. "He said there was a limited list of potential offenders, since the garden was invisible. Only someone that knew it was there could be the culprit. And I checked the list twice. It wasn't a Digidestined, but it _was_ someone that a Digidestined told. I know that you know about it, because _I'm_ the one that told you."

"I already admitted it, okay!" Evelen shouted, turning on the spot. I was quick to jump in her path so she could not escape. Evelen glared at me, her eyes glistening with haunted tears, and she spun back to Mimi. "Stop making it a dramatic event!"

"But we still don't know _why_ you did it," Neo pointed out, gesturing towards me, reminding her that she'd yet to answer my question. Neo was hiding his feelings, as usual, but I was smart enough to see how affected he was. His eyebrows twitched as they rose and it was clear to me that he was trying to decide how angry he really was.

"It doesn't matter," Evelen said defensively. "I destroyed the garden. Nothing else matters."

"It does though," Neo said. "You _had_ to have a reason."

"Neo," Hikari murmured, reaching out and squeezing his hand. Evelen looked to their joined hands in confusion, and looked away, angered. I snorted. There was a not so subtle hint of jealousy in her actions, and it was hilarious to think that she was jealous of _Hikari_. If there was ever an award for the least likely to cheat on their boyfriend, then I would give it to Hikari since she and Takeru had one of the most solidly formed relationships that I'd ever seen. Besides, if Hikari _was_ going to cheat on her boyfriend, than she would have fallen for my bait three years ago when I attempted to break her up with Willis—something I later achieved, but through different methods.

"Tell me why," Neo ordered Evelen. She was taken aback by the icy nature of his tone, but she didn't know him as well as she could have if she thought for a second that an attack against Alias III was going to be allowed to go unexplained. He cared for all of us, even if he didn't like to show it often.

"I needed to!" Evelen said, breaking down as she cried out. She hugged her arms around herself, as if to hold herself in one piece. I would have felt bad for her if I didn't want to tie her to a tree and leave her waiting in the sun for a few straight hours.

"Why?" Mimi wanted to know. "Whose side are you on? Who told you to do it?"

"No one _told_ me to," Evelen cried. "I wanted to. I wanted to go home. I can't! I can't go home. I wanted to find my mom. I thought it would help, but it didn't. Nothing will ever help."

"Your mom is missing?" Mimi asked, sounding heartbroken instantly, like she wasn't furious just a few seconds ago.

"I don't _know_ ," Evelen said, tears streaming freely down her face. "I haven't seen her. It's been…forever. But I can't ever find her. I can't get what I want. _She_ made sure of that. She cursed my dad. All children he sires will be cursed. I'm cursed! And there's no way to break a fairy curse." Gaia. Gaia cursed Maugrim, Evelen's father to ensure that any attempt of him to leave her would only create unhappiness taking shape as a _person_. That was cold, even for Gaia.

But I couldn't pretend to not be surprised by the idea that Evelen was a fairy. I suppose I knew that on some level, but my brain had yet to make that connection. What was worse was that it was _hard_ to picture her as the culprit who had messed with _Mari's_ happiness. It seemed _selfish_ to ruin someone else's chance at feeling joy just to feel it yourself. But she was _cursed_ , she said. That was different.

"That's not true," I countered. "We were cursed, and we broke it."

"Well _I_ don't know how," Evelen snapped. "I've been cursed since the day I was born to never have what I want most. I want to go home. I want my mom. And I'll never get either. It doesn't matter."

"What does the garden have to do with that?" Neo wanted to know. He was still hung up on that part—as was I—and he wasn't about to pass judgement until she explained herself, though it was clear that he felt wrong about the situation. He wanted to know more about Evelen, and had not gotten that chance until now and these were obviously not the circumstances he had envisioned.

"Lalamon," Evelen said, brokenly. "She was made by a fairy. She's connected to the worlds like Yggdrasil as a result. I thought if I could find the flower that she was connected to, I'd be able to bridge the worlds. I'd be able to go home."

"The flower you were looking for wasn't even there," I said, raising my eyebrow at her. "It's in New York. What I want to know, is who gets the task of telling Mari, because she needs to know."

"No," Evelen pleaded.

"Yes," I protested. "It was Lalamon's gift to her. You destroyed it. Someone's got to tell her."

"No."

I turned, ready to argue once again, but I came face to face with Mari, who was standing with the Alias III digimon and Aneko—who was really confused, since she'd never been told about the garden incident.

"I heard," Mari said. "It's not okay, but I'll get over it. Lalamon's back and maybe we'll get to replant it together, or something." Evelen was looking to the ground, ashamed, not bothering to look up to Mari who strode away from her entourage and toward Evelen. She stood next to her, and looked down on her—thanks to her heels—and said, "What you did was _wrong_." Evelen flinched. "I'm not a forgiving person, and I don't appreciate being lied to. I thought you could be our friend, but now I'm not so sure."

"I—I'm sorry—" Evelen tried.

"No," Mari snapped. "You're not. You consciously made the decision to destroy that for your own gain. If you were apologetic now, you wouldn't have done it _then_."

"Mari," Lalamon tried to reason, but Mari ignored her which I was surprised about. But I was able to put the pieces together. Mari was not finished, and Lalamon did not see where she was going for once.

"But I understand _why_ you did it," Mari admitted, her voice softening suddenly, though the anger etched on her face did not disappear. "I know what it is like to want something unattainable _so_ much that you would do bad things to see things play out your way." Her eyes trailed up to Neo who looked ashamed that he had been so quick to judge Evelen without remembering his own past. "My impossible happiness _was_ attainable though. And so is yours." Evelen looked shocked, but Mari turned her attention to Mimi. "Someone's got to take her home. It's not fair to let our enemy win. Evelen's as much a victim of Gaia's as we are. Take her home."

"I can take you to Sidhendor," Mimi said softly. "I know where the key is. It won't take long."

Mimi slipped off to grab the key, while Evelen stood there, dazed. She was very carefully trying to _not_ get her hopes up, but I could see them building anyway. I wasn't sure how to feel about Mimi and Mari's acceptance of what Evelen had done, but I couldn't hold it against her forever—not when Mari wasn't angry anyway.

I was sort of just twiddling my thumbs, and trying not to hum to myself, when Mimi came back, holding the key to Sidhendor in her hand, and looking anxiously over her shoulder. Something told me she didn't ask anyone for permission before taking it. But she was determined to do this for Evelen—which was hard to wrap my head around, because Mimi was furious with her not that long ago—and nothing would stop her.

"Okay," Mimi said. "I don't know how long we can stay, but we can at least get you there."

"I'll stay forever if that's how long it takes to find my mom," Evelen said. "You don't have to worry about getting me back. It'll be easier that way."

Neo didn't seem particularly impressed with that decision, but it wasn't his choice, and so he let her make up her mind on the matter. Evelen's eyes followed the key as Mimi stuck it in the air and opened the door. I shivered uncomfortably at the sight of the world within the door. The sky was that same deep blue, with the light that shone from nowhere. It made my skin crawl to see it, and I took a step back. Mari looked to me questioningly, but I couldn't bring myself to explain my aversion to her.

"Now what?" Evelen asked, looking over every inch of the doorway, and committing everything to memory.

"Now you just step through it," Mimi said, shrugging her shoulders. Mimi demonstrated by sticking her arm through the door and waving it around. Evelen watched with a sort of desperate hunger in her eyes. She was so close to having her dreams realized that she could almost taste it.

But when she reached out her fingers tentatively to the door, they met a solid surface, despite the fact that Mimi's arm was still waving around without a problem. Evelen closed her fingers into a fist and banged on the door.

"NO!" she shouted, miserably. She hit the door, again and again, but it wasn't working. Evelen fell to her knees, all her hopes crashing and burning, despite her attempts to keep them at bay. "No," she cried, shoulders shaking. "I'm so close. I'm so _close_! Mom..."

"We'll find another way," Mimi said firmly, reaching down and touching Evelen's shoulder. I caught sight of Gatomon out of the corner of my eye. She paused to look at Mimi and Evelen, before hurrying to Hikari's side. "I won't give up. We'll talk to Norn, or...or the fairies. We'll find a way to get you there. We'll find your mom."

"Guys," Hikari said, standing up, after having crouched down to speak with Gatomon—who had her shackles raised. Something was wrong. Someone was here. I looked around quickly, trying to find Maugrim, or Gaia, or Sigma—glancing at Kiyoko as I thought of it.

There was a man. He was older, and he definitely wasn't any of the three I was worried about, but I wasn't going to let my guard down. He seemed friendly enough, and but I'd seen him before. He was in the EVOLVE base, and he was one of the ones that interrogated Michael—the other, the _younger_ one was actually locked in a room within the Council building.

"What do _you_ want?" Yamato demanded. He was still standing with Kiyoko, Amai and Katsue. He was standing in front of them, with Gabumon at his side. Jou was behind them, and had scooped Emiko off the ground, passing her to Momoe, while he stepped in front of Ryou—who was amused by his defensive actions, because he'd been defending himself for _years_ in the Land of Dreams and wasn't really as young as he looked.

"I come in peace," the man said. He held his hands up, in surrender. "I have come to offer a trade."

"You have nothing we want," Mimi said bluntly.

"And we have nothing for you," Miyako said, holding her daughter close to her. She was hiding behind Cyberdramon, while Hawkmon hid Poromon. Veemon digivolved to ExVeemon, and was hunched forward, claws extended. Greymon was behind him, and Warg and Melga flashed white, before bursting forth as Omnimon.

Gabumon was awaiting Yamato's command, while Lalamon looked to Mari. Mari shook her head, and Lalamon pouted, but accepted Mari's decision. Palmon was racing towards Mimi, and Armadillomon digivolved to Ankylomon in order to help protect the children. Dracomon was next to Neo, waiting to see if he'd be needed. Neo wasn't in a hurry. He was curious.

I figured he knew the enemies the best—because he'd decided it would be a good idea to infiltrate them without telling me making me believe he chose my family over me, and actually scarred me while doing so—and decided to just wait out what was happening, rather than sending Omnimon to start a battle.

"That's not actually true," the man said, looking at each digimon individually. I thought he might be eyeing up the competition, but he didn't look particularly vicious. "You have my son."

"He's not your son," Evelen correct, glaring at him, thankfully responding to the man so we didn't have to. Did he mean the man we had with Spring in the basements? Bitoru? Was that his son?

"He may as well be," the man said. "I raised him."

"Who's he talking about?" Mimi mock whispered to Evelen.

"My brother," Evelen said, rolling her eyes. When no one knew who she was talking about—except for maybe Neo—she decided to elaborate. "Bitoru. He's in the basement?"

"Right," Yamato said sarcastically, as if it was meant to be super obvious. And really, when I thought about it, it kind of was. I mean, yeah, he worked for Gaia—like everyone else seemed to—but he always worked with that Bitoru guy. I guess if _I_ was evil at this particular moment, I'd probably be demanding the keys, or something, but his loyalty to his friend must've been pretty strong.

"What do _you_ have that could make us release him?" Jou asked, sounding a little hesitant.

"Information," the man—Aesop, I remembered was his name—said simply. "I know where Gaia is. I can tell you, in exchange for my son."

"What makes you think we _want_ to know?" Mari asked sassily. She was hiding Aneko and Lalamon behind her, and was doing her best to keep any attention off of them.

"I _know_ you do," Aesop said. "It's the only way you'll be able to stop her. She will always be stronger; the element of surprise is the only thing that will work in your favour."

"Why should we trust you?" Miyako wanted to know, still clutching her daughter close.

"Would you not do anything for the sake of your child?" he asked. His voice was tired, and he looked so much older now, than he had before. Miyako nodded, and I could see Jou and Momoe doing the same. Mari looked to Aneko, and Hawkmon to Poromon. It seemed to be a general consensus.

"Okay," Jou said. "Tell us where she is first."

"An old temple, she felt the power of the digimentals, though I'm not sure she knew what it was when she chose that place. She's searching for them. She wants absolute power," Aesop told us. "I feel two distinct powers there. I cannot name them."

"Love and Knowledge," Miyako told him. "I was here. That's where I found Hawkmon for the first time."

"I know where that is," Hikari said excitedly. "We can stop her!"

"Please, give me my son," Aesop pleaded. Jou nodded, and offered to show him to the prisoner. Bitoru wasn't exactly wanted for anything. Spring refused to allow the door to actually be locked, and she was with him constantly. It was kind of us, I thought, to actually allow Spring to have her way. I probably would've just locked her inside with him, but maybe that was just me.

Everyone started talking the minute they stepped inside. Momoe was hugging Emiko close, afraid for Jou, despite Aesop's seemingly genuine offer. We couldn't be sure that Gaia was _actually_ where he said she was, but no one seemed particularly worried about that, which confused me greatly.

"He's back," Momoe assured Emiko, so I looked to see. It wasn't Jou though. It was Takeru, who was running down the stairs. Gennai and the others were following behind him, also rushed, but not quite _as_ rushed as Takeru.

"What's wrong?" Hikari asked quickly.

"The heart," Takeru gasped, trying to catch his breath. "It's _gone_."

"Sigma's heart?" Mimi shrieked in horror. I hissed at her to be quiet, because Kiyoko hadn't been told. But when I looked to see him, he was gone. I was relieved…but only momentarily. I didn't like the idea of him wandering around by himself, not with this much danger potentially around every corner. "He could have it already! What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry," Hikari told her. "Just stay here and stay safe."

"I'll go tell everyone on Earth," Yamato offered. "I'm going to go to the trial after all, so I can warn them."

"Do that," Hikari agreed. "Now all that's left, is figuring out some sort of plan. We can't face Gaia and Sigma _both_."

"So we take them out one at a time," Neo said simply. "And we know where to start."

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

"Today's the day," Sora said with very little enthusiasm. I could relate. I wasn't particularly excited about the whole thing either. Today, I would find out whether Sora's desire to protect my wife would result in her spending her life in prison or not. It wasn't the most exciting of all things, to know that our friend could literally spend her life in prison for something she hadn't done. It was actually pretty scary to know that her life depended on a single trial.

"Don't worry Sora," Biyomon said, patting her hand comfortingly. "If they try to keep you in jail I'll break you out. We can go live in the Digital World together. Everything will be okay."

Sora laughed, but was obviously still very nervous. She looked like she was ready to curl up into a ball and die. She was messing with her hair, anxiously. It was already lying flat, she didn't need to fix it anymore, but I wasn't going to tell her that. She was freaking out enough as it was.

I was freaking out and it wasn't even _me_ that was going on trial.

Haruki was oblivious to it all, and my mother was playing with him, while Kurayami got dressed up. She wanted to give a good impression. I was half sure she was going to stand up in the middle of the trial and admit to killing Moretsuna and screw the whole thing up. I could understand it, if she _did_. But I didn't want to. I couldn't raise Haruki on my own. I mean I _could_ , but I'd really prefer not to. He needed his mother, and I was terrified of having to live without her again. Would I revert back to the mindset that she was dead, just because she was away from us? I didn't know. And I really didn't want to find out.

I also didn't really want to lose Sora either though.

It was a dilemma, and I wasn't handling it very well. I'd thrown together so many noodle dishes, trying to keep myself busy, but all that accomplished was giving my mouth something to do while I stuffed my face. I was so full that I thought I was going to explode, so I couldn't cook anymore. My idle hands were driving me crazy.

"You won't need to break her out of prison," Mantarou said, trying to be positive. Sora looked at him with a rather frosty stare, and he gulped, before escaping into the kitchen. I could hear him rattling around as he got out a pot to make tea. It was a good idea. Maybe tea would help calm Sora down. It might even help _me_.

"He's right you know," Iori said. She didn't look quite as icy as she looked pointedly to him, but then again, he was part of the team that was trying to get her off. Mantarou—while he didn't _support_ them—worked for the enemy. "We're going to do everything we can to get you off."

"While I don't support the method used," Horitsu, Iori's old professor and now boss, said, looking towards the kitchen in a way that was not subtle at all, despite promising not to rat Mantarou out. "I do think we have quite the arsenal to use against them. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Unless they call me to the stand," Sora said, her voice quick and panicked. "That worked _so_ well last time. If I'd kept my big mouth shut, I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. Now I'm going to die in prison. This is the worst day of my life—which includes the day that I literally died."

"Sora," I said, trying to calm her, but she just turned her glare on me. I froze, but then, she collapsed, and her icy façade melted away. She was shivering and shaking and her lips were sort of trembling. "Sora," I repeated. She leaned towards me and I hugged her close. "You'll be okay."

"I can still tell them it was me," Kurayami offered from the doorway. I turned to her. She was wearing a black skirt and a deep blue blouse. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, and she looked very professional. She also looked very nervous. Even so, she was beautiful. "I did it. We both know it. Don't risk your freedom for me."

"No," Sora said firmly. "I don't care _what_ happens to me—well, obviously I _care_ , but that doesn't matter. I want you and your son to live happy and together. I don't want him to have to visit you in prison if he wants to know you. I can do this for him. I _will_ do this for him. I don't want to hear another word about you taking my place. It's not your job now. It's mine."

"But it doesn't _have_ to be," Kurayami insisted. "I appreciate what you're doing. I don't _want_ to go to prison, but I don't know how to live with myself if _you_ go in my place."

"You'll learn," Sora assured her.

"You won't _have_ to," Iori countered. "If you _think_ you're going to lose, you stand a better chance of actually doing so. Hasn't Takeru taught you anything? You have to keep the hope alive. If you give up on yourself, others will be more likely to follow suit."

"It's hard though," Sora said. "There's very little we can do. The murder weapon, the location and even the fact that they consider it a murder….they're all wrong. How can we fight against slander and lies?"

"The same way we always do," I offered. She broke into a smile.

"I don't think digivolving to our highest strength and beating on Hanzai until we win is actually going to help us in any way," she said wryly. "We'd probably all get arrested together."

"Well, we could form a jailhouse band and become the talk of the nation," I suggested. She laughed, shaking her head.

"You wouldn't say that if you'd heard me sing," she said, shaking her hands in front of her, chasing the idea away. It was nice to see the shakiness was gone. She was almost smiling still, and that was an improvement.

Mantarou came in with the tea on a trolley. Everyone took turns in getting a cup, and we were silent for awhile while we were drinking. The only sounds came from Haruki, who was feeling the anxiety in the room, and not understanding any of it.

"We're ready," Horitsu said, sipping his tea. "We know their arguments and their evidence—even the weapon that they don't want us to know about. We have our own arguments worked out. It would be _easier_ of course, if you would admit to killing him, in order to swing a self-defense response—"

"No," Sora interrupted firmly. She had been adamant from the beginning that she wouldn't admit to something that she didn't do. She wasn't guilty in any way, and that was her secret weapon. She actually hadn't done anything. There shouldn't have been a way that the opposing lawyers could make her seem guilty. But somehow they had.

"I know, I know," Horitsu said, though he didn't seem happy about it. "We will win it regardless. I'm not saying I've never lost, because I need you to know that going in, but I don't lose often. I have faith in my abilities, and _your_ abilities. We can pull this off. You'll be a free woman by tonight."

"If you say so," Sora sighed. She was teetering on the edge of believing now, and that counted as a win, however minor it really was.

"I do say so," Horitsu said. "Now, I really ought to be heading out. I'd like to get to the courtroom before everyone else. I need to organize myself, and get focussed."

"Please do that," Sora pleaded. He nodded and said his goodbyes, instructing Iori to remain here with Sora until the police escorts came to collect her. Hearing the word 'police' put Sora on edge again, but we had time to calm her down still. Horitsu left, and we started the countdown.

"I could make some lunch," Mom offered, bouncing Haruki on her knee.

"I wouldn't be able to eat it," Sora said apologetically.

"I understand," Mom told her gently, giving her a sympathetic look. Kurayami similarly refused, saying her stomach was churning too much to eat, and Iori looked almost queasy at the idea of food. But Biyomon and Haruki were definitely okay to eat. I was still far too full of noodles to be able to attempt eating. I was feeling queasy myself, but that was due to over indulgence, rather than nerves.

My nerves were working overtime, don't get me wrong, but I didn't think I could move with how full I was. I was stress eating. Taichi had sworn off of it after he'd been infected by gluttony. I figured that he probably had the right idea.

Mom headed to the kitchen, and once she passed the doorway—taking Haruki with her—Sora started sniffling. She was going on an emotional roller coaster ride, and she was taking all of us along with her. Her soft sniffling turned into tears pretty quickly, and she waved her hands at her face, trying to dry them before her makeup started running.

"No," she pleaded. "I can't cry. I can't. I need to stay strong. I can't let them beat me."

"They won't beat you," Iori told her. "You will win. There's no need to cry."

"Hey," Biyomon said, sidling up next to Sora. "You'll be okay. Tears aren't always a bad thing."

"They might make everyone more sympathetic to you," Kurayami offered, sounding hollow. She was still freaking out about Sora potentially sacrificing her freedom for her sake. I wasn't over it either. It wasn't something you could just get over. It was like the ultimate sacrifice. I couldn't understand how Sora managed to do it. She was putting it all on the line for another person—and until we moved in with her _after_ the initial accusation, she hadn't known us very well.

"That's true at least," Sora said, nodding to Kurayami, and forcing a grimace on her face. I mean, it was probably supposed to be a smile, but she failed at it, if it was.

"Don't play it up too much," Iori warned. "It would need to be genuine, if you were to do it. You weren't there for the Goutokuji trial, but it was the most ridiculous display of acting I've ever seen. No sane person believed the woman. Most of the viewers seemed to, but the judge noticed she was acting by the end of it. It looked bad. You don't need to act if you're not guilty."

"But it went well for you, right?" Sora asked, more interested in someone _else's_ case. "Aneko was given to Mari, so you must've won."

"I did," Iori admitted. He seemed embarrassed that he was proud of his accomplishment. It was his first real case, and he'd won it. It was something to be proud of. "It was really touch and go for most of it to be honest. It wasn't until the final witnesses that things started to turn in my favour. My coworkers weren't exactly _pleased_ that I'd won, but I guess they were glad I didn't lose."

"They can grow up," Kurayami said, rolling her eyes, finally relaxing now that the topic had changed. "They're all adults. They can't act like school children."

"I know," Iori said, groaning. "But it's not like it matters. I won the case, and Horitsu's happy. He's my boss now, so that's all that matters."

"If you could do anything else right now, what would it be?" Mantarou asked.

"I'd stand outside in the sun," Sora said with a smile. "Or go shopping for new fabric."

"I just got you some," Mantarou pointed out.

"And it was nice, but it wasn't the same as going out and feeling the fabrics, and seeing all the different patterns," Sora said, sighing happily. "I want to look at different buttons, and find a new pair of scissors. I'm dying to just walk around a store, and exercise both my legs and my creativity."

"I'd go with you," Kurayami offered.

"Oh, and you could help pick a fabric for Haruki's Christmas present," Sora said excitedly. I smiled. She's already made him something. She's already made _everyone_ something. There wasn't a lot to do since she was cooped up in the house constantly.

A knocking on the door put an end to all her current happiness. It cut mine short too. I'm pretty sure it cut everyone's short. Sora slowly grabbed her coat, and slipped in on, and made her way to the door. She opened it, and an officer was standing there, holding a pair of hand cuffs. Biyomon let out a cry, and I pulled her close to me.

"You'll have to wear these for the ride, ma'am," the officer told her.

"I understand," Sora said, though she sounded miserable. She looked back to us, and I tried to keep her spirits alive, but they were pretty much dashed at this point. The officer escorted her out the door before she had a chance to even say goodbye, which made Biyomon freak out.

"I'm going to go now," Iori told us. "I'm going to tell Horitsu that they've got her, and go over the notes one more time. I can't sit around and do nothing."

He left us too, and while I wanted to follow him, I knew we couldn't. Mom was still making lunch for Biyomon. I sent Biyomon into the kitchen, so she could eat it as soon as it was finished. We weren't going to want to wait around here forever—not when Sora was on her way to her destiny. She would find out whether she got her freedom in just a few hours.

It was the most nerve wracking thing I think I'd ever gone through—aside from watching Taichi and the others race against the virus, and other life or death situations. We'd actually had a lot of those, but aside from the times someone almost died, this was the worst moment ever.

"I've got a sandwich," Biyomon announced, walking back through the door. "We can go now. I can eat it on the way."

"You sure?" Mantarou asked. His leg was bouncing as he tried to contain his frustration and worry. Biyomon nodded, and I went to kiss my son goodbye. Kurayami took him for a private moment, which freaked me out, because the _last_ time she'd done that she disappeared for two months, letting me think she was dead. It didn't exactly give me a lot of confidence that she was going to follow Sora's plan.

But eventually, we all piled into Mantarou's beat up old car, and headed towards the courthouse. We weren't the only people waiting to be let in when we got there. Taichi was there with Jenna, both looking anxious. Taichi kept checking his watch, and Jenna was bouncing.

"I want to see Veronica go down," Jenna said, looking around, as if trying to _find_ Veronica. I couldn't see a whole lot of anything with the amount of people that were waiting. This was the trial of the year, after all, and it was open to the public.

"Hey," Taichi said, checking his phone after it beeped. "Yamato's coming. He's got news, apparently. Willis and Michael are coming with him. Jou might too."

"Good," Mantarou said. "She might not like to admit it, but she really needs the support."

"We'll always support her," Taichi said.

But our support wasn't enough to win the case. I just hoped that whatever Horitsu and Iori had planned _could_ win it. Sora deserved to be free. She was innocent.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** It's finally time for Sora and Kari to face their biggest fears in the biggest trials they have yet to come by for their personal selves, but it's time to stop helping other people before themselves, and put their foot down.


	34. Trial

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 34: Trial**

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

"Hikari, where are you going?" Takeru asked sharply. I stopped mid step and turned back to him to see worry across his face. He could see the determination on mine and it only worried him further. He waited as Miyako slipped between us, holding Mai close to her chest, and then closed the distance dividing us before he took my hand gently. "What's going on?"

"You said it yourself," I said gently. "Sigma's heart is gone. We can't have him getting it back."

He narrowed his eyes, "You're going to Sigma?" he questioned nervously, but I slowly shook my head. "Gaia," he said in understanding and I nodded. "What does that have to do with Sigma's heart?"

"Gaia once held all of his love, right?" I said. "You don't think he's going to be looking for her if he knows she's alive?"

"Does he know?" Takeru questioned sharply.

"No, probably not," Gatomon interrupted, "Can we speed up this conversation? We're getting Gaia out of the way before Sigma can rise to his full power, does anyone have a problem with that?" Takeru shook his head faintly and Gatomon nodded, turning to rush off toward the council room. Takeru seemed confused but hurried after her leaving me no choice but to run in their wake.

I knew Sora didn't want anyone to crowd her trial, because she didn't want us to see her in a state where she may be taken for prison, but that didn't stop me from pushing harder to run _faster_ so I could make it back to her in time to see her trial through to the end. I wanted to be there for her. I couldn't let her down, even if she thought she didn't want me there, I wouldn't stay away for the world—unless it meant actually saving the world, because that's what my itinerary for the day was.

I skidded to a stop when I heard shouts coming from nearby, but neither Takeru nor Gatomon seemed to notice I had stopped and they continued to prepare for the plan Gatomon and I had concocted. I however decided to investigate the shouting and found that it was coming from the room of the knights training meadow. The door was cracked open and so I used my foot to push it open further, poking my head in to see what the commotion was about.

I first saw Neo looking down to Dorumon who had evidently been the one to cry out. Dracomon looked upset by Dorumon's feelings, while Wizardmon, Centarumon and Andromon all looked rather annoyed that Dorumon was causing such a fuss. Kotemon was tentatively reaching his hand out to the purple fur of Dorumon, trying to console him but finding himself to be unsure whether he trusted Dorumon's rage or not.

"Would you stop your incessant yelling and listen to me?" Neo drawled, his arms crossed, though one was still in his sling. He turned his head to Dracomon and said, "He's worse than Kansui isn't he?" Dracomon nodded, but when he caught sight of Dorumon again he shook his head ardently.

"Who is Kansui?" Dorumon asked loudly, barring his teeth. "Is he annoying? I'm not being annoying! I'm being a mature adult!"

"A mature adult would never cause such a distasteful distraction," Neo noted, to which Dorumon found himself pouting about. As he did he caught sight of me in the doorway and my face turned red as he hurried toward me, still looking rather angry.

"Hikari!" he shouted. "Neo won't let me come on your adventure. He says we're too weak—and if you don't let me come I'll tell your mother that you're a bully and she'll poison you with her cooking!"

I hesitated, not sure how to respond, but when I realized what his words meant, I turned on Neo instead. "You're coming?" He looked confused and then nodded. "To Gaia?" I clarified. Again, he nodded. "So is Dorumon," I decided. "The Knights are strong and I see no reason to keep them from accompanying us."

Neo seemed aggravated by this and he paced across the grassy floor toward me. "They are not our partners, and we are not permitted to make these decisions for them."

"They work here under _you_ ," I reminded him. "They know the dangers they may face, as do their partners. This is _war_ , Neo. I don't like the idea of them dying any more than you do, but we can't keep them from fighting."

There was a long silence as Neo and I stared to each other with stern, serious gazes and finally it was broken by Dracomon. "Does anyone else find their stances in this bizarre? Wouldn't it be opposite?" We all ignored him, though he may have been right. Neo _against_ the greater good, and me helping him see the light? Neo always fought for the greater good—that just showed how much he really cared for these digimon, even if he wouldn't admit it to even himself.

"Fine," he accepted his defeat and motioned for them to go. "All of you, let's go. We're on a mission."

"Like the old times!" Kotemon cheered, rushing toward the door. I stepped out so he could move past and he was followed closely by Dracomon and Dorumon, both of whom were equally excited.

"It _has_ been a while," Centarumon commented. "Since you have joined us in our training." Neo followed him out the door and said nothing, feeling rather apologetic that he hadn't been able to help, but also annoyed that the reason was because of his shoulder. Andromon and Wizardmon were the last to leave the room, and then we were all waiting on Neo's orders.

Only, _why_ was everyone looking to _me_?

"So what do we do, Hikari?" Wizardmon asked politely.

"Me?" I asked. "Why me?"

"You're Taichi's sister," Andromon explained. "Neo may be our leader, but you are _Hikari._ Please, tell us where to go first." I was honoured that they wanted me to be the leader, but truly I didn't know _how_ to lead. Even when we had passed the goggles around, I had refused to take them until they had been forced upon me. I wasn't a leader, I was occasionally gifted with motivational speeches, but that was as deep as it got, really.

I was glad that Takeru and Gatomon had returned, the latter of the two leaping up to my shoulders, because it gave Takeru the chance to take control. "You're all coming too?" he seemed thankful when they all nodded and then he motioned toward the exit to the Temple. "We should get moving then." They all looked to me for confirmation and I nodded blankly. Of course we could go.

Takeru was essentially the perfect person, always there when I needed him and yet I could tell that there was something behind his eyes. He had a reason for being eager to get to Gaia and I realized then that it had to do with revenge. That changed my mood about his heroic stance. Yes, I appreciated him helping me, but I was not a damsel in distress—okay, so I was a damsel and I was often in distress, but that didn't mean I couldn't fight my own battles and win back the light that was taken from me—and I would have appreciated his help much more if he wasn't clouded with such a negative emotion.

"We should get Patamon," Takeru decided as Gatomon dropped what she had gone to collect into my hands. I pocketed them and allowed Takeru to lead the way back to the main square of the Temple where very few people remained. He spotted Patamon and held a finger up to the rest of us, requesting that we wait for him.

I had to admit, I was tempted to leave him behind because I was nervous about that cloud in his mind, keeping him from seeing clearly. I didn't want him to make a mistake and get hurt, but I would have been angry if he left me, so I would not do the same to him.

"Has anyone seen Kiyoko?" I turned to see Hideto, looking frantic but no one was giving him the time of day. He spun on the spot and saw that he had captured my attention. He rushed toward me and looked directly into my eyes as if ready to catch a lie. "Have you seen him?" I shook my head feebly. The last I had seen Kiyoko was before Evelen revealed herself to be the culprit of Lalamon's broken garden. It was _horrible_ that she had done it but her reasons seemed deeper than I knew, and I would hold judgement until I knew more. Besides, it was Mari's call to make.

"No," Neo voiced my answer for me, startling me. I hadn't noticed he was so close. "We can't help look, we're leaving." Hideto seemed annoyed, but just rolled his eyes and set off the way we had come, calling out for Kiyoko. "He's fine," Neo said, catching my eye, though it sounded more like he was convincing himself than anything else.

With Hideto taking his leave and Takeru returning with Patamon it seemed we were ready to go—only we had one last interruption before we could go.

"I see you have rallied a team," we turned to see Aesop making his way toward us as he eyed up Kotemon, clearly thinking he wasn't much of a fighter. "I warn you, Gaia will not teat you kindly when she sees you have come to challenge her."

"Shouldn't you be with Bitoru?" Neo asked dryly.

"He as requested to remain with Spring, and I have given him that," Aesop told us. "It is the least I can do. He deserves that much."

"So what do you want?" Neo snapped. "We're on our way—"

"I would like to accompany you on your quest," Aesop decided. I turned to Takeru quickly to gauge his reaction but he simply looked shocked. I turned back to Aesop and he seemed to understand that we would need more convincing. "I understand if you choose to leave me behind, though I would urge you to reconsider. Gaia is stronger than she looks, and ever since she took the light and the darkness she has been toying with powers that should be out of her reach." Takeru looked to me nervously but I blatantly ignored his worry.

"You can't come," Neo made the decision for us. "We don't have time to worry about whether or not you're on our side."

"I am not on your side," Aesop assured us, looking apologetic for having lead us to believe as such. "I am on no side. I was once loyal to Maugrim for reasons I fear are not strong enough to hold much merit, but as time passed I saw that he had changed for the worse. I am ashamed to admit that it may be my fault, but as you can see, my only allegiance is now to Bitoru, my son."

"Bitoru is Maugrim's son," Neo's voice was less harsh when he spoke this time.

"You say that as if it means anything to either of them," Aesop said coolly. "I will stay if that is what you wish, but I assure you I only mean to assist you."

"Stay—" Neo started, but Takeru had spoken over him.

"I want you to come," he said boldly, startling Neo. "Aesop, you seem like a confusing guy and I'm sure your story is touching, really. I'd love to hear it someday too, but we don't have time, and you're going to have to come along now because we don't have time and we should bring all the help we can." Aesop smiled to Takeru. "And I've been to the place you mentioned," Takeru noted. "But that doesn't mean I know the way."

Patamon looked to Gatomon and I confused because Takeru was always very good at remembering minor details. That was how his books became so accurate, and that meant he was lying. Aesop seemed happy though, and he nodded. "Then I shall lead the way."

It was strange, using our enemy to guide us to more of our enemies, especially when Aesop had come from nowhere. It seemed like a trap if ever there was one, but Takeru was so sure to trust Aesop and I believed in him. He would not make decisions against his instincts, and he was so sure Aesop was to be trusted, even now as the two walked ahead, speaking to one another it was clear that he had not changed his mind. Aesop was either very convincing, or he was being honest. Even Neo didn't seem to object and his crest of Honesty worked as a sort of lie detector, so I pushed my worries aside and followed Aesop with the others.

Everyone had digivolved, which made us much more easily spotted, but it also kept us from being ambushed, and I wanted to be as safe as we could as long as we could. So we had Crusadermon and Dynasmon walking on either side of Takeru and Aesop, keeping them company and keeping them safe while Alphamon took the lead, Craniamon and Kentaurosmon were between the front of the group and Neo and I, while Shakamon and Examon followed behind in case we were to be followed.

"Neo," I said quietly, trying to speak to him without the others hearing. "I'm really sorry about Evelen."

"I would rather not speak of it," Neo said flatly, not bothering to look my way.

"I'm still sorry though," I told him, and he nodded stiffly. "You probably want to hate her right now, but you once told me that everyone makes mistakes. Even really big mistakes are repairable. Look at the Digital World right now. We fixed a mistake you made."

"I'm well aware of that," Neo hissed, seeming annoyed. I flinched and backed away from him, not wanting to bother him anymore. Neo noticed my departure and he sighed as if it meant he _had_ to speak up. "I'm not upset with her. But she did wrong to my friend, and I do not know what to feel about that."

"I understand," I told him kindly. "No one is rushing you. You should take your time. From what I've seen of her, she's very sweet. I don't know what I would do if it were _my_ happiness that was under lock and key, but I can't imagine I'd be as brave as she was to keep strong for so long." I paused to think about what my happiness might be, and realized it was _family_. If I was told that I couldn't see my family anymore— _ever_ , I didn't know how I would react or _what_ I would do to see them again.

Neo did not respond though, and the rest of the walk was in silence, which I had been dreading. The silence only gave my emotions time to catch up to the situation at hand. My body instantly felt weak again upon remembering who we were nearing. Gaia had taken my _light_. She had taken the essence of _me_ and removed it from my reach. I had nothing left and it was because of her, and the memory of that was keeping me from feeling strong. My mind wandered to Kurayami, who would be waiting with Sora for the trial to begin now, and how she should be doing this with me. I should not be here with Takeru or Neo—it should be _her_.

I swallowed thickly and missed my next step, nearly falling to my knees, but Neo caught me. "Are you alright?" he asked loudly, catching Takeru and Aesop's attention. I nodded, holding my hand out to Takeru as he made his way toward me, but he stopped and watched me as I returned to walking.

"Just tripped," I lied, but judging by the way Neo's eyebrow rose, he didn't seem to believe me. That didn't surprise me.

Dread filled every crevice of my being when I spotted the tall temple rising high above the trees. The silvery stone steps shone in the light of the sun and it looked _very_ old. I hadn't been to these parts of the Digital World in _years_ —not since Iori and Miyako had received their first Digitmentals at least.

I turned to Neo to see his face paling. "That's quite a few steps," he noted, and I nodded my agreement. He took a deep breath and pushed forward. "We should keep going." I knew he was thinking of Rei, just by the way he looked onward, like he was trying to do something good for _her_. I felt that way about Taichi a lot, like I needed to dedicate my actions to him, and somehow that made me feel stronger or braver. I took a leaf from Neo's book and focused on Taichi and what he would want me to do, but stopped that quickly because Taichi's strict face flashed across my mind.

" _You should have waited for me!"_ his voice rang through my head and I knew he was right. It was wrong to come without him and the others, but we had enough protection to fight against Gaia alone. I had stood in her presence by myself before after all and I felt sure enough that I did not fear death—but that didn't mean something worse wouldn't happen.

And I couldn't keep my mind off of the obvious question. ' _Why was Gaia here at all?_ ' There had to be an obvious answer, but I didn't know it. She had the entire world at her disposal and she picked a cramped old temple that used to house the Digimentals but _didn't_ anymore. The answer had to do with the Digimentals and I knew it.

Suddenly my mind went to a place where I feared that the real trick was that Bitoru was in the Temple mostly unguarded now and he could get the Digimentals and bring them to Gaia—but surely _both_ Neo and Takeru would not have missed the obviousness of Aesop's trickery. He had to be trustworthy, otherwise we would never have taken him along.

Aesop, Takeru, Dynasmon and Crusadermon waited at the base of the stairs, staring up, for the rest of us to catch up and when we had, Takeru slipped his hand into mine for comfort and I squeezed as warmly as I could.

"She is inside," Aesop explained to us.

"And we should trust that?" Dynasmon asked. "That sounds like a lie to me."

"Hikari trusts him," Shakamon assured Dynasmon, patting his arm gently, and then I felt a million eyes on me, and I simply nodded, agreeing with Neo and Takeru's assessment of the man.

Aesop seemed to see that I was unsure, and he sent me a kind smile—a smile that was so genuine that it washed my worries away immediately. "I warn you, she is powerful, and she is not alone."

"No," a flat voice said from behind us, "She's not." We turned sharply to see the man with the scar on his face. "And I see you are not alone either." The man was _massive_. His muscles were large and threatening to escape the confines of his clothing, his hair was kept short, barely longer than the facial hair on his face that mostly concealed the long and thin scar down the side of his face. His cold eyes looked through our group and landed firmly on Aesop who looked aggravated, pushing Shakamon aside.

"Graul," Aesop said sharply, addressing Maugrim by his first name. "You needn't involve yourself with the affairs of these children." I shook off the need to correct him. We weren't children anymore, but I didn't know how old Aesop _was_ , so to him, we probably were about as young as could be. "Walk away now."

Maugrim sneered, "But we're so close, father." I gasped, but no one else seemed too worried about the connection we had discovered. "Why would you walk away when what we _dreamed_ of is so near?"

"What I have always dreamed of," Aesop said in a defeated sort of voice, "What I have only ever wanted," he sighed, looking up to his son, "Was for you to be happy, but I see that it will never happen. You are too enamoured by the sins of Gaia, and your happiness has been cursed away from you. You will never see truth or justice, because that is not what you seek."

"I seek _peace_ ," Maugrim snapped before taking a step toward his father and he then lightened his voice as he said. "I am but a servant of Yggdrasil." Aesop scrunched up his face and turned away from his son. "That old fool did not know how to seek the results he craved—but in the end he started what he knew was right. He _fought_ for the peace that he wanted! Just like I am doing! I have taken long strides to follow in Yggdrasil's path and—"

"Yggdrasil's path was tainted," Aesop interrupted. "By his son, and by _you_." Aesop reached up and unfastened his cape, letting it drop to the ground and then he reached his hand out, allowing a glistening sword to appear in his hand.

"You're going to fight me, Father?" Maugrim seemed amused. "You are weak."

"Then you should not fear me," Aesop said boldly, as Dynasmon moved quickly to join him. Aesop held his free hand out and placed it on Dynasmon's chest. "No, you stand back. I will take care of my son. You move along. Gaia awaits you."

I screamed as Maugrim lunged faster than lightning through the air toward his father, because Aesop didn't seem to notice, but he moved just as fast and brought his sword up. The sound of metal on metal rang through the air as Maugrim's gauntlet appeared on impact. I watched, too awestruck to look away, but when I felt a hand tugging on my arm I turned sharply and followed Takeru's lead. The digimon had all moved ahead, but Examon chose to stay behind with Aesop—possibly because he didn't see himself fitting through the gateways—but Neo didn't seem pleased to leave him behind. He came along anyway, running up the steps two at a time to catch up to the rest of us.

Alphamon was once again in the lead, with his four accompanying knights flanking him, rushing behind him, storming the castle—or temple, or whatever it was. Shakamon closed their ranks while Takeru and I stayed as close as we could. Neo caught up when we reached the top of the first flight of stairs—gasping for breath already—and set off down the hallway that lead inside.

We had finally found the last flight of steps and yet Alphamon had stopped halfway up. We all accumulated around him and he held his finger out for us to wait as he listened to something up ahead. I held my breath as Takeru tightened his grip on my hand, but couldn't hear a thing. Occasionally I thought I heard a voice, but it turned out to be someone carefully breathing. "She is not alone," Alphamon said in a whispered voice. He stiffened suddenly. "And she knows we are here."

"Who is with her?" Neo asked in a panicked, and out of breath, voice. Alphamon did not have an answer for him, but if she knew we were waiting here there was no reason to keep hiding. Takeru held tight and nodded to me, trying to promise it would be okay and even if I wanted to believe him—which I did—I still couldn't find it in myself to ignore the increasing heart rate, or the sweatiness of my palms. When Alphamon took his first step I nearly panicked and turned back before realizing I was no safer with Maugrim than I was with Gaia.

Takeru didn't seem to notice my fear because I felt a tug on my arm and saw that he was making his way up the stairs. We were already the last of the group and I didn't want to be left behind so I mentally prepared myself and then rushed upward, forcing myself through my fears.

We had a plan after all.

The room looked the same as it had when we had left it. There were two blank podiums where the Digimentals had once sat protected by Armadillomon and Hawkmon, but hovering above them each was a single ball of energy, one emanating brightness and the other darkness. They were not the only changes that kept the room from being as serene and empty as it had been before. Gaia stood in the center of the podiums looking as beautiful as ever with a man facing her, his back to us. Gaia smiled maliciously at the sight of me and my insides churned, but at least she did not have the power over me to lure me in anymore—or she hadn't used it if she still had it.

The man she was facing, who was dressed in elegant clothing, noticed something was wrong and he spun in place, his cape whipping out behind him. The man's skin was gentle and violet, and it contrasted next to his deranged and harsh coloured eyes. His hair was dark and scraggly, but there was something painfully familiar about him.

"Sigma," Kentaurosmon sneered, and my hand clenched tightly in Takeru's. He reacted quickly by pulling his hand away and I would have apologized but I was busy staring into the face of the man who had haunted Miyako and her baby for so long. I had seen him recently, out of his body of course, and he had tried to kill me. I wasn't going to give him the chance this time.

I elbowed Neo who nodded without thinking and shouted, "Alphamon, now!" Alphamon did not hesitate or bother with any fancy fighting techniques. He jolted forward and struck Sigma across the face with his fist. The purple man was thrown toward the wall where he crashed into the elegant marble architecture. Kentaurosmon and Craniamon were quick to join Alphamon, giving me a clear path through the digimon guard.

I took it without hesitation, running directly toward Gaia who smiled in a way that said she was happy I had come.

"Hikari!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I missed you so." She then jerked her hand out as if grabbing something in front of her and I froze, feeling her grip on my heart. I tried to breathe, but I couldn't. I couldn't move. I could barely think. My plan would work. I knew it would. If only I had a _minute_ of time. "My sweet Graul thought to let you _go_! I was so very upset with him. But would you believe that I am thankful the universe saw your survival?" She waited for a response before remembering that I could not give one. "For you see," Gaia paused, using her other hand to reach out to the ball of light to her right. "I can't use the light in a way that I would like to." As her hand sunk into the ball of energy it shone brighter and her hand was ejected sharply.

"That's probably because you're not _worthy_!" Takeru shouted, surprising her with a fist. He nearly hit her too, but she ducked under him and brought both of her fists up to hit his stomach. With her attention diverted I was able to move, but my mind was focused on Takeru as he staggered backward, coughing blood.

My mind was blank.

"T-Takeru!" I shouted, moving shakily toward him. He held his hand up to stop me, assuring me he was okay but I still could not stop myself from watching him as he heaved. How _hard_ had she hit him? I turned to Gaia with anger and stood my ground. "He's right," I said loudly. "You are not worthy of light."

"Then one should think I would be worthy of darkness," Gaia said, playing along, "but alas," as she reached out to the darkness the energy escaped its neat sphere confinement and lashed out at her. She retracted her hand sharply to avoid contact and pouted her beautiful lips. "Now, surely you know how to use the light, so _show_ me." She reached out once more and grabbed at my heart before pulling me closer. I had no choice but to move her way, feeling the familiar pain in my chest. "Teach me to use your light."

"Th-the light can't be used like th-that!" Takeru shouted, pulling himself to his feet. "Only the pure of heart can use either light or dark. Only one with no intent to use either for the wrong purpose can truly utilize its power."

Gaia sneered at him, releasing my heart. I was close now to the light. I could take it. "Then tell me how it is connected to the world of the light!" I was reaching my hand out to the orb when Gaia spotted me. Even coming _close_ was enough for the warmth to reel me in. I wanted the light back _desperately_. I needed to feel it again. I nearly forgot what it was like already! Gaia slapped my hand and pushed me sharply, knocking me over. I fell to the marble floor and gasped, ducking under Dynasmon's foot as he lunged toward Gaia, firing shots of energy from the palm of his hand. She squealed in rage and leapt aside, landing smoothly in her bare feet before taking a perfectly poised fighting stance. Two thick vines burst from the immaculate floor, ruining the temple, and obeyed Gaia's every movement, flying toward Dynasmon with ease.

I wanted to be angry that she was wrecking the temple, but it could be fixed. Right now we could not worry about the building, but instead Gaia and Sigma. I was aware that Sigma had pinned Craniamon down and was fending off Kentaurosmon as Alphamon came to their rescue, but Dynasmon was not so lucky. Crusadermon and Shakamon were on their way, but Gaia noticed them too and immediately more thick magical vines had burst from the walls and the ceiling, holding them still.

"Shakamon!" I called nervously, but Neo was quicker than I was and he was already trying to pry the vines from the digimon. I rounded on Gaia and spoke in a voice much harsher than I had expected, "This is _wrong_! Just tell me what you're doing! What do you _want_! There is no need for war!"

"You sound _just_ like her," Gaia spat, contorting her face to that of pure and total hatred, "You sound _just_ like Theta!"

Theta.

The queen? Yggdrasil's wife? The world of white?

"You don't _understand_ ," Gaia snarled, "You don't understand what war is good for!"

"It's good for only destruction," I responded without pause, "Chaos and hatred. It is good for only cruelty. _What_ do you want?"

"I want _peace_!" Gaia yelled, keeping her stance firm as her eyes passed between her three opposing digimon who were held securely in place. "I want my _crown_."

"Your crown!" I said sharply, jumping at the opportunity, "The crown in Sidhendor?" Gaia looked my way, ignoring her opponents for a moment and she nodded. "I can take you to Sidhendor if you promise to stop fighting. You can have your crown. No one will care. That world has fallen and been broken." Gaia looked angry now, but I didn't stop, "I can take you there."

"You wouldn't," Gaia said snidely in disbelief, tossing her hair back and out of her face without using her hands. It seemed she was beginning to sweat, but that the effort she was putting forth was minimal at best.

"I don't care what you want," I admitted, "Because it's dark. It is wrong too. But I can help you find something better. Something that would only affect you, and still make you happy." I reached into my pocket and felt for the keys Gatomon had gotten for me. I pulled out the first one and found that it was rusted. It was the key to Heaven. I would have to hope that Gaia did not know the difference. I showed it to her and her eyes focused on the artefact in my hand. "I can take you to Sidhendor."

I heard a sharp yell from Sigma and I turned to him. His eyes were trained on me now. "Do _not_!" he shouted, slamming his fists into both Kentaurosmon and Craniamon who were headed his way. They both crashed into opposite walls and Sigma moved swiftly my direction. Fear overtook me and I rushed out of his way. "Do not allow her to take my crown!"

"Winter has your crown!" Takeru shouted, throwing a slight curve into my plan, but I could go along with that. "Your daughter is Queen now."

"Not for long," Sigma snapped. His vicious eyes rounded on me and found the key, "I will take it for myself. Gaia is greedy. She wants _everything_. She will never stop until she rules _all_ of Theta."

 _All of Theta_.

It suddenly made sense to me. Gaia wanted to be _here_ because she wanted to disrupt the balance of the worlds. She wanted the keys and the Digimentals because she wanted to put Theta back together again and rule a whole world.

And she wanted the light and dark so she could rule both the Dark Ocean and Heaven!

She was, as Takeru would define her, a textbook villain.

And that meant I knew exactly how to handle her.

"Neither of you get the key," I decided, "I will break it." Sigma's face lit up in horror as he turned to Gaia, "You treacherous woman—stay _back_!" Before he could strike, Alphamon had come from behind and wrapped his arms around Sigma, delaying him. I spun on the spot and switched the two keys in my hand as Gaia let out a scream of pure revulsion. I knew she was coming my way, and so it was now or never.

I slammed the second key forward and twisted, opening a portal. I pulled sharply before the door had even developed and opened the purple gate as Gaia zoomed my way. Takeru had lunged forward, seeing my plan, and grabbed her bare ankle, and Gaia was sent tumbling into the world of Witchenly, with the two balls of energy floating after her.

The plan had worked! Gaia was gone. Just as quickly as I'd let her _into_ our lives, I'd tossed her out again.

Of course I wanted to go after them but before she had a chance to return I slammed the door in her face, drowning out the horror filled scream, and rounded on Sigma who had struck Alphamon with _pure_ hatred and Alphamon fell, reverting to Dorumon. With Gaia gone, the vines had fallen limp and the rest of our team took shape, aiming their focus on Sigma whose anger was not yet resolved. He did not know that we had tricked her. He stomped his feet to the ground and a wave of violet energy shot around the room. I screamed as it passed through me and felt only pain as my body was thrown through the air. With a crack my back had slammed against the furthest wall and I fell to the floor, blood pooling from somewhere on my body.

When I looked up I found that Takeru was nearby, lying still and my body filled with dread. Sigma had killed him. I couldn't believe that though. I needed to be sure. I couldn't have been responsible for his death. I couldn't. I made my way toward him and he stirred. Relief washed over me. My relief was so strong I almost forgot that we were fighting a battle. I couldn't afford to be so distracted, even if it _was_ Takeru that had become the focus of my worry. There was just so much to watch over and worry about. There were so many friends in danger of losing their lives. I checked around the room and my face fell when I saw Neo, blood dripping from his forehead, trying to pull Kotemon into consciousness. Wizardmon was staggering to his feet, but both Centarumon and Andromon seemed to be down for the count.

Patamon was pulling an injured Gatomon, but she didn't seem to have enough energy to move. Sigma set his sights on me, anger showing on his face again. "You _fool_!" he snapped, storming my way. "You let her take what is rightfully _mine_!" He towered over me and then in a fluid motion he pulled me to my feet. Recognition showed on his face and a horrible smile crept into being. "You're that girl from the baby's room."

"Don't talk about Mai," I snapped loudly, kicking my feet and kitting his knee. He didn't even flinch. "Don't ever touch her!"

"I don't need to anymore," he said proudly. "I have my own body back. I do not need that vessel full of darkness. Miyako can keep her doll for now." His anger seemed to be contagious because hearing him speak about Miyako at all was enough to reinvigorate me. I kicked again, harder this time, but still Sigma felt nothing, but it gave him a motive to attack. He held tighter around my arms, but then he was gone and I had fallen to the ground.

I gasped, watching him crash into the wall with the massive form of Maugrim hanging over top of him. "What did you do to Gaia!" Maugrim bellowed, wailing down on Sigma's face. I didn't think I'd ever be happy to see Maugrim. I was gasping now, trying to calm myself and breathe, but Takeru surprised me coming from behind. Sigma threw Maugrim off of him and jumped to his feet, ready to fight. "Where is she?"

"Dead," Sigma lied through his malicious smile. "You should never have betrayed me, Maugrim. You are next."

Maugrim did not hesitate to jolt forward and slam his fist into Sigma's face once more. Sigma staggered back and wiped the blood from his face. "You were never quick on your feet."

"Quick enough to give you that _scar_ ," Sigma snapped.

"That's not quite how I remember it, you coward," Maugrim argued. Takeru was pulling on me now and leading me to the doorway, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the fighting men.

"Why don't you come closer and I'll remind you how the story went," Sigma said in a cocky voice. Maugrim obliged, moving in to Sigma but he saw him coming this time and was fast enough to jump aside and use whatever powers he had inside of him to cast Maugrim aside. That was enough to distract me long enough to follow Takeru to where Aesop was crouched on the ground looking more than defeated. His eye had swollen and there were several cuts along his face, but he was alive.

" _Where_ is Dracomon?" Neo asked as though he had been asking repetitively. " _Tell me!_ " Takeru released me to console Neo. I turned to Gatomon and Patamon, pulling them into my arms. I couldn't imagine the fear he was feeling then. I couldn't find Dracomon either. I didn't _want_ to think the worst, but it felt impossible _not_ to. Where could our little friend have gone? There was really only one option that my mind was providing me with.

And I didn't like it.

I was scrambling to find enough _hope_ that he wasn't dead. But it was hard to do, with Sigma and Maugrim fighting behind us, and Aesop collapsed on the ground. We were losing. We weren't strong enough. I _should_ have waited for Taichi, I should have brought more of our friends. But I didn't know if it would have actually helped us any. Maugrim was strong, Sigma was stronger, and Gaia had more power still. We never could have beaten them all. I didn't know what I was thinking.

Still though, I searched for Dracomon.

"You _can't_ kill me," Sigma bellowed loudly behind us. I spotted Dracomon down at the bottom of the stairs, and tried to tell Neo, but he'd already seen him. I tried to ignore Sigma, so I could just revel in the relief, but I was too curious to manage. "Didn't you learn the first time, Maugrim, my _dear_ friend?" Maugrim pulled himself to his feet, but looked worse for wear. "You tried _before_ , but you were cast aside as the _fool_ that you were! You took my heart away, and betrayed me. You took _her_ and were stupid enough to think I would let you take what mattered most. My kingdom!"

"His heart," Neo said in realization. He looked to me, looking rather apologetic and then spun on the spot and fled, rushing down the stairs, grabbing Dracomon and rushing off. I didn't know what was so important that he had to leave, but he had the right idea. Whether or not Sigma had his heart or not, we had to get out of there. It was clear that eventually _one_ of them would have to win the battle and when they _did_ , it didn't seem likely that our broken team of Knights was going to be any use to defend us against the winner.

Takeru seemed to be thinking along the same line as I was because he threw Aesop's arm over his shoulder and heaved with all his might, bringing the heavy man to his feet. Takeru winced, but ignored his pain and then motioned to leave.

My eyes returned to Centarumon who had awoken and was carrying Andromon, rushing our direction. I was quick to pick up Kotemon and Gatomon, leaving Patamon, Wizardmon and Dorumon to flee on their own.

I cast one last look back to Sigma and Maugrim. No, this had not gone as planned, and the pain running through my back was severe, but we had gotten Gaia out of the way, at least for now, and that was the goal. It may not have gone smoothly, but we had the job done temporarily.

That meant that all focus would have to be on the two men fighting behind us now. Gaia's two lovers, Sigma and Maugrim.

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

" _It's like a game of tennis, Sora,"_ Iori had said as if it were true.

I wasn't ready. I just wasn't prepared for the trial and all _I_ had to do was act calm and play along with everyone until it was over, so how was Horitsu so relaxed? He was holding the fate of my entire life in his hands and yet his face was entirely serene as he sat with his arms folded gently over the top of the file of papers lain out in front of him. He was my first chair lawyer, and had requested that Iori take the second chair, but he had refused. He had done so because this was very serious and fear inducing and at least he understood that, unlike Horitsu.

And unlike Hanzai who sat at the table to my right. He was far enough away that I could no longer smell his musky cologne, or see the way his mouth twitched, threatening to smile whenever I looked his way. I could no longer worry myself with him because none of that mattered anymore. He was a pawn that had been played well in the match and was now facing the king of the opposing team, which would be me. Only if the game was between Arnold and me, l was not trying to imply that I was the lead player in any sort of reality, just that Arnold was out to get me and it wasn't even being kept secret anymore.

I tried to focus on what food I wanted to eat the moment I was set free, but somehow everything brought me back to the moment—back to the nerves rotting in the pit of my stomach. They were of course rotting because they had been there for months and were now overworked and exhausted. I was so _tired_ of being on edge and being scared. I just wanted freedom. Total. Complete. Freedom.

What was worse was that I had to find time to be angry at Mantarou. He had deliberately gone behind my back and done what I had explicitly asked him not to. He was endangering himself and also _me_. He was reckless, and okay with throwing both of us under the bus for just a sliver of a chance that it might help out in the end, and I wasn't even sure that it _would_.

And what was up with his obsession with _Katsue_?

I shook that off because now wasn't the time. I had to focus. It was almost time for the trial to begin. I could hear the ominous ticking of the far away clock and the shuffling of the feet of those behind me. I couldn't dare look back again, too afraid to see my mother and father holding to each other tightly in fear of what might happen to me. I was too afraid to see Kurayami's face—ashamed of herself for what she was doing to me, without realizing it was _me_ who chose this for myself. I couldn't bear to see Biyomon's _fear_ and confusion at the prospect of possibly losing me forever. I swallowed thickly and looked down to the beautiful wooden table, trying to pull my mind off of the events again. I couldn't make any decisions on what would be better to think about, but it wouldn't matter soon enough.

The vast room was beautiful and kept tidy and clean—so unlike the room I had been sent to before when we had sent Arnold to prison—and there were many more seats this time, for the audience composed of the media and the public eye to watch the drama that they could escape at any moment. The floor was tiled and warm toned, while the walls matched well with towering columns pretending to hold the ceiling up for us all. If anything, the room smelled of sweat, which wasn't surprising. I was sweating myself, because of the nerves, and I was sure I would explode soon.

But I didn't get that chance, because as I was staring to the chandelier up above a man had jumped from his seat, startling me and his voice soared through the room, "All rise!"

I panicked, but did as he said, reaching up to loosen my collar before remembering I was wearing a dress. Why did everything feel so tight and restricting then?

The door to the left opened and a woman walked through wearing a loose billowing black judge's cape and she made her way up to her stand and sat down, looking around the room to the two lawyers, and of course to _me_. Behind her was a tiled wall of black granite or marble, and there, on the desk in front of her, sat a simple white mug full of steaming coffee. "You may be seated," she said, her eyes lingering on me momentarily. "Please enter the jury," she said to a police man standing in the corner. He bowed his head respectfully and opened the door near him allowing twelve people to make their way to their own booth where each of them sat in a seat much more comfortable in appearance than my own. I recognized some of them, only because we had worked together to select the jury, but others were new to me. Each of them looked like they did not want to be there, but they could have at least looked _interested_. It was _my_ life they were soon to be debating over.

Once the jury had settled into their seats, the judge found herself staring in their direction, "Please raise your right hand, and swear to tell the truth." I found my eyes focusing on the group of them, realizing then how very _ordinary_ they all were and how my fate rested in the hands of random civilians. Each of the jury did as the judge requested, but she was not finished. She began asking them if they knew anything or had heard anything about my case, and each shook their heads. I was trying to focus on each of them, to make a true connection without seeming forced or scary, but they were paying me no mind, which gave me the opportunity to look them over more thoroughly. There was a girl in the back who looked familiar, but was not ringing any bells. There were a pair of boys who looked to be friendly with one another, but again neither of them really stuck out to me. I was at least glad that I couldn't recognize any of them from Moretsuna's base, because I wasn't here to have my enemies specifically take me down—well, I was, thanks to Arnold, but I wasn't going to sit back and let them cheat their way to victory.

Mantarou was doing enough cheating and lying for the both of our sides, and since he was in the middle of it all that seemed rather fair. I wondered if he had been lying about working on the case for their side. Would they have asked him to use his paralegal skills to join in and research or edit the work they passed through—and if they _had_ did he sabotage them like I wanted him to _not_ do? That boy didn't listen well.

I felt a hand grab mine from under the table and I started, thankfully making no audible sounds, and I turned to see Horitsu whose furry white eyebrows were pressed together. He was worried. I was probably acting rather suspicious. I needed to push all thoughts of Mantarou and anyone else that might upset me out of my mind and focus on the trial. He nodded to me gently and released my hand.

"Okay," The judge said, "if we could get to it then?" Horitsu nodded and when I looked over to Hanzai—with a clearer mind I was able to see how much product he used in his shiny hair—and he was nodding as well. "Very well. We'll have the crown call his first witness."

Hanzai stood tall and proud, "Of course, Your Honour." He cleared his throat and Horitsu took my hand once more and gave me a quick squeeze. _Oh no. Already?_ "If Sora Takenouchi could take the stand please?"

I stood up and did as I was told, but my mind was elsewhere. It was as though I was hovering above everyone, watching from the sky as the audience held their breaths, eager to hear what the murderer had to say about her crime. _'How will she spin this story?'_ I could almost hear them whispering to their neighbors. With a painful flash I remembered sobbing in the corner of my bedroom last night, clutching Biyomon's stuffed chicken while the others sat around the television in the living room watching some game show that I would have loved to have cared about. I remembered the emptiness I had felt in my chest and I could feel echoes of that, as if traces of horror had been left behind—dormant until right now where they began to activate again and I feared I may begin crying once more.

I was repeating the words I was asked to and my head was buzzing. The room spun in fast circles and I could barely make out the faces of my mother and father who had tears in their eyes still. Nearby I could see that Jenna, Natsuni and Iori had crowded together, wedged between strangers who were only here to watch me fall. I panicked before I could find Taichi and nearly vomited, only _just_ managing to hold it back.

"Hello?" I snapped my head toward Hanzai who was waving his hand in my face looking rather confused. I was embarrassed and ashamed at how startled I was sure I looked and all at once the world stopped spinning, and the dead silence that followed his prompt nearly killed me.

"Yes, I'm so sorry," I nodded. My mouth was dry. I needed water. Why couldn't I stop thinking about how dry my mouth was?

I wondered if Hanzai could hear my heartbeat.

"I will repeat the question for the witness," Hanzai said, addressing the judge. I felt my face flush but I ignored that feeling. "Where were you on the night of the twenty-fourth of July?"

The answer came to me easily. "I was at my friend's restaurant."

Hanzai looked interested in that response, "All day?" I nodded. "Must have been hungry then, right?"

"We were hiding there," I told him flatly, but as politely as my voice would allow. _"No matter how much he tries, do not let him under your skin. You are in control of your destiny as long as you are in control of yourself."_ Horitsu's words reverberated around my mind and I adjusted my posture. I could handle this. I had been haunted by monsters, locked in a strange new world, fought off countless enemies in their attempts to conquer all life, I had saved my friends, run for my life, leapt off of cliffs, defeated the god of all worlds and even _died_ once. All of those were for other people, but today, I was fighting for _me_ and I wasn't going to back from the fight now, not when I had so much riding on this. "After I escaped my wrongful imprisonment I found my friends and together we hid from those who wanted to harm us, Arnold of course, and because he informed the world that I was in fact a criminal, I was not permitted to leave the restaurant."

"But you did," Hanzai seemed to understand.

"Not once," I denied.

He seemed annoyed, but nodded his head, "What would make Arnold accuse you of being a criminal." My eyes flicked over to Horitsu, wondering if he would object, but Hanzai was doing nothing against regulation and he had nothing to back up a claim if he were to make one.

"He thought I was a criminal because I was against his cause," I told Hanzai, "He did not like that I did not want to kill, and so he kept me in his jail."

"That is not why you were imprisoned though, was it?" Hanzai asked. I pursed my lips, not knowing the correct way to respond, but eventually I was forced to shake my head. "Let the record show that the accused shook her head to say 'no'." He spun on the spot, seeming rather pleased with himself and then pointed to me rather aggressively, "And why _were_ you in prison then?"

"Well, I wasn't," I told him flatly. "I was not taken to a holding cell, nor to an actual prison. Instead I was kept inside a cage in the workplace of Arnold."

"Yes, okay," Hanzai said annoyed, "But why was that?"

It was as if my eyes were magnetized to the woman in the crowd. I hadn't even known she was _here_ but my eyes had found her, sitting with her sparkling emerald eyes in the front row. Her braided hair had been curled around her head to seem more presentable and she looked nervously devious. That didn't sit well with me, but there was no more time for digging, it was time to tell the truth—but not the whole truth, even if I _had_ sworn to do just that. "I had punched a girl and I pinned her to the ground. I was upset because she had taken part in killing my friends."

"Which friends exactly?" Hanzai asked.

"They are not dead," I responded without giving a real answer, but Hanzai liked his new find anyway.

"Sounds rather unjustly aggressive, doesn't it?"

Horitsu came to his first recue at that, claiming an objection. The judge ruled the question unfair and I didn't have to answer. Hanzai didn't mind though. "So these friends," Hanzai said, "You were upset that they may have died, and your feelings turned to anger, and—"

"Objection," Horitsu said loud and clear, "He is now assuming facts he has no evidence to back up."

The judge held her hand out to Horitsu for him to silence himself, "I think her aggressive nature is proof enough of that." I felt my heart drop at her words. She was against me. She thought I was aggressive. Yes, I'd hit Taichi a couple times, and of course I'd been in a war since I was eleven years old but I wasn't an aggressive person, and if the judge was against me, how were we supposed to convince a jury? This judge looked to be at least in her late fifties—she had been in this career path long enough to see enough guilty subjects, so what was I doing that was emulating them?

Hanzai looked rather joyously up to the judge and continued his declaration, "Would you do anything for your friends?"

"Yes, of course," I confirmed, nodding my head.

"And would they do the same for you?"

Again, I nodded my head, "I would hope so."

"Do you have any witnesses to state that you were in the aforementioned restaurant?" Hanzai asked, jumping right along.

"Yes," I nodded my head, "Several of them are in the audience right now." My eyes found Jenna, Natsuni and Mantarou. When I looked to Mantarou my stomach twisted, but it was sorted out gently by the sight of Taichi sitting by his side. There he was. He was staring directly to my eyes and nodded so gently that I had barely noticed.

"But just friends," Hanzai noted, "The same friends who would do anything for you?" I panicked already. I knew where he was going with that. "The friends that would perhaps cheat or steal for you?" I forced my eyes to not stray to Mantarou, "Or perhaps _lie_?" Horitsu had let out an audible groan, running his hands through his hair because he had nothing to object over again and that worried me. "And if your friends would lie about where you were on the date of the murder—" " _He didn't die that day!"_ I wanted to scream, but if I _had_ he would know that I knew more than I let on and I could not give him that. "—That would mean you would do the same. You might lie for them, would you not, Sora?" Again, I kept my eyes from straying from Hanzai. I couldn't look to Kurayami but in my mind's eye I could _see_ her shifting uncomfortably in her seat. I prayed to anyone who was listening that she did not stand and say something. "You might even do _worse_? You might _kill_. You would hurt someone in order to protect your friends because you're protective, and you care but that doesn't make you harmless. You killed Moretsuna to protect Miyako Ichijouji, didn't you? You took that blasted knife and you stabbe—"

Horitsu seemed to understand that the tears coming from my eyes were proof enough that Hanzai had gone too far. "He is badgering her, Your Honour. And he is blatantly using nonsensical claims about a knife." The judge, like the perfect angel that she was, saw Horitsu's point and turned her attention to Hanzai.

"You may proceed," she told him, betraying me like the horrible woman she clearly must have been. "Keep your temper low, Hanzai, and abide by the laws set in place."

Hanzai bowed his head, "yes, I'm so sorry, Your Honour." But when he looked back up he didn't _look_ particularly apologetic, "but I am finished with my first witness."

If this were a game of tennis, as Iori had implied, then we were losing. The score was 15-Love and the opponent had the ball.

"Very well," the judge declared, gesturing to Horitsu, "the defense may take their turn with the witness." Hanzai smiled to me broadly like a petulant child before turning to make his way back to the table where one or both of the lawyers purposely slammed their shoulders into one another. "Gentlemen," the judge barked sternly.

Horitsu held his hand up as if to say he was sorry, but simply made his way toward me. He stood gently by my side, and began asking me questions about myself. We told the jury and the court itself that I had spent my life working for peace and to end wars. He informed the audience of my work from college, which was an artistic arrangement of art, music and fashion designed to raise awareness for inequality amongst the people of the world. I couldn't stop my cheeks from turning beet red as Horitsu dug up my past all in one conversation to prove that I was a good person. I had never heard all of my actions listed at once—and these were only the events that did not involve the death of numerous evil digimon. The jury seemed enamoured by the way Horitsu was able to use his calming voice to paint an elaborate picture and speak in beautiful riddles. He had even distracted me enough to forget—for however brief the moment was—that I was seated in front of a hundred or more people who were waiting to see me tossed in prison for life.

And then it was over.

Horitsu was a better tennis player than I had thought. 15-all.

"Thank you," the judge said to me briskly, her cruelty showing on her face, hiding amongst the wrinkles that had come with age. "May the witness return to her seat, and we shall have the defense bring forth his first witness to the stand."

I was nervous to stand, just _waiting_ to fall or embarrass myself further, but my shaking legs held out long enough for me to walk back across the floor to where I sat next to Horitsu's still empty seat.

"My witness is Doctor Suto Chiryo," Horitsu informed the court. If I was honest, I didn't care _who_ he called to the stand just then as long as they helped me in the end. I was just so relieved still to be off of the stand. It had not been nearly as draining when I had gone up before—but then I was facing a month in prison at most, this was different. If the jury found me to be guilty, my life would be over and I would have to start a new one.

As the rather intelligent looking man, dressed in an argyle sweater vest and pleated tan dark brown pants, made his way to the stands I could not help but focus on what he had done to Kurayami. He had been the man to call Moretsuna to his office—or his receptionist had anyway—and it had been that very action that led to Kurayami's grandfather being murdered. "I swear," Chiryo confirmed, bringing me back to the moment.

"You may proceed," the judge informed Horitsu.

He nodded and immediately began to question Chiryo about Moretsuna. "Did you know Sakana?"

"Not personally, no," Chiryo said calmly, though it was clear he was nervous too. I didn't blame him. He repositioned his glasses on his face and then added, "I had met him several times however."

"And you had contact with him through email," Horitsu agreed, "would you care to inform the jury what those emails were about?"

Chiryo shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "I am not familiar with the emails in question."

"No?" Horitsu asked, turning back to the table I was seated at. He looked to me warmly as he grabbed the file and turned back to the judge. He handed her—and Hanzai—a copy of the emails that he was soon to read off and then he began, " _Sakana, I must request quite fervently that you not utter a single word of what you encountered in Mrs Kurayami Motomiya's file. It was not yours for the viewing, and as I allowed your eyes to view her progress during a moment of vulnerability, I must express upon you that my employment depends on your ability to hold fast to secrets._ "

Chiryo had nothing to say about that.

"So not only were you in contact with him," Horitsu said, sounding rather intrigued by the idea, though he had already known about it, "But you and he were secretly trading information?"

"It wasn't like that," Chriyo sounded worried now.

"Not like what?" Horitsu asked, "You didn't trade him information willingly?"

"Of course not!" Chiryo said loudly, slamming his hand down to the table. I jumped, startled, I hadn't expected him to be so angry so quickly. He was a therapist and that meant he was to be calm and reserved, didn't it? "I refused him, and kept the information away from him until he forced it from me. He took it right from my cabinets and read what he saw fit. He was very aggressive with me and the patient I had with me at that time, and he performed horrible acts."

"What sorts of horrible acts did he partake in?" Horitsu asked.

Chiryo once again adjusted his glasses, and it looked to me like his nose was sweating. I knew what it was like to be up there and I knew I never wanted to again. I turned my eyes to the jury to see how they were faring, but they all seemed rather focused on what Chiryo was to say. "That is between me and my patient, Sir. What happened during one of my sessions is private."

Horitsu looked up to the judge to see her ruling but she simply shrugged her shoulders. "He is permitted by law to give his opinion on the matter. If he finds the specifics to be irrelevant, or to break the confidentiality of his client, than he may keep his facts to himself." That seemed _pretty_ suspicious to me. Like, _fake_ suspicious. But I didn't know the law and I couldn't join in on any of these debates, and as things continued it seemed no one else seemed to find issue with the judge's decision—or if they did they were too wise to point out her flaw. Horitsu spent the rest of the time with Chiryo, which did not last long, talking about Moretsuna and how they came in contact at all. That was apparently because Moretsuna was seeking digimon to kill and Chiryo's assistant helped him when Labramon's owner entered the building.

When Hanzai was to take his turn with Chiryo he seemed rather annoyed that he even _had_ to because he didn't seem to have anything for Chiryo to help with. "Which patient was with you during the time of the incident?" Hanzai asked, but Chiryo refused to answer his question. "Did his horrible acts break any laws?" Chiryo confirmed that they did, but did not elaborate. "When was the incident?"

"Ah," Chiryo stuttered, thinking back, "Sometime in the middle of May, Sir. Before my daughter's birthday on the twenty-fifth."

"So the time you found Moretsuna in your office was months before his death," Hanzai surmised.

' _Days before, not months_ ,' I corrected in my head.

"Objection," Horitsu declared.

"On _what_ grounds?" Hanzai barked, annoyed.

"On the grounds that you pulled the date of death out of your _ass_ ," Horitsu snapped, surprising me. His fists were balled up and it was then that I realized how invested he was in this case. I didn't mind if it was a ritual of his, to find himself trapped in the emotions of every case, because he usually won he had said, but it made me feel like at least he _cared_ whether we won or lost.

I jumped once more, because for some reason I was still on edge—oh yeah, I was being tried for murder—when the judge brought her gavel down to the table three times sharply, looking pointedly to Horitsu. "Enough of that," she said sharply, but she turned to Hanzai with the same bitter expression, "If you cannot provide evidence of the death occurring on the day you previously mentioned, you will have to assume you do not know."

 _Well he_ doesn't _know._

"Very well," Hanzai said through gritted teeth. "No further questions, Your Honour."

Chiryo turned out to be a dud of a ball, and the score remained the same at 15-all.

With pursed lips the judge sent everyone back to their seats, including Chriyo who was walking quicker than he normally would have to get out of the way of the judging eyes of the audience. I let my eyes follow him away but remembered that I was meant to look poised, dignified, and yet attentive and worried to capture the jury's sympathy. It felt sickening to be manipulating people so deliberately, but if they could keep me from prison, I would do whatever it took to win them over.

"My next witness will be Kurayami Higorashi, Your Honour."

"Motomiya," Chiryo corrected on his way by.

I seized up at Hanzai's words and forgot everything I had just reminded myself of and whipped my head around to face the audience where Kurayami sat, rigid in her seat, between Biyomon and Daisuke. Daisuke had sweat glistening all across his forehead and Kurayami had worry lines tracing her mouth and eyes, but her face now was simply shocked. She didn't know what to do and neither did Daisuke who refused to release her hand.

"I heard no word of this," Horitsu argued, getting to his feet once more, "As standard procedure—"

"She is well aware of the procedure," Hanzai spat before rounding on the judge with wide adoring eyes. "Your Honour, we had a last minute substitution when our other witness backed out of questioning." I set my sights on Horitsu's notes and saw the name 'Veronica Truman'. She was out there, in the audience, so why had she canceled her witness statement so late into the game?

"You may proceed," The judge ruled. My eyes were back on Kurayami who stood up, looking just as stiff as before. She straightened out her skirt and took a visibly shaky step to the side to make her way to the aisle. "Hurry up, Girl, we haven't got all day." Kurayami jumped under the attention of the strict woman and made her way forward, pushing through the gate and turning her eyes on me. They were wide and fearful but she corrected herself quickly and pressed on until she was pulling herself up into the death stand.

Kurayami being up on the stands scared me because we didn't know what Hanzai intended to ask her and we didn't know what _we_ would ask her. It seemed clear that Hanzai was going to take an underhanded stance in the testimony in any case.

When Kurayami had sworn to tell the truth, Hanzai did not hesitate to jump right in, "As new evidence has been brought to light, I simply have to ask you if you recognize this." Hanzai held up a photograph to Kurayami who furrowed her brow and shook her head. She didn't look particularly convincing with the way her lip was quivering.

"What new evidence is this?" Horitsu asked clearly, flipping through the pages in front of him, "I did not receive any photograph within the evidence you provided."

Hanzai looked back in mock confusion and then moved to his table, "I do apologize, it is _new_ as I mentioned after all." He tossed a folder to Horitsu who stopped it with his fist as it slid across the smooth table and then walked to the judge with her own copy of the new evidence. Horitsu opened the folder and smiled, but closed it swiftly before I could take a look. "You mean to tell me you do not recognize this weapon?" Hanzai asked Kurayami, who shook her head again. "Kurayami, where do you live?"

"Omotesando," Kurayami said in a broken sort of voice.

"What address precisely?" Hanzai asked quickly.

She shrugged her shoulders innocently, "I'm not really sure. I just moved in—it's not really my house. I c-couldn't afford to stay in the place we were at before so my friend is housing us."

"Ah, I see," Hanzai said, taking in her story, "And what friend might that be?" Kurayami's eyes fell on me, but she said nothing. "Sora? Is that right?" Kurayami nodded. "Let the record be aware that the witness did indeed nod her head." He turned back to Kurayami and thrust the picture back in her face, "Have you seen a knife _like_ this?" Kurayami nodded, "perhaps one of a set?"

"Yes," Kurayami admitted, cowering under his force, "There are many knives like that in stores across the country!"

"Have you seen them closer to your home?" Hanzai pressed, "Perhaps in your very own kitchen?" Kurayami's eyes fell on me again and I looked away. I couldn't believe he was doing this. I tried to block him out, but instead became hyper aware of the breathing and shuffling behind me. I heard a sniffle and pretended it was from my mother, holding back her tears. It somehow gave me comfort. I was dizzy again as the world spun but I had nowhere to land.

"Yes," Kurayami said finally, "There is a set in Sora's kitchen."

"The blue one—?"

"Is missing, yes," Kurayami said flatly.

"So," Hanzai said, "Just to clarify, the weapon you see before you—that was found at a crime scene with traces of the deceased's blood on it—matches a set of knives that you have in your very home—in the very home of the accused—and it even matches the description of the knife that is missing the collection in your kitchen block set?" he turned to the jury to show them the image. I had seen that image. There was a blue knife, blood dried along the blade, sitting on a simple grey table. That was my knife. It was _my_ knife. I tried my best to seem confused, but I couldn't force worry off of my face.

Hanzai had scored some points. 30-15

"Yes, but—" Kurayami tried.

"And we learned previously that Sora is aggressive," Hanzai added, this time to the jury.

"You _think_ you—" Kurayami interrupted Hanzai but he simply spoke louder to cover her words.

"What more proof do we need?" Hanzai spoke louder still, "We have all the evidence we need to prove that Sora Takenouchi is indeed guilty of mur—"

"Except she _didn't_ do it!" Kurayami snapped, slamming her fists _loudly_ against the wooden railing that separated her from the rest of us. Hanzai turned to her and she looked back, angry. He swallowed nervously and stepped toward her, licking his lips with anticipation. "She didn't kill anyone."

"And how would we know that, exactly?" Hanzai asked in a sweet voice. Kurayami's eyes found me, and it was only for a moment but that moment lasted forever. She seemed to beg with her eyes for me to allow her to come clean, but I responded just as quick with as much intensity pleading with her to stop. She turned to Hanzai and seemed to have made up her mind, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Hanzai interrupted, "Do you know who killed him, if it was not Sora?"

Kurayami paused and narrowed her eyes for a moment before finally saying, "I neglect to answer."

"You _do_ then," Hanzai surmised, "You know who killed him and you know it's Sora. It is as I said before," he turned to the jury, "Kurayami is lying to save Sora. If you noticed, there was a moment of deliberation in which she looked to her ring leader for confirmation. Sora is running this show as the master manipulator that she is. We _know_ she broke into Benjamin Arnold's office and set his creations free. We _know_ she was seen in Sakana Moretsuna's workplace several times—unauthorized, and she was seen on camera _beating_ a girl _much_ younger than herself. Sora is a criminal, and if you cannot see that, than—"

"I would advise you to stop there," Horitsu shot quickly, but the damage had been done. 40-15. The score wasn't looking good for us. For _me_.

Hanzai shrugged his shoulders and did another one of his stupid spins before strutting off toward his table. "Very well, I was finished anyway."

The judge turned to Horitsu and told him to come up finally and as he did, instead of walking toward Kurayami he chose to advance upon the judge holding two folders, one blue and one grey. "This," he handed her the blue folder, "is the evidence that Hanzai recently displayed pertaining to the murder weapon. The ' _new_ ' evidence as he had called it." He turned to Hanzai and winked before thrusting the grey folder toward the judge. "This is the evidence we have had in our hands for quite some time. You will notice that it is in fact the very _same_ evidence, and this had been printed from his very own computer system. As it stands, Hanzai is a liar." He turned to the cute little paralegal woman who was typing everything down. "Let the record show _that_." Hanzai seemed nervous now, but some treacherous part of my insides churned with the idea of hope.

"If you had, in your possession, a copy of the evidence in question, what are you asking me to do about the matter?" The judge asked.

"Nothing, Your Honour," Horitsu said with a brief bow, "I am simply painting a picture for all." She nodded for him to continue. "Now," Horitsu spoke clearly, not to Kurayami, but to the jury. "While I had prepared a defense against Hanzai's previous witness, I am prepared to continue anyway. I _am_ so glad you brought up the knife, Hanzai because I have some evidence that may throw your argument to the wolves."

Horitsu reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black recording device and he plugged it into a small cylindrical speaker that he had in his other pocket. He pressed the button on the top and Jenna's voice soared over the crowd.

" _Veronica, I'm going to get right to the point, I'm here to put you in jail for planting evidence at a murder scene that never existed."_

" _Well that won't work because I didn't do anything."_ Veronica responded through the speakers. I turned my head and saw that she was sitting with wide eyes now, fear covering her face. I felt bad, but she was a criminal.

" _You did, but okay,"_ Jenna said, _"Any idea who did it then? No? Okay, I saw you do it, Veronica. I'm not stupid. I've been following you around. I've seen you talk to Arnold, I was there when you planted the knife, and all—"_

" _Stalking is a crime!"_ Veronica shouted.

" _So is planting incriminating evidence!"_ Jenna responded with as much enthusiasm. _"Where did you get the blood, Veronica?"_

" _I-it was in the lab!"_ She shrieked. " _W-we all had to give samples of our bl-blood!"_

" _So you found the blood, put it on the knife and planted it in a fake murder scene?"_ Jenna asked.

" _I didn't mean to,"_ Veronica's confirmation was the end of Horitsu's need for the recording. He pressed stop and the silence that filled the room following that moment was deafening. There was a steady ringing as Horitsu waited for the news to sink in for the jury.

40-30.

When he was sure they had had enough time to process this news he continued. "Veronica Truman, under the orders of Benjamin Arnold, a man with a vendetta against _my_ client, planted evidence at a murder scene that never existed—"

"Are you implying Sakana is not dead?" the judge was eager to know.

"No, Your Honour, I'm not," Horitsu said confidently, "I'm saying he never died in the traditional sense. He did not die on Earth at all. He was killed in the Digital World by means of the killing machine crafted by the aforementioned Director Arnold who—as we should all know, was his employer. If you do not believe me, I urge you to search his name on the internet and show me any documentation that he ever lived. Sure you will find news of his trial, but there is _nothing_ that proves he ever existed outside of this case. For all we know, we're fighting a murder trial for a man that never was."

"But there _is_ tangible documentation," Hanzai argued.

"Right you are, Hanzai," Horitsu said bitterly, "Which is why we're here today, but that doesn't change the fact that you lied, and that your evidence was _fake_ and that Sora's knife was _never_ the murder weapon at all. It is clear to me that someone is framing my client and if this is not evidence of that, I do not know what would be."

Hanzai looked frustrated now, and perhaps even worried, but that didn't stop me from being worried at how this would go over. Finally, when Hanzai spoke he loosened his collar with two fingers and said thickly, "I would like to request a recess, Your Honour."

The judge looked annoyed, but slammed her gavel on the table, "Granted. Ten minute recess."

40-40. The score was all tied up now. We were at a standstill though, and the final results would be in the last witness. Unfortunately I had no idea _who_ the last witness even _was_.

Horitsu let a gruff police officer lead me to the waiting room where a water cooler sat in the corner. He instructed me to sit down but I ignored him and moved straight for the water. He didn't seem to mind and closed the door, deciding to wait outside. I downed three tiny paper cups of water before the door opened. I turned sharply, barely paying any mind to who had come inside.

This recess may very well have been my last moment to be _free_ , and of course what better way to spend it than to be sitting in a dingy room with a broken looking wooden table and a stiff looking chair.

"Sora!" I nearly fell to my knees as Biyomon made her way toward me, followed by Mantarou. She leapt into my arms and I held her close to me. "Everyone is so grumpy in there!" I nodded, but said nothing, focusing on Mantarou. "I thought for sure Kurayami was going to say something bad." Biyomon pulled away and slid down my body until she was standing by my side again.

"So did I," I told her at the same moment as Mantarou had said "Me too." We looked up to each other and he blushed. "Mantarou," I said in a rather distant voice. "I'm going to go to jail."

"Are you kidding?" He asked, trying to sound confident, "Horitsu is wiping the floor with Hanzai."

I shook my head, "It seems that way, but I've watched enough television in the past two months to know that things always take an unexpected turn. I'm going to jail and I'm going to break up with you _now_ so that won't be an issue later."

"Sora," he tried to reason, moving closer.

"No," I said, stepping away and out of his reach. "I'm serious. I'm mad at you because you went behind my back and broke my trust and my promises and if I go to jail I'm only going to have more time to dwell on that. Besides, you can't date a girl who is in jail her whole life."

Mantarou ran a hand over his head and sighed, trying not to be hurt by my bluntness. "And if you win the case? If you don't go to prison? What then?"

"Then you have a long way to go to earn back my trust," I told him flatly, still keeping out of his reach. It was always hard to break up with someone, no matter who it was, and the tears welling up in my eyes seemed to be contagious because Mantarou was showing the same signs of hurt.

He closed the distance between us and took my hand. "I'm willing to work on that."

I pulled my hands sharply away and diverted my eyes. "I don't think I am. I don't think it's fair to either of us to try. You didn't just break my trust. You put both of our _lives_ on the line to do it. You knew the consequences and you still—"

"Horitsu just used that information to _save_ your life," he reminded me.

"I _know_ ," I said softly, trying to force some determination behind my words. I was just so tired of being alone and there was a big part of me that wanted to keep him around, but being alone was something I was going to have to get used to now. Keeping him around because of that fear wasn't fair though. Not to him. "I'm so grateful for that, and I'll _always_ be in your dept, but that doesn't change the fact that you gambled with _both_ of our lives like it was a _game_." He looked angry and sad and when he turned away, I wanted to comfort him but I knew it wasn't right. "You haven't been around much, Mantarou. I've been home alone and you've been living your life. You're the most independent man I've ever been with and I think that's amazing. You'll find an amazing girl."

"Will I?" He snapped, "Every girlfriend I've ever had broke up with me because of my family or my digimon—aside from Yorokobi. I dumped that—why am I even...?" Mantarou turned to the door and marched toward it. I tried to follow him but Biyomon was holding my legs tightly.

"I'm sorry!" I insisted. "K-Katsue?" I suggested stupidly, "You could be with Katsue."

He froze, his hand over the doorknob and then looked over his shoulder to me, "Taken," he said bitterly.

"She is?" I asked, horror obviously covering my face.

"Not by Yamato," He assured me, annoyed, pushing sharply at the door and marching away without another word. Biyomon hugged my legs tighter but said nothing, for once not finding the right words. The door did not latch shut though because someone had grabbed the handle and pulled it back open and then Jou stepped into the room.

Biyomon instinctively released my legs and I moved toward him quickly, throwing my arms around him. "I didn't think you were here!" I told him breathlessly.

"Just got here," he admitted feebly, "I brought something that might help."

"Is it cake?" I asked desperately and a smile broke out across his face.

"It's better than cake," he told me, concealing a laugh before pulling me into another hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be here earlier. Daisuke told me what happened. Taichi tried but he's going insane."

"He's always been insane," Biyomon joked and both Jou and I laughed together this time.

There was a pause as Jou released me and looked to the door. "Sora?" he asked, and I hummed a simple response. "Mantarou?" I shook my head simply and he nodded, seeming to understand. "I'm sorry." He patted my shoulder softly but the moment was ruined when the door was pulled open once more.

"It's time to return to the courtroom, Miss Takenouchi," The police officer said in his deep voice. I waved to Biyomon who did not take that as a suitable goodbye and rushed over to hug me before finally letting me go. Jou nodded to me, trying to look confident, but failing and then I was on my way back down the marble hallway.

Being single again felt much less freeing than it was supposed to. It was never going to last between Mantarou and I, not when we had so obviously been wrong for each other. His quirky fun qualities would have done wonders to lighten my life if I hadn't been locked in my house and being framed for _murder_. But in the end, we both had known it was doomed. We had to have. I was his rebound from discovering that the love of his life was a raving lunatic and he was the hero, to help me through a bad time. We moved on now—to a different bad time for me, but still—and it was time to move on from each other too. But that didn't mean the freeing feeling would be felt just yet. I still had to face the gods of my life. The twelve strangers that sat in a cramped wooden booth.

I was sitting back in the uncomfortable chair again before I knew it and the smell of nervous sweat was overpowering now. My mouth somehow felt even drier now that I had drank some water, and my feet ached in the confines of my shoes. Horitsu was seated next to me, looking more nervous than he had during the rest of the trial and he swallowed thickly when the judge slammed her gavel back down.

"We shall resume where we left off," she declared, looking to Horitsu. "Is your final witness ready to take the stand?"

"Yes," Horitsu nodded firmly, looking to his papers once more. "If Iruka Moretsuna could please take the stand." I gasped foolishly and looked over my shoulder to find Jou. Surely this had to have been what he had brought for us, but I could not see him. Instead I saw the beautiful woman known as Iruka striding down the aisle to the stand. She looked more confident than the other witnesses, probably because she had nothing to lose. As she was preparing herself for her testimony, Horitsu was tossing papers to the side in a scrambled attempt to prepare for his sudden new witness, but by the time he was required to face Iruka he had everything organized once more. "Iruka," he said as she tossed her thick hair over her shoulder, "how did you know the deceased?"

"He was my father," Iruka responded without missing a beat. It was strange to see her so intact and confident compared to our last interaction where she had been in tears.

"And when did you learn of his death?" Horitsu asked.

She thought for a moment and then said, "I heard rumours of his death very early. One digimon heard from another and before I knew what was happening, I heard someone whisper about how my father was dead. Of course they knew nothing of our relations."

"How early?" Horistu prodded.

"The first of June, perhaps," Iruka confirmed, nodding her head. "I only found out for sure when I returned home to my family to find that he was gone."

"And where _had_ you been?" Horitsu asked.

Iruka seemed to find the question she had been waiting for and she leaned forward with a look resembling eagerness. "I was in the Digital World. I was _trapped_ there, you see. Ambassador Rida and Director Arnold worked together to block the worlds apart in a war that was never real. I could not escape because I was separated from my father—on the twenty-ninth of May if you were wondering—and he had one of our team's _only_ transporter devices. The small group I was with abandoned me when the virus came, and all I could do was run. I found a Wizard digimon, funnily enough he was called Wizardmon, and he saved my life. Then he imprisoned me out of fear that I would kill them."

"And so you were in that prison until you returned home?" Horitsu asked.

"No," Iruka shook her head firmly, "I was released from the prison and I made my way from town to town in the Digital World. I did not like it as much as Earth—I missed the flushing toilets and hot showers, but the digimon taught me one thing. We could live together peacefully if we wanted to."

Horitsu nodded, but could do nothing with that information so he pressed on further, "And what did this virus _do_ exactly?"

"Well," Iruka said, "Upon contact with a living organism—such as a human or a digimon—it could delete their very existence and wipe away all of their documentation across any digital field." My heart skipped a beat at her words. She was turning the virus into my saving grace and somehow, despite how twisted it all was, it felt amazing. Arnold's attempts at ruining my life would come head to head and cancel each other out.

"Is that what you think happened to your father?" Horitsu asked, keeping his cool much better than I was myself.

"I don't have an opinion on that," Iruka said simply, but it was enough. She had done _enough_.

Horitsu had made his way back to the table by my side and Hanzai was up to take his turn at bat, but Iruka didn't seem interested in what he had to say. "Would you say that you loved your father?" Hanzai asked.

"Sure, I guess," Iruka shrugged.

"So if you were to see justice for his murder you would feel satisfied, would you not?" Hanzai asked. Iruka shook her head slowly, "You mean to say that you don't think your father died unjustly?"

"No," Iruka said firmly. "He was a cruel, abusive man and he broke my mother. He would have broken me too if I did not follow him. He never _said_ that of course, but I was happy to follow where he stepped if it meant I would save myself. I was selfish—I _am_ selfish and I learned that from _him_. He hated so many things and on more than one occasion he declared that he would do whatever it took to eradicate all digital life. You saw the footage. You saw him kill Noriko Kawada—that poor girl's family probably wanted justice and now it has been served. My father is dead, but if I seek justice for that crime then the chain will never end and we will never see the end of the violent nature of these crimes. I am sad he is gone, but I seek no revenge. And instead of pointing fingers at one another, perhaps we should point the blame to the man behind it all. The man behind the curtain. The man who started this war in the first place. Ambassador _Rida_."

Hanzai looked utterly irritated with her response and he hadn't prepared anything better because she, like Kurayami, had been a last minute substitution. He gulped and turned bitterly on his heel, much less excitedly than before and he made his way to the table where he leaned against it, upset.

The judge requested the lawyers give their closing statements to the jury and Hanzai went first, talking a big game about justice. "Someone has to pay for the crime, and who better than the _murderer_! Perhaps the knife was false, but the evidence we have against her is still overwhelming. Need I remind you that she has been seen in heated strife with Sakana on multiple occasions and in fact was _in_ Arnold's office building when he sent that very virus? Who is to say she was not part of the crime itself? Someone has to be punished, and I say Sora Takenouchi fits the bill."

Horitsu had taken a much more intense approach. "I request that you think about what you are deliberating over. I _urge_ you to take Iruka's words and memorize them. Justice does not have to be a negative motion. This death, however it may have occurred, happened after the supposed _'war'_ had taken its start, and because we have found no other causalities to the human's side of this war, does not mean Sakana's death was not in fact a war crime. Sakana chose to forsake his duty as a police officer to take part in violent acts against the people and against the digimon. This is bigger than Sora Takenouchi. I urge you all to consider your options, for this was not a simple murder, but an act of protection in a war that was thrust upon an unwilling and unwitting nation. He made his own choices and he paid the cost for those mistakes."

And then the jury was leaving to deliberate. While they did so, all we were to do was _wait_. I didn't care how convincing either side had been because we knew it could go either way. Horitsu was trying to be as comforting as possible but it was clear to me that he was just as nervous as I was. The score was even (40 for Hanzai, 40 for Horitsu and probably 40 for Iruka too because she deserved it and hadn't especially helped either side) and I didn't want to guess at what might happen in case I was wrong. I was very near vomiting again when the jury returned, piling into their booth.

I looked to each of them, hopeful and worried, my lip quivering and then the judge asked them, "What have you agreed upon."

The man nearest the judge, one I did not recognize at all, said, "Your Honour, we declare the death of Sakana Moretsuna _not_ a homicide, but in fact a war crime. Sora Takenouchi is not guilty."

 _Game, set and match._

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't find it in myself to even _breathe_. Why couldn't I breathe?

Horitsu was laughing in the most relieved way possible, but I couldn't join him. I had never felt as free as I did in that moment. I was _free._ I could _go_. I could go _anywhere_ at all! I swallowed thickly and ran my hands through my hair, nervously pushing my chair back, ignoring my shaking hands. "We should go," Horitsu said, but his voice barely made it toward me. There was so much noise. Anger. Disappointment. Joy. The room was spinning again as Horitsu led me to the private door, away from the audience. I staggered my way alongside him, nearly tripping over the doorframe and when we had made it out into the hallway I found Taichi immediately. He was making his way toward me and tears instantly stung behind my eyes as he threw his arms around me.

He didn't say anything for a while and I was so thankful. I couldn't speak yet. I didn't know how. I didn't know what to say if I _could_ say anything. Finally, when I heard others coming down the hallway he whispered, "I didn't want the last time I saw you to be you being taken away."

I pulled from the hug and forced a smile on my face, "You wouldn't visit me in prison?" I thought he would laugh, but he didn't. He just looked sad. I shook my head, not understanding, but I was pulled from him a moment later by my mother who was openly weeping as she embraced me. I couldn't hold my own tears back as she did and together we just _cried_. Dad joined the hug and my knees gave out. I fell to the ground and rested there, but Mom wasn't done hugging and she followed me down, holding me tighter.

The excitement in everyone's eyes seemed to be unanimous, but I couldn't get over the relief. In my direct sense of self awareness I was able to focus again. The room had stopped spinning. Mantarou was not around. Daisuke was consoling a crying Kurayami but both were looking to me happily. Then Jou appeared and Daisuke hugged him, apologizing for being upset at all. Iruka had saved not only me, but Kurayami as well. And then there she was. She had come up to stand with Jou, looking rather nervous. And then I saw Iori and I gasped, finally finding enough energy to _exist_.

"You're _married_?" Iori froze in place but I couldn't take my eyes away from the ring on his finger. He sheepishly laughed and rubbed the back of his head, and then looked to Natsuni who blushed, but I simply gasped again. " _You_ are pregnant!" Natsuni's embarrassment vanished and shock covered her face. Everyone turned their eyes on her as Michael, Willis, Jenna and their partners all came up behind the two of them. Neither wanted anyone to know and I felt bad for calling it out, but I couldn't help myself.

Then Biyomon was back and crying as she stayed in my arms. I somehow managed to get to my feet and I leaned against the wall. Horitsu excused himself, but I promised him I would invite him over for dinner or something to thank him for all he had done, and then my hero was gone. I moved across the hallway to Iruka to thank her, but found that she was staring to someone else. "Hey," I said quietly. "Go to him, he needs it." Iruka looked sharply away from Mantarou and toward me, confused. "He's amazing." Iruka blushed and looked away from me as if she hadn't been staring at all, but made her way toward him nonetheless.

"You're free," Jou whispered from behind me. I turned to see him standing with Kurayami and Daisuke. Kurayami pushed free and threw her arms around Biyomon and me, not caring about the tears in her eyes. I hugged her back with my free arm and waited. I was so proud of her for _letting_ me do this, for letting someone be there for her. She _had_ to know by now that we were all friends. I would do anything for my friends, just as they would for me. And I would do anything for Haruki too. I couldn't wait to get back home and spend time with him— _outside_. "Sora," Jou prodded, elbowing me. I turned to see what he had found and spotted Yamato making his way down the hallway.

"Oh," I said nervously, handing Biyomon off to Kurayami. I helped close the distance between us but he stopped about four feet away so I did too. He looked scared. "You came?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I—uh, yeah."

"That means a lot, Yamato," I said, trying to wipe my tears away. "I've missed you."

He breathed a sad little laugh and then nodded, "I missed you too." I took that as enough sign that I could come closer. I closed what little gap was left and wrapped my arms around his middle. He seemed startled, but hugged me back. It was clear then that we had not been this close since we had been dating. I felt my face flush, but tried to ignore it. I couldn't though. There was nothing stopping me from finally just _telling_ him what I wanted him to know. "Yamato, I—"

"Sora, I'm leaving," he said flatly, tearing away at our hug. I pulled back, startled. "Yeah," he decided, "I was told to make a decision for myself, and I made it. It was hard, and maybe stupid, but for once, it's for _me_ and me alone. I think it's for the best."

"What do you mean _leaving_?" I asked sharply.

"Not forever," he admitted, shrugging his shoulders, "Just for a little while. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" I asked, trying to fight back the tearful fluttering of my eyes and heart.

"Somewhere far," he decided blankly. "I'll be back." There was total silence somehow, even with all the noise around us and I didn't want to break it. I wanted to stay silent forever as long as it meant he wasn't leaving. When I felt Daisuke grab my arm to pull me away to take me home Yamato tried to smile but couldn't. When he opened his mouth he only said, "Sora, I'm glad you're alright. I'm glad you're free."

And he was right. Because I _was_ free.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Kiyoko faces HIS most trying task while Miyako and Takeru face some dark matters and try to put an end to the fighting, only to find that a sweet moment can not come without a hint of bitter.


	35. Heart, Body and Soul

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 35: Heart, Body and Soul**

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

"Where are we go-going?" Aesop asked in a thick, wounded sort of voice. I winced at the sound of it and kept my eyes away from the blood dripping from his open mouth. Something was seriously wrong with him, and we needed to get him to Jou as soon as we could. Hikari had already called him, but he told us to make our way to the Temple, and not his house which was in fact closer. He had no supplies waiting at his home and so we were working on getting him to the safety of the Temple.

If there had ever been any questioning whether or not he was on our side, it had surely been answered now. He had risked his life to fight against his son, and I was scared that it was going to cost him exactly that—his life. Wizardmon was on his other side, trying to work through his own pain in order to support Aesop's weight, but I was worried that he would soon collapse. Centarumon was still coming up behind us with Andromon held in his arms, and he did not look like he was enjoying the strain the heavy form of his friend was putting on him. Hikari had both Kotemon and Gatomon in her arms, and Patamon was sitting on my head, while Dorumon barked at any stray digimon who came nearer to see what the commotion was about.

We were moving as fast as we could, but somehow the short lived battle between Sigma, Maugrim and Gaia had not settled well with our team. Hikari was pretending she wasn't in pain, but I knew better and was worried about the smear of blood on her back. But who was I to judge? I was working on carrying a man who was twice my weight, trying to imagine a world where I _wasn't_ hurt at all, but that didn't seem possible somehow. Gaia's punch had come so swiftly, but with the thin and gentle qualities of her form I hadn't expected such force to come from her. I felt like I was internally bleeding, or at least that my insides were angry, but either way it felt like crap.

My mouth tasted of blood and I was afraid to talk, scared that blood had stained my teeth or was pooling in my mouth without me realizing.

We could see the Temple's location—though not the Temple itself, because of the spells Gennai had enforced that I was almost certainly positive D'arcmon had cast—and soon we would be able to rest, but until then it wasn't fair for us to take a break when we could be costing a man his life.

Hikari nearly tripped with excitement when she spotted the shrubs that we would need to pass through, but Dorumon, lost in his head, had run past them. Hikari called to him to stop and he backtracked, grabbing handfuls of leaves and pulling back to make room for us to get by. Hikari managed to grab the other side to create a doorway, and Wizardmon and I slipped through with Aesop, who had begun dragging his feet even more than before. I barely looked back once as we made our way down the hill.

"Oh my goodness!" Yoshie Izumi shouted from her place by one of the teashop tables that she was cleaning. "Are you all okay?"

I didn't have time to answer, but Centarumon took the opportunity to rest to explain to her. We had to keep moving. I heard her exclaim in shock and agree to come along, leaving the teashop unattended. I didn't think Digitamamon would be too thrilled about that idea, but she was worried and again, I didn't have time to express my worries. Centarumon seemed to though and he stopped her, assuring her that she would be better suited to stay back. She didn't seem to like the idea but she listened anyway.

When we had finally reached the bridge it was clear that the fog from the deep moat was thicker than normal, creating a sort of storm for us to pass through. Eventually we reached the guards at the front gates and they didn't ask any questions upon seeing our state. They knew me, and they knew the knights who I was sure were making their way from the fog behind me. As they pulled the thick metal chains the doors began to crank open. I didn't wait for them to open fully and instead chose to slip through the cracked opening. I dragged Aesop and Wizardmon with me and we were finally in the entrance to the Temple. I looked around the enclosure and found that we were mostly alone. On one side of the room the Teenage Wolves sat, staring to us with stupid, shocked expressions and on the other side of the room sat Gomamon and Palmon, both of whom were scared for what they saw.

"Gomamon!" I blurted, aware that a small trickle of blood dripped from the corner of my mouth. "Where is Jou?"

He leapt from the bench that he was seated on and shook his head, "He isn't here," Gomamon explained, "He went to Sora's trial."

Crap! Sora's trial! "How did it go?" I asked blankly, forgetting for a moment that I had Aesop in need of desperate care.

"We don't know," Gomamon explained, "They haven't come back!"

"He said he'd be here!" I shouted, rounding on Hikari who had finally caught up, looking entirely out of breath. "He said he would be here, right?" She nodded, looking scared, but didn't say a word. "Dammit Jou!"

"Perhaps I could be of assistance," a calm and collected voice came to our rescue. I turned my head to see Gennai standing under one of the five arching exits to the entrance square. He was standing under the doorway to the Autumn Sector, but did not hesitate to rush to our side. He relieved Wizardmon of his duties and took Aesop's other arm. "We should inform Bitoru." He turned to Hikari who nodded and set off immediately after handing Kotemon and Gatomon off to Wizardmon. She looked like she was ready to pass out from all the running, but she wasn't going to stop now.

"Where should we take him?" I asked.

"The Temple hospital is too far away," Gomamon decided, "Take him to the council room. There is running water and emergency supplies in there."

"Very well," Gennai said, deciding to obey Gomamon's orders, "lead the way." Gomamon nodded and set off as quick as he could with Palmon staying behind to help Wizardmon with the wounded Gatomon. Gomamon climbed the stairs quicker than he should have been able to and slammed himself into the door, opening it with ease. Finally he made his way to the council room and stood by the door, allowing us to enter first.

"What's going on?" Leomon asked, worried. He was sitting in the furthest chair, reading an old looking book. "What happened?"

"He was hurt," I said, too exhausted to explain. Finally though, Leomon had come to my aid and with Gennai's help had lifted Aesop onto the tabletop. I fell backward, catching myself on a nearby chair and tried to catch my breath. The relief of not having Aesop's weight on my shoulders felt like heaven, but it wasn't fair to relish in that feeling because we still had work to do.

"Go!" Gomamon ordered blindly. I turned, thinking he was talking to me but found that Babamon was carrying a bucket of warm water and being chased by Gomamon. She didn't look happy, but was going to help anyway. When Babamon had set the bucket onto the table, Gomamon rounded on her again and ordered, "Get Mimi and Palmon." Babamon looked rather affronted at being ordered around. "Go!" Babamon slipped out of her chair and hurried off to find them, but didn't look happy about it.

"Why do you need Mimi?" Gennai asked.

"I need Rosemon," Gomamon explained easily, "We need to heal him. I don't know if it will work, but Gatomon and Patamon are obviously not up for the job."

"I—I can!" Patamon argued from the top of my head. I felt him shakily try to stand, but then collapse.

"Exactly," Gomamon deducted, "Now tell me what happened." Gomamon was looking Aesop's body over and I realized the explanation would have to be up to me.

"Maugrim hurt him," I explained as easily as I could, "We didn't see, but h-he left us to go on ahead and Maugrim defeated him. I don't know what happened."

Gomamon was staring to me blankly, "You mean Gaia's Maugrim?" I nodded, "When the heck did you see him?"

"Just now, obviously," I said, feeling rather impatient as I gestured toward Aesop.

Gomamon looked entirely flabbergasted, but the response did not come from him, but rather Gennai. "Maugrim is a powerful man," he said thoughtfully. "Why would you attempt to take him on, what good would that do?"

"We didn't mean to," I admitted, feeling rather stupid about the whole thing. "We went to take care of Gaia—"

" _What_?"

I turned sharply to the doorway and found Taichi standing with a white face next to him was Kurayami and Yamato. My brother didn't look pleased with the idea of me rushing off to deal with the crazy witch who had taken Hikari's light, but he was mostly taking in the sight of my being alive and all that. I didn't know how to answer Taichi, but thankfully didn't have to, because Jou had shoved him out of the way, carrying a large metal box. Daisuke and Iori followed him through, carrying more supplies and Leomon took that as his cue to step back.

I was relieved to see Jou and as he began working I found enough comfort in stepping out of the room. The last I had heard was Jou trying to communicate with Aesop, to find out what exactly had happened. With Jou in charge even Gennai felt his presence to be unnecessary, but apparently Taichi didn't see where he had been coming from. "Heal him," Taichi reasoned, "You could heal him."

"I cannot," Gennai said, seeming rather upset about the fact himself, "I have nothing left to give. I cannot heal, I can only trade. I made my final trade to save a young Iori, and you all know that. I cannot give life that I do not own."

Taichi looked visibly angry, but not necessarily at Gennai, just at the world. I was worried what that might mean for Sora, but was afraid to ask. Taichi rounded on me instead of Gennai and pointed his finger in my face, "Who went with you?"

"We took the knights," I answered quickly, "And Patamon and Gatomon. Hikari and Neo and Dracomon came too. Aesop—"

"Where the hell is Neo then?" I turned to see Hideto, Mimi and Palmon being led by Babamon, and it had been Hideto that had spoken.

"We don't know," Hikari answered for me, coming up the stairs from the laboratory with Bitoru and Spring, the former of the two looking entirely distraught as he pushed his way through the crowds to get to his adoptive father. "He ran off after Dracomon and then he disappeared."

"Neo can't disappear," Hideto said blankly, trying to solve the riddle of Neo's vanishing. If he could I would be impressed. I had tried for much of our journey back to the Temple. He had exclaimed that he needed to get to Dracomon and we had followed right behind him but when we had gotten down all the stairs Neo was simply _gone_.

Mimi and Palmon followed Bitoru into the room looking scared at what they might see and Mimi froze in the doorway before pushing through her feelings and following her partner through the door that she closed behind her.

"What were you _thinking_?" Taichi asked, and when I looked I found that he had made his way over to Hikari who looked like she could use a good rest. "You can't run off like that to fight people that we know nothing about." Hikari tried to argue, but Taichi interrupted, "I know you're a big girl, you can do your own thing but not even I would have run off without telling people. It isn't safe, Hikari. That's _stupid_." She at first looked like she was going to cower under his words but when she looked back up to him she seemed almost relieved and she hugged him. Taichi seemed as confused as I did, but I wasn't allowed to simply be hugged by _my_ sibling, because Yamato had punched my arm—intentionally light I was sure, but it still hurt—and glared at me.

I sent him an apologetic look but he didn't seem to think it was enough, "That's so dangerous," He told me, "Taichi is right." The entire hall seemed to be muted as we all looked to Yamato with confusion. He shrugged. "Everyone is right _sometimes_ ," he reasoned, "even Taichi."

"What happened then?" Kurayami wanted to know, "Did you get your light back?" She looked almost jealous that Hikari had gotten the chance, but I knew the outcome as well as Hikari did and her sad expression said it all. "She got away."

"In a sense," Hikari agreed, nodding her head, "But we don't have to worry about her for now."

"And why is that?" Taichi asked, sounding more than worried.

"Because we have the key to Witchenly so we know Maugrim can't get her out," Hikari said, a faint smile forming on her face. Taichi grinned as he seemed to understand. "We tricked her."

"Brilliant," Taichi laughed, embracing Hikari once more. Yamato looked to me impressed but I simply shook my head. I had tripped Gaia, sure, but the plan had been Hikari and Gatomon's. I could take all the credit I wanted but it would feel false.

"While I don't appreciate the use of these ancient artefacts in such trivial ways," Gennai said, sounding irritated, "I too must admit that your plan was clever, Hikari."

"Thank you Gennai," Hikari gently curtseyed playfully and Gennai returned her smile. He wasn't such a bad guy as long as no one was insulting him, but it was hard to not feel resentful of him when he spent so much time telling us that everything we had been doing for years was _wrong_. We had been fighting the war that _he_ had placed us in and now he was telling us that we hadn't done it right. Well if he would have handed us a guide book called 'How To: Win a War You Don't Want To Be In, And Still Keep Your Mysterious Deity of A Leader Pleased, Even After Death' then we maybe could have followed through the plan he hadn't bothered to fill us in on. I wasn't about to express my anger though because I understood where _his_ was coming from too. With people being rude and claiming that _his_ chosen method was wrong, it was only logical that we would be angry for the same—and yet opposite—reasons.

A bright light escaped from the cracks around the door, shining both silver and green and I knew that they had summoned Lotosmon to help the healing process. I was glad we had the option to use our digimon, otherwise it didn't seem that Aesop was going to survive.

"Get in here!" I heard a familiar voice and I spun around to see her. She was pulling on a phantom arm with all her might, against someone who clearly did _not_ want to join our cramped hallway party. Even with the strain on her face and the look of annoyance she was perfection.

"Sora!" Hikari and I said as one. She released whoever she was holding and turned to us with a smile before realizing that the person she had been pulling had just stumbled down the steps and she gasped before looking rather relieved.

"Koushiro, get your butt in here!" Sora growled, disappearing for a moment before coming back into sight with Tentomon and Biyomon helping her push Koushiro into the hallway. "You have to face her eventually and you're being a child." I couldn't help but smile. Not only was Sora back—and so _clearly_ not in prison—but she was helping Koushiro with his problems and even trying to fix them. I had promised him I wouldn't tell anyone and that was a _horrible_ decision on my part, but he was my friend and I didn't want to mess that up, but at least now everyone knew and he would get the help he needed without me ever taking part.

"Sora, _please_ ," Koushiro insisted, looking entirely embarrassed.

"You know what you're telling me right now?" Sora asked flatly with one final heave, sending Koushiro stumbling into the hallway. "You're ashamed of what you've done. That means you know it was wrong and you have no excuses to continue doing it. I'm seeing some real progress here. Now talk to Mimi."

"Not right now," Daisuke said as he slipped from the council room with Iori, "She's helping Jou. He'll have to wait." Koushiro looked both relieved and rather triumphant at this news and then turned on the spot, ready to strut away.

"Not so fast," Tatum barked, marching up behind Hikari, with Michael, Willis, Betamon, Terriermon, Lopmon and Monodramon coming up behind her. In her hand was a dirty looking with several small white pills inside. "Why were these hidden behind the keyboard on your computer? That's not even a _good_ hiding place!"

"Why were you on my computer?" Koushiro asked, deflating on the spot.

"She wasn't," Terriermon explained with vigor, "I'm like a police dog now. I sniffed 'em out."

Koushiro ran his hands through his hair. "I was throwing them out. I was throwing them out. I was throwing them out." He kept repeating himself in a low voice before looking up and saying, "I must have missed them. I swear—I swear I was throwing them out."

I felt a warm hand grab mine and was surprised to have missed Hikari making her way toward me. She motioned with her head toward the exit and I agreed, thinking this was a conversation that Koushiro did not need everyone listening to. Some of the others followed along, deciding we had the right idea, and we all made our way to the courtyard in the Spring Sector, because that was where we knew everyone else would have been waiting.

Yamato was greeted by an enthusiastic Gabumon who leapt into his arms with Agumon running along behind, expecting to see Taichi. When he didn't he settled for Gennai and took his hand to lead him toward a tiny house he made of sticks. Gennai grinned widely and agreed to inspect it for any architectural flaws.

I spotted Amai and Katsue, fiddling with a string and playing some strange game, and Yamato looked toward them feeling embarrassed. I wasn't going to say anything, but at least he knew the truth now, and even if it hurt, it still helped in the end. He was going to break up with her anyway—why did he care?

"What happened to Patamon?" Veemon asked, appalled at the sight of Patamon's tired form. I pulled him from my head and patted him gently. "He looks hurt."

"He is," I admitted feeling worse now about not telling anyone where we had gone. Daisuke snuck up behind Veemon and pulled him into a hug. Veemon laughed, but glanced back to Patamon worried. "He'll be okay," I promised Veemon who nodded his head in agreement, finally falling prey to Daisuke's tickles. Kurayami and Hikari openly laughed at the two of them but everything was cut short when a shriek escaped Emiko who had been running with Monmon. She was frozen now as she looked up to the sky.

I looked up too, but didn't see anything aside from an open blue canvas. "M-mom!" Emiko exclaimed, rushing off to greet Momoe, "I-I-I n-need a flashlight-t-t!"

"Why, Honey?" Momoe asked, frightened as she held her daughter close to her, kneeling down to the paved ground to be at her level, "What's wrong?"

"He's c-coming!" Emiko cried out. "Th-the one who t-tried to take me before!"

I turned to Hikari who was already nodding her head my direction. We set off together to get Taichi and the others but it was too late. With another scream from Emiko we turned back, and this time there were two wide black wings made from the elaborate cape on his back as he decended upon the group of us.

"Is that—?" Daisuke started.

"Sigma," Hikari confirmed.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

The room was dark. I should have felt frightened, but I could not. This room felt so familiar to me, that it was impossible to truly be afraid of it. There was too much space in my heart left for him, to fear him completely.

It felt like someone had ripped a piece of that heart out and stomped it into the dirt. There were sketches and paintings of _Mari_ everywhere. Miyako's face slept peacefully on the wall. I'd found the images in boxes, and I hung them up around me. I needed to _feel_ the anguish that he was causing me.

I was never his first choice.

That had to be what these pictures were saying. I wasn't strong enough, motivated enough. I wasn't _enough_. He'd resented Mari the entire time we'd known her, and it had seemed so sudden and absolute. I hadn't been able to understand, and he punished me when I asked. I just accepted it, but now… now that made sense. He wanted her, and she slighted him. He was petty enough to react the way he obviously had. If I dared to think about Hideto for even a minute, he would punish me because _he_ wasn't the main focus of my thoughts.

I'd given him _nine_ years of my life. Nine years of complete and total devotion and he hadn't even wanted me. He wanted Mari. He wanted Miyako. He wanted _Winter's_ choices, I realized. That was the main difference between me and them. They weren't very similar themselves, Mari and Miyako, but they had one thing in common that I couldn't hope to live up to. I wasn't good enough for Winter to chose. Summer had barely even given me a chance. I was never the choice anyone _wanted_.

But that didn't matter.

I let the pain wash over me. I reveled in the way it squeezed the heart in my chest. I clung to that feeling, trying to let it overpower me. But it just wouldn't. There was still too much dedication to Sigma in my mind. I couldn't let him go. I'd seen all of the horrors he'd created, and I'd watched as he tormented my friends—now _family_ —just to entertain himself. But I also saw inside his mind. I saw his past. And I _knew_ there was someone somewhere inside of him that was _worth_ all of my devotion.

Sigma had been a good man once.

And that was the man that I loved. I'd loved him when I was nine, and he'd become my hero. He saved me from life on the streets. I would've died within the year if it hadn't been for him. He'd done so much for me, and he seemed to genuinely _care_. No one had ever done that before. He became my favourite person, and as I grew, my love did as well, morphing from childlike worship to adoration, and all encompassing love. Sigma would always be my first love, no matter how many cruel and twisted things he'd accomplished in his life—and death.

Everyone always said that you carried your first love with you throughout your life. I may have played a more _literal_ role in that, as I had legitimately carried his spirit around for nine years, but it remained a true statement. I loved him still. No matter how much of my heart was Hideto's now, there was still a piece of me that loved Sigma.

It was that piece of my heart that made it impossible for me to hurt him.

Mari and Hideto and Neo all thought I was an idiot. They thought that they could simply not mention Sigma's return, and that I wouldn't find out about it? They were wrong. I was connected to him. I could _feel_ him the moment his body returned. It was exciting and exhilarating. The fact that no one could help but whisper about his spirits return just made it all the more thrilling. The second his spirit found his body, I wanted to find him. I wanted to _see_ him. I'd never gotten that chance before. The most I could remember was seeing his reflection in his memories.

But he wasn't vain, and he never looked longer than a cursory glance.

I _needed_ to see him. I needed to have a face to go with the man that I loved so desperately for so long. I needed it. I couldn't move on without that.

I couldn't move on at all.

"You're always around," I murmured. "You're always lurking in the back of my mind. I can feel you, even now. You have a body of your own. I shouldn't feel you this way. Why must you haunt me so?"

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._

I hadn't expected an answer, and I didn't get one. The heart resting on a handkerchief on his desk beat back at me. It was comforting, to hear the heartbeat filling this room so thoroughly. It was peaceful, almost, knowing that his heart was still so very strong.

"You're all that's good in him," I commented, looking down to the organ. It was smaller than I would've expected. No blood oozed from it, like I'd originally feared. It was simply rising and falling in quick succession, continuing to provide life to his soul and body, even though they were separated by so much distance. "He will come for you," I added. I didn't know whether it was the heart I was talking to, or if it was _me_. "He needs you. He can't live without you."

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._

I was silent again, looking at the tormented face Mari wore in the portrait Sigma had created of her. She wasn't the Mari I knew. She wasn't miserable. She wasn't _happy_. She was horrified. Her terror knew no bounds. It was a sharp contrast to Miyako's sleeping face. Her eyes were closed, her lips contorted in an echo of a smile. Her arms were curled around her chest. I would've thought it was a beautiful painting, if it hadn't been for the shadowy hand that bore its claws as it came down towards her. I could see the healing gashes on her wrists from his previous visit. It must've been early in his haunting, because she did not look to be expecting his visit.

"What am I even doing here?" I asked the heart. "This isn't right. I should be out there, fighting against Gaia, trying to save the world. Why do I need to save you so much?"

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._

"You're right," I said—and I acknowledged that I might be losing my mind, because I was starting to hear words in the thumping of the heart. "No one else will do it. It's up to me to make sure that you live on. There is so much good in you. I really wish you were more willing to share _that_ with the world. My friends wouldn't be trying so hard to stop you if you would just let your _goodness_ show."

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._

Once again, I simply reveled in the sound of this heart beating. I felt it within my own chest, as the two hearts beat together. I tried to think of nothing else, but it was impossible. Hideto always crept back into my mind. He'd be worried sick. I didn't tell anyone that I was leaving, and I sure as heck didn't tell anyone where I was going.

They would've stopped me.

If I was in their position, I probably would've too, but they didn't understand. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was saving a life. I was saving a _good_ man. There was a person inside this heart. The real Sigma had been locked away in a moment of grief and betrayal. But that man still existed. I knew him—I knew _of_ him. We had never truly met, but he was all of the good in Sigma all wrapped up in one package. He was the Sigma I loved. Sigma was only evil because his heart had been separated from his body. It was all Gaia's fault really. Sigma was the first of her victims. He wasn't the bad guy. He wasn't innocent either, but he wasn't _evil_ —not until Gaia got her hands on him.

I curled into the wing backed chair and closed my eyes. Sigma was going to come for his heart, and I'd be ready for him. I would bring back the man he used to be by returning his heart, and _finally_ I would be good enough. I wouldn't be his second—or maybe _third_ —choice. I didn't need any more than that. That would be enough.

My eyes grew heavy, and I was falling into a deep sleep, lulled by the sound of the heart, when I heard footsteps behind me. My own heart pounded, and all thoughts of sleep vanished. This was it, he was here.

"Kiyoko."

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

"You!" Sigma declared with a ferocity I had not yet heard from him. He was looking directly to Hikari who looked like she wanted to curl up and hide. She wasn't ready to take on Sigma—and neither was I. We had taken too much energy out of ourselves in our attempt to win the last time we had inadvertently attempted. "You gave Gaia _my_ throne! You gave her _my_ prize!"

"N-no!" Hikari stuttered, but Sigma was already moving swiftly toward us, gliding along the ground, his horrendous wings still stretched out from his back. I instinctively moved between the two of them, but Sigma didn't hesitate to strike.

With a searing pain I tensed up and was unable to even cry out in pain. He had cut my side. I didn't know how. I didn't _care_ how, but he _had_. I had fallen to the hard ground with Yamato at my side immediately, and Patamon had hit the ground by my side. I tried to push Yamato away as I rounded on Hikari who Sigma was reaching out to. I had to _help_. She needed help.

"Pepper Breath!" Agumon had come to her rescue, firing a single ball of fire in Sigma's direction. The fire hit his left wing, but dissipated without causing any harm.

"Fool," Sigma snapped, kicking off the ground toward Agumon and striking him across the face. Agumon crashed into a wall near Katsue and Amai. Katsue was trying to pull Amai from the danger, but the barefooted girl was too scared to move. Sigma began sliding through the air toward Agumon, who was shaking in his attempt to stand. "You should not step in the way of a king while he addresses those that betray him."

"She can't b-betray you!" Agumon said weakly as pieces of the broken wall slid from his back. "She was never on your side!" Sigma understood that, but was still angry, and as he raised his hand to strike Agumon, forming a glistening ball of violet energy, Amai shoved her digiegg into Katsue's arms and jumped in the way, ready to protect Agumon from meeting the same fate as DemiDevimon.

Yamato screamed loudly in my ear but I only watched with horror all over my face as the ball of energy shot at lighting speeds toward Amai who did not back down.

And then she was gone. Gone with Agumon too.

I was staring to the place they had been, but when I heard Agumon's voice I felt immensely relieved. I saw that Amai and Agumon had both been rescued by Gennai who was placing them on the other side of the room near an exit that Emiko and Momoe were taking. Sigma—frustrated and cruel—fired a ball of energy toward that very exit and blocked the path before they could escape. Heavy blocks of the stone wall crumbled and fell toward Emiko and Monmon. Momoe was protecting them by hurrying them away, but they weren't moving quick enough. With Agumon's help they managed to get out of the way at least, and Sigma was pleased that no one had escaped.

"You shall not leave," Sigma declared with a malicious look in his terrifying eyes. "Until this girl brings me to my treacherous wife, I will not be allowing any of you to leave."

"Gaia isn't in Sidhendor!" Hikari shouted flatly, startling Sigma. He rounded on her aggressively but did not look like he would hurt her. At least not yet. I was still worried and with the help of Yamato I began to make my way to standing. "I sent her to Witchenly. I tricked her. I'm not stupid enough to send her somewhere _useful_."

Sigma looked bemused, "Very good," he complimented her, but there was something sinister behind his voice, "You have the power to travel between worlds. You took that from my father, and if he allows you to continue, you must be close with him."

"No," Kurayami interjected, thankfully taking Sigma's attention away from Hikari. "We killed him." Sigma looked both livid and yet impressed. "Your sister now rules the worlds."

Sigma's face fell completely blank, "Zeta took my place as ruler," he surmised.

"No," Kuryami explained, not backing down from his hate filled stare, "Norn. Your youngest sister. She rules and to take that from her you're going to have to kill _me_ first."

"It would be my _pleasure_ ," Sigma decided, licking his lips disgustingly. With a flash of darkness, Labramon had shifted quickly, evolving directly to Anubismon who stood defensively around Kurayami. Sigma enjoyed the prospect of a challenge and he lunged forward, striking Anubismon directly in the face.

"Veemon," Daisuke ordered quickly and Veemon took action, melting away from his rookie form, straight into his mega. UlforceVeedramon stood tall and ready, his sword growing from the metal wrist device around his right arm.

Sigma ducked under UlforceVeedramon's first strike, and punched hard, hitting his foe's chest. UlforceVeedramon staggered backward which gave Sigma enough time to turn back to erect a sort of barrier to protect him from the oncoming Anubismon who smashed straight into the bubble of purple energy and was encompassed in violet electricity, wrapping itself around his body.

"Anubismon!" Kurayami shouted in total shock, but there was nothing she or anyone else could do. Her partner had fallen to the ground in a heap, still shaking from the shock. Kurayami hurried to his side, but was wary about touching him, afraid of what Sigma had done.

"This is getting ridiculous," Yamato said flatly, looking to Gabumon who nodded instinctively and rushed off into battle, transforming to ZeedGarurumon without much effort. He kicked his feet against the ground and tackled Sigma, pinning him to the floor. It didn't last long though because Sigma was stronger than he looked. He used his feet and kicked up to ZeedGarurumon's underside and cast him aside. "Takeru," Yamato said in a worried voice, "Can you move?" I nodded without testing anything. I was sure I could get from point A to B if I had to. "Go get Taichi," he told me.

"What?" I asked, not taking my eyes away from Sigma as he struck UlforceVeedramon's side. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'll go," Hikari interjected, seeming to understand that it was more important to get more backup than it was to not leave the others. I was angry with myself for not having jumped to the same conclusion, but it was too late. Hikari was already gone. As I watched her go I noticed that Momoe was leading Emiko, Monmon, Monimon, Katsue and Amai toward the exit, slowly creeping around the outside of the room to avoid the fighting. I didn't think it was wise, but my eyes fell to Agumon because he hadn't been present and I watched as he ran full speed toward Sigma, his eyes closed.

Flames began burning inside his mouth as he flung his eyes open and leapt through the air toward Sigma, firing his blast directly in the face of the enemy. Sigma took the face full of fire, having not seen it coming and swatted aimlessly in front of him. ZeedGarurumon took advantage of Agumon's distraction and fired a "Zeed Cannon!" toward Sigma who was unable to dodge. The blast hit him square on and I managed to be hopeful.

Unfortunately it hadn't accomplished _much_ , but at least Sigma _looked_ to be injured. His clothes had seared slightly and he was staggering backward, away from the two digimon, but for what little injuries they had caused, they had made him ten times angrier. He lashed out quickly, sidestepping as ZeedGarurumon came in for a tackle and he kicked Agumon in the stomach— _hard_.

Agumon let out a strangled yelp and crashed into the nearby pile of rubble, unmoving.

My heart lurched at the sight of him falling, but he did not dissipate. He was still _here_ at least. I swallowed thickly, looking to Patamon who was still out of the battle too. We needed more help. Yamato was right. All that was left seemed to be ZeedGarurumon and UlforceVeedramon, with how little Anubismon was moving.

"Why are you doing this?" Daisuke shouted blindly, surely trying to distract Sigma. "What have we _done_ to you?"

"You are keeping me from my destiny!" Sigma roared, turning all of his attention to Daisuke. "You brought back Gaia! I was sure she was dead. She's here though. She lives! My father assured me that she was _gone_. I was skeptical when I entered to a world in which I had cast aside." He took a long quick step toward Daisuke who did not back down from his advance, but UlforceVeedramon was quick to try to stop Sigma.

"Don't move," he ordered, holding his sword up to Sigma's back.

Sigma threw his hands up into the air, claiming defeat. "The world of Earth was one my father had assured me no longer existed. I was ruling a higher percentage of the land. Slowly the worlds began to diminish and slip away into nothingness along with my wretched wife. But they still exist. So does she. She is after what I seek. _Power_. I will _not_ allow you to aid her in that quest. I will rule my land, and I will kill all who stand in my path."

"Not likely!" Iori had arrived, rushing toward us with Armadillomon in tow. Michael and Betamon were not far behind. Iori stopped in the doorway, near Momoe, and Sigma rounded on him, realizing that we could still escape him. "I stopped you before with two people who were _terrified_ that you even existed. We still won, and this time no one is scared, Sigma. We're going to stop you."

Sigma actually rolled his eyes but reached his hand out sharply, aiming it to the escape. Michael grabbed Iori and pushed him aside, trying to save himself in the process, but the walls closed, crashing down. Yamato grabbed my arm and dragged me to a more obviously safe place, but I could barely bring myself to move. As I looked back down to the wound Sigma had inflicted my eyes widened. How had I not noticed how bad that was? I could feel the colour draining from my face and I stared in a sort of panic toward the gash in my side. The pain seemed to sink in as I stared, but I was sure I was making it up. I hadn't felt anything before. I reached toward it, unsure what to do, and found that the blood that was staining my shirt was warm and thick. I tore my eyes away to look back to the battle.

Yamato had set me down on a bench near the opposite corner to the now closed off exit and I rested, leaning my head against the wall as Betamon and Armadillomon joined the fights as their massive mega forms. If the courtyard had been bigger, Vikemon would have been more helpful but as it was he could barely move as he swung his heavy fists around, smashing against the ground in his attempts to hit Sigma.

When his fists came down one more time I found that Gennai was watching from afar, staring with horror and worry toward the fight. Of course. His life was tethered to Sigma's. If Sigma were to die, then Gennai would be gone as well. When he had died before, giving his life for Iori, he had been thinking to himself—and possibly even speaking with Yggdrasil—trying to make up his mind. It couldn't have been an easy decision. And here he was faced with a second chance at that same ultimatum.

GigaSeadramon was firing blast after blast from the cannon on his face, not caring for a moment about the courtyard and I knew it was wise—we could rebuild—but it still felt wrong to see the Temple crumbling. I had seen the aftermath of the battle with Yggdrasil when his drones had been trying to break in, but I had not been here to see the actual fall of the great home of Gennai.

If Gennai had made the Temple, then why was it so oriented around the four fairies?

My mind was wiped clean when I saw a smile on Sigma's horrible face. He was _amused_ as ZeedGarurumon, UlforceVeedramon, GigaSeadramon and Vikemon all danced around him, striking, but never finding the right time to hit him. Sigma looked strangely elegant as he flipped and spun between the digimon and their attacks, but I could see what he was doing.

"Don't!" I shouted, but my voice barely came out as I winced, clutching my side. Yamato turned to me and missed watching his partner fire a Zeed Cannon directly toward Vikemon who fell back and was reverted to Armadillomon a moment later.

Iori gasped, and stared horror struck to Sigma who was much more powerful than he remembered him being.

GigaSeadramon watched Armadillomon fall and then turned his sights on Anubismon, flying forward and greeting the wounded digimon.

" **GigaSeadramon digivolve to...** "

" **Anubismon digivolve to...** "

" **Splashmon!** "

With the white and black shining energy, the two digimon had jogressed together to form the ferocious tiger digimon, composed mostly of water and _several_ shimmering claws and teeth.

Kurayami looked pleased to see that Anubismon was even _able_ to jogress, and that he was going to be okay, but Michael was cheering loudly. "Bite his head off!" he bellowed and Splashmon acted quickly, leaping toward Sigma who had just finished dodging UlforceVeedramon's attacks.

"Tiger Typhoon!" Splashmon roared, sending water cascading around us. Sigma looked frustrated, and tried to fly away, but the water reached up and wrapped itself around him, pulling him back under.

Emiko screamed in a panic as the water spread her way and I looked down, realizing that Splashmon's tactic would be to rill the courtyard with water. It was a _bad_ idea.

Sigma seemed to think so too, because as Splashmon gnashed his teeth together, aiming for Sigma's form, Sigma did not take kindly to it and with a shout of anger everything had been sent flying away from him, just as it had before, when we had faced Gaia. I flinched even before his energy came close to me but cried out as it smashed me against the nearby wall.

Splashmon and UlforceVeedramon had both been taken down and Veemon, Betamon and Labramon were being rescued by their partners.

"Guess it's just you and me then, wolf boy," Sigma said with a malicious grin as he rounded on ZeedGarurumon. I felt panic rise up upon his words and I looked desperately around for someone else to help in the fight. There was Gennai, but I couldn't ask him to murder... himself! Iori was groaning, and rubbing the back of his head as he tried to protect Armadillomon, but he seemed okay. Daisuke wasn't moving and there was blood dripping down the wall behind him. I wanted to get to him. I wanted to see if he was okay but I couldn't move. Yamato was next to me looking like he wanted to throw up, but was pulling himself to his feet. _He_ could go to Daisuke. He could save him—but Kurayami was already on her way, passing Michael to check her husband, carrying Labramon in her arms. She didn't even care how close she had come to Sigma—she was just desperate to get to Daisuke.

Emiko had been kept safe by her entourage, but it seemed that Momoe had taken the brunt of the damage and was on the ground now, still holding Emiko, but looking weak.

We needed help, but it didn't seem like there was anyone left to fight.

Except we weren't alone here in the Temple.

"That's what _you_ think." I looked above, trying to find the voice, and when I did I was mildly disappointed until I saw Ken standing next to him. Wormmon was held in Ken's hands as they stood up on the wall above, but it was neither of them who had spoken. It was Tapirmon. He leapt off of the wall and floated downward with Sigma never taking his eyes off of him, "I can't believe it's really _you_."

"In the flesh," Sigma said sarcastically.

"I've been waiting a really long time to meet you," Tapirmon told him devilishly, "I've been keeping something special for this very moment."

"And what's that," Sigma asked dryly.

"Every nightmare you ever caused Kiyoko," Tapirmon's words had been followed up by a cascade of darkness escaping him before I had even fully absorbed what he had said. He was not going to risk anything and he wanted to take Sigma out. The darkness formed itself into shapes and each one looked more horrifying than the last as they surrounded Sigma, pulling and tugging at his clothes and skin. Sigma began to scream in horror, trying to escape them but finding himself unable.

With a rather high pitched shriek of anger he had sent a large blast of his energy toward Michael whose eyes widened as he leapt aside, still holding Betamon close. He landed near me and when he saw my wound his froze, ignoring the crumbling wall behind him. "Oh my _god_! What happened to you?"

I didn't bother responding to his question, "Where's Hikari?"

"What?" He asked sharply, "I don't know."

"She went to get you," I told him. He looked confused, "And the others," I added.

"Never saw her," Michael admitted, "We just heard the shouting, and we came running." So Hikari was still out getting the others. They could come and help us. Before I knew what was happening Gennai had appeared next to me with Daisuke in his arms. "What's the plan?" Michael asked, putting aside his dislike for the man and trusting his decisions.

Gennai looked to the hole in the wall that Sigma had inadvertently caused and I already knew the goal. Apparently Yamato understood too because he had already thrown my arm over his shoulder. "You've got to help me here, Takeru." I nodded and put all my effort into standing. It was somehow harder than it had been before and the world started spinning. The edges of my vision went black and I felt like toppling over, but it soon passed and I ordered Michael to get Patamon. He did and followed Gennai and Kurayami out the door. Veemon had been carried by Katsue, Amai had Agumon, and Momoe had Emiko while Monmon rushed after them. Iori and Armadillomon were the last to catch up and we bumped into each other on our way through the hole. "Go," Yamato said.

"No you," Iori insisted politely.

" _Someone_ go," Ken insisted. I hadn't noticed his decent from the wall, but he was holding Wormmon still. Iori seemed to realize how foolish we were being and leapt through the hole, holding Armadillomon tight to his chest. Ken grabbed my other side roughly—apparently not realizing how painful it was—and helped Yamato get me through the exit Sigma had provided us.

The hole opened up an escape into one of the main streets and we could easily make it back to the others from here.

"ZeedGarurumon?" Ken asked, "Is he coming?" Yamato shook his head.

"What about Tapirmon?" I asked, my voice coming out rather slurred. Yamato froze and looked back through the hole to where the shadows and nightmares were still slashing away at their creator. "Tapirmon!" I shouted. He looked back and seemed upset that he had to come, but knew it to be true. He rushed after us, escaping through the hole and together we all rushed down the street. I could see Momoe in the lead, desperate to get away from Sigma with Emiko, but the street seemed so long. I wasn't sure I would be able to run the whole way.

My heart stopped and a chill crept through my body at the sound of Sigma's scream of pure _hatred_.

I wasn't sure if that meant he was growing impatient and would soon overcome the nightmares, or if they were simply too strong for him.

I tried to put Sigma aside and out of my mind as we ran. I had to simply put one foot in front of the other. That's what I had to do. Keep moving. If I could put up with the pain and the exhaustion for just a little longer than we would be able to rest surely.

But rest seemed impossible when Sigma roared once more. This time his shout was accompanied by a violent rumble of the ground and Yamato nearly fell to the ground, pulling me with him, but he held on and kept moving. We were close now. We were so near the end of the street. We would be back in the main entrance—

Yamato stopped moving at the sound of a crash and we all looked back to see ZeedGarurumon smash into the wall, after flying through the hole, and he reverted back to Gabumon, sliding down to a heap on the ground. Sigma was quick to come after him, not bothering to continue his fight with Gabumon.

My heart was beating quicker now—but not as quick as Sigma could fly. He was going to catch us before we could escape. Not if we could push _harder_! We could escape if we tried hard enough. "Go!" I insisted loudly, urging Yamato and Ken to move faster. I pushed my own legs, striding further than they wanted to go, pressing harder against the ground than they would _allow_ , but we had to escape. We had to win. And we _would_.

But my hope proved to be useless against Sigma's determination and with a growl I knew he was near. I was also shocked to see Gennai running straight at me. I flinched, stopping my run as Gennai kicked off the ground and jumped into the air, colliding with Sigma and taking him toward the ground. The two men crashed down hard, and neither seemed to be in control of their fight. I wasn't permitted to watch though because Yamato and Ken had both begun rushing along again.

Finally we had entered the main entrance where I could see Hikari and the others making their way down the opposite street, coming from the council room. She looked horrified with how our team looked, and so did everyone else. What did they expect us to look like? We were fighting _Sigma_.

Yamato pulled sharply to the right, pulling me straight from Ken's hold and pushed me into a corner that Sigma could not see from his place. It was selfish of Yamato to work so hard to keep me safe, and not worry about the others, but I was sure they could take care of themselves.

It was only _me_ that couldn't.

"Takeru!" I looked up to Hikari as she led her group of saviors. Jou had grabbed Momoe instinctively, and I wondered if that meant Aesop was okay now. Lotosmon was standing with Mimi who was hurrying toward the fallen Daisuke. Willis was leading Amai and Katsue to safety, and Hideto, Taichi and Sora were rushing right toward Sigma, Tentomon, Biyomon, Warg and Melga at their heels. Koushiro watched from afar, stopping in the entrance they had come through, feeling rather weak it seemed.

I pressed my head against a wall and listened as the dreaded sound of Gennai's pained cries filled the air around me. I didn't want to hear it anymore. I couldn't bear to listen as he was _beaten_ , but there was nothing I could do.

"Come on," Hikari said as she came nearer, "Come to Lotosmon. She might be able to help."

"Did she help Aesop?" I asked weakly.

Hikari didn't answer at first, but when she did it didn't sound convincing. "I think so." I groaned, but Hikari simply thought she was hurting me. That wasn't the case. I didn't want anyone to die, whether they were on our side or not. Okay, well, I thought Sigma maybe deserved death, if no one else.

Lotosmon used her spiraled snake staff to send a white aura out, but it didn't seem particularly helpful at first. It felt warm, and perhaps tingly, but I didn't feel anything happening in terms of healing. Perhaps it just took a long time. I didn't _have_ a long time. I wanted to help in the battle—even if Patamon couldn't.

"Tapirmon," Mimi said in a soft voice. She took one last look down to me and seemed to think Lotosmon could handle it on her own and then set off to Tapirmon. He was watching the fight from afar, worried and filled with so many negative emotions.

Beyond the two of them Sigma was fighting against Garudamon, MegaKabuterimon, Greymon and Garurumon. Even if the two of them were Hideto's partners, it was such a familiar sight, to see our team fighting again, but they had to know they weren't strong enough in those forms. ZeedGarurumon hadn't even won. And what was _Taichi_ doing out in the battle anyway?

Sigma stomped his foot into the ground and I winced, remembering the pain he had caused me—twice now—and a blast of violet energy cast everyone away from him. His sights fell on Tapirmon and he snarled, even from so far away I could tell. He lifted both hands into the air and shot a blast of energy toward them. Toward _me_. Lotosmon threw her arm around me and the other around Hikari before leaping to the side, drawing us away from the blast, leaving only Mimi and Tapirmon in the way. They both tried to escape, but it didn't seem like they would be fast enough. Two forms came from either side, one grabbed Mimi's hand and the other wrapped himself around Tapirmon and then the violet blast had passed by.

I caught sight of Mimi first, having been saved by Koushiro. They stared to each other blankly, but both turned their sights on Hideto who was laying on the ground holding an unconscious Tapirmon. Mimi shrieked and fell to her knees.

Another down. What did that make it? How many were injured? I couldn't remember. I couldn't focus. I was _hurt_. Lotosmon was debating rushing to Hideto's side and I urged her to go, because I wasn't feeling any improvements. If she could help someone then she should have been. "Are you sure?" Hikari asked as Lotosmon hurried off. "You're hurt, Takeru."

"I know," I admitted, "believe me, I know."

Hikari looked worried, but jumped in fright when she heard Sora's scream. We both looked to see Garudamon crashing into Tentomon, and the two of them smashed against the far wall, falling into their own rookie forms. Hikari threw her hand over her mouth in shock, but I ground my teeth in anger.

"We have to give him what he wants," I told her flatly. "Whatever it is that he wants. We have to give it to him."

Hikari looked to me like I was an insane person—and maybe I was, but she didn't have to be so blunt about it. "Takeru—" she tried to say.

"Hikari," I told her flatly, "he's too strong, and we have less people to fight with every second. Even if we kill him, he can't _die_ unless we find his heart. He's going to win and we have to give him what he wants."

"Maybe we can trick him," Hikari reasoned, "Like we did with Gaia."

"You think he'll fall for a trick you already spelled out for him?" I asked.

"There has to be another way," Hikari said bitterly, "We can't just give him control of all worlds!" When she worded it that way it seemed more likely that it wouldn't be an option. I knew what he had wanted, but somehow it seemed less jarring in my head. But Hikari was right, we couldn't give him _everything_. But if Hikari was right, then there had to be a different way to take care of the Sigma.

But it didn't seem very likely with the team we had left. Gennai, Terriermon, Lopmon, Wormmon and Lotosmon.

"Wormmon, you'll have to digivolve," Ken warned, looking down to Wormmon in his arms. The green bug nodded his head and wiggled his way free of Ken's arms and began to evolve. Willis seemed to realize that Ken would need help and prompted his partners to become Leopardmon. At least that helped a bit.

But what could they do to help?

Leopardmon was using his sword of annihilation, fighting alongside with Gennai who had drawn his own blade and the two were in close combat with Sigma who had summoned two glowing rods of violet energy to fight them off.

"Grandis Scissors!" GrandisKuwagamon fired off his own technique, but Sigma saw it coming and spun, grabbing GrandisKuwagamon's extended arm as his blades came closer and he threw him directly toward Leaopardmon. The two digimon fell, but got back to their feet, however startled they seemed.

My eyes scanned the battle as we watched the three of our remaining team try to defeat Sigma—the man who had taken out everyone else we had to offer.

"Do you think it's helping him?" Hikari asked in a small voice, "Do you think Hideto is okay?"

I didn't answer because my eyes had fallen on Lotosmon. "Hey," I realized, "Sh-she can help." Lotosmon looked to me, having heard my words. She glanced down to Hideto but decided I was right and pulled herself to her feet.

"What?" Mimi asked, moving from Hideto's side to stop Lotosmon from entering the battle, "Don't go, you can't fight. We need you to heal everyone."

"Mimi," Lotosmon said, brushing Mimi off and moving forward, "I shall not be fighting." Mimi looked confused, but Lotosmon simply lifted her rainbow staff into the air and said loudly, "Seven's Fantasia!"

Sigma froze in place, hearing her voice and when he looked to her he knew it was not good for him. But surely it was too late. He was going to lose all will to fight and we would be able to win the war with no casualties! Or... no _more_ depending on whether Hideto and Daisuke were alright, but I was optimistic.

Sigma was not going to go down without a fight though, and he had thrown both Leopardmon and GrandisKuwagamon in the way of the rainbow light, taking way their fighting spirit—but that was okay! As long as Sigma also had no desire to fight, then it wouldn't be a problem. He jumped into the air, spreading his wings in an attempt to escape, but Gennai reached up and grabbed his foot, dragging him to the ground where he spat angrily up to Gennai, kicking his feet in last ditch effort to be free, but it seemed that we had won.

It had _seemed_ that way.

That was when Sigma found his effort to be worthwhile. He twisted himself swiftly, forcing Gennai to release him and he pushed against the ground, escaping the path of Lotosmon's light. He landed rather dramatically, crouching low to the ground and my optimism faded as horror set in. Sigma kicked off the ground and shot toward Lotosmon, firing a blast that zoomed forward much faster than he was moving himself and Lotosmon had been hit.

Dread filled my entire body as Mimi let out a horrific scream, but it seemed that Lotosmon had at least been expecting the blast to hit and had prepared herself. She separated into Plesiomon and Rosemon, the latter of which moved swiftly and brought out her rapier, going against her word to Mimi, and extending her hand quickly. She was not going to waste the opportunity.

Sigma moved quickly and drew his own violet rods out again, crossing them in the path of Rosemon's rapier. Sigma pushed with all his might and knocked Rosemon back. She caught her balance and drew her whip, slashing it out to Sigma's legs where it wrapped tight and pressed thorns into his leg.

"Plesiomon," Jou ordered from the place by Emiko, Momoe and Monmon, "Get him!"

"I promised Mimi I would not fight," Plesiomon admitted. Jou's face looked panicked, but he understood in a twisted sort of way.

"Fight!" Mimi declared loudly, "I'm allowing you to fight—oh my god!" She threw her hands to her hair where she bunched much of it into tight fistfuls and she turned to her partner who was now facing Sigma alone. Sigma whipped one of his rods toward Rosemon who was looking to Mimi. "Move!" Mimi cried. But Rosemon didn't have time. Instead, Gennai had sliced his sword up at the right moment and blocked the glowing stick from hitting Rosemon. "You saved her!" Mimi gasped.

"Of course I did, Mimi," Gennai said, without looking her way. Plesiomon, now with permission to fight, knelt down and hit Sigma with his head, Rosemon did not release his foot, and when he was knocked into the air she pulled sharply, bringing him crashing back down to the ground where she had been standing. But she was gone now, leaping high into the air to where she landed on Plesiomon's back.

Plesiomon slapped the ground with his fins and set off, flying upward. Sigma spread his wings out with a look of eagerness on his face and followed the two digimon into the sky.

"Jou," I set my sights on Gennai as he made his way toward the Kido family, "You must remove Emiko from the Temple immediately."

He nodded and looked to Momoe, "You can take her?" Momoe nodded, but Emiko was squirming against her mother's tugging. "It's not safe, Emiko!"

"But Gomamon!" Emiko argued. She was a brave girl, and I knew she got it from her dad, despite Jou's inherent need to be afraid of _everything_. Monmon was screaming at her feet, bouncing up and down, looking to everyone who would listen to try to get help. The two of them wanted to stay and fight.

"Emiko," Gennai said, kneeling down to be at her level. "Your bravery will not be forgotten, but it is not safe for you to remain here in the Temple. You of all people must not be here."

"But I have'ta help Gomamon," Emiko argued.

Gennai looked up to Jou for help but Jou was focused on Gennai's words, "Why her 'of all people?'"

Gennai sighed and stood taller, glancing up to Sigma. I let my own attention waver for a moment to where Plesiomon had hit Sigma with his long tail and followed it up with a powerful blast of water. Sigma had been caught off guard and the water knocked him away giving Rosemon time to use her whip once more. "Emiko was born in the moment I tethered Sigma's body forever." Gennai finally said, turning to Jou, "She was born during my death, and of course Sigma knows this. He knows all of your stories. He knows you as well as I do, for our minds had become one. I do not know what importance Emiko may have on the bond between Sigma and I, but I was not the one to make the connection. Sigma connected those dots, and I fear he intends to use Emiko to break the link between him and I."

Momoe looked absolutely distraught, "Is that why he was trying to use her before?" She asked loudly, "When Yggdrasil was around?"

Gennai shook his head, "I do not know, Momoe. I have said this before. Now listen to me and take your daughter to safety before it is too late to find the true answers you seek."

Jou took Momoe's shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes, "He's right, you need to go. I promise you I won't let Sigma hurt you _or_ Emiko. I made a promise to protect you forever and I'm not ever going to break that."

"This would be why I chose you for the crest of faith, yes," Gennai nodded his head. Momoe smiled weakly to Gennai and then leaned forward, kissing Jou quickly before kneeling down and lifting Emiko into her arms. "Hurry now," Gennai ushered her along.

I was glad to see Emiko leaving the battle, it meant that we had less to worry about, and with the massive gash in my side, I had a _lot_ to be worrying about. Hikari screamed and I turned to see Sigma coming directly toward the two of us. She took my arm and dived forward, dragging me along with her. Sigma had not _intentionally_ come though. Plesiomon had hit him _hard_. Gennai moved quickly to help Hikari and I to our feet and he began ushering us away from Sigma who was pulling himself out of the wreckage of wood and stone.

"Sigma," Jou barked, catching his attention before he could fly off again to defeat Plesiomon and Rosemon. "I heard you know a lot about me." Sigma looked to Jou, annoyed, but did not answer. "I've been doing some research on _you_ too. I've been to your little room inside the Coliseum and I've read all of your secrets. I know how much you wanted Mari. I know that you craved anything that you could not have. I know that you despised your wife for what she did. I know you took your heart out because the pain she cause you was too much—but for these reasons, you will lose. Why do you think your father ever listened to you? Because—"

"I would advise you to stop, child," Sigma spat.

"Because you already know the answer," Jou said flatly. "He listened because he loved you—but you could not love him back without your heart. It is because of your betrayal that your father is dead, and in his wake, he left Norn in charge, and not you. Without the ability to love or to care, you were nothing. You were made of _loyalty_ and love is a part of that. The very basis of who you are was destroyed by _you_ , and we're just here to clean up the mess you made."

Sigma was done listening to Jou and he kicked off the wall, flying toward him, and pressing him against the wall, wielding one of his deadly purple batons and aiming it directly in Jou's face.

"Well," Sigma snarled, seeming to find enjoyment of keeping Jou captive. Gennai released Hikari and I and shot off to Jou's rescue, but he did not stop Sigma before he spoke again, "Your mother is dead because of you. All of your fears that you were not smart enough or _good_ enough were all true. Your perseverance and multiple tries were all that was keeping you from falling apart. You're not _good_ at _anything_. You're just lucky."

That was when Gennai had grabbed Sigma from behind and knocked him off. Sigma noticed a blast of water coming from above and he jumped back, and then forced himself through the pressure of the water to hold his baton up. As he did the water that was coming from Plesiomon turned to a light purple and froze in place, like an explosion of amethyst crystals. The jerky way the water froze did not stop as it made its way up to Plesiomon who did not notice what had happened.

"STOP!" Jou shouted as loud as he could, only managing to warn his partner _just_ in time to stop. The tower of purple water remained still as Plesiomon dived straight downward toward Sigma. Rosemon took the first leap, kicking off of the head of Plesiomon and just missing Sigma who was once again using his quick speed to dodge her. She landed in a crouched position and then kicked off after him but he was moving her way too and she had not anticipated his strike.

"Rosemon!" Mimi shrieked, watching her partner fall. She finally left Hideto's side and rushed over to the glowing digimon, "Palmon! Oh no! Are you okay?" I didn't hear the answer because Jou called out to Plesiomon to attack, but Sigma could hear anything that Plesiomon could and he escaped. Plesiomon was just _not_ fast enough Sigma spread his wings one more time and flew backward, looking to his right, spotting the fleeing Emiko.

"N-no!" I stuttered. Jou looked to me and saw my attention on Emiko. I could see the dismay in his eyes set off like an alarm as he rounded on his family.

"Plesiomon!" He shouted loudly, but he wasn't even looking back, he had already set off running toward them. He had promised them that he would not let Sigma take their life—and I didn't know what Sigma wanted with Emiko but I didn't want to find out after the kinds of things we'd seen from his collection in the Coliseum.

Jou and Plesiomon moved together and as Jou saw Plesiomon passing by him he jumped off the ground and landed on his partners back, ready to fight. "EMIKO!" He screamed loudly, catching Momoe's attention. She turned her head, and screamed, shielding Emiko from Sigma who was just _too_ close, and Jou and Plesiomon weren't going to make it.

Then the entire Temple lit up in brilliant dazzling silver light. I squinted through the light and saw it was coming from Jou and Plesiomon.

" **Plesiomon digivolve to... Aegisdramon!** "

Plesiomon had shifted to a form above Mega, like VictoryGreymon, ZeedGarurumon, Varodurumon and even TyrantKabuterimon. Aegisdramon was golden all over with tufts of turquoise skin to match the markings of the same colour. The way his metal wings—or fins maybe—jutted out showed just how fast he could be and he did not disappoint. He shot forward faster than I had expected even and grabbed Sigma in one of his cannon hands just as he was reaching out for Emiko, and threw him backward, firing balls of red plasma all the while.

"That is not possible," Gennai said in amazement, watching Aegisdramon shoot after Sigma. "There—no—there are no forms past Plesiomon. That is as high as he may go."

"You'd be surprised," Mimi told him gently. Gennai looked to her in amazement and then stared back up to Aegisdramon. The digimon had a golden tail with more fins sticking out to help the beast move faster through the air—or water surely—and there were several cannons making up his weaponry on his back. Aegisdramon slashed the lightning shaped horn on his forehead toward Sigma who narrowly escaped, firing back a blast of violet energy which crashed into Aegisdramon's shoulder cannon, sending him hurdling toward the ground.

"So ZeedGarurumon?" Gennai asked alarmed, "That was—"

"Same thing, yeah," Hikari nodded, "Agumon can do it too. And Biyomon and Tentomon."

"So," I told him with a sigh, "Of the original eight, you're looking at the only three that haven't quite figured that out yet." Gennai looked to Mimi, then to Hikari and I with bemusement but was simply fascinated by the idea that our digimon had surpassed even _his_ expectations—well, _mine_ hadn't, but the others had and I was hopeful that I would get to too someday.

Aegisdramon stopped his decent and rounded on Sigma who had a ball of destruction hanging overhead. With one final smirk he dropped it toward the lot of us and Aegisdramon was our only protection. Hikari's grip on my shoulder tightened and I winced but said nothing as I watched the ball come down toward us.

"Shine Breaker!" Aegisdramon bellowed, lighting up every cannon on his back at once. They all fired at once in a bombardment of shining scorched energy that was collecting all in one place—in the center of Sigma's blast.

The two separate energies met in mid air and froze in place, finding an even match between the two of them. "Harder!" Jou shouted, prompting his partner, "Stronger! You can do it! _We_ can do it!" Aegisdramon let out a bellow that was oddly beautiful as it floated through the air like a prettier version of a whale song and then he fired more energy from his cannon, tipping the scales enough that all the energy exploded upon impact and it was _beautiful_.

It looked like the most convoluted and expensive firework show I had ever seen as the light exploded upon impact. Sigma's scream could be heard, but when the lights vanished, his body was gone.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

I was disappointed. I peeked over the back of the chair to see that it was only Neo. He was looking at me with such a resigned edge to his eyes. He wasn't happy with me. I wasn't happy with him either though. He wasn't Sigma. I wanted him to be. I wanted to have my moment with my first love, and possessor.

"Kiyoko," Neo said again. I fell back into the chair, staring at the heart on the desk. This wasn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. "I know what you're doing."

"Do you?" I asked hollowly. "I don't think you do."

"You're betraying everyone," Neo said bluntly. It was like a sword that cut through my chest. He didn't understand. He never would. No one ever would. "You're betraying Hideto."

"No," I whispered. "I'm not."

"You're here, waiting for Sigma to come and collect his heart," Neo said. He walked around to my line of vision, and I quickly scooped up the handkerchief that the heart was resting on. I couldn't let him near it. He was likely to destroy it. I couldn't let him. "You want Sigma to become whole again. Do you know what he's doing right now? He's out there, fighting against Maugrim."

"See?" I pointed out feebly. "He's not a bad guy. There's _some_ good in him."

"He's not doing it for _you_ ," Neo snapped harshly. That sword was back, cutting at me deeply. Of _course_ Sigma wasn't doing it for me. That was preposterous. Why would he _ever_ do that? Why would _anyone_? I wasn't worth it. "He's doing it for himself. He wants to kill his daughters and take his throne back. That's the only thing he wants."

"It's better than Gaia," I said. It was a weak defense, but it was all I had. "He'd be better if he had his heart. He _would_. He's a good man with his heart."

"He's not going to come for it," Neo said. "He's not interested in having emotions holding him back. He's out for vengeance, and his heart would only hinder him."

"Neo," I said, my voice breaking. He was being too mean. I knew logically that my devotion was simply the aftermath of being Sigma's puppet, but it felt real. It _could_ have been real. It didn't seem fake to me. It didn't feel like someone was manipulating me. I felt like I was free still to make my own decisions, and my decision was to want Sigma to come to me. It wasn't _that_ bad. "Neo, I… I…"

"You love him," Neo said. His voice was expressionless. Dead. He didn't care that my heart was being ripped in two by his very words. The small piece dedicated to my first love was growing.

"Yes," I whispered. I didn't like saying it out loud. I could think it all I wanted, but vocalizing it made it more _real_.

"Why?" Neo wanted to know. He sounded genuinely curious now, and I peeked up at him, away from the constantly thumping heart. He had dried blood on his forehead. I wondered if Sigma had dealt that blow, or if anyone else had.

"Everything," I said. "Nothing. I don't know. He's just…broken, like me…but he's stronger too. He saved me, and he took care of me, and he brought me to you, and to the others. He's my past, Neo. He's the only thing that mattered before meeting you. He was the only person that ever showed me an ounce of kindness. He was the only thing that I cared about."

"But that's not true anymore. You have Tapirmon," Neo told me. "You have Hideto. You have Mari and I, and Lalamon, Warg, Melga and Dracomon. You're not alone. You've even got a team of middle aged women that accepted you as an honorary mother."

"I know," I said. "But I will never be able to let go of him. He was my life, Neo. He saved my life. He was my only reason to keep living for a while there. I had nothing. But I had him. And that was all I needed. He got me over my parents' harsh actions, he let me have opinions of my own."

"Opinions he manipulated you into having," Neo corrected.

"It didn't matter," I said, though he was right. All of the opinions that I'd had that _were_ my own earned me punishments. "He was all I had. He cared about me."

"He didn't," Neo said, shaking his head. He looked down to the heart. "He didn't care about you at all. You understand the point of these pictures right? He didn't even _want_ you. He wanted Mari."

"I know," I said. My lips were trembling. I was really torn up about that particular bit of knowledge, and it wasn't really _fair_ for Neo to bring it up. "I wasn't what he wanted. But he was what _I_ wanted. I needed him, Neo. He was _everything_."

"He's not anymore," Neo argued.

"I know, but—"

"Then save the worlds, Kiyoko," Neo told me, as though it was a simple matter. "Get rid of the heart."

"I can't do that," I said quickly, horrified by the very suggestion. "This is _Sigma_ , Neo. This is _him_ , not that heartless monster that's roaming about. This is him, I can't hurt him."

"You have to," Neo said. "Before it's too late."

"I can save him," I protested.

"Before or _after_ he kills us all?" Neo wanted to know.

I didn't have an answer.

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

"It's great about Sora, isn't it?" I asked, reaching above the counters to put some mugs away in the cupboard. I was putting away the dishes I'd had to wash. It was unfortunate just how difficult it was to clean off stuck on food that had been left drying for _days_ while I hid away in the Temple. I'd run out of diapers in the diaper bag and needed to slip home in order to collect more. Now that Sigma had a body and didn't need mine or my daughter's, I didn't feel nearly as terrified about stepping foot inside my home. I'd put Mai down for a quick nap, and was making tea and cookies for Mari and Aneko—who had accompanied me to my house.

I wasn't suicidal. It didn't matter to me that Sigma had a body of his own. He was still terrifying, and I didn't want to end up facing him alone. It was far more practical to bring Mari along with me. Hawkmon as well, wasn't far. He was taking a nap of his own. Poromon had _finally_ exhausted himself, and Hawkmon had a chance to sleep properly for the first time since we'd headed to the Temple. He was definitely feeling the effects of new parenthood.

Mai wasn't sleeping through the night either, so I could relate. But I also had Ken helping me most nights, so we could take turns. Hawkmon was alone in his journey as a parent. He refused any help that I offered, because he was determined to pass on all the knowledge he had of his tribe before the virus came.

He didn't like to talk about the virus, so I had only a limited understanding of it. I could however understand why he wouldn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to talk about EVOLVE's virus, and it was far more recent. It was the first virus attack for me, but for Hawkmon, it was the second—though apparently it was on a far larger scale.

"Sure it is," Mari agreed. "I don't think it's surprising though. Iori seems to know what he's doing, and that professor of his is amazing."

"Horitsu is his boss now," I told her. She smiled, and nodded. It made sense. One didn't work voluntarily with someone on four cases without knowing they were a pretty perfect team. "Iori's the talk of the office. It's just not all positive."

"Of course it's not," Mari said. "He's the teacher's pet. If I had to work with a teacher's pet, I'd be pretty mean too. I'm just being honest," she said, throwing her hands up defensively when I glared at her for insulting Iori. "I've never been the teacher's pet myself—because Willis was in my classes for years, and I really can't shine next to him in a classroom—but I've seen enough of them to know they're always the least favourite. Everyone loves to pick on them."

"Well, at least we know Iori can handle himself," I sighed.

"Yeah," she said. "He's a tough cookie. I'm less worried about him in the office and more worried about how he's going to be when the baby comes. He's going to stress over it."

"He'll be the over protective dad," I agreed. "Norn help us if the baby's a girl. He'll never let a guy get within ten feet of her."

"I like babies," Aneko said softly from the doorway. She'd just come back from the bathroom, and was fiddling with her skirt. I smiled at her, and handed a small photo album to her. It was Mai's progress from birth until now. She sat down and started flipping through it with a smile on her face.

"I'm not having any," Mari warned her. Aneko looked up to her and pouted in an almost comical way, but Mari wouldn't be budged. "I've got _you_. What do I need a baby for?"

"To love and to hold forever and ever," Aneko said with a dreamy sigh. "I want to have a baby sister."

"I hope you never do," Mari said, clearly thinking about their parents and what they'd done to their _first_ two daughters. Aneko sobered up a little too, and sighed again—less dreamy and with more sadness to it. "You'll get to have kids of your own some day in the _very_ distant future. You're twelve, Kid. Enjoy it. I'm only twenty-five, so I've got time to debate whether I want to have kids or not too. We'll just take our time and enjoy being _together_ , okay?"

"I guess that will have to do," Aneko said, though she did seem genuinely disappointed.

"I've got a baby," I offered, nonchalantly. "When she's bigger I might want to have a responsible twelve year old watch her for a few hours while I run some errands."

"How much bigger is _bigger_?" Aneko asked excitedly, while trying to seem professional and _responsible_. "I won't be twelve for much longer!"

"Bigger," Mari said rolling her eyes. "You've got at _least_ a few months to worry about. I'd say wait until she's a year old before you watch her on your own. She's a handful."

"That's mostly because Sigma kept trying to possess her, but it's okay now, because he's got his own body, and he doesn't need her," I said. My eyes were drawn to the baby monitor, and I heard Mai's soft breathing. I smiled to myself, and put my hand over my chest. My heart was calming down. Just talking about Sigma was enough to get my nerves frazzled. I took a deep breath and I continued putting the dishes away.

"Do you think Daisuke would let Aneko babysit?" Mari wondered, knowing well enough to not elaborate on the topic of Sigma that I'd set us on path for. "I'm sure they'd appreciate having someone watch Haruki while they get back on their feet again. Isn't Kurayami looking for a job?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "That might be worth looking into."

"Do you really think they'd let me?" Aneko asked excitedly. I laughed and closed the cupboard, finally finished putting the dishes away. I turned my back and walked over to the others, really wanting a chance to sit down and relax.

But the cupboard door opened again with a long creak.

I turned to it, and closed it again, making sure it was shut tight. When I was _positive_ it was closed, I went and actually sat down. My brows were furrowed, and I wasn't quite as relaxed as I'd have liked to have been. The cupboards had only done that once before…

 _Creak_!

I turned to the cupboard. Mari looked between me and the cupboard door anxiously. "Does that happen often?" she asked. But my face told her everything she wanted to know. No. No, it did _not_ happen often. It wasn't supposed to happen at all.

And if it was the same reason as the last time, then it _shouldn't_ be happening.

"He's got a body," I murmured, my voice wavering dangerously.

"What do you mean?" Mari demanded, but once again she already had her answer. She knew it was Sigma that I was worried about. She grabbed my hand on the table and squeezed it tightly. "Lalamon and Hawkmon are here."

"They're sleeping," I told her. My hands were shaking and sweating under hers. She looked a little disgusted by it, and I couldn't blame her. I was probably over reacting. "I don't want to wake them."

"They won't begrudge you any," Mari assured me. "Aneko, go get Lalamon and Hawkmon, could you?"

"Okay," she said, getting to her feet and setting the photo album aside before racing out of the kitchen. She knew something was going on, but she wasn't brave enough to ask. She was just as frightened by the possibilities she was able to imagine up as I was of the memory I'd dredged out of storage.

Once she was gone, I was able to let myself go a little bit. I got to my feet and angrily slammed the door, knowing there was a chance it could wake Mai. But I didn't care. I could put up with a tired, grumpy baby for one day if it meant that Sigma wasn't lurking around our home, waiting to attack.

The door stayed closed though…for a second or two. But then it opened once again, almost as if it were in slow motion. Behind the door, instead of just plates and cups, was a shadow, crouched inside the cupboard. I gasped, and moved backwards, startled. But he just laughed, tilting his bowler hat at me, as if he were a proper gentleman instead of a monster here to take my baby.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

The silence surrounding us was broken only by the beating of the heart. _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._ Neo couldn't possibly be thinking about _killing_ Sigma. Not _this_ Sigma. I wouldn't let him hurt this Sigma. The other Sigma was of no consequence to me. I'd killed him myself once already. I knew this was the man I'd loved. The other one was abusive and manipulative, and controlling. I'd fallen into his traps because of this heart right here.

I'd let Sigma continue to use me for nine years because this heart existed in his memories. And here it was, in my hand now. How could I hurt it?

"Kiyoko," Neo said. "You deserved better than what he gave you. You know that. You cast him out, and you killed him already. There is nothing redeeming about that man."

"Yes there _is_ ," I corrected, holding the heart closer now. "I can save him."

"No," Neo said with a sigh. "You're just putting yourself in jeopardy. If Sigma really wanted his heart back, he'd have come for it by now. He would've known where it was. He has no interest in becoming whole. He has no interest in finding you."

"He _might_ ," I protested weakly.

"No," Neo said. "He went to Miyako first. When his spirit returned, he set his sights on Miyako's infant daughter. Sigma has moved on from you. He hasn't had a second thought. No one that's seen him has even heard him mention your name. He doesn't care about you. Why can't you let him go?"

"I—I— _can't_ —everything—mine," I said. I wasn't able to thread the words together to form a coherent sentence. I couldn't manage that much. The sword was back, and hacking me into tiny pieces. I was nothing. I was less than the dirt on his shoes. Somehow, an infant was a better choice than I was. It wasn't fair. I wanted him to need me too. Why couldn't he need _me_ , the way I'd needed him? Why was I always the pathetic one? Wasn't I stronger now? Couldn't I be enough for him?

"He's not yours," Neo said firmly. "But Hideto wants to be. You're not being fair to him, are you?"

"I _love_ him," I said defensively. "How can you question that?"

"I don't know," Neo said sarcastically. "Perhaps it's the way you're curled protectively over the heart of a mad psychopath and have no intentions of ridding the world of that evil. He could be hurting someone you care about right now, Kiyoko. He could be standing over Yoshie watching as she drowns in a pool of her own blood. He could be hacking Tapirmon into bits because you weren't there to help him digivolve and defend himself. He could be ripping Hideto in half, and handing one piece to each of his digimon, so that they won't need to share anymore."

"He's not like that," I protested. The images came so readily to mind that it was hard to believe that Neo was only speculating. Sigma hadn't done those things. I was _sure_ of it. But I could visualize so explicitly, and my stomach was churning dangerously. I let go, finally caving to the pain the verbal sword had dealt. Tears fell in fat, round drops down on top of the heart. The beating spluttered, and sped up, but it was still calming.

" _He_ might not be," Neo said, pointing to the heart. "But I don't know that. All I know is what I saw, and what I saw, was Sigma trying to kill his oldest friend and confidant. I saw him trying to murder his wife. I saw him beat the Knights, Takeru, Hikari, Shakkamon, and myself. He wouldn't have let us escape, Kiyoko, if Maugrim hadn't been there."

I opened my mouth to retort, but the only sound that came out was that of a wounded animal. It was a whine and it was painful to hear it. I hadn't known just how strong of a grip Sigma still had on me. The piece of my heart was not nearly as small as I'd estimated. It was growing larger by the second. It was overcoming me, and I couldn't stop it.

I didn't _want_ to stop it.

"Kiyoko, you don't _need_ Sigma," Neo said. "Even if no one else will, _I_ will always be there for you. But I can't do that if you chose Sigma. I can't. I'm Hideto's best friend. My loyalty is to him. If you chose Sigma over him, then I can't do anything. Because Hideto will need me more than you do."

"I love Hideto," I cried, not able to stop the tears. "I _need_ him."

"Then it shouldn't be too hard to chose," Neo said simply.

"It's not that easy!" I screamed, through the pain in my chest. "I'm Sigma's. I've been Sigma's since I was nine years old and I accepted his offer. I can't be free of him. I will always have him with me. He will always be mine. I loved him, Neo. I loved him so much, and he deserved that love. The Sigma in this heart did, anyway. But the other guy tore it to pieces. He didn't want me. Why didn't he want me? I was pathetic. I'm still pathetic. I'm trying to be strong, Neo. I'm trying to be tenacious, but I can't. I _can't_. It's too hard. I want Sigma back. He would do it for me. He always did it for me. Hideto can't. I can't be me around him. Not anymore. He lets me fall into old patterns, and I _want_ to fall into them. I can't do anything on my own. I'm a failure. I'm nothing."

"Those aren't _your_ opinions," Neo said gently. "You're worth it. You are definitely worth it."

"Then why would he pick _Mari_?" I asked in a tiny voice, terrified of the answer. "Why couldn't I be enough? Why did he have to _settle_ for me?"

"I don't know," Neo said. "I think it's something to do with Winter, and how she was next in line for the throne. I don't know for sure. But what I do know, is that you're worth it. You were _Hideto's_ first pick. You were even Summer's first choice."

"But she didn't want me either," I said. "My parents didn't want me. My grandma didn't want me. Sigma didn't want me. No one ever _wants_ me."

"I want you," Neo said. "Tapirmon wants you. Mari wants you. Warg and Melga want you. Dracomon wants you. Lalamon wants you. _Hideto_ wants you. Yoshie and the other mother's wants you. What more do you need? Those other people were in your past. We're your present and we can be your future too. We want you. You just need to make the choice. We won't do that for you. _I_ won't do it for you. It's up to you. This is you facing your past demons on your own. You need to decide what to do with your life, because no one else can take that choice from you. We're not Sigma. I'm not him. I'm letting you make your own destiny."

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

"Sigma!" I shouted out in surprise. The sound was strangled, and horrible. He just continued laughing. Mari jumped out of her chair, and it was sent clattering to the floor. She ran towards me and grabbed my wrist, yanking me backwards. I nearly fell to the floor in my haste to get away. I was very glad that Aneko wasn't in the kitchen to see this.

"Miyako, go to Mai," Mari ordered. "I'll hold him off."

"You can't!" I shouted, horrified at the very thought of it. She wouldn't be able to beat him. No one could beat him. He was unbeatable because his heart was still out there somewhere. He'd found it, or someone else had. He was going to live forever because we couldn't find it.

"I can, and I will," Mari insisted.

"Let her go, Miyako," Sigma said. His voice was practically a purr as he gracefully descended from my cupboard. "I would so enjoy time alone with Mari."

"That was so creepy," Mari snapped at him.

"You had a choice years ago, my dear, to play the part of my vessel," Sigma reminisced. "I am offering that chance once more. Take it, won't you?"

"Over my dead body!" Mari hissed. He sighed before cackling dramatically.

"As you wish," he promised, before flying at her. He was moving almost faster than I could keep track of. My feet were stuck to the floor. I didn't know what to do or where to go. Mari screamed, and Sigma slammed into her. She flew through the air, slamming down on the table and sliding until she landed roughly against the wall. Sigma's hands were curled around her throat, and she was struggling to breathe. I couldn't leave her like that, no matter _what_ she said. I'd been on her side of that situation before, and I knew how desperate she was to get a fresh breath of air in her lungs, and to get his clawed hands away from her.

"What happened to your body?" I asked as I ran through the kitchen and opened a drawer. I pulled out our emergency flashlight, and turned around. I screamed. He was right next to _me_ now, and he grabbed my wrist, ripping the flashlight away from me. He threw it into the hallway, out of the kitchen entirely. Mari started to run after it, but he swung me around by the wrist so fast that my feet lifted off the ground, and sent me careening into Mari. We fell in a heap on the floor. I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. He was standing over us, his foot was on the flashlight that had been so close to Mari's fingers. She couldn't get it now.

"That is none of your concern," Sigma growled. "Tell me, where is your daughter? If Mari won't take the honour, then I suppose the child will have to do."

"NO!" I screamed, trying to get to my feet. He tangled his claws in my hair and yanked me into the air. He was tall, and my feet were dangling. I could just barely manage to keep the tips of my toes on the ground, preventing me from dangling by my hair. It still hurt badly though, and tears sprung to my eyes. I was so fearful for my child.

"What good would a baby be for you?" Mari asked, clawing at his foot, trying to free the flashlight. He lifted his foot off of it, and she got her fingers on it, only to have him kick her. The flashlight rolled further out of her reach, and she got kicked hard enough to slide across the kitchen floor. She slammed her head off of the oven, leaving a dent in her wake. Blood started pooling on the floor, and I thought the worst, but she started lifting herself off the floor. "Babies can't _do_ anything," Mari continued, her voice slurred now. She fell once, before managing to get to her knees. She glared at him. "You would be far less menacing in an infant's body."

I was _shocked_ by how snarky and _tenacious_ Mari could really be, even in situations where I wanted to fall apart. I was so scared now, and I was jealous of Mari's confidence, even if I was sure it _had_ to be faked.

"Are you _offering_?" he asked, sounding intrigued.

"Not on your life," Mari assured him quickly. "I just thought I'd point out the flaws in your plan."

"I'll offer," I said in a pathetically small voice. The pain and fear were becoming too much. I just wanted him to let go, and to leave my baby alone.

"No," Mari hissed quickly. "Take me instead."

"You can't!" I protested.

"Don't tell me what to do," Mari told me, and she got to her feet. "A baby needs its mother, Miyako. Come and get me, Sigma. Just leave that baby alone."

I didn't have time for any more protests. Sigma was flying at her again, and as he touched her, he melted into her skin. Her eyes flashed red for a moment, and then her mouth contorted into a smirk that was entirely Sigma.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

"He'll die," I said, looking down to the heart, and crying more. The idea of losing him was hard to comprehend. I didn't think I could ever be strong enough to make the choice.

"I think he'd like that," Neo said, looking at the heart with a thoughtful expression. "All the goodness of Sigma is trapped inside that heart, right? It's been there for so long. It's had to support all of Sigma's deranged decisions. It had to support the life in his body while he forced Yggdrasil to rip his mother to pieces. Kiyoko, do you really think the Sigma inside that heart has _enjoyed_ life outside of his body?"

"No," I said. "But he never really got a chance."

"He's never going to," Neo said. "Sigma will never come back for his heart. That heart is his failsafe. So long as that heart exists, he can't die. He will continue on his vengeful quest to kill his daughters and his wife and his mother, and the heart can't stop him. Without the heart, he can be beaten."

"I know," I cried, cradling the heart closer. "It's not fair though. This Sigma never did any of that stuff. He's the _good_ guy."

"Life isn't always fair," Neo said, reaching over. I pulled the heart closer, and he dropped his hand. I knew that he wasn't going for the heart, but I couldn't help but keep it safe from him. He was the one that wanted it destroyed.

We were silent again. He was waiting for me to make a choice, and I was waiting for him to give me better options. I could kill all that was good about Sigma, leaving his spirit and body to continue their quest of vengeance without any hope of regaining a conscience, and _keep_ my family. Or I could leave the heart alone and be alone myself.

I wondered if Tapirmon would abandon me too.

"Kiyoko," Neo said, trying once more to get through to me. "Think of what it's like to have evil controlling you. Think of not being able to do anything, because of that very evil." It was very easy to imagine his scenario. I'd lived it for nine years. No matter how devoted I was to him, I knew the spirit that took residence in my body was evil. I knew that. There was no debate. It was this heart, and the goodness inside of it that was his redemption. His memories were what kept me attached to him. He knew that, and he remembered just enough so that I would never want to stray. But I knew too, that he was manipulating me the entire time. He was evil, and he wanted me to be pliable and agreeable. And so I was. "That is what this heart is like now. This heart is in the same place you were three years ago. This is its chance. Set it free."

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

"I got them!" Aneko shouted, running down the stairs with Lalamon and Hawkmon following her. She looked to Mari confused and then to me. She didn't understand what they were needed for. Hawkmon was too tired to understand so quickly either. But Lalamon knew what was happening. She took a single look at her partner, and panicked.

"Mari! How _could_ you?" she asked. "You know what it did to Kiyoko."

"Mari's not here right now," Sigma said using Mari's body. Her voice was lower than usual and had a hard edge to it. "I could take a message, but I'm afraid she'll never get back to you." He took a few steps forward, before his ankle twisted in Mari's high heeled shoes. He fell towards the wall and snarled viciously. He took the shoes off his feet and wielded them as if they were weapons. "Now, which of you shall I kill first?"

"Mari doesn't want to kill anybody!" Lalamon shouted angrily. Aneko's face went stark white, and she looked to me. She was terrified. She seemed to catch on _now_ what was happening. I pulled her close to me, and hid her behind my back. Hawkmon was torn between racing back upstairs to the children—Mai and Poromon were thankfully still sleeping through this—and fighting against Mari. He didn't want to hurt her. Neither did I.

"Mari doesn't get to have a choice any longer," Sigma said. He snarled at us, and curled back Mari's upper lip. Her eyes were moved at his command to each of us in turn. He was torn between Lalamon and Aneko as a first target.

I couldn't let that happen to Mari.

"Hawkmon," I said loudly. "Take Aneko with you, and watch the babies."

"But Miyako!" he protested. "What about you?"

"I'm just going to have to fight, aren't I?" I told him.

"You don't like fighting," Lalamon reminded me.

"I know," I said. "But some things are worth fighting for. Mari is one of those things. Now go watch the babies. I won't last forever. I need to know that you'll watch over Mai for me. If I lose, you need to take them and get out. Don't wait around. You get out of the house. You find shelter and then you find help."

"But—"

"No arguments," I said firmly.

"How quaint," Sigma said. "You think I'll let him go?"

"You won't have a choice," I said. And then I was running at him. He swung the heels with precision, but I was quicker than he was for once, now that he was in a mortal body once again. I tackled Mari to the floor, and Lalamon looked down at her face. I wanted to tell Lalamon to leave—to just get out of here and let me deal with this. But I couldn't. It wasn't my place. Lalamon had every right to chose to stand by her partner's side, despite the danger.

I just had to hope that nothing bad would happen to her. She had just come home. Mari would not be able to bear losing her a second time.

"Mari," Lalamon pleaded. "Make him leave. Kiyoko did it. You can do it too."

"She can't hear you," Sigma said, annoyed. He kicked me in the stomach, and flipped me over his head. I landed with my back firmly against the floor. It was far more painful than I'd hoped it would be. I tried to get up fast enough to save Lalamon from Sigma's wrath.

But I didn't have to.

Aneko hadn't listened to my instructions. She didn't run off upstairs with Hawkmon. She ran in between Lalamon and Mari's body and shouted "STOP" at the top of her lungs. I heard Mai start crying through the baby monitor, but I knew Hawkmon could calm her. I couldn't leave Aneko and Lalamon to deal with this by themselves. They might have been saving me from Sigma, but I couldn't abandon them.

"Mari," Aneko cried. "Stop being so mean! You said you wouldn't be mean like Mom and Dad. You said you'd never let me get hurt again. Don't hurt me! Don't hurt Lalamon or Miyako either. You're supposed to be nice and good or they'll take me away. Don't let them take me away Mari. Please! I don't want to go away. I like living with you. I _love_ you."

"Your petty words mean noth—" Sigma started to sneer, but then Mari's body was convulsing and Sigma was seeping out of her. Mari had overpowered him. I was thankful and relieved. But that relief was only temporary. Once Sigma's spirit was freed, I knew exactly where he'd go. Mari's body collapsed on the ground, and Aneko ran to her. Lalamon wanted to join Aneko, but she was too focused on the black shadow that grew out of her partner.

Sigma looked our way once, before letting out a vicious snarl and flying towards the stairs. I couldn't let him get my baby. She'd be too young to understand what was happening. She would never know what it was like to make her own decisions. It would be impossible for her to realize how _wrong_ having Sigma in her mind was. She would never know any different. That was the reason Sigma would go for a child, rather than an adult. He would destroy her sense of free will before she even knew what the words meant. I couldn't let him do that to my child.

But I didn't know how to stop him.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

"I love him," I whispered.

"I know," Neo said. He reached over to a box by the wall and pulled out a terrifying blade. This was out of Sigma's personal collection. It was strange, how much justice there was in that one knife. Sigma could be defeated by his own weapon. "But you want to set him free from that prison, don't you? He's been trapped there so many years."

"I know," I said. I took the knife from him, still struggling internally. "I love him. But I don't need him, anymore. Right?"

"We'll be with you," Neo confirmed.

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

I raced up the stairs, running against the clock. He was faster than me. There was nothing I could do. I tried to grab my digivice from my pocket, only to find that it wasn't there. I remembered leaving it next to the computer when I'd gotten back. My arms had been too full at the time to be able to put it back where it belonged. I cursed myself for the oversight.

Obviously I should have _known_ that Sigma's body would somehow disappear and he'd come back for me and Mai. He'd only been haunting me for as long as I could remember at this point. Okay, so it was four years, with only two years of active haunting. But it felt like forever. And it would _be_ forever for Mai if I couldn't get to him fast enough.

I pushed my legs as fast as they could go. They burned, but I reveled in it. I had to save my baby. I had no weapon that would work on Sigma, and I had no plan. But I would find something to stop him. I was a mother now. I was a dedicated mother, and Mai was my world. I loved her with all my heart. I wasn't going to let a demon get his hands on her.

Hawkmon was lying on the ground at the top of the stairs. He must've heard what was happening and had come to stop him. He hadn't stood a chance against Sigma. Hawkmon's eyes were closed, but he was breathing. The fact that he was there at all, and not some disappearing bits of data was enough to tell me that he'd make it.

I wished I'd have his help in this, but I wouldn't. He was defeated already. So I raced down the hall alone, flying around the doorway into my baby's room. Sigma was there, looming over Mai's crib as she screamed. He reached out with one finger to stroke her cheek.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

"I'm going to set you free," I told the heart. It responded in the only way it could: _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._ As much as I loved this Sigma, I loved Hideto more. And it wasn't fair to keep Sigma trapped inside a heart, where he would live forever, just watching the disaster that his spirit and body created in their wake. "I love you. I always will," I promised the heart. I knew I would. That's what they say about first loves. They never truly leave you.

I wondered if it would be true when I was the one that was killing him.

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

"Don't you hurt her!" Poromon shouted angrily, bouncing on the ground at Sigma's feet. My heart broke at the sight. Poromon cared about the fate of my daughter, and it was beautiful. But it wasn't enough. He wasn't strong enough. Sigma barely batted an eye. He kicked him roughly, and sent him flying towards the wall. He bounced off and landed on the floor. He groaned at the pain, and couldn't fight any further.

"You leave my daughter alone," I told him. He turned to me.

"Always a bother," he sighed. He came at me then, arm extended. His claws closed around my neck and he lifted me into the air, slamming me against the wall. His fingers curled tighter, and I couldn't breathe. I glanced over to Mai and heard her screams and I knew I needed to keep fighting. I shot out with my hands and feet, but he was too strong for my rapidly weakening limbs. My eyes felt heavy, and blood rushed through my ears. I could hear nothing but the sound of my blood. It was hypnotic. Mai's cries were even drowned out. I could still see her though, and I tried to keep fighting. But there was no oxygen in my lungs now, and I was fading fast.

The shadow before me seemed to grow as everything started fading into darkness.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

"Goodbye," I whispered, and I closed my eyes as I drove the knife through the first man I ever loved. The knife sliced through almost effortlessly, like the heart had _wanted_ to be destroyed. It was strange. I felt happiness seep out from the wound and I opened my eyes, terrified of what I was going to see. But it was okay. There was no blood. It didn't look all that different, even after I pulled the knife out.

But I could feel the energy finally being put to rest. I could hear the beating slowly dying down. It was over.

"He's free," Neo said. I nodded, and watched as the happiness and pure joy fled from the heart as it crumbled slowly into dust. I couldn't handle the feelings that were welled up inside of me, and I burst into a fresh round of tears. I fell forward into Neo and he held me close. "You did well," he told me, as he held me tightly with his one good arm. "He's finally free."

"So am I," I told him. The pull wasn't as strong anymore. It wasn't a desperate longing for the man I'd never even met. It was just a fond remembrance, and a soft love. The love was there, but it was manageable. It was reasonable.

It was real.

"Can we find Hideto now?" I asked. I was ready to face him. I was ready to finally tell him _everything_. I didn't need to hide anymore. The strange pull that continued to connect me to Sigma even after setting him free three years ago had finally ceased. I didn't need to protect Sigma anymore. I'd already done that when I set him free.

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

"That was rather impressive," Gennai said as he kept his eyes on the ever shrinking Aegisdramon. Jou looked proud that Gennai had spoken highly of him, but it was Mimi who had responded.

"Did you just compliment one of us?" she asked with a wily look in her eyes. Gennai nodded and she gasped, "Never thought I'd see the day." Gennai grinned down to her and she looked startled.

With Sigma gone—for however long he chose to remain gone for—I was able to focus on the pain in my side and how seriously damaged I, along with many others, truly were. Hideto had been stirred into waking by Mimi and I could see Daisuke being transported by Taichi and Yamato with Kurayami following behind with Sora. The digimon were all hurt to varying degrees, but it was only Tapirmon that was still unconscious. Patamon and Gatomon had returned to Hikari and I, and even Agumon found his way back over to Taichi while he and Veemon questioned Daisuke to check his state.

We had all survived a battle that seemed pointless. Jou had saved us—Jou and Gomamon that is.

Momoe and Emiko were wary in their return, but they did in fact come back to stand with Jou and of course Gomamon who Emiko decided she wanted to hug. Gomamon looked embarrassed but returned her gesture.

"You were all chosen for a reason," Gennai said in a quiet voice as we all gathered near him. "I am pleased to find that you all surpassed my expectations. I am proud. You have all shown wonderful progress and someday, when the cycle of the crest finally continues and passes down the line, I _know_ you will all be wonderful mentors."

"We'll know them?" Mimi asked timidly.

"I think you know the answer to that already, Mimi," Gennai told her with a wink and she seemed to understand.

"So what happens now?" Iori asked, "To you? Sigma is gone—so does that mean you're leaving too?"

"Ah," Gennai said, nodding his head, "Sigma's body was destroyed by Jou, and that is in fact what I was tethered to, but Sigma's life force still lives on."

"What?" Ken asked, completely shocked, "M-Miyako!" Ken was frantic in his attempts to find Wormmon and escape, but Gennai was not done his tale.

"Sigma's heart has been killed," Gennai told us with a sad look in his eyes, "All that remains is his spirit, and soon even that will fall."

"That makes me feel better," Ken said sarcastically, "' _only his spirit_ '—that's what I was afraid of!"

"So when the spirit falls?" Sora asked, holding Biyomon close to her chest.

"So will I," Gennai confirmed. "This time forever."

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

Time seemed to stop, and the darkness took over. I could see nothing, and hear nothing but blood. I was losing to Sigma, just as I thought I would. But I was buying my daughter time. Maybe Ken would realize what was happening and he would come to save her. It would be too late for me, but he could save Mai, and that was all that mattered.

The darkness was all consuming. My heart stuttered and spluttered and was trying to keep its rhythm going, but there was no oxygen for it to pump and it was panicking, just like the rest of me.

And then light exploded everywhere.

I couldn't see what the source was, or anything but the light. It cut through the darkness completely, and for a long moment, I thought perhaps this was the natural gate to Heaven, rather than Willis' rusty old key. But soon my eyes became accustomed to the light, and I was able to see once more. Sigma's shadowy form had holes all through it, and he was screaming as his form was slowly disintegrated by the flashlight.

The last time I'd seen it, it had been on the floor, but now Lalamon stood with a fierce look on her normally pleasant face, and she shone the light on Sigma, never wavering for a second.

Sigma growled. "What is happening? This isn't supposed to happen! My heart—it's meant to keep me alive."

"It looks like someone took care of that," I said. My voice was so rough that I could barely understand what I'd said. I didn't know if he understood it or not. It didn't really matter. I was watching a man die for the second time. I'd seen Moretsuna die right after he'd tried to strangle me to death, and now Sigma was dying after doing the very same thing.

Somehow, I felt sad watching it happen. I knew that he deserved it. I knew that he was a shade of the man he used to be and that he was cheating death by separating his heart from the rest of him, but it didn't matter. Death was hard to watch, and it was heartbreaking.

But I didn't regret this death the same as I had Moretsuna. Sigma had been actively trying to steal my daughter away, and he'd possessed Mari—and Kiyoko, before today—and he'd tortured me in my sleep years ago, before he decided to try and possess my little niece. There was so much pure evil in him.

There was some euphoria among that sadness though, because I knew that he could never harm my family again. There was no way to come back from absolute death. We were finally— _really_ —free this time. And while he continued to scream and rant while he dissolved, I took my daughter from her crib, and slipped into the hall. She didn't need to see this happen.

I didn't stray far though, just in case Lalamon needed me. I wasn't going to take any chances. Sigma stayed dead this time. Forever.

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

"You said that we would be out of the Digital World indefinitely," Yamato tried to explain, "but we're here now—so we'll see you again, right?"

"Of course," Gennai said, nodding his head weakly, "But that does not mean I will not be dead, Yamato. Surely you all must realize that death is a simple stage of life. It may be the final stage in the process, but that does not mean there is nothing that comes after."

"Rebirth!" Patamon exclaimed.

"For some, of course," Gennai nodded his head gently, smiling to the wounded digimon in my arms. "Every tale has a different ending, just as every life has a different journey. It would be naive to believe something simple, and yet compulsively arrogant to claim to _know_ anything more complicated. It is not something to be learned from words, but through experience."

"Gennai!" Palmon cried out, rushing forward to hug the man who had walked us through our journey step by step. He smiled kindly and patted the flower on her head, saying nothing in return. "I just want you to know that even if you can be a big jerk sometimes, you're really awesome and I'm happy you were there to introduce me to Mimi." Palmon looked over her shoulder to Mimi who had folded both hands over her chest in adoration for Palmon and began to tear up herself.

"Gennai," Taichi said, stepping forward quickly, leaving Daisuke in Yamato's care. "You can't go yet. You haven't told me what to do."

Gennai looked completely shocked, "Taichi, you do not need my advice. You have proven to be wise and intelligent _as well_ as courageous. Any decisions you make in terms of keeping my mother's name held in honour and fighting for the world I created for her will be suitable." Even Taichi's eyes began to well up with tears and that was really what set me off. I looked to Hikari who had two steady streams of tears flowing down her cheeks but she refused to take her eyes off of Gennai.

"Gennai," Taichi reasoned, "I'm honouring _you_." Gennai seemed touched, but simply nodded his head in appreciation.

"There is so much more to learn," Tentomon argued, seemingly hoping that by using reason he could keep Gennai around longer. "Where did the power of the Digimentals truly come from?"

"How did _I_ get to this world?" Veemon added, "Why wasn't I kept with the other Veemon in Witchenly?"

"What about my _mom_?" Michael asked—more like pleaded.

"Where did you find our partners?" I asked, firing off the question that I had been setting aside for months, not finding the time to worry about something like that. "Why can't they remember their lives before us? Where were they from?"

Gennai looked to each of us in turn and simply hung his head, a smile forming on his face, "After all this time, it seems the answers are still out of reach."

"Yes," Koushiro said flatly, "So _please_. Stay and help us solve the answers."

Gennai openly laughed at that, "Koushiro, surely you know that all the answers have always been right in front of you." Koushiro looked blankly up to Gennai who then looked very serious. "Kick the drug habit." Koushiro turned red under Mimi and Gennai's identical looks of fury and disappointment and then Gennai looked up to Biyomon who was hurrying toward him.

"I know you didn't want us to kill everyone," Biyomon admitted, "And we've been trying to change that. I'm sorry for killing Behemoth back in Theta. I don't want her to be upset with me."

"You killed for love," Gennai reasoned, holding Biyomon close. "I do not know what Theta would think, but she understands what it means to be in love and she understand why one might protect others. You were protecting a man who did not deserve your love, but if you hadn't, a death still would have occurred. She would not be happy with the negative atmosphere brought to her world, but that is not your fault. If she had any feelings she needed to work through, they would be pertaining to Arnold, and not to you."

"If you see her, can you tell her I'm sorry?" Biyomon asked, hugging Gennai tight.

"Of course, Biyomon," Gennai nodded.

There was a silence that followed their interaction as we all waited to find the words we needed to say. There were hundreds of questions I had for Gennai, and plenty of apologies I felt I needed to give him. I wanted to _thank_ him for being supportive and giving us the life he had, because maybe we hadn't asked for it, and it could of course get to be more than tiresome, but that didn't mean I didn't appreciate all I had lived through and learned. All of that was because of Gennai. Meeting Patamon, Hikari—Daisuke. It was all thanks to the life he had chosen for me, and it was sometimes hard to accept that someone else had made all of your decisions before you got the chance to yourself, but because he had chosen such a beautiful path, I had nothing to complain about.

"So how do we... er..." Willis trailed off, "I mean to say—what if—how do you know when it's time?" Willis' face turned red as he blurted out the blunt question.

"Yeah," Terriermon nodded, "You're all knowing right? So when do you die?"

"I am not all knowing," Gennai shook his head, but a smile formed on his face. "I do not know the exact moment, but it is soon. Sigma is dying as we speak."

"Great," Ken said, though I couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or not. "Okay Wormmon, we have to go."

"But Gennai," Wormmon tried to explain, but Ken already knew. He had stopped in front of Gennai and hugged him, surprising both Gennai and Biyomon who was still in his arms. "Thanks for everything," Wormmon said, "And I'm sorry I quit working in your library."

"It's not for everyone," Gennai promised, smiling wider, "I understand your need for something more."

"Something more?" Ken asked with a gentle smile, "That would be me, right?"

"You know the answer to that, Ken," Wormmon wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Ken nodded anyway and when he looked to Gennai there was a moment of hesitation, like he wasn't sure he wanted to go, but his desire to find Miyako won over and he set off, giving Gennai his final goodbye.

"How is Sigma dying?" Lopmon asked.

"I do not know," Gennai told her, "I only know that I feel his life draining finally."

"Good," Jou said firmly, looking down to Emiko. "Whatever he wanted with Emiko won't matter anymore then, will it?"

Gennai shook his head, "Sigma's desire to have Emiko may all have been for naught as it was, Jou. I do not pretend to understand the mind I had been connected to. Sigma is deranged and foolish. He seeks someone to point the blame to, and for him that person was always Emiko."

"But we saved her," Gomamon assured, Monmon and Emiko, both of whom looked entirely frightened still. "He's gone."

"The family tree is dwindling," Gennai nodded his head, "First Autumn, then Yggdrasil and now Sigma."

"You're mentioning her on purpose to bug me, right?" Michael asked, but he couldn't find it in himself to be upset now, not with Gennai leaving us soon.

"And Gaia too though," Betamon added, "Right?" He looked to Hikari, "I heard you got rid of her."

"She's in Witchenly," Hikari explained, "She's still alive—though, what happened to Maugrim?" She looked to me and I simply shrugged my shoulders. We had left him and Sigma back at the Digimental temple where we had tricked Gaia, and only Sigma returned to us. Perhaps Maugrim was dead as well.

"Who is this Gaia?" Gennai asked, completely confused.

"For someone who was so connected to Sigma, you would think you'd know," Betamon said, "They were _married_."

"Yes, you've mentioned before," Gennai nodded his head, "But I can't seem to recall..."

"It's probably a curse," Hideto said, shrugging his shoulders, "She's crazy, right? She places curses on everyone. She tricks people. She manipulates them to think what she wants."

"Gaia!" Gennai exclaimed, "I do recognize that name! She was the Seed Bearer!"

"She planted Yggdrasil, yes," Koushiro confirmed.

"She planted two seeds that day," Gennai said, confused that Koushiro did not know that. "One of peace, the other of chaos."

"And which was Yggdrasil?" Hideto said dryly, but Gennai glared at him.

"I don't know you," Gennai said, "Which are you?"

"H-Hideto..."

"Spring chose you, correct?" Gennai questioned and Hideto nodded, "I can see why. Perceptive, you are—but sarcastic too. Much more bitter than Spring was, but similar nonetheless. It would be accurate to compare a freshly ripened apple to that of a crab-apple." Mimi snorted loudly, while Warg and Melga roared loudly with laughter but Hideto simply flushed bright pink.

"Gennai," Agumon said quickly, "I was wondering if you would mind if I use you as a name drop."

"W-what, sorry?" Gennai stammered.

"Like in meetings," Agumon said with a shy smile, "Maybe if I want something I could just pretend you wanted it too and then I'd get whatever _I_ wanted."

Gennai laughed here, and simply shrugged his shoulders, "I say you should give it a shot. See what happens. I imagine the others will see through the scheme, but I can't imagine why you shouldn't try at least once or twice." Agumon seemed thrilled at the prospect, but Taichi nudged him with his knee, startling him.

"Don't be rude," Taichi warned, but Agumon didn't seem to understand _how_ he had been rude.

"But the worlds still need to separate, right?" Gabumon asked worried. "Y-you said they need to."

"When I am gone, the decision will not be mine," Gennai said firmly, "I stand by my own choices and my reasons." He paused and then slowly said, "Often times people declare that the opposite of war is in fact peace. But that is not true. The opposite of war is _creation_ , and peace is only the opposite to chaos, or disorder. Yggdrasil sought peace, and chose to _create_ to find that peace, while others—including his very son Sigma vowed to use war to find peace. Perhaps both are suitable options, but I do not find merit in Sigma's method's myself." Gabumon looked up to Yamato hopeful that Gennai's words were enough to convince him that we could stay. I didn't think it would work though. Yamato was so strongly behind Gennai's opinions, and Neo hadn't helped that night at Sora's house. Neo wasn't wrong though. It was selfish to think of our own needs above those of the entirety of all nine worlds—ten if the In-between and Theta _both_ counted.

"H-Hey!"

Gennai turned at the sound of a voice and saw that Ryou was stretching his legs along the paved street of the Temple with the council hurrying after him. Ryou did not stop running until he had met up with Gennai and he threw his arms around him. Gennai looked entirely shocked and Biyomon had been so surprised that she'd flown away just in time. Gennai gently embraced Ryou, still looking confused.

"I know we didn't get along very well," Ryou said boldly, "And I know I never acknowledged it, but you're basically my grandfather, Gennai and you mean a lot to me because of that. Ken just told me you were dying and—well you look fine—but I believe him anyway and I'm sorry I've been such a jerk."

"I have been dead before, Ryou," Gennai said, consoling Ryou kindly.

"S-so you'll come back?" Ryou guessed.

"Alas," Gennai said, releasing his grandson, "not this time I'm afraid."

Ryou was left to absorb that as Gennai was taken by the council for them to say their final goodbyes to him. Babamon was openly weeping and Tinkermon wished him well. Centarumon was left for last, having known him best, and he did not know what to say, so Gennai simply embraced his friend and they stayed that way for a while.

When he finally let go of Centarumon, Gennai turned back to us all, "It is time now."

"N-no!" Mimi objected, "not yet! You have to tell us about Michael's mother!" She was grasping at straws now, just as Tentomon had done before.

"It is not my place," Gennai said softly, "And for that I am sorry. She was kind, and she was loving. But you knew that already. That is all I feel comfortable sharing."

"It's... enough," Michael decided, but he didn't seem to believe it. Willis patted his back to comfort him but Michael didn't need it. This was Gennai's time, not his, and he knew that.

"Thank you," I managed to say to Gennai before everyone else began firing off their goodbye's. My eyes were stinging, which was odd because Gennai had already been lost before. A second goodbye couldn't be worse than the first, could it? Hikari was crying and she moved forward to hug Gennai who whispered something into her ear which made her step back slightly. She looked confused but then just smiled to him, nodding her head.

"Mimi," Gennai said finally, turning to her. "I am sorry for living up to my lovely nickname that you have granted me with. I do hope you find it in yourself to remember my good qualities as well as my bad."

"Gennai..." Mimi said in a weak voice, pushing away from Palmon to give him a hug. He gasped at her touch but hugged her back and patted her head, feeling rather awkward.

"And Koushiro—" Gennai started.

"You don't have to say it," Koushiro interrupted loudly, "I know, I'm a disappointment. I'm failing to live up to the person you didn't even want me to be in the first place. You wanted someone else. You didn't want me to be knowledge and then I screwed up your last mission from your partner. I know. I failed. I'm sorry."

"K-Koushiro," Gennai said, moving forward quickly to kneel in front of Koushiro who was still sitting with his partner and Hideto on the ground. "Perhaps you misunderstood me. I was afraid the _need_ for the knowledge would be too much for you, and would keep you from living the life you were meant to. I am _saddened_ to say that I was wrong. I am proud of all you have done, but your need for knowledge has always kept you from your full potential. That is _my_ fault, and for that _I_ am sorry." Koushiro didn't seem to think this was a much nicer thing to say, but Gennai wasn't finished. "You are more intelligent than even " Koushiro didn't seem to think this was a much nicer thing to say, but Gennai wasn't finished. "You are more intelligent than even _you_ realize, and someday you will be wiser than I. I am apologetic for I know the burden that may cause you."

"I like being smart," Koushiro countered.

"Intelligence and wisdom are two separate things, Koushiro," Gennai warned him, "And one day you will know of both." Koushiro nodded, seeming to like _this_ much better than Gennai's other parting words. "And I am not upset with you for separating Sigma and myself. If you had not done so, I would never be _free_. I was cautious at first, for I did not know what damage Sigma would cause. But he is gone now, and so I finally can be too. I would like to _thank_ you."

Koushiro's face turned red and he nodded allowing Gennai to finally step back and look to the rest of us as a group. "I am honoured to have brought you all together, truly. But in the end it was not I who formed the heroes I see before me. That was _you_ , and by now you know as well as I do what it means to stand behind Theta's precious crests. I want you all to know that I am proud. Proud that I do not fear the fate of the worlds upon my death. Yggdrasil may be gone, but each of you has faith in Norn—who I am sorry to say I did not get the chance to meet—and so I do too. The worlds will be safe in your hands." He looked up to the sky as if he couldn't be more dramatic and I crinkled my nose, wiping away my tears. "And so now, I bid you farewell." He looked back to us and nodded, "Good luck."

And then Gennai was swirling golden dust, blowing in the wind.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Taichi, Mimi and Willis all narrate a pretty light chapter, now that all the trouble appears to be vanquished!


	36. Bittersweet

**Y/N:** So...I wrote some chapters, and some were more fun to write than others. Kiyoko, Mimi and Koushiro probably were the most difficult, because they were more emotionally based. The Mimi section in chapter 36 was written later than the rest, so it might seem a bit odd, but it felt important. Also I just want to say that when the court comes up, I apologize for not knowing exactly what to do or say because it was just hard to do...

 **U/N:** So it's getting really hard to write author's notes each time, so I'm just going to write all I have to say right here, and if you have something to say specifically about the chapters, send us a message :P

Okay, so this is the final arc before a rather big event. I know that this final little chapter block is largely about Gennai and Sigma, so each character is dealing with these two characters, and it's fun to see how they deal with two people who should not technically be around. We have some meetings, a lot of relationship drama, some court drama and intense scenes, a wedding or two and some real Kari action! It was really fun to write toward this particular conclusion because it was such a bitter sort of feeling all around with the haunting and the drama, but I hope you like it all :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 36: Bittersweet**

 _ **Mimi Tachikawa:**_

"I really appreciate this Yoshie," I said with a sigh, watching as Yoshie pulled another casserole out of the oven. I was putting the finishing touches on a separate dish that would take its place. She put the steaming hot ceramic pot on the table next to me on a hot plate, and put mine in the oven. She sat down next to me and squeezed my shoulder when she was finished.

"There's far too much for you on your own," she said simply. "I can't let you drown under the pressure. You need support right now."

"I'm glad you're here to keep me level headed," I said, wincing. Koushiro had given in under the pressure. He'd found an unhealthy way to cope, and it occurred to me then that I had never told his mother—and if Koushiro hadn't told _me_ then he wouldn't have told her. How could he? He was still under the impression that he needed to be perfect for his parents because they chose to adopt him. "Yoshie...Koushiro did something—"

"I know," she said softly. "Tentomon told me. I haven't been able to talk with him yet. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do."

"I don't know where I went wrong," I admitted. "I should have seen the signs. They were all there. But I didn't even register them. And he never asked me for help. I don't know what to think about that. Why didn't he need me? Why couldn't he trust me? He went to Sora and Biyomon. He told _them_ , and when I tried to confront him about it, he ran away."

"It's not your fault," Yoshie assured me. "Now, I'm going to call Yuuko over, and she can watch the oven. Let's get these dishes over to the infirmary. I'm sure they're all hungry."

"Maybe," I said, nodding. I tried for a smile, and failed. I was just miserable. The world was changing all around me— _again_ —and I didn't know what else to do. I could make food, and try to comfort my friends. I could be there for them, just like I hoped they'd be there for me, if the situations were reversed. We had to get everyone into tip top shape because there was a wedding coming up.

Not everyone would be able to make it to the festivities though.

Gennai was gone. _Again_. I missed him like crazy. I was trying to keep a level head about it. But I couldn't. I was seeing him as a hero once again. I was glorifying the good and forgetting the bad. I knew I was, but I couldn't help it. I missed him. I missed his steady sureness. He always seemed to know what to do. I could use a little of that.

Yes, Sigma was gone—mind, body _and_ heart this time—and Gaia was locked away. But Maugrim was somewhere, probably waiting to kill us all, or maybe he was off licking his wounds. I didn't know. I couldn't know. My mind was too busy trying to take Koushiro's addiction into account. He was being watched by all of our friends, and he was willing to be near them. That was more than could be said about _me_. He didn't want me to even look at him. He would get red in the face and run away. He was embarrassed about his weakness, and he obviously couldn't see that I was on his side.

No, I didn't support his decision to rely on narcotics, but didn't mean I wasn't going to stick by him through whatever was coming his way. We might've lost a few enemies and managed to get a heck of a lot closer to eternal peace, but my heart was still tumultuous. I hurt every second, not just because of Koushiro's problems. It was losing Gennai, and waiting for Tapirmon to awaken. Daisuke and Hideto needed constant supervision while Jou ruled out concussions. Sigma was fought less than twenty-four hours before, and there was a lot of rebuilding that needed to be done too.

"Let's go," Yoshie said, picking up the large casserole. I pushed the wheeled cart with vegetable side dishes, soup and a big salmon out of the mostly stable kitchen and towards the residential district that stood between us and the hospital.

The destruction held my attention and made it difficult for me to find words. I was so afraid. It didn't make any sense to be feeling fear _now_. The fight was over, but even looking at the crumbling walls made my heart pound. I had been so close to losing my friends. I was so close to losing _Palmon_. I made Lotusmon promise to not fight. That promise could have cost Jou and Emiko and Momoe and everyone their lives. I felt like such an idiot.

But I couldn't help it.

I didn't like fighting. Palmon didn't like fighting. Jou and Gomamon didn't like fighting. I wanted them all to be safe. I wanted _everyone_ to be safe. Fighting wasn't safe. But apparently _not_ fighting was even more dangerous. Standing by and watching as Sigma terrorized the Temple and my friends was not an option I was able to live with. And I'd had to watch so many friends get hurt before that realization really struck home.

I had to watch Palmon get hurt.

Forcing such thoughts and memories out of my mind, I pushed open the front doors, and shoved my cart full of food into the hospital lobby. Yoshie was right at my heels, and Hikari raced over to us, quick to take the casserole from Yoshie's hands. She needed to feel useful. My guess was that Takeru was still sleeping after the transfusion that he'd needed. He had lost a _lot_ of blood, and needed a ton of stitches. I felt bad for the guy, but he had enough pain medication to take the worst of the pain away. Hikari didn't have that. She was worrying like crazy.

It didn't help that Gatomon and Patamon were asleep in the room with Takeru, still thoroughly exhausted from their efforts. Most of our partners were in the hospital, resting and regaining their strength. Palmon was sharing a room with Veemon and Gabumon. Agumon was with them at all times, ready to get anything they needed. Yamato was splitting his time between Takeru and Gabumon. Daisuke was unable to tend to his partner, because he was in a separate room, sharing with Labramon and Betamon.

Koushiro and Tentomon were in a room _somewhere_. And I wanted to find him. I really, _really_ wanted to find him. But I didn't. I couldn't hunt him down. But Yoshie and I _did_ wander off towards Sora, while everyone else attacked the food trolley. Hikari was making plates up to deliver to all of Jou's patients, while Momoe dished food up for Emiko and our resident doctor.

"Sora," Yoshie called gently. Sora looked up, startled, and then she seemed awkward. She tried for a smile, and managed one, however strained it ended up being. Yoshie wrapped my friend in a tight embrace and just held her for a few seconds. "I am so glad that everything got sorted out, Dear. Your mother was keeping me updated on the case. I didn't want to crowd you, so I gave you some distance, but I was so worried about you."

"Thanks," Sora said. "I didn't even realize I could get that scared. But it's in the past. Arnold can't hurt me anymore. Sigma can't hurt anyone. Gaia's gone. Things are really looking up for us."

"Hopefully Koushiro will be able to handle the lighter work load with a little more _grace_ ," Yoshie said. She looked like she was carrying a heavy heart. I knew, because it was the same look that I saw in the mirror every day.

"He will," Sora said firmly. There was fire in her eyes, and I sighed to myself, knowing that even if Koushiro was avoiding me, and wouldn't let me help, that at least Sora and Tentomon would be able to get through to him.

I still wished it could be me though.

While Sora and Yoshie spoke, I wandered towards the stairs, heading up to the rooms, so that I could try and seek Koushiro out. Maybe he wouldn't run while we were in a hospital. It was a long shot, but he'd just lost Gennai again too. And we both were very affected by it.

I found him and Tentomon talking in the hallway. I panicked and pressed myself against the wall, just around the corner from them. I hadn't thought I would actually _find_ him. I was still so upset with him, but I didn't want to just yell. I didn't know what to say.

But it sounded like Tentomon _did_.

"Taichi's getting _married_ ," Tentomon said. "He's going to expect you to be there _and_ be on your best behaviour."

"You say that, but you're wrong," Koushiro said with a sigh. "Everyone's better off without me. I don't know what wisdom is, I'm a huge disappointment. Someone else should have gotten my Crest. Gennai chose wrong."

"You obviously weren't listening to the same goodbye speech that I was," Tentomon said tiredly. "Gennai is proud of you. He really is. He chose right. I could not imagine a better partner. I would never have gotten along with anyone better than you. I was _meant_ for you. We complete each other. You can't possibly think any differently."

"I like to think we're a good pair," Koushiro admitted.

"I know that you are unsure of where you stand now," Tentomon said. "But I am always with you. I'm also watching you. I won't let you fall down that path again. You're not even recovered yet. I was oblivious for far too long."

"Don't blame yourself for my oversight," Koushiro instructed. "I really _was_ sure that I had it under control. I'm still sure I can manage it on my own."

"No," Tentomon said simply.

"I don't need help," Koushiro insisted.

"I will invite Terriermon to stay with us," Tentomon threatened. "He's good at sniffing out your dirty little secret these days."

"I'm _fine_ ," Koushiro said firmly.

"Then why can't you look Mimi in the eye?" Tentomon wondered. My heart jumped at the sound of my name and I held my fists close to my chest as I listened to them speak. Koushiro blushed and looked at the ground. I was _very_ curious to hear the answer.

"I disappointed _her_ too," Koushiro said. "She's mad at me. If I talk to her, she'll break up with me. I've never felt the way I feel when I'm around her. I'm scared of losing that. I didn't realize how much I needed it, how much I needed _her_ , until now. There's a legitimate chance I could lose her. If I don't talk to her, if I don't confront her, then she can't break up with me."

"That's unhealthy and impossible," I said, forgetting that I was meant to be in hiding. I was still really irritated with him—both for the habit he developed and for not coming to _me_ when he needed support—but he _needed_ me. He hadn't actually said it directly to me, but it was something. He wasn't replacing me with drugs, which was definitely nice to hear.

He looked at me startled, and searched for an exit. Tentomon wouldn't let him run away though, and I was very thankful for that.

"We live together," I pointed out. "And I _can_ break up with you without actually having to talk with you. It's not the nicest way to go about it, but I could leave a voicemail, email or text telling you _exactly_ where we stand. I might actually do that, because you seem to think that _I_ am the one at risk of leaving."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, sounding confused.

"Are you sure? Because I can't necessarily be sure of that," I told him. "You won't meet my eye, you ran into the wilderness and resurrected Gennai instead of talking to me. You're still trying to bargain with everyone in order to get what your body now thinks that it wants, but you don't really need that. Your mother is waiting for you downstairs. She's worried about you. I'm worried about you."

"I know," he admitted quietly. "But you're still mad at me."

"Damn right I'm still mad at you," I snapped. "But that doesn't mean I don't still want forever with you. I meant what I said. When I think about the future, you're always there. Don't run away from me." I felt my heart physically _hurting_ inside my chest at the thought of him misunderstanding me any further. He was so smart, so why did he have to be so stupid? I loved him and missing him was just hurting my chances of helping in the fight for peace.

"I'll probably still do that...for a while," Koushiro cautioned.

"I know," I said with a sigh. "But I won't. I'll be mad, and angry, and emotional. But I will love you anyway. I don't care if you believe it. It's true. Now go downstairs and let your mother feed you. I'm going to find Palmon, and hopefully she'll have _something_ good to tell me."

"She and Rei are talking about the wedding actually," Tentomon said. "We just came from there. Palmon's looking much better. Everyone is really."

"Except Takeru," Koushiro felt the need to point out.

"Tapirmon woke up?" I asked, feeling my heart lighten up. Koushiro nodded jerkily, before walking off down the hallway. I glared at him, not really _feeling_ the anger—just feeling compelled to express my irritation at his constant need to run away.

"He's with Alias III now," Tentomon said. "But he might be up for visitors later."

Tentomon flew off after Koushiro and I penciled a visit to Tapirmon and Hideto into my mental schedule. I was just glad that things were looking up. Our friends were fine, and were recovering. Takeru was still not doing so great, but otherwise everyone was awake and alert—and Takeru would be joining the rest of us with a few more days of rest.

It really felt like the world was _finally_ going our way.

 ** _Taichi Yagami:_**

Gennai was gone. It was hard to imagine that we'd lost him a second time. He'd barely been back long enough for me to really believe he'd been back at all. It was difficult, to know that I wasn't filling his shoes the way he'd wanted me to, but at the same time, he wanted me to make the decisions. It was too hard to understand what it was that he wanted exactly.

But I guessed it didn't matter anymore. Not really. He wasn't here anymore to tell me what I was doing wrong. He wasn't here to tell Koushiro what an idiot he was. He wasn't here to put us all down and make us feel bad.

Somehow, despite his less than favourable behaviour, I still missed him _more_ this time than I had the last. It wasn't fair to have been teased with his return only to lose him in the blink of an eye. I didn't regret his loss as much as I would've thought though. His death signified Sigma's final defeat. Sigma couldn't come after Miyako anymore. He couldn't try to steal Mai away from Miyako and Ken, or Emiko from Jou and Momoe. He couldn't haunt Alias III and make them question everything they'd ever gone though. I knew that Mari in particular was shaken by the experience.

I still didn't know who destroyed the heart though.

No one was talking about it. It was a mystery, and while I'd like to know the answer, it didn't really matter in the end. Sigma had been made mortal, and he was gone now for a final time, just as Gennai was. If Gennai _had_ to go, I was glad he took our enemy with him. It made it all seem like it was worth it, even though it still wasn't fair.

That had all been _days_ ago though. We'd had time since then to really let it all sink in. Koushiro had come back to work, and was doing a lot better, now that he knew Gennai wouldn't have approved of his chosen actions. He wasn't _better_ exactly, but he was getting there. He was improving with leaps and bounds. It was good to know that he would be okay, even without Gennai around.

Miyako was walking with a particularly happy bounce to her step. She was free, her baby was happy and healthy, and Gaia was nowhere to be seen. She was practically on cloud nine.

All of us were really.

Sora was free, no longer trapped within the confines of her home. The trial was over, and the charges had been dropped. Mari was now guardian—'temporarily' but I was sure it would work out in the end—of her little sister, who was just as free as Sora now. Iori had secretly gotten married, and no one noticed until Sora shouted it out, and was now going to be a father. Yamato had finally found something he wanted to do for _himself_ , which would hopefully bring him closer to Sora in the long run. I hoped it would anyway. He also found himself a house, as did Iori and Natsuni, and Ken and Miyako. Daisuke and Kurayami were well on their way to getting a place of their own, now that the noodle cart's business was picking up again, and Kurayami had found a job at the Inoue convenience store. She hoped to find something she enjoyed more, but that job had served Iori well before he became a fully functioning lawyer, and it would do her good as well. (I knew that Mrs Inoue wasn't particularly pleased, but as it was Mr Inoue's store before he was married, he _did_ get the final say, and he didn't have anything against the Digidestined in the way his wife did.) She didn't work long hours or anything yet, since she had a child at home, but it was _something_.

Hikari was still hovering. She hadn't made a decision career wise, and didn't know what she wanted to do. Her passion was in teaching, but her first experience had not been particularly great. I knew that when Iori and Natsuni moved into their home, she didn't want to go with them. She didn't want to intrude as they embarked on their journey as a family. She also didn't really have anywhere she wanted to _go_ yet either. I was a little worried, but I knew she'd figure it out sooner or later. She was a go-getter when the mood struck her—and she didn't want to move back home either, so that was a great motivation on its own. I had every faith in her that she could figure it out. I was proud of her, and the woman she'd become. Yes, she'd made some particularly bad decisions over the past few months. She'd created the Reaper and had let Gaia loose on our world—and given Gaia her light in the process—but she'd also sealed both enemies away. She was growing, and she was amazing.

She smiled over at me, and I raised my glass in her direction. She smiled and laughed, and I took it all in. I didn't want to forget a single moment of this evening. It was one to remember. I'd just gotten married. I hadn't expected to hurry the wedding along, and more than once I was asked if we were racing down the aisle before a certain _bun_ was baked, but that wasn't it. There was no baby on the way. I wasn't sure we'd _ever_ get to that point. But I loved Rei, and she accepted my spontaneous proposal for some reason, and I wasn't foolish enough to question her.

I'd thought for sure she'd throw the ring back in my face when I got down on one knee and asked for her hand. I'd just told her about mine and Mari's kiss, and it was ridiculous to ever expect her to accept me when I'd betrayed her in such a way. But she wanted to be with me, in the Digital World, for the rest of her life, and I wanted the exact same thing.

Yes, we were rushing the wedding, but we wanted everyone to be able to celebrate it with us. The worlds seemed to be at peace—but I knew they really weren't. Rida wasn't done with his quest to eradicate all life in the Digital World, and I knew that there would be sacrifices that needed to be made before the peace that had eluded us for so long was finally found. I wanted to celebrate before any of those sacrifices needed to be made. This could very well be the last time that all of us were ever together like this. It was a very likely chance. We'd lost Lalamon before—and Sora too—and we'd nearly lost Kiyoko, Rei and Willis. There was too much danger at every turn. We'd lost Gennai _twice_ , and the war would never end while Rida was in charge. He'd promised me that much. He would leave his mark in the history books, regardless of any stain his reputation might acquire in the process.

I took a sip of Champaign—which Rei insisted upon having—and shook my head. This was a night of celebration! I didn't have time to worry about the future. I was a married man now, joining Ken, Jou, Daisuke and Iori in the ranks of Digidestined husbands. It was strange to think how many of us were married. It was even stranger to know _I_ was now one of them. I wondered briefly who would be next, and then shook the thought from my mind.

It was _my_ wedding now. I didn't need to look towards the future. I didn't need to start planning the weddings of my friends. I wasn't going to have any part in it, anyway, so there was no point in mentally figuring out the logistics.

"Can you believe we were at Jun's wedding just about two weeks ago?" Rei asked, kissing my cheek as our guests started tapping their glasses with their silverware. I didn't understand that particular tradition, but Rei had kissed me a _lot_ tonight because of it, so I didn't mind it too much.

"I can't," Yamato said, rolling his eyes. He was sitting with us, recounting his plans for the future of his music career, and discussing the pros and cons of taking a year break as he tried to expand his mind, and focus on himself for once. He really wasn't sure if the band would make it, but he was hoping for some really great publicity from whatever plans he was making—all very top secret, he wouldn't tell me no matter how many times I asked—so they _might_ last during his year hiatus. I wasn't really following along, since I didn't know what he was talking about.

"It was a whirlwind affair, okay," I said, sighing.

"Yeah it was," he said with a snort. "Are you _sure_ there's not a baby on the way? You wouldn't be the only ones."

"There's no baby," Neo said, surprising me. He'd wandered off to find a glass of wine, since Champaign wasn't his preferred alcoholic beverage. "There had _better_ not be."

"There's _not_ ," I cried. It was honestly annoying that my own friends were assuming things. I knew Yamato was just teasing, but the way Miyako kept eyeing Rei's stomach, and the way Mom was glancing her way, was freaking me out. I wasn't ready to be a father. I _was_ ready to be a husband. I wanted to spend forever with Rei, and I was going to. We'd made our vows and everything.

"How's being _best man_?" Yamato asked Neo bitterly. I knew he was upset that he wasn't asked to be my best man, but I decided not to have one. Rei chose Neo to stand up with her—and to give her away, since she decided not to invite her mother—and I chose Hikari, to keep it a family thing. It wasn't personal. We simply chose not to have a huge bridal party. There wasn't enough time to get so many dresses and suits anyway. This way, Neo's tie had to match whatever dress Rei and Hikari picked out, and that was it. Nothing else was needed. It was simple. It was cheap. It was fast.

And things needed to be fast. We hadn't had a lot of time for the planning. Two weeks to the day after I asked her we walked down the aisle.

Was Jun upset that we'd decided to get married so soon after she did? Yes. She was, actually. She was also upset that her wedding hadn't been the perfect event she'd been hoping for, because Maugrim interrupted the reception, and we'd all had to go to fight him—even if he _had_ disappeared before we arrived. She was upset because _Sora_ was at my wedding, and hadn't been able to get to hers. She was upset about a lot of things, but she was still here supporting our union, and that was all that mattered.

She _did_ seem to enjoy pointing out that her wedding was far grander in scale. It was the truth, so we weren't bothered by it. We were in Mimi's newly renovated restaurant. It was set to open for the public within the month, and we'd commandeered it for our small wedding. There were plenty of seats for the Digidestined and our digimon. My parents were there, and we'd invited Jun and Shuu—because they had invited us to theirs and we didn't want to shun them—and when I'd run into Izumi, _literally_ , I'd invited her too, since we'd known her for ages. I never asked her what she was doing with that suitcase, but I wasn't bothered by it. A lot of people had suitcases in the Temple these days. Maugrim was still a threat, even if Gaia and Sigma no longer were. It was safer there.

Not a lot of other parents were there. We didn't know them well enough to invite them, but Rei was still close with Yamato's father, having went on her first trip to the Digital World with him and Toshiko Takenouchi. Toshiko was invited too, as was her husband, since he worked for me. I invited the Izumi's as well, and the council. And that was it.

We'd probably offended someone—Rei's mother most likely—but we didn't have a lot of space or time. We wanted an intimate gathering with only our closest of friends. We'd chosen Earth because we'd be spending our lives in the Digital World, and we wanted to celebrate our union in the world where we were born. We didn't have a first dance because of the location, but that was alright. Rei was fine remembering our real first dance, back at her birthday celebration—infamous for the sheer number of break-ups that occurred—three years ago.

"Taichi, dance with me!" Hikari said, coming over and freeing me from what could potentially develop into an argument. Yamato was still waiting for Neo to answer, and was growing impatient, when he realized Neo didn't have much inclination to actually say anything to him. He was too busy talking with his sister to care about that ex-neighbour of his.

I let Hikari drag me out onto the dance floor, blowing a kiss in Rei's direction as dramatically as I could. She caught it and made a big show of placing it over her heart before sending a kiss back my way. It was ridiculous and pointless. I loved it.

"You're crazy, Taichi," Hikari said, as I swung her around as though she was still a little girl. She didn't seem to mind being treated like my baby sister, which was nice. She would always _be_ my baby sister, no matter how old she got. I'd always remember her as that little girl that was so intuitive, and determined to make others happy, even at the risk of her own health. She was delicate and strong at the same time somehow and it was amazing and scary to see the beautiful young woman she'd become when I wasn't looking.

"I must be," I murmured, pulling her close and running my fingers through her hair, just to irritate her. She laughed, and shoved my hands away, catching one hand in both of hers and spinning me under her arm. I had to duck in order to make it under the bridge she'd created, but that just made the whole situation funnier in her opinion. She laughed loudly and jumped onto my back, messing up _my_ hair in retaliation. I laughed, and tried to get her off, but I wasn't trying too hard. She was having a blast, and it was my wedding. She _should_ have fun.

Like I'd said, this could very well be the last celebration we all had as a complete set, I didn't want her to spend the night having only a mediocre level of fun. I wanted to see her smiling as much as I could. Gaia had taken her smile away for a long time, and the Land of Dreams had leeched away her happiness before that—and the _virus_ and EVOLVE before _that_. I wanted to always remember her smiling brightly and having the time of her life.

I wanted that for everyone.

Hikari started cooing, and I dropped her off my back. She was watching as Emiko dragged Yamato away from my bride and her brother, out onto the dance floor. Jou was laughing at Yamato's face when Emiko very seriously held her hands out for a tango. Yamato had to get down on his knees in order to participate, since she refused to be lifted into the air. Hikari and I watched them for awhile, before she decided we needed to do the twist, and see who could get lowest without falling down. When it was determined that _I_ was the best, I glanced over to Rei, while laughing at Hikari. She was sprawled out on the ground, and was laughing louder than I'd heard in a _long_ time.

Rei wasn't laughing though. She was crying, and Neo was holding her close, not looking very pleased, but trying to be supportive. I felt bad. I knew what they were probably talking about. Not much else would make Rei cry at a time like this. Pal and Pul were over with her in a minute though, doing a little jig in front of her, until she dried her eyes. She wasn't _happy_ yet, with the subject, but she was okay again. She smiled when she caught me watching her anyway. The smile melted when she looked to Neo, and I had to look away. I'd had enough of watching my bride cry on our wedding day.

I wasn't sure I could hold it together myself if I kept looking at her.

We'd have a lot to talk about later, but for now, I wanted to enjoy this moment. Yamato pried himself away from Emiko by pointing her in Iori's direction. Iori wasn't as willing as Yamato, and ended up lifting Emiko off the ground—but she didn't protest. It was getting late, and she was getting tired. Iori swayed while she clung to him, and her eyes grew droopy. Yamato, in the meantime, walked towards the podium, where the microphone was waiting for speeches that I didn't intend to give. I gave enough speeches as part of my job, and everyone knew that we were happy they were here. There was nothing else to say.

"Taichi," Yamato said into the microphone. "I wrote a little something for you and Rei. I figured I'd be the best man when I wrote it, but _obviously_ that didn't happen."

"Sorry," Hikari called out to him.

"Yeah, well sister trumps best friend, I guess," Yamato said, but he smiled this time, so I knew he was getting over it a little bit at least. It was hard to stay mad when Hikari was involved. "Anyway, I figured I ought to sing it here, at your wedding, since I wrote it for the occasion."

Yamato was a little awkward as he tuned his guitar, and looked out over the rather small—compared to Jun's anyway—crowd. These were all his closest friends and family members. It was a little different performing in front of them then it was in front of a giant, screaming crowd. It was more personal, leaving him rather vulnerable. But once the guitar was ready, and the chords started filling the air, he got lost in the music and sang a song that was catchy and soft, and somehow managed to capture mine and Rei's story without being too obvious about it. I wondered if he'd put the song on an upcoming album, but didn't want to ask.

I listened as he told the story of two friends that were focussed on their family, and were too oblivious to realize they were meant to be together. He sang of the beginning of our relationship, and the torturous feelings that came with the virus—which played a rather large part in all of his new songs, even though he was never blunt about it—and how ultimately we came together in the end. He sang about the happily-ever-after that we wanted, but weren't sure we were going to get. The song told a story, and the chorus changed each time just as we changed during each step of our journey until this night. It was one of the best songs I'd ever heard.

There was a lot of bias towards that opinion, seeing as it was about me, and managed to capture both of our personalities so perfectly.

The chords faded out, having ended on a rather happy note. Applause filled the space the notes left behind, and Rei was clapping her hands, crying all the while. Hideto was clapping begrudgingly, noting that it was still a love song, but it wasn't about Sora, so he figured it was alright. Coming from him, that was pretty high praise.

"That's all I've got. You're going to have to live a little more if you want another verse," Yamato said, with an awkward laugh. He moved away from the podium, and I walked over to him, holding my hand out. He looked at it, raising an eyebrow, but he took it. The moment he did, I pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. He really _was_ my best friend, even if I didn't act like it all the time. He'd pulled away from me—from everyone—lately, and I was hoping this was him saying that he wasn't going to keep that distance between him and his friends. I hoped that he was over that. I didn't want to see him get lost in loneliness. He was the Digidestined of friendship. He was meant to be surrounded by friends, not isolation. I needed to know that he wasn't going to fall back into his old habits.

"Thanks, man," I said. "It was pretty great."

"You _would_ think that," he said, rolling his eyes. "It was about _you_."

"And I'm pretty great," I agreed with a laugh. "Gennai said so. That means it must be true."

"Keep dreaming," Yamato snorted.

I laughed, and looked back towards the dance floor. Ken and Miyako were dancing to the playlist Yamato had turned back on when he was done his song. They were lost in each others' eyes as if they were remembering _their_ wedding. Sora's parents were on the floor as well, twirling around each other as though they were professionals—which made sense, because I'd never seen Sora's mom do anything less than perfectly. Daisuke was dancing with Takeru, both playing up their dance moves to ridiculous proportions, trying to make Neo laugh. Rei was laughing joyously at their antics, but Neo was the one they really wanted to get a chuckle out of. Agumon was even dancing out there, despite his two left feet. Palmon, who was clumsy herself, was having a ball as they swayed back and forth, acting like they were professionals when they were barely dancing.

Iori was now sitting at a table with Kurayami, Biyomon and Momoe, with a sleeping Emiko on his lap. I could see him in that moment with a child of his own. It was the first time I'd ever been able to picture it. It was still strange though. He was one of the youngest—with only Kurayami, Kiyoko and Ryou being younger. Kurayami was already a mother, which was mind boggling on its own, but to have Iori join her in parenthood was practically insane.

I wasn't in any rush to join them though. Rei and I were just fine on our own. We didn't need to hurry into anything. I wasn't saying it was _bad_ that Natsuni and Iori were already expecting a child. It just wasn't something that Rei and I were planning for is all.

"Hey there," Sora said, tapping me on the shoulder from behind. "Dance with me?" I agreed. It wasn't weird at all that I'd invited my ex-girlfriend to my wedding. I'd asked Rei and she told me so. I wasn't sure what she wanted me to do in that regard, since she was friends with Katsue—who I went on one date with, and was now here with her girlfriend—and Sora—who I'd dated for a lot longer than just one date—and Mari—who I'd only kissed the once. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable, but she laughed in my face when I said that. She said something about me being absolutely ridiculous and _of course_ we were going to invite our friends, no matter _what_ my history with them was.

Rei was amazing like that. And I loved that she _knew_ how much I loved her and that I wouldn't stray from her. Mari had been a mistake brought on by the understanding—however incorrect it had proven to be—that Rei was dead. The thought alone still made me shudder. I didn't like the idea of a world without Rei in it. I'd lived in that world once, and I didn't want to go back.

Thankfully, Rei felt the exact same way, and wouldn't be leaving my side any time soon.

"You're _married_ Taichi," Sora said with a laugh. "I didn't think I'd ever be saying that. You're too rash."

"Well," I said wryly, "My engagement lasted only two weeks. I'd say I'm plenty rash."

"True," she said smiling. "I never thought you'd be next, you know? I really didn't. I figured Hikari would beat you to the punch. I figured _I_ would, and you know how far off I am from _that_."

"You just have to meet the right guy," I said, knowing full well that she already _had_ in my opinion—and really everyone else's, when I thought about it. Even _her_ eyes went to Yamato when I said it, but she shrugged her shoulders, determined to not focus on herself for the night. "You'll figure it out Sora. I know you will. You just have to go for it."

"I'll get hurt," she said, shaking her head.

"It's worth the risk," I told her. "Promise me that you'll find your happily-ever-after. Promise me."

"I'll find it," Sora swore, rolling her eyes at how insistent my voice was. She didn't understand the urgency. But I did. And her promise meant something to me. It was so important. "I don't know _when_. It could be fifty years from now for all I know. But I'll find it. Don't worry about me."

"I always worry about you," I told her. "I worry about everyone. I just want everyone to be _happy_. Why is it that something so simple is so _hard_ to accomplish?"

"I don't know," Sora said. "What's with the philosophical side of you? It's new."

"Just worrying about the future," I said honestly. "It's all I can think of most days."

"You've got to live in the present," she said firmly. "You'll miss everything if you're always looking forward."

"I don't have much _present_ left," I whispered. She quirked her head, having missed what I said, but I just shrugged my shoulders at her. I wasn't ready to share any more. I twirled her under my arm and sent her flying towards Willis, who was dancing wildly with Terriermon and Lopmon. They quickly made room for Sora to join them, and she stuck her tongue out at me, for leaving her to their strange dance. I laughed, and made my way to my parents.

They were sitting alone, since everyone else was dancing. Mom looked one second away from tears, which was enough to get me feeling emotional too. I sat down, watching Rei as she danced in her chair next to Lalamon and Tapirmon, who were too shy to dance in the open dance floor. I saw Aneko watching them, and she took a step closer every so often. She'd be dancing with them soon, I could tell.

"Taichi," Dad said. I looked to him. He wasn't always a guy I wanted to emulate. He'd had a bit of a drinking problem when I was a kid—and it hadn't really gone away, exactly. He was just managing it better these days. He had a partner in Kamemon, but he never really _did_ any bonding with the little guy. He wasn't very invested in the digital aspects of his family's lives. He'd been hard on me, and he left me to watch Hikari a lot when I was a kid. I wasn't old enough to take care of a regular kid, let alone one that was dying. He made me feel like crap a lot too, when I was little, because I'd made Hikari collapse that one time while playing soccer. The memory of it still haunted me to this day, I hadn't needed him to throw it back in my face any time I made a mistake—no matter how small.

But for all the bad stuff, he was still a good guy. He loved me, and he raised me to the best of his ability. He taught me how to be brave—because he always had to test Mom's cooking first. He taught me how to ride a bicycle, and how to tie my shoes. He taught me how to kick a soccer ball too. He'd helped shape my childhood, so that I could be what the Digital World needed me to be.

"Dad," I said, thickly. I was really getting too deep with my thoughts, and I tried to pull back the happiest one: I was married! It did very little to clear out the heavy emotions though.

"I'm proud of you, son," he said, "Even if I still can't figure out why you got married so fast."

"Oh, they're young and in love," Mom teased. "They don't need any other reason. Don't forget, we were the same way. Now, if he _really_ wanted to be like us, he'd be announcing a baby within the first few years."

"No babies," I said quickly. She burst into laughter, and with that laughter several memories of my childhood flooded into my mind. She patched me up every time I fell down and hurt myself during soccer practice. She played board games and helped me with jigsaw puzzles. She made the weirdest food and laughed whenever I made funny faces. She'd been just as hard on me as Dad had, but it hadn't mattered as much. She was so bright, and ready to have fun, even though she'd been under a hell of a lot of stress with Hikari being sick all the time. She sometimes forgot that I was just a kid, because she'd made me babysit Hikari too, but for the most part the only responsibility she'd given me _was_ Hikari. I was allowed to be a kid, so long as I always watched out for my little sister.

It wasn't so bad. I was gonna look out for her anyway—especially after she collapsed in the park.

"I'm joking," Mom said. "I'm too _young_ to be a grandmother."

"I'm not," Dad said, with a rather sly smile. There _was_ an age difference between them. It had always struck me as weird when I was a kid. They were several years apart—seven to be precise. Now that I was older, it didn't seem so drastic, but when I was a kid, it was scary. It was the difference between a first and seventh grader. It seemed impossible to me.

"You're not too young to be a grandmother?" I asked faking confusion.

"You know what I mean," he said with a groan. I laughed, and Mom joined in.

"No babies," I said again. "It wouldn't be practical."

"You could always move _out_ of the Digital World," Dad suggested. I winced.

"Not going to happen Dad," I told him. "We're happy where we are. It might get pretty lonely, but we're not changing our minds. We've made our decision and we're sticking to it."

"That doesn't sound ominous," Mom said sarcastically.

"Yeah," I said with as much humour as I could muster—which wasn't very much.

"You won't forget us while you're off in that world of yours," Dad wondered. I shook my head vehemently. There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to forget my parents. They put me on this Earth and steered me towards the path I needed to be on, the path that brought me to Rei, and to Agumon and to all of my friends. I had been the ambassador of the Digital World, because of that very same path. And yes, that path had led me away from them, but I would never be anywhere _without_ them—I carried them with me in everything that I did.

"I'll never forget you," I promised. "Excuse me, I need a little air."

"Go ahead," Dad said. "The party isn't going anywhere."

"Right," I agreed, and then I fled as fast as I could. I breathed in the night air, trying to ignore the impurities. The Digital World's air was far superior. It was fresher, and there wasn't any pollution to speak of. But the cool air was helping. I was supposed to be happy. I was having the time of my life. I was married now, and I loved that. I was happy about that. I _was_.

It was just that my marriage wasn't the only thing on my mind.

"Taichi?" Hikari called, following me outside. I swallowed, trying to centre myself. "Taichi, what's gotten into you? You're missing out on all the fun." I didn't say anything, trying to get my emotions under control. She must've seen something on my face, because hers instantly filled with fear. "Taichi, tell me what's wrong? Did you do something?" I shook my head. "But you're going to," she assumed. I nodded. "Tell me what it is?"

"I'm locking the worlds," I whispered. She gasped, but she let me finish. She wasn't going to pass judgement, even though she had every right to. I'd just told her I was going to lock Gatomon up and keep them separated forever. She had every right to be mad at me. "Gennai was right. It's the only way to keep Rida from trying again. It's the only way to keep _Maugrim_ from getting to the keys and freeing Gaia. It's the only way to keep the peace, Hikari."

"I know," she said sadly. "I realized that awhile ago. I was just hoping I was wrong. I don't want to say goodbye to Gatomon, Taichi. I don't know what I'll do without her."

It killed me to hear her talking that way.

"HIkari," I said. "It's not just Gatomon."

"What?" she asked, sounding frightened by the possibilities that had opened before her. She understood what I was saying, but she was stubbornly refusing to accept it.

"Didn't you wonder why the engagement was so short?" I asked. "We wanted to share our wedding with all of our friends. We didn't have time to wait."

"No," Hikari said. "Taichi, _no_."

"They need me, Hikari," I said. "They're all depending on me. I can't let them down."

" _I_ need you," she insisted. Her eyes filled with tears and she grabbed hold of my shirt, so that she could look me straight in the eye. "Don't leave me."

"I have to Hikari," I told her. "My life isn't on Earth anymore. This isn't my world. I belong in the Digital World."

"Then so do I," she cried. "Take me with you, Taichi."

"I can't do that to you," I told her, ruffling her hair, just as I had earlier. It wasn't as funny now. It just sort of made me want to cry. "Your life is here. Your _dream_ is here."

"I can be a teacher in the Digital World too," she protested. "There are a lot of eager young minds, ready to learn."

"Takeru is here," I reminded her.

"Then he can come too. Everyone can come. We have to stay together," she cried.

"Think about it, Hikari. Everyone else needs to be here," I said. "Everyone's dreams are here."

"What about Jou, and Koushiro, and Neo, and Kiyoko?" she argued. "They work in the Digital World too."

"Hikari," I said firmly. "They'll be fine. They can all make it in this world. I can't. I don't know anything about Earth anymore. I live and breathe the Digital World. I'm not going to survive anywhere else. You know that."

"How am I supposed to survive without you?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"You'll have Mom and Dad, and Takeru, and Sora and all of the others," I said, finally giving in to the emotions, and letting the tears come. "Don't worry about me. I'll have Rei and Agumon. I have to do this though. I _have_ to save them all. I can't leave the gates open. I can't wait much longer."

"I don't want to lose you," she cried.

"I don't want to lose you either," I promised. "But it came down to what Neo said. I can't be selfish. I can't put my _wants_ above the entire population. They _need_ this. Their survival depends on it. I can't let them die just because I want to be able to see my little sister."

"Don't say goodbye to me, Taichi," she cried. "Don't."

"I'm going to have to," I told her. "I can't leave without saying goodbye."

"Don't go," she whispered. Her cries were swallowed up by the cool winds, and she fell against my chest. I held her close, closing my eyes and feeling my own tears fall down my face and drip down my neck. How was I supposed to say goodbye to her when it was my job to watch over her? It felt like an impossible task.

But I'd have to figure it out. I didn't have long left to be in this world.

 _ **Willis Kennedy:**_

"Yeah?" Michael said bitterly, "Well, Taichi's a jerk. Jerk-chi. That's what we'll call him. He's the new Jerk-nai."

"Taichi is a chewy disgusting stick of meat?" Terriermon asked with wide eyes. "He's jerky?"

"No!" Michael groaned, shoving Terriermon away, looking rather annoyed and then suddenly his face change to a much more apologetic look and he pulled Terriermon into a hug. A tight one judging by the way Terriermon's face began to bulge out. "I'm going to miss you, Terriermon."

"Get off you oaf!" Terriermon wheezed as he struggled to free himself from Michael's grasp. When he finally did, he leapt toward the table and skidded to a stop before turning back to Michael. "You know I'm going to miss you too, right?" Michael nodded, "Okay, so let's stop talking about how we're going to miss each other and do something _fun_!" Michael seemed to decide he had a point and had come up with an idea.

It was as he ran off that I really began to wonder how he might react in the end.

We were sitting together. All of us— _our_ family anyway—and waiting for the inevitable to happen. Taichi had requested we all wait around in the Temple as we had before, for convenience sake. It wouldn't do to have someone 'run off like Palmon'—whatever _that_ meant—before we had to say goodbye. Michael had requested we avoid the others for a while and we had returned to our hotel room that we had been living in to be safer from Gaia or Sigma, but now that the two were gone, it seemed pointless. Taichi had understood that, and I had gone off to visit my mother with Terriermon and Lopmon.

" _We have to go," Terriermon told her sadly, and simply looked confused as she took a pan of brownies out of the oven. "We are being taken back to the Digital World to keep things safe."_

" _Another adventure?" Mom asked, looking rather worried in my direction._

" _No, not Willis," Lopmon said, shaking her head. "To keep humans safe, and to keep digimon safe, we're sacrificing our own needs. Terriermon and I will never come out of the Digital World again, and we're here to say goodbye to you. We love you."_

 _Mom dropped the pan of brownies onto the top of the oven with sadness and she moved forward to hug them both, "I love you too!"_

It was sad, really. It had been a long night, and Mom wouldn't take her eyes off of Terriermon and Lopmon long enough to look at _me._ I was trying to explain to her that I would be going too, because I wasn't about to wait around my whole life without my partners. I had experienced life without them and _man_ did it suck. I understood why the others might stay behind, and grasp the importance of the separation—and while I understood it on a scientific level, I didn't understand spiritually. I was attached to Terriermon _and_ Lopmon. I didn't know how, or why or if I ever _would_ know, but what I _could_ understand was that breaking that connection—even for the safety of the worlds—was not something I was willing to do, but since Taichi got to make the final decisions, it was only fair that _I_ got to make one of my own.

I was going with them.

"It's just so sad," Michael groaned as he brought a bottle over to the round table where we all sat, "Betamon, Terriermon and Lopmon are all leaving—Willis is travelling the world or whatever, and I have a new job!"

"How is a new job a bad thing, you freak?" Jenna asked, rolling her eyes.

"Because I'll never be at home to see the only family I have left which I guess is just _you_." He made a fake vomiting sound and Jenna punched his arm and laughed at his shriek of pain. The laughter was what I wanted to keep with me the most. If I could choose a single memory to take with me, it would be the way they all sounded in their best moments and their laughter was always perfection.

Monodramon was carrying around a video camera—and had been for a week. The moment he heard Taichi's plan to take our partners away, Monodramon wanted to ensure that Terriermon, Lopmon and Betamon all remembered what we sounded like. I wondered if any of them knew of my plan to go with them.

Monodramon turned the camera to Jenna who stuck her tongue out playfully and leaned into Chi who sat next to her. He threw his arm around her and kissed her head, and then poked her side resulting in a fit of giggles from her. She laughed again and once more I tried to memorize the sound.

Chi and Jenna had been discussing all week their plans and only the previous night had they come to any sort of real conclusion. At first, Chi tried to use Veronica as an excuse to stay on Earth, claiming that he needed to protect Jenna from her insanity, but Tatum had slashed away at his reasoning by simply reading the newspaper—as if anyone ever did that anymore. _"Veronica Truman, daughter of Bravery Award bearing Officer Spencer Truman has been formally arrested for aiding a criminal in framing a young woman from Japan for the murder of a fellow officer. As of now there seems to be no trial in the works, as her father claims she needs to be punished for her actions."_ Tatum had said, and even if it was good to hear, Chi didn't seem to think so.

Jenna had told Chi that the obvious reason he had to _go_ was because his siblings. He didn't think that was a suitable argument because, and I quote, "Everyone has to leave the nest some time, Jenna. Besides, Meiyomon is here too, he's going to need some company." Jenna had responded by simply saying "No."

But in the end, Chi had won her over by expressing his undying love for her and even buying her a strange skeletal statue from that stand that always disappeared whenever we tried to shop there. I didn't know how he had found it again, but it was enough to prove to her that they were serious and that he wanted to stay with _her_.

Jenna and Kudamon had spent the whole morning with Chi's family, and had only come back to visit us now, as the sun was setting.

Michael hadn't quite accepted that this was to be his last night with Betamon and while Tatum had been trying to ease him closer to the idea, he was still _very_ against it. Even with Tatum's gentle reminders, Michael's stubbornness would not falter. I could see it was upsetting Betamon that Michael wouldn't say goodbye, but Michael just couldn't see that himself.

"Okay," Michael decided, setting the empty bottle on the table, "I'll spin and whoever it lands on—"

"We're playing spin the bottle?" Jenna asked, horrified, then she looked to Chi and said, "Is there any magic in you that can make it only land on you when I spin?" Chi shook his head but Michael was already objecting.

"No no no!" He cried out, "Whoever it lands on has to do whatever I tell them to."

"This sounds horrible," I said, stifling laughter, but Terriermon and Lopmon were objecting loudly.

"Why don't we just play truth or dare?" Lopmon asked, "That's basically what you want!"

"And why do _you_ get to be the bottle spinner?" Terriermon snapped, "I could do way better than _you_!"

"Fine," Michael relented, sliding the bottle across the table to Terriermon who proudly climbed up onto the table itself so he could reach more easily. He spun the bottle and watched as it pointed to each of us in turn.

Finally it rested on Michael who looked worried. Terriermon however seemed rather pleased with the outcome and he pointed dramatically in Michael's direction. "Go tell Betamon you love him and that you'll miss him and that you're sad he has to go."

Michael's face drained of colour and he stared in Terriermon's direction for a while before deciding he was done with the game. He stood abruptly and pushed his chair back before heading for the door. Tatum was quick to rush after him but I stopped her, grabbing her hand. "Let me," I suggested. She nodded and I was off, rushing after Michael.

He hadn't gone far, just far enough to be out of earshot as he cried.

My heart sank in the most painful of ways at the sound of it. I spotted Sora and Biyomon nearby, looking worried but I waved them off and Sora wished me luck. The sound was easy to follow in the literal sense, but the closer I got to him the more I wanted to simply back away. I found him sitting in a corner behind a stand that sold raw fish on a stick—thankfully the owner hadn't returned from the Coliseum yet and there were no fish inside.

Michael looked up when I came near and shook his head, not bothering to wipe his tears. Millions of people had seen him cry before, he wasn't ashamed. And yet that didn't stop it from being hard to see for _me_. I had only ever heard him cry a couple of times in real life. When the fake Betamon had died and he had thought it was the _real_ Betamon. When Betamon was rescued from his torture prison and Michael was ashamed of himself. And at the finale of Glee. Just the three times. This was supposed to be the time in which he admitted he was sad to _Betamon_ who he would never see again.

He would never see _me_ either though. He didn't know that yet. I didn't want my last memory of Michael to be his tears.

"I just don't want him to go," Michael cried, slamming his head back against the stone wall behind him. He groaned loudly and then simply closed his eyes. "I've been trying to think of ways he can stay," Michael sniffled loudly but didn't care at all. "The Digimental of Strength, right? It's somewhere here. He could stay with me, right? He doesn't have to be in the Digital World."

"There isn't proof that there even _is_ a Digimental of Strength, Michael." I told him sadly and he didn't really seem to like the words I had formed, "We've never found it."

"Well I was wondering if I could pass the crest on to someone else," Michael offered, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't need it if I can't have Betamon anyway. And if I had to pick—"

"You'd pick Betamon," I told him sadly. "But we don't get to pick. We didn't choose the crests. They picked us. Well, Gennai did, but it sounds more dramatic my way." Michael snorted. "The crest chooses the human, Mr Washington." Michael actually laughed now but wasn't very happy with himself because of it.

"Willis?" He said after a moment of silence. "Uhm... when I was younger, and my mom died, I felt really alone." My heart somehow sank more at the sound of that. Michael had never opened up about feeling sad before. He had always vowed to smile through anything and let whatever was meant to happen play out, but of course he had thoughts and feelings about them. I just never thought I'd hear them. "See, I didn't have any friends. My nanny didn't speak English, and Jenna barely did either. She was so little." His mother had died when he was ten, so Jenna would have been maybe four years old at the time. "Dad was always gone. Everyone thought that was so cool because he was famous. So I was the popular kid, right? Everyone thought I would be busy—or maybe they were too scared to talk to me—or maybe they didn't think I was as good as my dad, or thought I was arrogant—but whatever the reason, they never talked to me. I never had a friend until Mimi. She helped me with Betamon, and with _you_ and all the others. She introduced me to Tatum, and then she left my life as quickly as she'd entered it. She changed it for good of course, and I didn't really feel alone, even though everyone _hated_ me."

"I never hated you," I objected.

"But everyone else did," he said, wiping at his nose with his sleeve. "I wanted to be their friend. When Betamon was running away from me I went through a pretty rough time. I thought I wasn't worthy of even that. Of having friends. As it turned out, Betamon had been ripped away and tortured, so I was right. I _wasn't_ worthy of friends. I couldn't take care of the _one_ friend I had. But Hikari left when you broke up. The fairies haven't talked to me since I started asking about my mom. Even Gennai's gone again. I don't want to lose Betamon too. Not with you leaving to go to Brazil or wherever you're going."

"It was Africa, Michael." He shook it off as if it didn't matter, which was probably for the better because he would have caught my past tense otherwise.

"I guess you could say I have a victim complex," he said, sighing. "I have abandonment issues and I can't stop myself from taking it as a personal attack whenever someone leaves. I just want him to stay."

I tried to stop the rising guilt in my chest at the sound of it all, but couldn't. Michael was going to lose it if I told him I was leaving _with_ the digimon.

"Make him stay," Michael pleaded, finally deciding to wipe the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, "Please make him stay."

"Michael," I told him softly, "I don't think there _is_ a way." Michael looked angrily to the ground but said nothing. "As far as I'm aware, this realm is one for balance. Gennai made the Digital World in the place where peace was meant to be kept. That means the crests belong here. Betamon has a duty to the universe to keep everything stable and safe. If the worlds close off—"

"Leave them open?" Michael tried.

"You know as well as I do how selfish that could be," I told him, feeling like a hypocrite more and more with each passing second. "Betamon has a job."

"And I'm proud of that," Michael and I both turned to see Betamon who had found us both and was making his way past me to get to his disheartened partner. "Michael, you're the friendliest person ever. You never have to worry about people leaving by choice because no one will. I thought you knew that." Michael said nothing, but with Betamon around I decided it was time to give them their moment. Betamon nodded to me and I tried to smile, but couldn't.

Then I was on my way back to the others. On my way up the stairs to our room I stopped, hearing someone sobbing loudly. When I turned to see I found Spring, clinging to Bitoru who was looking rather embarrassed with all of his attention.

"Spring, he may not come!" Winter barked, "You know this as well as I do."

"He is cursed," Summer said, much more gently, brushing Spring's hair back. She took her face in her hands and she looked her right in the eye. "He has been cursed to remain out of Sidhendor. I know what it is like to be cast aside from the one you care for."

"Hardly," Winter rolled her eyes, "You can see Yume whenever you are asleep." Summer shot a glare Winter's direction but as the hardiest of the three, she didn't seem to care at all.

"Spring," Bitoru said, pushing Summer aside. "I believe in the force of destiny. We will meet again, I promise." Spring simply responded by sobbing some more, and I winced, deciding to look away. I was glad he believed in my crest, but I didn't know how to help. I couldn't use it and bend the universe to my will, but if I could, right now would be the perfect time. I didn't want anyone else to be sad.

I could see Kurayami crying, hugging Norn who was going to be locked away forever too, but she at least could promise to always look out for Kurayami who didn't seem to think that was enough. Yamato and Takeru were sitting up on a nearby rooftop, holding their partners with them, trying to cheer them up. Sora was still with Biyomon, and near her were Hideto and Kiyoko, both of whom were trying to convince their partners it was the right idea. Taichi had taken all the partners aside and explained the situation to them—as Lopmon had told _me_ —and most of them understood and agreed with him. They had been the ones to deliver the news in the first place, but some of them—Warg and Melga included—didn't like the idea too much.

Koushiro and Tentomon were playing a game of chess on the laptop that was sitting on the paved floor in front of them, and nearby Mimi and Palmon were both openly weeping in one another's arms. Miyako and Ken were the most secluded of anyone that I could see, keeping their whole family together for one last meal. Michael had given them his picnic basket because he claimed he wasn't giving Betamon up, so he wouldn't need to have a picnic to commemorate their billionth—and final—picnic together. Poromon was fluttering around Mai adorably, pecking softly at her forehead like little kisses, while Hawkmon and Ken shared a leftover piece of cake from Taichi's wedding. Miyako and Wormmon were sorting through a box of films, deciding who got which. Miyako was trying to give Wormmon all of them, but he wanted to make sure that Mai had something to watch later on, when she could actually pay attention to anything for more than two seconds.

Iori, Armadillomon, Goblimon and Natsuni had now been joined by Hikari and Gatomon, and they were all sitting in a circle near the center of the square where they shared _their_ last moments as a 'family' and it reminded me of the final meal Hikari had had with _us_ before she'd moved out.

" _My home is in Japan," She had said, "I love it there, and Willis loves it here. Neither of us should have to leave our respected homes for the other, and neither of us are asking each other to. This is goodbye, and I love you all. I do, I'll be back to visit, but America isn't for me."_

" _But it is for me," I added stupidly_.

Funny how things could change so easily.

Daisuke had Labramon and was over at his noodle cart, officially welcoming him to the business, and handing him a chef's hat. He wouldn't be able to do much cooking—at least not while in his child stage, but I was sure they would figure everything out in the end. Veemon found it hilarious that Labramon was going to be working with him, but was very serious about remaining in charge. Monmon rushed past them all, grabbing a bowl of noodles from the stand and leaping off, bounding toward Emiko who giggled as she was reunited with her partner. She happily took the noodles, but Monmon took them from her and she was angry for a moment before finding that Monmon had taken them for Gomamon.

"I'm good, thanks," Gomamon said, but upon Emiko's insistence, he began to eat them. Jou and Momoe were sitting nearby with Bearmon, watching them play, and Jou looked like he had been punched repeatedly in the stomach. They had been moving their things all week, trying to find room for what was in their Digital World house in their larger house in Meguro in Japan. He was giving up a lot for this decision, but even _he_ seemed to know the meaning behind it was just.

When I found Aneko playing with Porcupamon I realized that Mari was nowhere to be seen. She would not have left Aneko here alone though so I knew she would be close by. I pulled out my digivice to check for her signal and found that there were several signals beeping outside the square. One was Michael, I knew. There were four signals in the council room where Haruhiko, Toshiko, Masami and Yoshie had all wandered off to say their farewells to Digitamamon, Andromon and Centarumon, all of whom had chosen to remain in the Digital World. Toshiko was able to keep her Mushroomon who had no desires to leave her. I had seen Isao wander off with his Unimon to say goodbye, and Jun and Shuu had finally stopped trying to convince Meramon to stay behind. He simply found life more comfortable and free in the Digital World, and of course they understood. Otamamon couldn't seem to find it in himself to see Meramon's point of view though and he was horrified that he would be losing a friend. Fumiko Hida—formerly Ishida—was forced to say goodbye to another one of her family members. Kotemon had chosen to stay behind to work with his fellow Knights, and although she was sad, she had Meiyomon to help her through it.

Kotemon wasn't the only one of the Knights who had chosen to stay with Centarumon and Andromon though, because Wizardmon and Dorumon were both saying their final goodbye's to their partners. Yuuko was particularly distraught as Taichi would be leaving her as well, but Kamemon and Susumu were trying to put her back together. Hiroaki had found a nice place near his ex wife, Natsuko and together—but separately—they were telling their partners they would miss them. Lunamon was sad to have to pick between the Olympos XII and Natsuko, but her decision was made easier when Coronamon had made the choice to stay in his home world. Kae was sobbing silently, unwilling to say goodbye to another 'child' as she had come to refer to him as and Kazuya was trying to help her, but was finding it difficult to keep himself from falling apart as well.

I knew that Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon had both thought about staying behind, but Mantarou and Chiziru were apparently too exciting to let go. It had been an awkward exchange though because Sora had walked in and tried to escape unnoticed—obviously not succeeding. Mantarou looked particularly sad, and it helped his partner make up his mind. Even Masa's Kunemon was going to make the move to Earth to keep in the family.

And of course, the absolute queen of drama herself, Mrs Tachikawa was _shrieking_ with pain at the loss of her own partner, Minervamon. Even with all the tears and screaming, she still looked poised and picture perfect, like she expected paparazzi or something to come along to photograph her.

But none of those were Mari, and while I knew Neo and Taichi had to be somewhere in the Temple as well, I had managed to narrow my search down to four blinking dots. One was near the Knights, and I simply guessed it to be Neo, while two others were outside the Temple walls coming closer and they were likely Taichi and Rei coming from their house. That left the final dot, in the destroyed courtyard, to be Mari.

I was wary about interrupting her time with Lalamon, but it needed to be done—if only for a moment. _I_ needed it if she didn't.

I stopped on my way to the courtyard, looking down a street to see many of the digmion from Witchenly. Some, such as Arukenimon and Mummymon, had already chosen to move away, finding refuge in the forest somewhere, but Tactimon and Zanbamon as well as their most loyal followers had chosen to wait for the town they had been promised. I wasn't sure how we would build that without Kiyoko, but we could find a way, surely. Phelesmon waved to me and I waved back, but I needed to get to Mari first. He seemed to understand anyway.

With the force of the digimon of the Temple—mostly the Witchenly crew— cleaning up wasn't too difficult, so Sigma's wreckage had already been cleared away, ready for the inevitable construction crew to come and actually fix it up. Inside, as I had expected, was Mari, sitting on a cracked bench in the center of the room with Lalamon sitting in her lap. Mari had been crying, that much I could tell, but it looked like she had found enough energy to stop anyway. For now.

Lalamon had noticed me first, and waved. They had been simply sitting in silence. Mari looked up, her bushy hair falling over her shoulders and she wiped at her face, making sure I would see no tears. "Hello Willis!" Lalamon sang as I came closer and Mari's mouth twitched downward momentarily. "Have you come to say goodbye to me?"

I shook my head and she seemed confused, but I took my place next to Mari. "I'm here to talk to Mari."

"Of course you are," Lalamon said suggestively before hopping off of Mari's lap. "I'll go dance around this tree and hum to myself, pretending I can't hear you."

"Sounds like a plan," I told her with a forced smile. She could tell it was forced. Of course she could. She was Lalamon. I rubbed the back of my head, thankful that Mari was staring to her feet as she rocked them back and forth aimlessly. "Hey," I said with a thick voice, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really proud of the way you've grown."

"Oh yeah?" Mari asked, hardly paying attention.

"Yeah," I said with more vigor, trying to capture her attention, "Is it weird that my first impression of you was that you were pure?"

"I don't think so," Lalamon admitted when Mari did not respond. "I think she's plenty pure."

"So much for not listening," I said.

"I said I 'pretend' which means I'm allowed to listen," Lalamon objected and I shrugged, deciding that at least if _she_ replied, the conversation wouldn't feel so one sided.

"You're in a place now where you don't care what anyone else says," I told her softly, reaching out to take her hand. She let me and looked up for just a moment before letting her eyes fall back to her feet. "No one can stop you now. You're on a one way trip to the top of the world, and I don't want you to let _anything_ step in your way." Mari said nothing. "Mari, I am in love with you."

That caught her attention. She turned sharply, staring to me with a mixture of shock and relief and she nodded her head. "I love you too."

"Yeah," I said, unsure how to respond. It sure felt weird. I hadn't told anyone this yet. I had made up my mind without any debate, but that didn't mean it was as easy to _share_ that decision as it was to make it. "I told Michael I was going to move from New York."

"I heard," Mari nodded her head, "Where are you going?"

"I thought about just _traveling_ , you know?" I asked, "Seeing the world and opening my mind even more. If Witchenly could change my perspective so easily, surely other places could do the same." Mari nodded, seeming to see my point. "But I can't do that now."

"Why not?" Lalamon asked.

"Because I'm going somewhere else, and I don't think you're going to like it," I said as bluntly as I could while still being gentle.

Mari shook her head sharply, already knowing the truth, " _Don't_ —"

"I'm going to live here with Terriermon and Lopmon."

It was then that both of our phones beeped. Mari swallowed thickly, staring at me for a moment before finally releasing my hand and turning to her phone. She pulled it out and read her message. She showed me my phone so I didn't have to look at mine. It was a simple message from Taichi.

" _It's time."_

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Time for the last chapter of the arc and the story? Woah!? No, I'm kidding it obviously isn't.


	37. It's Time

**Y/N:** Everyone gets a part. And by everyone, I mean all of the digidestined, we didn't leave anyone out this time-even Ryou's included! Thanks for reading it all up to this point!

 **U/N:** This is the final chapter of this arc, and while is says "part 2" we personally sorted 08 into 3 parts. The next part is only seven chapters or so, but then there is part three which a bit longer than that. I hope you're still reading and enjoying because I mean, we did spend a lot of time writing this xD I hope you like it all and I hope to upload the next few chapters with less of a hiatus than there was this time around! Sorry for the wait and thanks for reading :)

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 2: Conclusion**

 **Chapter 37: It's Time**

 _ **Ryou Akiyama:**_

"I'm having a really hard time finding the positive in this situation," I said, embarrassed that the statement was true. I'd spent my entire life finding the silver lining. But this time, I just didn't know if one existed. "I lose. I lose my friends, I lose _you_ , and I lose my family. I'm going to lose everything."

"You will be able to mystify everyone with your predictions of the future," Cyberdramon offered. I sighed.

"That'd be great, I guess, but on the flipside, nothing _new_ will happen for twelve years," I sighed. "There won't be anything I remember. I could have Uncle Tadao, I suppose, but he's not _my_ uncle. He's little Ryou's uncle. Tadao doesn't know me from a hole in the ground. He doesn't remember all the times I scraped my knee when he taught me to ride a bike. He doesn't remember all the whispered stories he'd tell me after Dad had told me to go to bed. He won't remember _me_. He doesn't know me yet."

"He could learn," Cyberdramon said, trying to seem optimistic.

"No," I said sadly. "I don't remember having an older brother growing up. I know I don't stay at home with my family. That's okay. I'd probably be pretty surprised if a future version of me showed up and wanted to share my parents and my house. Dad wouldn't want _that_ version of me anywhere near him either."

"I'm sorry about that," Cyberdramon said. "He doesn't know what he's missing."

"No," I said without humour. "He doesn't. He won't know for twelve more years, and by then, it'll be too late. I won't be a kid anymore, and he'll have missed a good chunk of my life. I _miss_ him, Cyberdramon, and he's never going to want me again. He won't want me until 2027, and by then I'll be twenty-six, and he won't want _me_ then. He'll want the kid that fell through time. I just can't win."

"It's not fair," Cyberdramon decided passionately. "You gave up so much to help these people, and that Gennai guy couldn't even get you back home."

"D'Arcmon told me to stay in Neverland, and that eventually destiny would put me back on course," I said. "You remember that, don't you? She said Gennai couldn't defeat destiny, no matter _what_ he thought. I wasn't _supposed_ to be trapped on Earth. I wasn't supposed to lose my childhood. I was supposed to go home. I _want_ to go home."

"Sometimes I forget how young you are," Cyberdramon told me, pulling me into his arms. My face landed against his chest, and it wasn't very comfortable—but it was still _comforting_. He was the one person that could understand me. He was part Monodramon and part Millenniummon. He didn't belong anywhere either, and he understood the flow of time in a way that no one else could. He was ancient and young all at once, because he was the sum of his two parts. "You're just a child. You should get a chance to _be_ a child."

"I want to," I said, trying to show him a smile. "But I don't want to be alone. Mimi said I could stay with her, and she's super nice. But she's not my mom. She's too happy, too rash, and too impulsive. Her mood swings are so drastic. She's nothing like my mom at all. And Koushiro isn't really like Dad either. I don't want to replace my parents. I want my actual parents."

"Maybe Mimi will let you get a dog?" Cyberdramon suggested, summoning up a rather pitiful amount of excitement.

"I don't need man's best friend," I said. "You're my best friend. I don't need anyone else."

"Ryou," he said. Whatever else he was going to say got cut off when the phone in my hand beeped. It belonged to _someone_ , but I didn't know who. It might've been Rei's, but I didn't know for sure. All I knew, was that there was a message from Taichi saying " _It's time_." I wasn't ready. But Millenniummon gave up his ability to manipulate time when he fused with Monodramon, and so I wasn't going to get any longer for this goodbye. "Time has run out," Cyberdramon said solemnly. "We must bid our farewells."

"Stop trying to be so dramatic," I said, trying to tease him. It didn't work so well, because my voice cracked in the middle, and I was so nervous and terrified. "Let's just get it over with. My life is ruined anyway. Literally _ruined_."

"Now who's being dramatic?" he asked me, laughing only once. The sound was thick with emotions that he dared not share. We walked quietly together towards the front gates of the Temple. I could see that several others were gathered there. Three fairy women were standing with glittering wings by the door, and I saw Taichi waiting on the opposite side of the gate to them. There was a small crowd gathered in front of him, but I could see others were dawdling, trying to get as much time as absolutely possible with their partners. I wished I'd done the same, but I hadn't realized it was an option.

Taichi wasn't waiting for them though, and he placed the key to Earth in the oversized keyhole of the Temple gates. The doors lit up, and soon there was nothing more than a swirling portal to Earth in the place of the gates. It was enormous, and daunting. My throat ran dry at the sight of it, and I stepped back, crashing into Cyberdramon.

"I don't want to go," I whispered shakily to Cyberdramon. "I'm scared."

"It is your home world," he said, sounding confused.

"It's not though," I told him, shaking my head. "It's a world where I'll be alone, and no one will understand me, and no one will know me. I'm two years old in that world. I already exist. I can't be _me_ if I go there. I'll have to give up my identity on top of everything else. I don't want to go. Don't make me go."

"I'm not going to make you," Cyberdramon said. "But you'll be giving up any chance of seeing your family again."

"You okay kid?" Taichi asked me. He glanced over my shoulder and held up a finger, telling whoever was behind me to wait a minute. He came over to me, and _didn't_ kneel down to me, the way Mimi did. He was treating me like a grown up, even though I was fourteen. I'd been fourteen for _years_ , but I was still a kid. No one grew up when they stayed in Neverland. That was the point of it. It was so weird to be treated like an equal, instead of a toddler.

"I don't want to go," I whispered.

"Don't you want to go home?" he wondered. I shook my head.

"It's not _home_ ," I said, feeling my fear and dread manifesting in tears on my cheeks. Water slowly dripped down to the end of my nose, and I wiped it off. "I don't _have_ a home. Not anymore. It won't ever exist again. I gave everything up to save this world. I don't have anything left for me back there."

"Then you should stay here with us."

I turned to see Taichi's new wife—who I could identify as Rei because they'd invited me, a total stranger, to their wedding—smiling at me. She offered me her hand and I took it, because that was the polite thing to do.

"Stay with us," she said again. "You don't _need_ to go. We're not leaving."

"You mean it?" I asked. Life would be much more bearable if I got to keep living in the Digital World with Cyberdramon. Maybe I'd get a chance to catch up with Veemon and Hawkmon and Armadillomon. I could help Hawkmon teach little Poromon about their people, since he'd told me all of their history when we'd been friends. I could explore the new Veemon population with Veemon, and learn why he was separated from the others so long ago. I could watch as Armadillomon awaited the hatching of his baby. I could learn to be good friends with the other digimon too.

"Of course I do," Rei said. "It's not fair of us to send you out into Earth on your own. Mimi would take good care of you, but if you're sure you won't regret your decision, then you can stay. We'll watch over you, and you can stay with Cyberdramon."

"I want to stay," I said firmly, _eagerly_. "Don't send me away."

"We won't," Taichi said, reaching out to clasp my shoulder, rather than mess with my hair. I offered him a watery smile, and he smiled back at me, before his eyes were drawn away again to whoever was behind me. "I'll talk to you later, okay? We can all have dinner together, since we'll all be stuck here forever."

"What _wonderful_ phrasing," Rei said sarcastically. Her eyes automatically sought out her brother, and she squeezed my hand once before going off to find him. Taichi left too and it was just Cyberdramon and me again.

"We've got forever now," I told him. I felt better about being with him, despite the absolute shambles my life had become. Forever was a _really_ long time—but with Cyberdramon, I was sure I could make it just fine.

 _ **Michael Washington:**_

"It just isn't fair," I said in a small voice.

"I know," Betamon told me weakly, snuggling closer to me. He pushed me back into the wall I had rested against and I became even more aware of the heated tears streaming down my face. My breathing was shallow and shaky but I was trying to push through. No one was paying me any attention so I didn't care what I looked like or what I sounded like, as long as Betamon knew how much I hated this. "But sometimes we have to go through things that are not fair, to help others."

I tried to speak. I tried to respond, but I couldn't. There was nothing to say. No, there was _too_ much to say, but no words to express it.

"That's the strength Gennai saw in you, Michael," Betamon said, finally shedding some tears of his own. "He saw what you would do for the greater good. You're selfless. I've seen you doing so much for others, and this is no different. I'll do whatever it takes to make peace, and I _know_ you'll do the same."

I opened my mouth and no sound came out. I probably looked pretty dumb. But then why did Betamon have such adoration in his eyes? "I will," I finally promised him. He nodded and looked up to me with a smile. "Betamon I'm so _sorry_ for everything that I did."

"Michael—" he tried to stop me. I knew he didn't want to hear me apologize anymore, but I wasn't done.

"I failed you for so long," I told him, holding him in my hands and staring right into his eyes. "I broke you. Sigma—or Arkadimon or _whoever_ was in charge—they may have done the deed, but it was _my_ fault."

"It was Sigma," Betamon said with such seriousness. "Sigma hurt me. It was never you. And I got back at him by helping in his demise. He was a _bad_ man, Michael. But he's gone forever now. The Coliseum even feels less dark. His presence is _gone_. _He_ is gone. We did our best to make it right, and we helped. It was Gomamon in the end, sure, but we _helped_."

"He's gone?" I asked stupidly. I knew it was true of course. We had seen it happen. I didn't know who had destroyed the heart and in a way I didn't believe it had happened, but I had seen Gennai disappear. I knew Sigma was gone. "You're okay?"

"I am," Betamon assured me. "Forever. And I mean forever. Through torture designed to make me forget you, I never did. I know I'll be okay because I'll never forget."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked away for a moment, trying to bat my eyes clean, but I wasn't particularly successful. "Well then I'm sorry for not trusting you."

"Way back then?" Betamon asked, actually managing a laugh, "Michael, those years we spent apart when we should have been together made us stronger. We learned so much about ourselves after knowing what it meant to be together. Don't lie. After meeting me you felt something."

"Of course I did," I told him, feeling a smile creep on my face. "I felt a connection because you're everything to me."

"That connection never went away," Betamon told me softly. "It's still there. And that's why you don't need to fear me leaving you, Michael. I'll never leave you, not really. I'll always be in your heart."

"How much more corny could that be?" I asked with a dry laugh. Betamon giggled and pressed forward, "But you're not wrong. You'll always be right here, with me. No matter where you are."

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

"I love you Mimi," Palmon cried, wrapping her long arms around Mimi. Mimi was just the same, sobbing and clinging to her partner.

"I love you too, Palmon," Mimi cried back. Palmon's long fingers expanded into her infamous Poison Ivy, and she coiled the vines around Tentomon and myself, pulling us into her embrace. I was crammed right up against Mimi. I wouldn't have minded, had it been even just a month ago. But it was now, and we were still in a rocky place. I was earning Mimi's trust back, and she was trying to help me through the long process of kicking my nasty habit. I didn't want to _need_ her help, but I did. And she was ready to give it the second I'd caved and asked for it.

Tentomon and Palmon had been there right alongside her. I couldn't do it alone, and now, thanks to Rida, and Gaia, and Maugrim and everything else that was going on around us, I would have to manage to get through this without them. Mimi was enough, but it was nice when I had more of a safety net to catch me before I fell too far back down into the deep waters I'd been drowning myself in before. I couldn't afford to fall into the habit again. I didn't want to lose Mimi. I didn't want to risk brain cells.

I didn't want to fail Gennai either.

Six years had passed since his first death, and I thought I was _finally_ in a place where I could accept it. My grieving wasn't _quite_ finished, but having had a chance to talk to him again, to have him explain some things—not enough though, never enough—helped me a great deal in that journey. It was hard to know we'd lost him once more so soon after getting him back. It was like destiny was teasing us to get back at us for our past mistakes.

I'd made so many recently—and now Tentomon couldn't keep me in line. I'd have to manage without him. He wouldn't be by my side as we sorted through any and all knowledge, and while I embarked on my quest to find true wisdom, rather than simple facts and statistics. I'd have to do that on my own—no, not on my own. Mimi had made it clear to me that I would never be alone, and that I'd always have _someone_ that could help me, no matter what it was that I needed help with.

But _would_ I?

I knew Mimi would be there, but Taichi was leaving. He was my boss, and therefore I was now officially unemployed—in addition to receiving no pay. I wouldn't have Tatum, or Centarumon, or Benjamin, or Andromon only a short trip to the Temple away. Haruhiko and Shuu would be in Japan at least, but it would seem strange to only have them at hand. It didn't help that my potential projects would be limited, and I wouldn't be able to continue towards my life's ambition of studying the Digital World. I would never see this world again. I would never get to understand its wonders, and know its history.

I'd never get to understand _Tentomon_ 's history.

That was something I'd hoped for years to discover something about, and now I'd lost my chance. I was out of time.

"Tentomon," I said, pressed up against Mimi's side in Palmon's tight hold. "Promise me something?"

"I can try," he offered. His voice sounded strained, and I could understand why. Palmon's hold seemed to be tightening by the second. She _really_ didn't want to let us go. Mimi sobbed into my ear, and Palmon's wails could be heard miles away.

"Keep learning," I pleaded. "Find out whatever you can and store it in your memory banks. Find out where you guys came from, and discover the ancient histories. Do that for me, will you? I can't do it anymore, but _you_ can."

"What good will it do _you_?" he asked, confused.

"Maybe nothing," I said, shaking my head. "But I want to know that you're out there discovering all the things I've always wanted to know. I need to know that _someone_ is uncovering all the mysteries of this world in my absence."

"I'll promise, if you promise something in return," he bargained. "You need to uncover all of _my_ mysteries in _your_ world."

"I promise," I said quickly. I'd do anything for him. He only needed to ask.

"I promise too, then," he agreed.

"Promise me that you'll never forget me," I whispered.

"Impossible," he said firmly. "You're too deeply embedded in my memory. Promise me that you won't forget our adventures, and all the fun we had?"

"Takeru's recorded everything," I assured him. "I'll have a source to refresh myself even if I somehow manage to forget anything. Promise me that you'll keep an eye on Palmon?"

"I was already planning on it," Tentomon said. "Promise to watch over Mimi?"

"She'll be watching _me_ more closely," I told him, laughing once without much humour. "Promise me that you won't let Taichi get in over his head?"

"I promise," he said with a sense of finality. "Promise me to go to rehab for your addiction."

"I don't need that," I protested instantly.

"For _me_?" he pleaded.

"For you," I said with a sigh, knowing that I'd have to do it. I couldn't fail to follow one of his final requests. "Palmon?" I asked softly. She tightened her grip even further, and I pried my arm out of her strangle hold and patted her head. "I will miss you too, just as much as I'll miss Tentomon."

"And I will miss you, Mimi," Tentomon assured Mimi. "Forever. You are my family."

"Our family is being ripped in _half_!" Palmon cried, harder than ever before. "It's just so _sad_."

"Forever is too long," Mimi sobbed.

"It might not be forever," I said. Takeru's teachings flashed into my mind. In the Land of Dreams he taught me that facts weren't always the _only_ option. Sometimes you had to follow your gut instincts. And my gut was telling me that this was the time to have hope.

"Don't you think so? Taichi seems convinced," Tentomon said, sounding thoroughly confused. I shook my head.

"We might never get to come back to the Digital World, and you might never make it to Earth, but we'll see each other again—even if we're dead by the time it happens. We'll see each other again, and we'll have learned twice as much when we get the chance to share it all," I said, feeling overly optimistic, despite how little chance that plan had of succeeding. Digimon were recycled upon death—it was in their very code. We wouldn't be. But that didn't matter. For the first time, my gut and my mind were telling me different things, and I figured Takeru's lesson might be a bit of wisdom, rather than simple knowledge after all. "Now, I have a council to say goodbye to. I can't very well leave without wishing them farewell. Palmon, I will miss you," I told her again, leaning down and pressing my lips quickly to the top of her head. It felt almost awkward, since I wasn't a very physical person, but she released me from her hold, and hugged me around the middle, burying her head against my stomach. I watched as Mimi and Tentomon melted together too, and I tried to remind myself of the wisdom that I'd spoken of not even five minutes ago. It was hard. Palmon was right. We _were_ splitting our family in half.

"I'll watch the nature channel every night," Mimi promised Tentomon. He seemed pleased, and then he was backing away from her, not wanting to take his eyes off of her and miss a second of her presence. I threw an arm around him, catching him midair, and held him close to me as we made our way—still walking backwards—to Andromon and Centarumon. Dad was there too, and I knew it was hard for him, just as it was for me.

Goodbyes were _always_ hard—even for me.

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

"Gabumon you should know that I'm not happy that I was right," I told him thickly. He kicked a stone and it bounced down the street toward where my dad was sitting with Wizardmon. He looked up to me and smiled in Gabumon's direction. Gabumon of course waved to him, but chose to spend our last moments together. "I hate that I'm right."

"Well you're not," Gabumon said bluntly. "It was Gennai who was right, not you. You were just wise enough to see that he had a point."

"Not wise," I corrected. "I was stupid."

"Not at all," Gabumon gasped, shaking his head enthusiastically. He grabbed my hand and stopped me, leaping into my path. "You were so brave. You chose to give me up for the world."

I bit my lip hard and looked away from him. "That sounds awful." Gabumon shook his head again, trying to disagree, but he wouldn't convince me otherwise. "I would not trade you for anything. You mean more to me than the fate of the worlds."

"Which is why, you can't stay," Gabumon said flatly. My stomach twisted and I shook my head, "Don't object. I know your big plan was to come here with me. I'm not going to let you."

"You don't actually—" I interjected.

"I do," Gabumon decided flatly. "I think that's wonderful and admirable that you thought of me like that, but if you think I'm going to let you give up your dream, your family—Takeru! If you think I'm going to allow you to come here and be alone forever—"

"But I wouldn't be alone," I snapped, "I would have you."

"And I would have you," Gabumon agreed, "But I think we can agree it would be better if you were surrounded with your own kind. I won't let you. I _won't_ let you." There was silence following his words where tears actually began to well up in my eyes. He was right. I knew he was right. I wasn't Taichi. I _wasn't_ him. I couldn't push people away because I was stressed, I couldn't act rashly and spend my savings on random purchases. I couldn't live here in the Digital World. I wasn't Taichi. I was Yamato.

"I have to leave you," I said, finally letting it sink in. My chest felt tight, like someone was ripping away at it and my heart was clenched tightly. I fell to my knees and pulled him closer. "I don't want to leave you."

"Y-Yamato!" Gabumon said through his inevitable tears. "I love you. You're my best friend. I'm so happy that we're friends, Yamato! I'm so happy that you have enough trust in me to leave me behind. And I'm so happy that we'll have so many stories to share when we meet again."

"M-meet again?" I stammered. "You think the worlds will—"

"I didn't say that," Gabumon said, pushing me back gently, "But that doesn't mean this is goodbye. I believe."

"In what?" I asked, blindly wiping at my tears.

"In _you_ , Yamato."

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya**_ :

"Look on the bright side buddy," I said, patting Veemon on the head. He looked up from Haruki, who he was holding for dear life. "You'll get to live with Patamon now. That's what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah," Veemon admitted begrudgingly. "It's not how I wanted it to happen though."

"Picky, picky," I teased him. I wished I'd thought to bring a camera with me. This would be the last chance I'd have of getting a picture of Haruki with Veemon or Labramon. Those were important pictures. And I was going to miss them. I was an idiot. I'd woken up that day, desperate to spend every available second with Veemon, and hadn't thought of anything else. Veemon and Labramon both seemed to have a similar idea, though they seemed to want to spend all of their time with Haruki, rather than me. I knew Veemon loved me. I knew I was his best friend, just as he was mine. But Haruki kind of had this super power, where everyone's attention was always drawn to him, because he was just so freaking adorable.

I wasn't sure how we were supposed to get him through this.

Haruki was a creature of habit. He'd gotten used to having Veemon and Labramon around. He'd pitched a fit when Patamon stopped being at his beck and call, and now we were taking his favourite watchers out of the picture too. He was going to hate us.

"Are you gonna stay with us mister?" DemiVeemon asked, looking up to Veemon with worship in his eyes. I didn't know what stories Rei had been telling about us, but I hoped they didn't get to Veemon's head. We were representatives of _humility_ after all, and all this praise probably wasn't a good thing in the long run. "Are ya?"

"Sure am," Veemon said trying to smile pleasantly at the little guy.

"Is _he_ stayin' too?" he asked, gesturing to Haruki.

"Naw," I said, shaking my head. "He's gotta come home with Kurayami and me. We can't leave him behind."

"That's not fair," DemiVeemon said, pouting. "I'm never gonna get to see 'im again. I got a present for 'im and everythin'."

"What do ya got?" I asked, curious.

"A digivice," DemiVeemon said sadly. "But now we're never gonna get ta use it. What's the point?"

"You're his partner?" Kurayami asked, surprising me. She'd been sitting with the other Veemon, who were all trying to get her to share some last minute stories about my buddy. Labramon was spinning wild tales that couldn't possibly be true, and Kurayami was trying to rein him in, but the damage was done. Those guys believed that Veemon had somehow managed to lasso the moon, in order to save the man that used to live on it.

"Uh-huh," DemiVeemon said. "I never got a chance to know 'im."

"I'm so sorry," Kurayami apologized. "We can't keep him here. We've got to take him home. But I'm so sorry that we didn't introduce you sooner. We didn't _know_ , or we would have. I swear."

"I'll give him his digivice when he's older," I promised. "I'll tell him all about you, and what it's meant for. He's going to know. We're not going to hide our pasts. We're going to tell him everything. You'll be at the top of the list."

"You mean it?" DemiVeemon said, sounding hopeful. It wasn't much, to tell Haruki about this little guy that was his partner. It really wasn't anything at all. It wouldn't make a difference, but I was going to tell him. Haruki deserved to know, and this little digimon deserved to be talked about.

"You betcha," I told him. "Come and meet him."

Veemon knelt down to the ground so DemiVeemon could take a look at my son. He reached out and held his hand, and talked with him, and burst into tears when Haruki reached out to grab him. He was so emotional, and so sad. Kurayami started tearing up too, and Veemon was practically bawling.

"Kurayami," Labramon said shyly. "I'm really happy that we don't have any secrets anymore. I'm glad that we get to move on with a clean slate. I don't want to be wondering about anything once you're gone. It'll make it easier. It won't be _easy_ , but it will be easier at least. I know that Gaia has your darkness, and I know that you're sad about the loss of it, and that you were fooled by her. I know everything. Thank you for being open with me, and accepting me as your partner, even though you had pretty bad experiences with Apocolymon and Fanglongmon before you met me."

"I'm so glad I met you," Kurayami said.

"Hang on," I said, feeling a little guilty for eavesdropping—but I was too emotional to watch as that poor In-Training tried to get to know my son in the span of twenty minutes. Haruki wasn't even big enough yet to really _know_. It was hard to watch, so I focussed on something else, and I might've happened to end up eavesdropping in the process. Oops. "There's still one mystery. Why were there muddy boots under the floor boards in the closet?"

"Yeah!" Labramon exclaimed, remembering them, just as I had.

"I was embarrassed," Kurayami admitted, flushing bright red. "I told you I was out trying to get a job, and I thought I could maybe be a fisherman. I was supposed to be catching red herring, but I just fell in the mud instead."

"Huh," I said.

"No more mysteries?" Labramon asked.

"Nope," Kurayami assured him. "Now, it's time to get my baby. We're going to be leaving soon."

"I've got to talk to Veemon," I realized suddenly. Time was ticking, and I was going to run out soon. I needed to say so much to Veemon. DemiVeemon was crying in the arms of a different Veemon when I met up with my partner. Veemon followed me to the noodle cart and I leaned against it. "Hey, buddy."

"Don't you mean _goodbye_?" he asked, dully.

"I guess so," I agreed. "It doesn't seem real, you know? We've done this before, and it didn't feel real then either. But it always is. I might never see you again. There's so much I know I want to tell you, and I can't think of a single thing."

"I know what you mean," Veemon said. "My mind's all blank."

"I love you," I said. "I know I want to say that. You're my best friend, no matter what, and no one will ever take your place."

"I'll miss you until the end of forever—which can't happen, because it's _forever_ , duh," he told me.

"I'm sorry I have to leave you," I whispered.

"You have to do what's best for Haruki," he said, shrugging. "I get it. I don't have to like it though. I don't want to say goodbye to you, or Kurayami, or Takeru, or Haruki. I don't want to miss his first steps or his first words. Do you think you can keep teaching him _Veemon_? I was teaching him in secret, so Kurayami wouldn't find out."

"I'll give it my best shot buddy," I told him. I patted the cart and tried to control my emotions. I could be a crying mess later, when I was back in Sora's basement, and we were all miserable together. "You gotta keep this cart running. It's something we can always have in common. We're still business partners, even if we're in different worlds. We could compare our results if we ever meet again."

"Mine will be better," Veemon assured me. "I've literally got forever in front of me."

"We'll see," I told him slyly. "I'll get my carts all around the world, and _then_ who'll be laughing?"

"Still me," Veemon assured me. "I've got a plan already in place. I'm going to build more carts and have the other Veemon work at them, with one in each town—once Taichi figures out how Kiyoko's program works. I'll have a lot of employees that only want lunch out of the deal. I've got a leg up."

"I'll find a way to win," I protested. He just laughed at me. He was probably right. But I didn't find that I was disappointed. If I had to lose to anyone, Veemon would've been my first choice.

 _ **Takeru Takaishi**_ :

"I don't want to be crying," I said in the biggest voice I could find inside me. I was trying to memorize the feeling of Patamon in my arms and trying to force the thought of my book out of my mind. This was the worst ending I could have imagined.

"I don't want to be crying either," Patamon admitted, but somehow neither of us was able to stop. "It's funny though, isn't it?"

I looked down to him, where he sat in my lap and cocked my head. "F-funny?" I asked.

He nodded, "Funny!" he shook his head and a single tear shook from his face and landed on my shirt. "Two lifetimes I've known you. This is my _third_. And even now, I just don't think it's the last time."

"How can you be so optimistic?" I asked with much less humour than he had managed to find.

He looked shocked for a moment, "How can you _not_ be?" I looked away from him and saw Yamato wandering down a street with Wizardmon and Dad. Mom and Lunamon weren't far off and I knew that they would join them soon too. They would all come to join Patamon and I. That meant this was our last moment together _alone_. "We've saved the world simply by _being_ optimistic, Takeru! I don't need proof to know we'll see each other again."

"Share with me some of your hope," I told him weakly, "I need some more."

"You sure do," Patamon assured me. "If you don't have any, who will keep the balance for Earth?"

"You're right," I nodded, internally forcing my sadness away. I needed to find the power to be happy again. If Patamon was so sure we'd meet again, then I could feel the same, right? We knew each other well. We had to be in sync. He was hopeful, and so I was too. I _had_ to be. "I've always asked myself if I believe in science or in faith, and I think you just answered that for me."

"And what's the answer then?" Patamon asked.

"I believe in something in the middle," I decided, "I believe there is an answer to everything, but that there are forces beyond all of us that can string us along and show us the way. I believe that because I think _you_ are one of those forces. If we're led to those who help us most to grow, I don't think I'll ever meet anyone as important as you. You've changed me so much—for the better."

"You've changed me too, Takeru," Patamon cried, hugging me to the best of his ability. "But I think the next person for you is Hikari."

"You think so?" I asked, looking her direction. I could see her too. She looked beautiful, and kind and _sad_. "I think she's the right girl for me, anyway. But she'll never replace you, Patamon."

"I wouldn't want her to," Patamon said honestly, "but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a bunch to teach you." He was right of course. There was a _long_ way to go with Hikari, and I was excited for the journey. But I didn't want to leave Patamon out of that quest. Everyone was searching for their happiness but I'd never had to, because _he_ was my happiness. He was everything.

I heard Mom's voice now and when I looked up I saw that she was close. "Patamon," I said quickly, looking down into his enormous eyes, "You're perfect."

"No, _you're_ perfect," Patamon falsely corrected. I tried to object but he spoke over me, "We'll be perfect together," he decided and I laughed. I heard his laugh too and I was afraid it might have been the very last time I would get that opportunity. "And as long as you keep hoping on your end, and I do the same on mine, we'll keep the light glowing just fine."

"Hope is what it means to not lose the light," I recited, nodding my head.

"Even in the darkest of times," Patamon finished for me. "If this isn't dark, I don't know what is."

"Well it won't be dark," I objected, "Like you said. We'll keep hoping. Because we'll meet again, won't we?"

"Absolutely," Patamon nodded as his eyes flicked up to my family. My stomach twisted, but we would have to say goodbye eventually. Why was now any worse? I held him close and Patamon seemed to understand. "I'll miss you so much?" he said weakly.

"I'll miss you too."

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

"Aneko needs you," Lalamon reminded me. We hadn't said a word other than her constantly telling me that I would need to stay for Aneko. I already _knew_ that, but that didn't mean it wasn't impossible to keep thinking that might be able to come with her. But I _couldn't_. Lalamon was leaving me. It was Gennai's fault. If he hadn't forced Lalamon to take the crest from me mere _days_ ago then she wouldn't have had to go.

I couldn't keep my mind from wandering and imagining a life where I lived _here_ in the Digital World with Willis and with Lalamon. I could bring Hideto and Kiyoko—together we could be happy. But I couldn't leave Aneko. I didn't regret saving her from my parents, and I didn't blame her, but in a way I wished I did. Because then I could have someone to blame.

I could blame Taichi, but that wouldn't be fair. It wasn't his fault. There was _no one_ to blame. It was safest for the worlds for her to be in one place, and it was safest for Aneko for me to be in another. It didn't _feel_ fair, to have to say goodbye to her after having been so close to living a happy life, but I knew it _was_. We loved each other, and _could_ have lived happily with one another, if there was no hatred in the world. Peace was unable to be kept if we stayed together.

It felt like crap.

But it followed whatever prophecy had been made. Ryou had been granted his crest, and now the worlds would find peace. It just wasn't in the way we had expected.

"Mari, I want you to know that I'm happy," Lalamon said blankly, "So happy."

"I'm happy too," I agreed, feeling strange about having to say it, "I'm happy to know that you're alive. I don't like saying goodbye, but it will be better this time, because you're okay. I know you're okay and you'll always be okay because no one will let anything happen to you. You have friends to help you, just like I do."

"Damn right," Hideto grinned from nearby. I shot him a glare, but he wasn't done. "I don't mean to interrupt, but if I were to ask you a question, would you give me an answer?"

"Is _that_ your question?" Lalamon asked.

Hideto shook his head, "Nope."

"If you ask quickly, then sure," I said, feeling a high level of impatience rise up in my chest.

Hideto nodded, and looked over toward Warg and Melga who were saying their farewell to Kiyoko now and he patted his knees and said, "Would now be a bad time to say something serious to someone?"

I let my eyes follow his and found Warg and Melga. I didn't know what he wanted to say to them, but whatever secret he had been keeping for them or whatever he wanted to say to them, he _had_ to tell them now or he might never get to. "Of course it's a bad time, but you have to anyway."

Hideto nodded and didn't wait for any further discussion, making his way to his partners giving me my time with Lalamon.

"You should know that I'll never stop trying to get back here," I told her with the most genuine expression I could bear. "No, I won't be obsessive and have my windows boarded up. I'll live a normal life, but I'll keep trying."

Lalamon hummed her deliberation for a moment and then sighed, "Okay, that's fair." I smiled and reached toward her to embrace her, catching sight of Aneko behind her. "There's one more person you'll need to say goodbye to."

"I've already been planning it in my head," Lalamon giggled, turning to Aneko, never letting go of my hand.

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

This was happening. It wasn't _supposed_ to be happening. Was this the reward we got for fighting so hard to find peace? We got to be ripped away from the other half of our souls. That was the worst reward I'd ever even _heard_ of. I was watching Ken out of the corner of my eye. He was holding Mai while he sat on the ground so that Wormmon had a chance to really see her. I could imagine him giving her movie recommendations already.

When he wasn't looking, I slipped the movies he'd insisted I keep for Mai into the box he'd decided he was allowed to take. I also put a receipt in there that assured him I bought a second copy of each of them. I also left a really long letter about how he and Mai could watch the same movies, and how they might be watching them at the same time, and how heartbreakingly cute I thought it would be. It was something they could have in common. It was a connection they'd be able to carry with them, even if Mai was unable to remember these early days of her life. Wormmon would remember, though. And most of the movies he'd wanted to leave with us were his absolute favourites, so I just _couldn't_ let him leave them behind. What if he wanted to watch them? He couldn't just go out and buy a copy like I could.

I wished I was over there with my family, but I wasn't. I was standing with Daisuke and Iori, and we were standing face to face with the fairies that chose us for this quest in the first place. If they hadn't chosen us, we wouldn't have gotten a Crest, and we could have kept our partners with us.

But they _had_ chosen us, and there was no point in dwelling on it. The past wasn't going to change, and there was nothing that could change our future either. The path we'd taken had just come to a fork in the road and we were all being forced to take different paths.

"Summer," Iori said. His voice was firm, but it wasn't steady. Summer's hesitant smile melted away and she rushed to him, folding her arms around him and quickly as she could. Iori held her tightly, and I felt my stomach twisting at the thought of Iori leaving his aunt behind. He already had to say goodbye to Armadillomon and Kotemon, and now Summer was added to the list. Goblimon had yet to make up his mind. He didn't want to send Armadillomon off alone, but he also didn't trust Natsuni's health to the baby. He was at an impasse. He'd have to make his decision soon though.

"My Forgiving Knight," Summer cried. "I will miss you dearly, my sweet Knight. You have made me proud time and time again. I will miss our chats, and our picnics. You have accepted me as your family and I feel as though I am abandoning you."

"It's not your fault," Iori assured her, still managing to keep himself together.

"It's no one's _fault_ ," Winter said, rolling her eyes. "It's destiny."

"Destiny works in mysterious ways don't'cha know," Spring said, holding a finger in the air as though she was giving a lecture.

"I'll miss you, Spring," Daisuke told her. "You really know what you're talking about, even if no one else can understand."

"You do though," she said with a soft smile. "I will miss that, I think the most."

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to find you," Daisuke added. "I should've looked harder. I just didn't understand yet."

"I know," she said. "You've done far more splendidly than ever I could have imagined when I picked you. I knew I picked the right kid."

I waited for Winter to say something— _anything—_ but she didn't. Summer and Spring both looked to her, and she just focused on her fingernails. I was growing impatient and also self-conscious. I tended to babble when I felt that way. I could feel the words spilling out of my mouth as though I was vomiting them.

"I don't know why you don't like me," I said. I was picking up speed with each word. "I haven't done anything wrong, or at least I don't think so, but I also don't know if I've done anything _right_ either. You've never really told me what you wanted out of me, and you never said why you wanted to pick me. You don't seem to like me, which makes me think you didn't really _want_ to pick me, you just felt obligated for some reason. I don't know why. You shouldn't have picked me if you didn't think I was worth it. I don't like feeling like I've messed everything up—unless I really _have_ messed everything up….I did, didn't I? I keep trying to be your friend, but you don't want my friendship, and I'm _sorry_ for whatever it is that I've done to offend you."

"I don't hate you," Winter said, interrupting my continuous flow of consciousness. I was spiraling around and around in my haste to spit out as many words as possible, trying to talk my way out of self-consciousness—which never worked at all, because babbling just made me feel _more_ self-conscious.

"But you don't like me," I summarized. She was going to say something—though I didn't know whether it was to confirm or deny my statement—but Mai started crying, and I instinctively went towards her. I looked over my shoulder. "I don't hate you. I don't like you sometimes, and I think you're mean, but I wanted to thank you for picking me. I might not like that I was chosen at this particular moment, but you've brought me so many things, just by believing in me when I was a child. You brought me to Ken, and to Iori and to Daisuke. You brought me Hawkmon and all of our friends. You brought me adventure, and I'm closer to my siblings now than I've ever been and it's all because you thought I was worth it once. My adventures helped shape me into the person I am today, and I just wanted to say thank you, even if I _am_ a disappointment to you."

I turned away after that and hurried to my daughter. I trusted Ken with her, but I couldn't ignore Mai's summoning. She wanted something, and it was ingrained in my very bones to answer when she called.

I was afraid of Winter's response anyhow.

 _ **Jou Kido:**_

I kicked the wall harder than I should have, and winced at the pain that shot through my foot.

"Jou, this is silly," Gomamon insisted, rushing along behind me. I couldn't stop moving long enough to say a simple goodbye to him, instead I found myself running down the streets and fuming with frustration. "Jou, please stop!"

I couldn't. Why didn't he understand that?

"Jou!" Gomamon snapped. I forced my feet to stop moving and felt queasy immediately. I stood in place, staring down to him and he looked up with watery eyes. "Talk to me?"

"I-I-I c-can't!" I stuttered before spinning on the spot and finding the nearby wall, slamming my fists into it. Anger coursed through me again. No. Not anger. _Pain_. It was frustration and it was pain, so why was it coming out as anger? "It just _sucks_."

"I know," Gomamon agreed, "I don't want to go either."

"I shouldn't _have_ to go!" I said loudly, rounding on him and instantly regretting the volume of my voice. His worry was enough to calm me. I fell to my knees and pulled him toward me. He struggled at first but fell into the hug in the end. "My job is here. My house is here. _You_ are here. But _I_ can't be here. I can't stay. Emiko can't grow up here. She needs _people_. She needs a life."

"Jou," Gomamon said, slapping me across the face. I was in such a shock that I didn't even manage to reply. "I _know_ that already. I know what you're thinking—don't you get it? I know why you can't, I also understand why you might _want_ to. But you _can't_. I get it and _you_ get it, so get _over_ it and talk to me!" I felt pretty stupid for having assumed he wouldn't understand. But of course he would have. He did and that meant it was alright if we said goodbye. It meant that we would both understand and while we were on a very sad page of our relationship at least we were on the _same_ page. "You made a promise when Emiko was born that you'd never stop caring about me. You've kept it so far, so I'm not afraid Jou."

"You remember that?" I asked, thinking back to the time when I was driving a _bus_ in order to stop Fanglongmon and Dragomon.

"Of course I do," He nodded flatly, "And I believe that you'll keep it because you got me to evolve to another level. You must be serious. And I'm serious when I say that we don't have to be together to care about one another." I crinkled my nose, trying to push the tears back but it was inevitable. I groaned and tried to pull Gomamon into another hug but he pushed me back. "You should tell Puraido that I say goodbye. I never got the chance."

"Of course," I assured him, "I'll tell him."

"And tell Emiko that she's beautiful at least once a week," Gomamon decided, beginning his rambling. "Make sure Momoe gets her act in gear because if she doesn't start organizing the cupboards more clearly, Emiko is going to have a field day with pranks because you'll never know what's missing and what isn't. Also, Momoe wants to have a baby, and since there isn't any war anymore, can you go ahead and have one? I know you want one, Jou. It's time you start doing what you want. Sure I'm always on you about helping others, and forcing you to get back to work but it's because I know you'd be upset if you didn't. You're out of a job for now, so have a baby, and then get yourself a good job. Make sure you're happy and healthy and helping others—but never stop helping _yourself_ or your family. You need to remember that Jou, okay? It's im—"

"I'll do it all," I agreed, pulling him into a hug, "But just because you asked me to."

"Sure," Gomamon said sarcastically, "now get off of me." I laughed at him and he managed a laugh too.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

I hadn't been having a very good time. Neo talked me into killing my first love—which the _real_ Sigma was actually pretty happy about, but it still bothered me—and now I had to say goodbye to my best friend. Tapirmon was hugging my side, and I was wrapped around both him and Gravimon's long leg. I couldn't believe that I was going to lose both of them already.

Warg and Melga had raced over to say goodbye to Spring, abandoning me before I was ready to let go of them. I was never really going to be ready though. I couldn't be. I needed them. I wasn't _ready_ to move on from that stage in my life. Without Gravimon, I didn't believe I could be brave. Without Tapirmon, I wasn't sure I could really be happy. Without Warg and Melga, life didn't seem quite as spontaneous. Without Dracomon, things wouldn't be so fun. Without Lalamon, I would be lost once more in my memories. She'd been helping me sort them out, because she listened without judgement. Tapirmon couldn't help but insert his opinion here and there, but I just needed someone to listen. And she did that for me.

I couldn't put the burden on Hideto or Mari—or _Aneko_. I couldn't imagine opening up to Neo about some of the stuff, not after he'd made me kill the man that provided a bunch of those confusing memories.

And on top of losing all of my digimon friends, I was losing Rei too.

It was a really bad day for me. It was a bad day for everyone else too. I knew that. But it seemed like everything bad was coming all at once. I thought I was done with bad things for awhile when we'd finally gotten home from Witchenly.

"I'm sorry I dragged you away from your home," I told Gravimon. "I promised I would visit and now I can't."

"It is alright," Gravimon said, though I knew he missed his forest. "There are forests here. I shall have to claim one as my own. I will take the Wizards and Fallen Angels with me, and we can rule over it, finding a place to call home once again."

"I'm sorry I never got the towns built," I cried, realizing that I had failed at that, when Taichi had put so much faith in me. "I left Taichi the programs, but I don't know if he knows how to do it."

"I need nothing more than trees," Gravimon assured me.

"Look out for Tapirmon, won't you?" I asked him. I looked to Tapirmon, and smiled as best I could. "And you'll look after Gravimon too, right? Gravimon's scary, so lots of digimon are going to have nightmares, so you'll be well fed. I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I won't be sleeping though, that's for sure."

"It's Sigma isn't it," Tapirmon told me. He wasn't asking. He already knew.

"I killed him," I said. "I'm still having nightmares. And now I'll have nightmares of losing you. I won't know _what's_ happening in this world when I'm trapped in another one. I could lose you and I won't even know it. And that is _terrifying_."

"I will watch him," Gravimon assured me.

"I can take care of myself," Tapirmon grumbled, grumpy about seemingly being treated like a child. But he _had_ to understand how much I depended on knowing that he was around. If I couldn't _see_ him, I couldn't know that he was alive, and that meant I would be completely lost. I didn't know what to do without him. I needed Rei _and_ Willis _and_ Gravimon to keep me sane the last time around. I was losing them too—Willis was travelling the world, as far as I knew, and even if he wasn't, he lived in America. That was too far for me to visit as often as I'd need to.

"Be safe," I pleaded to him. He nodded.

"You be happy," Tapirmon ordered. "Find a way to be happy. Go back to school and get your high school diploma. Go through school to become an architect, or an interior designer. Find something you like to do, and share it with people you love. The nightmares won't come so often if you're happy. That's why I think you never _truly_ loved Sigma. You never trusted him, and love is nothing without trust. You weren't happy, and the nightmares were always there. It's how I know you love Hideto. You don't have as many bad nightmares."

"I can _try_ to be happy," I said. "But almost everyone I love is leaving me today."

"I know," Tapirmon said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," I cried. "I'm sorry I'm leaving you too."

"I'll stay with you," Lalamon assured Tapirmon. She patted Gravimon on the leg, and smiled up at him. "I know we won't be able to fuse, since we won't have our partners, but we can stick together anyway. Alias III are loyal to one another. We'll just stick together as much as possible, yes?"

"I'm sorry I'm such failure," I said, feeling the words deeply, even if Lalamon hadn't meant it as an insult. "I didn't learn tenacity fast enough."

"That's okay," Lalamon said. "I'm happy enough being with my friends again, instead of that stinky old dump. I'm going to miss Mari, but I won't be able to help that."

"I'm going to miss you too, Lalamon," Mari said, walking hand in hand with Aneko, having been strolling along behind Lalamon. I fell to the ground and hugged Lalamon tightly. I didn't want to waste a second. Alias III was losing _a lot_ of members today, and it was killing me. I didn't know how to handle all of this loss. "And Kiyoko? We're leaving our digimon today, but that doesn't mean you have to stop learning tenacity. You can still figure it out. You're meant to, after all."

"I know," I said with a long, sad sigh. "But I wanted to see them in all their glory. Too bad time ran out."

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

Goblimon decided to go. He was going to stay in the Digital World so that Armadillomon didn't have to leave our family on his own. I didn't like that. But I also did. I didn't want to say goodbye to any other member of our family, but I was happy that the two of them would be together. Natsuni was crying, because Goblimon had—up until this point exactly—been planning on staying with us. Now he was leaving too.

Our new house seemed obnoxiously large now that we were losing two members of the family. Four members really, since Gatomon and Armadillomon's egg were going to. None of us would get a chance to meet the baby digimon. I wanted to. I wanted to see the digimon that had managed to survive fossilization in the Dark Ocean. But Armadillomon wasn't about the leave it behind, and I didn't want to take it from him.

Hikari was hugging Goblimon tightly, and then moved to Natsuni. She was making the rounds, hugging _everyone_. She was miserable, losing so many friends all at the same time. She was suddenly hanging around my neck, and then she was hugging Armadillomon. And then, just as quickly as she'd come, she left again, not able to hold her emotions in check, and had to start another hunt for some tissue. Gatomon lingered for a few seconds, hugging both Natsuni and I tightly, and purring gently at us.

"I'm going to miss you," I told her.

"I'm gonna miss Natsuni's cooking," she joked, I laughed because she was hoping for it, and Natsuni just blubbered, trying to do the same. Gatomon gave her another hug, and then followed off after Hikari.

"Gob-blimon," Natsuni cried. "Why do you have to stay?"

"I must watch over Armadillomon. He has informed me that the egg is _ours_. I have a child to look after," Goblimon told her, holding the egg out. "I mustn't abandon this baby."

"I understand," Natsuni said. But it didn't sound to me like she really did. She was having trouble breathing properly, and I wished there was something I could do to help calm her. There wasn't though. The only remedy would be time. She was losing her partner, just as I was. I knew that it would take ages for me to be able to face a day without feeling the pain of losing him—and Kotemon and Summer and Goblimon all at the same time.

"I'm going to be a dad, Iori," Armadillomon said. "And you're going to be a dad. But we won't get to be dads together. I wanted to though."

"I wanted to too," I assured him. "I was hoping we'd be able to learn from each other. I wanted that chance to share this next step of our lives together. But that's not an option. The cards have been laid upon the table. There's no escaping this. We have to say goodbye."

"You'll be the best dad, Iori," he told me, looking to Natsuni's stomach.

"Not as good as you," I countered. "You did such a good job with me. I know I sometimes act like you're a child, instead of my partner and mentor, but I _do_ appreciate everything you've had to do for me over the years. I've remembered every lesson you've ever taught me. I want to always live up to your expectations of me. I don't remember my dad much, but if I'm half as good with my baby as you were with me, then I'd be doing a damn good job."

Armadillomon blushed, but I didn't make any more fuss about it. There was nothing he could deny either. It was all perfectly true.

I glanced at the large portal that Taichi had created from the Temple gates, and sighed. The time was running short, and there was so much left to say. I moved from Armadillomon for the moment, to say my goodbyes to Goblimon, knowing full well I'd _find_ time to say goodbye to Armadillomon again. I just couldn't get used to the idea of saying goodbye.

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

"Kura?" I turned from Labramon who was kissing Haruki on the forehead and found Norn standing near a wall with Porcupamon, who was distracted with Aneko, who was dancing around with Mari and Lalamon, who both managed to find enough happiness to do exactly that. Norn looked rather bitter though, and of course I knew why. She didn't want to leave, but she knew it had to be done. As the only remaining piece of Yggdrasil (and as such being my million-times-great aunt, which was weird) she was required to serve the worlds and that meant solving the one problem that both Theta and Yggdrasil died before following through with. They wanted peace, and Norn was going to be the ruler while that happened. She was going to see to it that her father's true wishes were seen by the worlds. "I have something to show you."

I nodded and turned to Daisuke, "Can you?" I asked, holding Haruki out. He nodded and took the baby. I patted Veemon's head, realizing that our time was running short, and then motioned for Labramon to follow me. He did not hesitate to follow and then together we were hurrying toward Norn and Porcupamon who were already making their way to the exit to the square. "Wait!" I called out and Norn's steps faltered. She froze and looked back to me, not bothering to attempt a smile. "Where are we going?" I asked when we had caught up.

"It's a surprise," Porcupamon exclaimed, his hands flying up with excitement.

"I..." Norn's voice faded for a moment as her eyes fell to the ground. "I wanted you to know."

"Know?" I asked.

She nodded, but then pointed down the street. I repositioned so I could see over her head to where a twisted gothic looking red wolf sat next to an adorable green and golden bug. My heart leapt at the sight of them. "I wanted you to know that they found their happy endings. I found them, Kurayami. I found them for you. I thought it would be happier, but it wasn't. Today isn't happy at all. They're all together now though. Your first adventure to the Digital World wasn't a complete disaster. Fanglongmon didn't really _win_ because you helped three digimon find inner peace. You'll be a great therapist you know."

Her words slammed into me like a wave crushing me against the side of a cliff. It was so hard to hear her talking like she was saying goodbye. Sure, she _was_ saying goodbye, but that didn't make it easier. "I haven't thought about being a therapist since Haruki was born."

"Then you need to start again," Norn sounded rather determined. "It's your dream. Don't give it up for Haruki. You have to fight for the light. Your darkness is gone, and that means Zeta's sorrow may overtake you. I don't want that to happen. You have to find your _own_ light and your _own_ balance. You have to be strong for Haruki." My eyes skipped the part where they warned me about the tears and I immediately began crying hard. I moved forward and embraced Norn with Labramon rubbing his head against my leg to keep me sane. "I did this for you because you deserve at least that much before we all have to go."

"Norn, thank you," I told her, hugging her tight for one last second before letting her go. She finally broke a smile and motioned for me to go see the others. Porcupamon happily led the way.

"So these were your partners before you met me?" Labramon asked on our way. "Kind of?"

"Kind of," I agreed, "And I liked them a lot. But then I had Apocalymon and Fanglongmon—and _then_ I got you. You'll always be the best. At least to me."

"You're the best to me too," Labramon smiled, "Now let's repeat that so these three goons can hear you." I choked on my laughter, but Labramon's face was deadpanned. He was serious.

 _ **Mimi Tachikawa**_ :

Koushiro had left us, but we were still a sobbing mess on the ground. I was clinging to Palmon like my life depended on it. My life _could_ have depended on it. How many times in the past had Palmon had to bail me out of a dangerous situation? Far too many for my liking. But she was always there, ready to lend a hand.

"I won't leave you," I cried to her.

"You _will_ ," she insisted.

"No, I won't," I corrected. We'd been fighting like that pretty much since the moment Koushiro left to go talk with the council members. I could see him with Babamon now. I knew there were plenty of other digimon I _should_ have been saying goodbye to. I knew there were several that I would painfully regret _not_ talking to, but I couldn't seem to pull myself away from Palmon.

"Mimi you are _not_ allowed to stay here," she snapped. "I'll never even speak to you if you come. Won't that be a long forever, with me not speaking to you at all? You'd be better off to stay on Earth. Besides, Mimi, Koushiro is right."

"He used to _always_ be," I sighed. "He still is—with one glaring exception."

"There's one world that can't ever be sealed off," Palmon reminded me. "We'll be together again, even if I have to steal the key to heaven myself. I'll get there and I'll see you."

"That's so far away!" I cried. "I'm so young and beautiful still. I won't die for years and years and years and _years_."

"Good," Palmon said. "Then you can tell me all of your stories."

"I don't want to _tell_ you my stories, I want to live them alongside you," I protested.

"Mimi," Palmon said gently. "You were going to propose to Koushiro. You can't do that if you're not with him. You need to stay on Earth. You can get married and have children and live happily ever after, and once you've done that, you can do a bunch more things, have a lot of adventures, and then you can come and meet me in heaven, and we can talk about every last second of it."

"Palmon," I sighed. "Why do you have to be so mature about this? If you were less mature, you would've let me stay here already."

"You want to marry him," Palmon said. "He's hurt you, and himself with his addiction, but you've already looked past all of that. You want to help him _heal._ You practiced your proposal with _me_ for days on end. What you need to do is ask him when you get home tonight. Do it for me. Do it for yourself. He'll say yes. You know he will."

"Well, yeah," I said. "But what's the point of a wedding when _you_ can't be my flower girl? That's only been the main focus of my wedding fantasies since I was thirteen years old. And now you're leaving before it can happen. Palmon, I don't want to say goodbye."

"We can't run and hide," Palmon said sagely, as if she _hadn't_ done that very thing when Gennai ejected us from the Digital World the first time around. "We need to face this head on, and then you're going to put a ring on his finger."

"I bought the ring for _me_ actually," I protested quickly, flushing when I realized how ridiculous that sounded.

"Live a full life for me, Mimi," Palmon made me promise. "And then, when the time comes, just tell me everything. Don't leave anything out."

"Oh Palmon!" I cried, before collapsing on her again. That long stretch of time seemed endless to me.

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

"...anyway, what was I saying?" Biyomon asked, falling silent for only a second. "Oh right, just that you're the prettiest and best person and you're so smart and perfect and I love you because you're everything the world needs but you should never try to imprison yourself for your friends again because I won't know and I'll always think you're free, but you won't be you'll be like a caged bird and I'll be sad but won't know why but I guess I will because I'll be like, 'Woah, why am I sad? Oh, Sora must be in prison' and I still think that's silly that you couldn't just let a digmion break you out, but I guess if there _are_ no digimon around, that wouldn't work anyway, right?"

"Right," I nodded, following her fast pace to the best of my ability through my fogged mind.

"Sorry I'm talking so much, I won't say anything past just this," Biyomon decided, "the point I'm making is that I love you." She hugged me gently and I hugged her back but she jolted back for a moment, "Also that you need to stay out of prison!" I laughed and nodded my head. "Okay, I'm going to feel like you think I didn't care if I don't say this and it'll just bug me, so I'll just really quickly add that you're the best thing that ever happened to me and that I hope I'm the best thing that ever happened to _you_. Or can I at least be in the top ten? Like say, your fashion career, your parents and _then_ me? Or maybe even a couple more in between, but I think I deserve a place in the top ten, Sora. I've loved you so much for so long and I've saved your life asking for nothing in return other than your returned love, and—"

"Biyomon!" I cut into her words and she looked up startled to me, like a wounded child who thought I was going to crush her. "You're the top of the list." She sighed with relief and hugged me again. "And I want _you_ to know that I've learned from you."

"You said that last time," Biyomon reminded me, "And the time before that."

"Because it's true," I told her gently, kissing her head, "I've never been very skilled with expressing myself. You were always the one to give me the push."

"And I'm going to do it again," Biyomon told me kindly. "Tell Yamato that you love him, or you'll never forgive yourself." I stared to her with wide eyes and she looked back to me with a fierce expression. "I understand that you need to come to terms with yourself, but you need to know that it'll work out. The fall will be worth it if it happens, but you have to take the jump. Take the leap, Sora. In everything. Always _take_ the leap. Don't wait around for the world to give your happiness to you. Fight, love and exist. That's all I'm asking for you. Promise me you'll try."

"Biyomon," I said with a thick voice, bringing her closer once more. "I love you."

"I love you too," she agreed, "Now promise me."

"I promise."

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

"I can't believe you won't hear her first word," Miyako said sadly to Hawkmon, while she was curled up with Poromon. Hawkmon was holding Mai, and the two were playing a game where they tried to make each other sad. It was a game with no winner, but neither seemed able to stop.

"You won't see his first digivolution," Hawkmon said, shaking his head.

"You won't get to see her walk."

"You won't get to see _him_ walk."

"She'll crawl first, and you won't see that."

"Stop fighting, please?" Wormmon asked. "I just want to enjoy the very little time we have left." I held my hand out for Wormmon to come to me. He scuttled my way, and I rubbed his head, trying to remember the exact texture of his exoskeleton. I didn't want to forget any of the minor details. I wanted to remember the cadence of his voice, and the way his antennae wiggled when he breathed. I needed to remember it all. I was so glad I was a wannabe private eye, because I was able to notice so much more now.

"I'm sorry Wormmon," Miyako cried. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just really upset, you know?"

"I know," Wormmon said. "I think we all are."

"I am," Poromon sighed. "I don't get my partner neither."

"What do you mean?" Hawkmon asked.

"I'm going ta be stuck in the Digital World, and my partner isn't big enough to stay here with me. She's so tiny. Look at her," Poromon said, looking directly at Mai. Mai wiggled, as though she noticed the attention she was receiving.

"What about her digivice?" Hawkmon asked, rather confused.

"I left it on the table this morning," Poromon said. "Ken thought it was his so he put it in his pocket." Instantly, I reached into my pocket to see what he was talking about, and I pulled out two digivices. Poromon cheered at the sight of one. He looked to Mai and back again, as if I was meant to get Mai to hold it. "I wanna digivolve," Poromon said quickly. "That's how you guys do it."

"Mai's not old enough, sweetheart," Miyako pointed out.

"That's not fair," Poromon grumbled.

"I know," I sighed. "Not much about all of this seems fair."

"At least you got to meet her," Wormmon couldn't help but point out. "She wasn't supposed to be born yet, you know. She came early. Maybe destiny wanted her to meet you. Destiny didn't let you miss out on your chance."

"I guess it's okay, if you put it that way," Poromon said with a sigh.

"Hey, Ken? Can you tell me about how you saved Sora from Veronica?" Wormmon asked.

"Again?" I wondered aloud.

"I like that one," Wormmon said shyly. "It makes you seem like a real super sleuth, and I know how much you want to be one. I just want to hear it one last time."

"Okay," I said. And I launched into the twelfth retelling of the tale, trying to make it seem more heroic and exciting this time around, since it needed to be memorable.

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

"Alias III is broken," I murmured into Megla's fur. She hugged me back tightly, and then let go, letting Warg have his turn. I pulled my second partner up against me and squeezed him as tight as I could. This was _hard_. I didn't like this at all. I'd spent so long depending on Warg and Melga to show me what worth I had. I was still struggling some days with my crest—not that anyone was able to see it, thankfully. It was difficult, and had been difficult since my family came back in the picture. With Puraido hanging around, trying to rebuild our relationship, I'd been depending on Warg and Melga to help me through it. Puraido didn't seem to realize just how much damage he'd done.

And now I was going to face it alone.

I wouldn't even have Mari, Kiyoko or Neo to help me, probably. Everyone would be gone. And it was going to be my own fault. That was the real kicker. I could've clung to Mari, Kiyoko and Neo, but I'd made the decision to grow as a person and become the person they all deserved to have in their lives, instead of the guy that constantly questioned his worth and needed daily reminders that I was loved in order to know that I was. That wasn't healthy for me. I needed to get to a good place in my mind. I was holding everyone back continuing on the way I had been.

"I love you," Warg said. "More than Melga does."

"No," Melga protested loudly. "I love you the most. More than Warg for sure."

"That's not fair," Warg said. "You don't know how much I love him."

" _You_ don't know how much _I_ love him either," Melga argued.

"I love you both," I said, putting my hand on their head—and ruffling Melga's bow. I'd thrown together little backpacks for each of them with some of their favourite things. Megla's had a whole bunch of new bows for her horn, that she didn't know I'd gotten, and I'd given Warg a collection of bow ties, knowing Rei could help him tie them—just so he wouldn't feel left out. They needed something that could separate them from all the others of their kind. Agumon and Gabumon had nothing on Warg and Melga—even if I'd miss them too. I'd miss everyone. But Warg and Melga were at the very top of the list, followed very closely by Tapirmon, Lalamon, Rei and Dracomon.

I swallowed thickly and tried not to think about it. We'd done this before. I had survived being separated from each and every one of them in the past. I could do it again. I just didn't _want_ to do it again. I wanted us to keep our family together. We'd just gotten Rei, Kiyoko and Lalamon back. We weren't supposed to say goodbye so soon after finding them again. It wasn't fair.

But life wasn't fair, and Alias III knew that. I knew that.

"Don't forget me," Lalamon sang from behind me as she hugged my legs. "I know sometimes I seem like a dream, but I'm real, honest."

"I know, Lalamon," I said, patting the top of her head. She didn't think that was enough though, and hugged me tighter until I got the picture and picked her up, hugging her close to myself. Neo was standing not too far from me. It was Alias III's final goodbye. He wasn't allowed to miss this. Dracomon was hugging Mari, and crying. Warg and Melga decided to tackle Kiyoko. I passed Lalamon to Neo, tossing her through the air, much to her delight. Neo's eyes widened when a giant flower came flying at him, but of course he couldn't let her fall.

Tapirmon came over to me, leaving Rei behind, who was crying her eyes out at the thought of leaving everyone. I could've pointed out that she didn't need to go. I could've said that Taichi wasn't worth leaving everything she knew and loved behind. But I knew it was more than just a boy—her new _husband_ no less. It was about the choice between walking freely and being confined to a chair. She never minded the chair much when she didn't realize there was a choice for her. But now that she'd had that chance to walk and run and be free of her confines, she couldn't imagine voluntarily choosing to trap herself again—not after having no method of transportation in Witchenly. She wanted that freedom, that independence. Taichi was just an added bonus that she loved unconditionally. The fact that Pal, Pul, Dracomon, Agumon, Warg, Melga, Tapirmon and Lalamon would all be going with her probably helped with her decision too. She wouldn't be leaving us all behind. She was actually getting the better deal. There would just be the four of us left on Earth. The four members that decided once upon a time that we were going to be an elite force of evil—but we'd changed so much since then.

Neo wasn't endlessly trying to find a way to destroy Yamato, blaming him for Rei's paralysis when it _really_ wasn't his fault—it was mine and that truck driver's, and no one else's. Mari was _happy_ , or as happy as was possible now that Lalamon had to leave her. But Lalamon was alive, and Aneko was free, and Mari's parents were behind bars. Marshall was still kicking around somewhere, but she could handle him. Kiyoko was probably the most different, in that he was no longer possessed by a homicidal spirit determined to return to and rule Sidhendor. That spirit, _Sigma_ , was no longer even around. He was gone for good. And Kiyoko was even growing and learning how to deal with the repercussions that he'd had from years of being possess. He was getting braver and more independent…but only when Mari and I weren't around. Neo had _always_ made him be independent, and Kiyoko had sometimes resented him for it—which prompted Mari and I to support his preferred codependent ways—but I could see now that Neo had been right. We'd been holding him back by giving in.

I wasn't sure how much I'd changed really. I was still unsure of myself most days, but I _knew_ that someone loved me, and that Warg and Melga would always be there to support me. Neo had stuck with me and continued to be my best friend. That friendship had lasted through us destroying the Digital World, and that little misunderstanding where I thought he'd chosen my family over me—so I knew it was _real_. I wasn't about to go and destroy any worlds any time soon—and that was only _partially_ because Taichi was going to be sealing them all off, _honest_.

"You're going to take care of him, aren't you?" Tapirmon asked me. I hugged him too, because that's what we were doing. We were hugging everyone, afraid that we would miss our chance. "I can't watch over him anymore. But _you_ can."

"I can't, really," I admitted, confusing him. "But Mari and Neo will for sure. He's never going to be alone, not really."

"Okay," Tapirmon decided, though I could tell it wasn't what he wanted to hear. But I couldn't lie to him, not when I was going to be without him for the rest of our lives. Lying at this point just seemed unfair. He made his way to Mari, while Dracomon swapped with him, and tackled me to the ground.

"I'm gonna miss you lots!" Dracomon informed me.

"I'll miss you too buddy," I said, groaning under the weight of the oversized lizard that had landed on my stomach. He seemed to realize I was in pain, and tried to move, but I just held him close, and hugged him. I could handle a little discomfort. I couldn't handle not having a proper goodbye. He cried softly, leaving tears dripping down my neck, but I couldn't be bothered by them. The only thing I could manage was to shove my emotions to the back of my mind. I could deal with them when I was alone, and not a minute earlier.

Dracomon rolled off of me after a minute, racing over to Kiyoko, and Rei offered me her hand. I took it and she pulled me back to my feet. She wrapped herself around my middle and I kissed the top of her head. I was trying really hard not to remember all of the time we'd spent together over the course of our lives. She had been in my class at school, and was the reason I'd ever met Neo. She was sweet and caring and I was going to miss her. So much. I took a deep breath, and held her while she cried. Eventually though, she pulled away, and looked up to me.

"Be yourself, Hideto," she ordered. "There's no one better than you out there, and you've got to remember that. You're one of my best friends—and certainly one of my oldest. You've got the Rei stamp of approval and let's face it, not too many people have that nowadays. You're special, and you don't always seem to know that. But you are. Remember that, and remember me."

"I won't ever forget you, Rei," I said, rolling my eyes. It was never even a thought that passed my mind. She smiled, and patted my cheek with her hand.

"I'm sorry I can't spend more time with you," she said. "But I need to see Neo. I…I'm just going to miss him so much. I almost decided not to go because of him, because I love him so much and I don't want to leave him. But I have to do this for me, right? I'm doing the right thing. I just wish it didn't _hurt_ so badly."

"Go to him," I ordered, kissing her forehead one last time. Her eyes lingered on me for a moment while she backed away, but then her attention was on Neo, and only on Neo. Lalamon left Neo's side quietly, while Rei flung herself into his arms. He held her tightly and looked like he was never going to let her go. I looked away, wanting to give them a small bit of privacy.

"Hideto?" Kiyoko called, I looked to him, and saw that Tapirmon was at his side again, and Warg and Melga too. I figured this was my chance. Mari had said that this was the only day to say what I needed to say. I wasn't quite sure _why_ she'd said that, but that didn't matter. I needed to talk to Kiyoko.

"We need to talk, Kiyoko," I told him.

" _Now_?" he asked. "They're leaving us Hideto. They're all leaving."

Maybe he was right. Maybe now wasn't the right time. I felt the clench in my stomach tighten and my throat went dry. I nodded my head and Kiyoko thanked me for giving him another moment to be with Tapirmon.

Warg popped up at my feet and I pulled both him and Melga into a giant hug, feeling Lalamon's arm on my back as she hugged Mari and I together. Mari had Kiyoko, but Tapirmon wasn't going to be left out. Pal and Pul fluttered over to join us, and Dracomon did too. Rei fell all over us, when she saw a group hug, needing to be a part of it—and she dragged a less-than-reluctant Neo with her.

This was it.

Alias III was practically gone.

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

"Neo, why aren't you sad?" Dracomon asked, following me up the stairs to the council room. He had to take them two at a time to keep up with my speed and more than once he had tripped.

"Of course I'm sad, Dracomon," I responded with ease, "But I'm not the type to cry."

"So you'll miss me?" He asked, begging for assurance with his eyes.

I nodded, "Yes," he seemed relieved now, "yes of course I will. I can't believe you had to ask me if I would miss you."

"Can't you though?" Dracomon asked.

I froze on the steps and realized he had a point, "I'm sorry for not being more expressive," I told him softly, "I care about you and I am glad we are partners."

"That's good enough for me," Dracmon seemed pleased now, "So where exactly are we going?"

"To see someone," I told him and excitement seemed to build up inside of him now as we hurried along. I wasn't sure how much more time Taichi was going to give to us all, but it didn't matter because I would force him to wait for me. The others would back me up, being granted more time with their partners of course, but that wasn't what _I_ needed the time for.

When we had finally made it to the top of the steps I marched straight to the end of the hallway where there usually would have been a door to Earth. Taichi had moved it though. I turned sharply and hurried down the steps with Dracomon following as swiftly as he could. I passed by the open Digimental room and looked into the laboratory before realizing what I had just seen.

I turned back and found who I was looking for. What she was doing in with the Digimentals, I didn't know. "Evelen," I said sharply. She didn't seem surprised to hear my voice. "What are you doing?"

She was standing with her back to me, just inside the doorway. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was wearing dark jeans, which I had never seen before. Judging by the practicality of her new looking boots it seemed that she was to embark on a journey. That didn't surprise me. There was a heavy made backpack hanging off of her shoulders, and when she looked back to me she looked rather sad. "These should be protected better. Anyone could take them."

My eyes flicked to her backpack, but I was sure she wouldn't take them. She was not foolish enough to bother destroying any chance she had of ever being freed of her guilt. I ignored her suggestion because it was no longer my duty. I did not work here any longer. I had been forced to leave behind my Knights, and forced to show them that I cared, when I had done so well in doing the opposite for so long. "Evelen, I forgive you."

She paused, then said, "for what? Destroying your friend's one place of happiness?"

"More or less," I shrugged, raising my eyebrows.

"That's sad, Neo." She said bitterly.

"Sure," I agreed, and truly it was. I should have taken more time in finding a place of forgiveness, but with Lalamon's return it seemed that it was not quite as damaging as it might have once been. Even if Lalamon was now leaving, Mari and Lalamon had replanted some of the flowers. It was going to be thrive again and whether or not I should have, I _had_ found a forgiving place. "But I'm here to tell you something else."

She finally turned to look at me, her arms crossed. She was trying to look bothered, but she simply looked broken. She had tried to enter her home world and found that the curse Gaia had placed on her was unbreakable. She would never find the answers she sought no matter how many people's happiness she destroyed in the process. "And what's that?"

"I have romantic feelings for you," I told her as honestly as I could. I had come out rather stiff, but that did not surprise me. Her eyes widened and she stared toward me confused, and Dracomon let out a high pitched 'Oooohh!' I kicked at him playfully and he jumped back, laughing. "I think we should be together, and I believe that the two of us keeping secrets from one another has only made us both upset."

"Neo," Evelen said, pain on her face. She dropped her arms and took a shaky step toward me, "I-I—" her voice cut off and she shook her head, "I can't. I have to find my father."

"Oh, I am well aware of your intentions," I told her seriously, and she looked surprised. I cocked my head, "Evelen you have come equipped with camping gear and combat boots. It was not a mystery." She looked ashamed of herself. "Even if you plan to keep your life hidden amongst riddles and secrets, someone will always find the truth behind your mask. You plan to remain here and find your father."

"I just don't know what happened to him," Evelen said, tears in her eyes, I was sure for that moment that she was worried for his safety, but she cleared that up quickly enough. "He's awful, and we have no idea where he is or what he's up to. Do you really think that Sigma killed him? I don't. He's out there, and I'm going to find him and I'm going to stop him in whatever way is necessary."

"I know," I nodded, "But you should be aware that not everything will be given up. You will still have me."

"Neo—" Evelen said, then she froze, "You're staying?"

"I am not," I told her shaking my head. Dracomon let out a disappointed sigh. I turned to him and smiled fondly, which shocked him more than anything else. "But that does not mean this is a final farewell. I will be returning to the Digital World someday soon with peace following closely behind. I only ask that you keep Dracomon company until I return. And please watch that Taichi does not harm my sister."

"He would never," Dracomon said, shaking his head, but I ignored him.

"Neo," Evelen said, looking worried, but a smile somehow found its way through and she nodded, "of course. H-how will you do it though?"

I flashed her a devilish grin, "I once found and utilized one of the Great Evil's for my own purposes and followed that by deleting the entire Digital World in order to help my sister. If I have enough force behind me I can accomplish anything. I was attempting to take over the world, and only stopped when _I_ myself realized it was unjust. This time it will not be unjust. This time I will not stop. I will not fail."

Dracomon looked up with big eyes and looked rather excited, but Evelen simply looked suspicious. Then she nodded once more. "I'll watch Dracomon," she promised, "and when we meet again, we can revisit the topic of romantic feelings." Her own eyebrows rose that time and she motioned for Dracomon to follow her as she set off, down the hallway.

"Romantic feelings that are, of course, reciprocated," I called after her.

"If you say so," she shouted back.

I grinned and then turned back to Dracomon who was crying again. "Hey," I told him in the softest voice I could find, "Evelen will take good care of you. Stay far away from Maugrim, but make sure he doesn't hurt Evelen."

"Oh I get it!" Dracomon called out, "You told Evelen to protect me, but really you want _me_ to protect _her_!"

"Shhh!" I hissed, holding a finger to my lips. Dracomon gasped, nodding and then looked out the door to see if Evelen had heard, "You can do that for me?"

He nodded, "I would do _anything_ for you, Neo."

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

I wondered if I had ever felt as sad as I did just then. Pain was relative, and I _knew_ had never experienced pain like this, but had I ever _thought_ I had? When the virus had struck and I had been whisked away to a new world, perhaps. That was as close as I had ever come in any case.

But now I had lost my light, failed the worlds as a guardian, my brother was leaving me and with him he was taking Gatomon, and Armadillomon, Lopmon, and _all_ my friends. Not _all_ my friends—but a _lot_ of them.

The pain felt like someone—Taichi—had reached inside my stomach and grabbed everything before swishing it around a lot, like it didn't matter what the outcome was, as long as I felt nauseous and sad the whole time.

I wished Taichi hadn't come up with such a solid plan to keep me on Earth. But he was right. I needed my career, and my parents and my friends and Takeru—but it felt like my life was being cut in half and now I was being forced to _weigh_ the two sides and judge which was more valuable. _Neither_ was more valuable, but Gatomon and Taichi would both be _furious_ if I had chosen to stay with them. They would never forgive me for breaking their trust and 'ruining my life' but who even knew what that would mean? Would my life be better on Earth? Who was to say?

Whenever I had no access to the Digital World, I got sick. Would I get sick again, or without my light would I be safe? And if so, did that mean _Kurayami_ would find herself in my usual position? It wasn't fair. I didn't want this to be happening. I didn't want someone to take a chainsaw to my life and create a poorly constructed art project out of the pieces, like cutting and pasting different pieces in different places. I didn't want my brother to go. I didn't want _Gatomon_ to go. I didn't want anyone to go! So why was it happening?

I had already resigned myself to the idea that it would _have_ to happen, but when Taichi had told me he had to go, it opened the wound and suddenly it felt worse than it had before. Losing Gatomon wasn't simply losing part of me—it was losing _all_ of me. Never going back to the Digital World wasn't losing my memories—it was losing my _mind_. It was all _broken_.

Everything was broken.

And I was sad.

And I was _sobbing_.

"Hikari," Gatomon said softly, holding me close. "You need to stop crying, if only for a moment. You need to let me tell you that I love you."

"I-I-I-I—" I had failed at even speaking.

"Because I _do_ ," Gatomon assured me, "I love you _so_ much. And you're going to be okay because your life isn't going to end. Your life is only just beginning. We're leaving, but your life with Takeru is just as important. His hope will always keep your light shining, even if Gaia thinks she has it all. She'll never take _you_ away from you. You're beautiful and strong and together, you and Takeru will be okay. I know you will."

"I-it's h-h-hard," I sobbed, holding her closer.

"It is, I know," she said, joining in my tears now, "It's _so_ hard. But you've always known what was right, and this the same. We're doing what's right. You know that, right?" I nodded, but chose not to try to speak again. "And Taichi knows that too. You'll always know what's right, and that's how I know you won't let this hinder you."

"W-what?" I asked, pulling back.

"You won't ever stop living your life because we're gone," Gatomon said flatly, never breaking eye contact. "Keep going. Pursue your dreams, follow the path you're on. Do whatever it takes, because you deserve happiness as much as anyone else, and I'm _not_ your happiness. _You_ are. I'll miss you as much as you miss me, Hikari, but if you let that stop you from living, then what's the point at all?"

"I won't," I promised, my voice sounding stronger than I felt, "I promise I won't stop living. I'll do everything I would have done with you there, but I'll never stop wishing you _knew_."

"I will know," Gatomon told me, "I always know." She looked up to me with a serious expression and then I started crying again, pulling her close.

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

Time was almost up. I checked my watch. We'd already passed the time I'd scheduled to close the gates. I couldn't bring myself to cut the goodbyes sort. Sora was holding Biyomon tightly, and I saw that her father was talking with Centarumon still. Koushiro was talking with Tentomon, Andromon and his father, trying not to get too emotional. Wizardmon was saying his goodbyes to his partner and to Hikari all at once. Gatomon was caught in Hikari's arms, and Hikari didn't look like she was going let go any time soon. Mimi and her mother seemed to be competing to see who could make the biggest show of tears as they clung to Palmon and Minervamon respectively. They could tell that time was growing shorter, and they increased in volume the longer I waited.

Jou was with his family. Emiko was trying to convince Gomamon to stay with them, but Gomamon couldn't do that. Bearmon and Monmon were both going with her though, and that probably made it harder for her to understand why just Gomamon wasn't allowed. I felt really bad for the children. Poromon and DemiVeemon had just found their partners, and the kids were losing their favourite babysitters. Veemon and Labramon were crowded around Daisuke and Kurayami and Haruki, who had all formed a sort of pile, trying to hug as long as they possibly could. Mai was being passed between Hawkmon and Ken, as _their_ family tried to remain as close as physically possible. Miyako was cuddling with Poromon, and they were talking as fast as they could, trying to get as many words out as possible before they couldn't speak anymore. Goblimon held Natsuni, as she was inconsolable, losing her partner now. Armadillomon and Iori talked with Kotemon and Summer and Iori was holding Armadillomon's egg, because Armadillomon wanted his baby to know Iori, even if it wouldn't remember it.

Yamato sitting alone with Gabumon, playing on an old harmonica, just because that's all Gabumon wanted—something simple to remember Yamato by. They'd done that before, I remembered, the first time they'd had to say goodbye. Not far from him, his mother and Kae were with Lunamon and Coronamon. Kazuya Ichijouji was with them, trying to convince his wife that she needed to stop crying long enough to say goodbye. He was checking his watch too, and I knew that he understood time was already up. I just couldn't bring myself to rush anyone.

I hadn't said goodbye to everyone yet. Not the way I needed to. But I didn't know if I'd ever be able to do that, so I had to make do with what I could.

Willis and Kiyoko were surrounded by the digimon they'd met in Witchenly. Kiyoko was hugging everyone, and hugged Willis twice as much. I wondered if Ryou wouldn't be the only one staying behind, based on what I was seeing. Terriermon and Lopmon were running around with him, and Gravimon floated Kiyoko into the air to give him a proper goodbye. Tapirmon was watching, crying to himself, while Willis tried to comfort him. Mari wasn't too far away, sitting with Lalamon and her little sister. She wasn't crying, like I'd feared. She just looked resigned. Hideto was leaning against a wall watching the rest of Alias III with Warg and Melga each holding one of his hands. Neo walked over to him, having come down from the Council rooms. Dracomon wasn't with him anymore, and I actually didn't see him anywhere. I hoped they'd gotten the goodbye they needed. Rei ran over to them the second she spotted Neo again, and clung to him, crying her eyes out.

That was one of the main reasons I hadn't called for everyone to just walk through the gate already. Rei needed that time with her brother, before I separated them forever. I wouldn't have faulted Rei if she'd chosen to stay on Earth, but she wanted to be here with me and the digimon, and I was too excited to not be alone that I didn't really try to convince her otherwise.

I hadn't seen Michael in awhile and I was looking for him, when Takeru walked up to me with Patamon sitting on the top of his head—his favourite spot to be. "Hey, Taichi," he said. "I guess this is goodbye, huh?"

"Yeah," I said, realizing that I wasn't ever going to be ready to actually say those words, but I needed to do it anyway. "Take care of my sister, yeah? I won't be there to keep an eye on you anymore. I know you're a good guy though, and she can look out for herself. Just…love her, okay? She deserves that."

"I know," he said. "I'll always love her."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I said. "She means the world to me. You keep her safe, when she can't be bothered to, okay? That's all I want. I want to know she's safe."

"She'll be safe with me," he said firmly. "I'm going to miss you, Taichi. You've been leading me around since I was eight years old. What am I supposed to do without you?"

"Technically, Daisuke's the leader," I offered. "You could ask him."

"I might have to," he said. "I have to say buy to Gabumon. And Wizardmon. And Lunamon. And Gatomon, Veemon, Labramon. There are so many left. I just needed to say bye to you first."

"Goodbye," I told him. It felt final, and _real_. Takeru nodded and hugged me, when I offered a hand to shake, and as I watched him go, I wondered if he would become my brother-in-law, and if I would somehow _know_ when he did. I wondered if his book would ever get published, and if Earth would ever know our story.

"Taichi," Mari's voice called. I turned to see Lalamon, Aneko and her standing there. "I'm sorry I told you not to tell Rei. You were right, and I tried to tell her, but you already did."

"I know," I said, smiling sheepishly. "She told me."

"I'm happy that you and Rei are married. I'm happy I got to see that. I'm _not_ happy that I'm not going to see your marriage play out," she said.

"I'm sorry I have to do this. I'm sorry you have to lose Lalamon," I said.

"It's not your fault," she said. I tried to take it to heart, but it _was_ my fault. I was the one that made that choice. But I _needed_ to. Rida said he wouldn't stop until all the digimon were dead. There was very little I could do to stop him while he was still in office. I couldn't just kidnap him, and keep him prisoner. EVOLVE was too involved on Earth still. They held too much power and they would always be after the digimon. I'd done what I could to save as many as possible. We'd sent messages to the partners of the world using Kiyoko's blog. A lot of those digimon made the transition back to their home world, and some decided to stay on Earth. It was their decision. I'd given them as much time as I could.

"Keep your head up, Taichi," Mari told me. "You're the boss now. Keep them all safe. We're trusting our partners to you. Keep them safe."

"That's why I'm doing this," I said. She nodded, and then reached out and squeezed my hand, before heading off towards Willis and Kiyoko, taking her sister and Lalamon with her. I watched her go, and wondered if she'd keep the same happiness after I'd taken Willis and her partner from her. She'd finally found happiness, and I was taking some of it from her. I wondered what sort of guardian she'd be, and whether she'd actually go through with becoming a social worker—knowing that there were an unfortunate number of kids that would need saving, and knowing that she would succeed at saving them.

Hikari and Gatomon left Wizardmon and Hiroaki's side, and pretty much ran at Agumon. Hikari threw her arms around both of the digimon, and squeezed the life out of them. She was crying so hard, and I couldn't make out what she was saying to Agumon, but he started crying too. It was a little too much to handle, so I looked away, only to find myself looking directly at Jou's face.

"I never imagined I'd be saying goodbye to you," he told me. "I should've seen it coming. We knew Gennai always wanted this to happen, and I knew that you'd stopped thinking of Earth as your home. But I still didn't expect it, you know? I don't like it, but I do understand."

"Thanks," I said. "I don't like saying goodbye, but I _have_ to do this."

"I know," he said, nodding slowly. He held a hand out, and I shook it, but it didn't feel like enough, so I pulled him in for a hug. "You're going to miss everything. We're always going to miss you being there too. It's going to be hard to get used to. I don't think I ever really will."

"I knew I was the life of the party," I joked. "But don't forget to live. I'm not _that_ important."

"We won't," Jou said. "But you _are_ important. You're one of my oldest friends. You and Sora and I were always together when we were kids. I don't even remember a time without you in my life anymore."

"I don't remember you not being there either," I admitted. "It's going to be hard."

"But you're doing it for the right reasons," Jou decided, making the tightening in my heart loosen just a bit. "I'll miss you and Gomamon and Rei and everyone else. But I know that we can't be selfish. The fate of all the worlds rests in your hands, and it's not fair to put ourselves before all of that."

"I'm going to miss you," I said. It wasn't enough to convey my emotions, but Jou could understand. He nodded, and hugged me a second time.

"Me too, right?" Yamato asked, coming over with Gabumon at his side. Gabumon was holding the old harmonica, and looking like it was worth a million dollars. "I'm pretty sure we're best friends or something, so I mean, you'd _better_ miss me."

"Naw," I said, rolling my eyes. "I think I'll miss everyone _except_ for you."

"Well then," Yamato said dramatically. "I know when I'm not wanted." Jou squeezed my shoulder one last time, before backing away, to give Yamato and I some privacy. I waved at him, and tried very hard not to think about how I was going to miss everything in Emiko's life. I wasn't going to know if he and Momoe ever got around to having that second kid that Momoe wanted. I wasn't going to know what Emiko wanted to be when she grew up, or how she handled school, or if anyone could talk her into joining the soccer team.

"You know that's not true, don't you?" I asked Yamato, seriously. I needed to be sure. He rolled his eyes and nodded. I sighed with relief. "Good," I said. "Because I'll miss you a hell of a lot. We lived together, Yamato. I missed you even before the worlds were being separated. You were an easy roommate. I mean, I like Rei _better_ , but other than her, you'd be the only one I'd want."

"Thanks," he said slowly. "I think."

"It was a compliment," I informed him with a laugh. "I'm sorry I fought you so hard on this. I know now that you were talking sense, but I didn't at first. I shouldn't have just argued for the sake of arguing. I always did that. You were often right, and I just didn't pay attention. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said. "I was right in the end. I wish I wasn't though. This kind of sucks."

"No 'kind of' about it," I said, shaking my head. "It just plain sucks."

"But we've got to do what we've got to do," Yamato sighed. "That's what being the hero means. We've got to make the sacrifices so that everyone else can be happy and safe."

"The heroes really get the short end of the stick," Gabumon said, still looking at his harmonica, realizing that while it was a nice reminder of Yamato, it was a poor substitute for the real thing.

"Come on buddy," Yamato said. "Looks like Koushiro and Mimi want a turn with Taichi. Just remember Taichi, we'll always be friends. We don't need to see each other. We're still friends."

"You got it," I told him. He left, and I wondered what was next for the rock star. Would he win all the awards, or would he fall into obscurity? I didn't know, and I was saddened by that knowledge. I tried to keep positive, though, and wished him the best. His music was good—and the song he'd written for Rei and I was amazing—so he wasn't going to fizzle out. I was going to believe that.

Koushiro come forward, when Yamato left. Mimi was clinging to his side, still a sobbing mess. Palmon was holding her with her Poison Ivy, and was crying just as hard. Tentomon was flying beside Koushiro, opposite to Mimi, and looking like he was plenty happy not being drawn into the group hug Palmon and Mimi had thrown together. Well, he wasn't _happy_ , but no one really was anymore.

"Hey," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"I suppose I'm no longer your employee," Koushiro said. "I'll have to find something _else_ that can offer me everything I've ever wanted in a job. I'll have to settle. Nowhere on Earth offers a nearly endless budget with which I can research and study the Digital World. But there'll be something interesting, I guess."

"Yeah," I said awkwardly. "I'm really sorry about that. I didn't really think about that part while I made my decision."

"I realize," Koushiro said, nodding. "It was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. We don't really matter. The digimon do. This is their world, and it's their lives that are hanging in the balance. Our happiness is of no consequence."

"Don't say that," Mimi cried. "That's so sad. We do everything for this world. How can we say goodbye?"

"By ripping off the bandage and _saying_ it," Koushiro said. "We won't have long, and they must be said. We will regret it the rest of our lives if we let this last opportunity slip by. It doesn't matter that we will _eventually_ see each other again. There will be a long time in between, and regrets fester."

"Taichi," Mimi said, looking away from Koushiro. I assumed she took his words to heart, because she untwined herself from him, and flung herself onto me. She buried her face in my chest and cried hard. I reached around behind her to shake Koushiro's hand. He didn't want more than that, and I wasn't saddened by it. It was very natural. He never liked hugs to begin with—unless it was Mimi that was giving them. "I don't want you to go."

"I need to," I said, for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I know," she sobbed. "But it's so sad. Everything's so sad. I don't like it."

"Be strong Mimi," Palmon told her, even though _she_ was crying too. "You can get through this. Just keep your head held high." We didn't talk for much longer, and then they left. I watched them go, wondering whether Mimi's restaurant was going to make it this time, or if someone else was going to destroy it. I wondered whether Koushiro would be able to put his addiction behind him, and move forward with his life. I'd never know for sure. I wouldn't know if they could survive all of this, and come out on the other side still together. They were stubborn enough….they probably _could_.

"Taichi," Neo said, surprising me. I figured Rei would be attached at his hip. She wasn't though. I was confused. I looked for her and saw that she was clinging to Hikari. My heart squeezed unpleasantly as I realized just what goodbye was going to come up fast. I wasn't ready. I would never be ready. "You're no longer my employer, and I am no longer forced to like you."

"I know," I said with a sigh. I hadn't gotten to a really good place with my brother-in-law yet, and now I wouldn't ever get the time to really work at it. He only liked me because I was his boss, and he felt he had to. Now, he had no such obligations.

"You will treat my sister with respect, and worship her," he ordered. "You're taking her from me, so that's the least you can do."

"I promise," I told him. "I love her."

"So do I," Neo told me. "And because I expect you to watch over my sister and keep her safe, I'm going to offer to do the same in return. You'll be more likely to actually _do_ it, if you know that I'll be watching over Hikari in your stead."

"You'd do that?" I asked, feeling hope brimming in me. Maybe he didn't _hate_ me after all.

"I would," he said. "And I would do _anything_ to keep her safe. I have only one moral limitation. I do not lie. Everything else is an option."

"I'll keep Rei safe," I promised him. "Don't let Hikari fall back into her shell. She doesn't think of herself, and doesn't think she's worth it. It scares me sometimes how little she seems to care. She's getting better, but I don't know what'll happen when I'm gone, and I'm taking Gatomon and all the others with me. Don't let her feel like she's alone?"

"You take care of _my_ sister, and I will take care of yours," he said firmly, and simply. I reached out my hand to him and he shook it. I could see his eyes watching Rei and Hikari, and I knew he was headed over to Rei next. He wasn't going to waste any more time with other goodbyes—not when that one was the most important to him, now that Dracomon had disappeared anyway.

He left, and I knew he would keep his promise. He told me he'd keep her safe, and lying was the only thing he wouldn't do. Hikari would be safe. It was one thing to know that Takeru would always love her, or that Mom and Dad would be around, but it was another to know that _Neo_ was watching over her. He could be outright ruthless if he needed to. She would be safe.

"It's going to be so weird not having you around."

It was Daisuke. I turned to see him. He was fiddling with the goggles on his forehead, while holding Haruki with his other arm. He went to take them off, but I stopped him. They were his now. He was going to be with the rest of the digidestined, not me. He needed to step up and be the leader if they ever had need for one again.

"You were my brother at one time or other," I told him, by way of explanation. The goggles had belonged to my grandfather, and since Daisuke was once our sort-of brother—after his parents kicked him out and Mom unofficially adopted him—he could inherit them. It wasn't that big of deal. They'd still be in the family. "Give them to Haruki when he gets big enough. Let him remember his uncle Taichi."

"I was hoping you'd be able to play soccer with him when he was older," Daisuke said, sounding miserable. "I thought you could teach him like you taught me. There was a lot that I guess I took for granted. I thought you'd always be there."

"I thought so too," I said, thinking of all the things I wanted to do with Haruki when he was big enough to do anything with. I wouldn't get the chance now. "But now I'm not."

"I know," Daisuke said. "It's just hard to wrap my head around. It'll really hit me later today, when the worlds are closed off. It'll hit me again in a few weeks, when I've had time to really let it sink in and I'll know it's forever."

"Do your best, for your son," I told him. "Your noodles are amazing, and you're going places. Never let your dad or anyone else tell you otherwise. Keep your head held high, and never give up, even when it seems really hard. You can do it. You can do anything."

"You should be a motivational speaker," Daisuke joked. I reached forward and took Haruki, hugging him closely. He squirmed a little, but I didn't let go. This would be the only chance I had to hold a nephew. He wasn't technically related, but it was close enough. I wouldn't get anymore nephews—or nieces—while I was around to enjoy them. Haruki was it. When I went to hand Haruki back, I surprised Daisuke by hugging him too. I hadn't always liked the idea of having him as a brother, but now I was used to having a pseudo-brother, and it was hard to let him go.

But I did, because I had to. I watched him head back to Kurayami, Labramon and Veemon, and knew that Daisuke was really going places. They might've been having hard times now, but they would get on their feet in no time and they'd rise to the stars.

"Merry Christmas," Sora said. Biyomon was off saying goodbye to Haruki, Daisuke and Kurayami, who's she'd just gotten used to living with. Sora was holding an orange Agumon sweater out towards me. "It's not wrapped, but you didn't wait until Christmas anyway."

"Thanks," I said, taking the sweater. She'd remembered that I'd wanted it, back before her fashion show had turned into a riot. This wasn't the same one, of course, since that was destroyed, but it was just as nice. I looked back to her.

"I'm going to miss you," she said. "You've always just been around, even when we were fighting. You never stayed away for long. I haven't seen enough of you lately to be ready to say goodbye."

"I'm sorry I didn't visit," I said, looking to the ground. "I was busy, and I let work take precedence over our friendship. I didn't mean to."

"I forgive you," she assured me. "But I'm not ready to forgive you just yet for leaving me."

"I haven't even left," I pointed out.

"You will though," she said sadly. "I'll forgive you eventually. But it still hurts right now. It'll hurt for a long, _long_ time."

"I'm going to miss you too," I told her. She smiled sadly and hugged me once. Biyomon was flying towards her parents, and I knew Sora wanted to join her partner again. So I let her go. No amount of time would be enough to sever our friendship. It didn't matter how long we took for our goodbye, it would never be enough.

I pulled out my phone, and wrote a short message to her. _Sora. I'm sorry, really I am, but what's a few worlds between friends? Love Taichi._ I watched as her phone beeped and she read the message. Her shoulders shook with her laughter, and she looked back at me.

"Stupid Taichi," she said, with a smile, and then she left me. I wondered if she and Yamato would ever get over themselves and get together. I hoped they would, because I knew that neither could really be happy until they did. They didn't want to settle for anything less than each other. They'd both tried, and it had never worked.

"My baby," I heard, and then I was engulfed in a family hug. Mom was clinging to me from behind, and Dad was hugging me around her. Hikari was filling my arms, and I the walls I'd been trying to keep up shattered. Tears started falling down my face, and I didn't know how to stop them. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my family. I had to. But I didn't want to.

"I knew this world wasn't my cup of tea," Dad told me. "It's taking my son from me."

"I'm sorry," I told him. Mom blubbered, and Hikari was doing the same. "I don't want to leave you."

"Then don't," Mom suggested, but her voice assured me that she already knew that I couldn't change my mind, no matter how much she might've wanted me to.

"I love you," I said. "I love all of you. I'll never stop loving any of you. Just know that, Okay? Just always know that I love you."

"I'll always love you too, Taichi," Hikari cried. I fell to pieces at that, and I hugged her tighter than ever before. She didn't make any sound of protest. She didn't want to let go anymore than I did. It was my responsibility to watch over her, and I was failing. But Takeru and Neo were both going to do their best to take my place in that duty. It wasn't the same, but I hoped it would be enough to help her through this. I needed to know she'd be okay.

"I'm going to miss you," I cried, and then we got lost in our goodbye. Time was already up, but I wasn't going to tell Hikari that. I needed her to be here just a little bit longer—always just a little bit longer.

 _ **Willis Kennedy:**_

The lump in my throat was painful now as I watched them all head toward the door. It seemed like the goodbye was going to be their undoing. Each of them looked worse than I'd ever seen them, with tears down their faces and their eyes puffy. Mimi's hair was a mess, while Natsuni's face had paled enough to make her resemble someone who had lost quite a lot of blood. Everyone was being torn in half and it was an awful feeling.

I could relate. I could do so because Jenna was standing nearest the door. Her hand was wrapped tightly with Chi's and Kudamon was wrapped around her neck. Michael had finally been convinced to leave me behind by Tatum who kissed my cheek before tearfully making her way back to the doorway with Michael. There were others—like Emiko, that caught my attention as she cried in her mother's arms, waving to Gomamon, barely able to see through her tears, and even Kiyoko who looked broken as his eyes flicked between all that he was leaving behind. I felt proud that I was part of that list. I was proud that I had made a new friend and that he had opened up to me. Proud of _him_ for showing me all I truly needed in life was nothing more than inner peace and sanity. I needed Terriermon and Lopmon.

My eyes however were mostly keeping watch of Michael, Tatum, Jenna and Mari. It was hardest to leave _them_ behind. Mari was still holding tight to Lalamon, and other than Mimi who was holding Palmon's extended fingers, she was the last to leave her partner. Taichi stood nearby with Rei under his arm and Agumon at his side. Hikari was standing with her parents, crying but trying to seem hopeful, and as Takeru made his way toward her I knew she would be alright. When Mari looked up to me with wide eyes they lingered for only a moment, and she blinked once and then she was gone, turning her head and saying her final farewell to Lalamon and making her way to the door where she stood next to Hideto and Kiyoko. Neo was nearby, but was focusing on Rei and when he caught her attention he waved one last time. She let out a small sob and waved back.

"Willis!" I looked toward the sound and found that Lopmon was near Michael and the others. She was waving to me and motioning for me to come closer.

As I took my first step my heart plunged to the deepest corners of my chest as Taichi finally said, "It's time now." I froze mid step and watched as—although unwilling—the first of the group made their way through the doorway. Satoe, Natsuko and Sora's parents and Mushroomon were gone. Soon Shuu and Jun's Otamamon followed behind, but it seemed that Jun wasn't quite ready to go.

I realized it was now or never, and I needed to get to my partners.

Hiroako and the Izumis were next, walking out together after a final goodbye wave to their partners, all of whom were staying behind. Isao Kido nodded curtly to his Unimon friend and followed behind them, patting Jou's shoulder comfortingly on the way by.

I was halfway to Michael now, and I heard Kae Ichijouji blubbering as her husband led the way through the door. Ken winced at the sight of her and turned his head, looking to Coronamon who was crying just as hard as Kae, with Lunamon hugging him tight.

"Willis," Terriermon said, relieved that I'd finally made it back. "Monodramon is giving us something."

"Oh right," I realized, looking down to Monodramon. "The recordings." Monodramon grinned and nodded his head, handing the camera off to me. I smiled down to him and patted his head. "Here," I said to Terriermon, handing it off, "you hold onto it." Terriermon seemed proud to be holding it as Lopmon gave Monodramon a final hug. Betamon was nearby too. I hadn't noticed, but he was looking up to Monodramon sadly, and when that was realized, Monodramon pulled him into the hug.

"I still think you're a fool," Jenna said rather bluntly, "staying behind."

"It's my choice," I told her simply. "It is what has to be done." Michael scoffed but said nothing. It was awful to leave on such a sour note, but it was time, as Taichi had said. I turned to Monodramon. "Thanks for your tapes," he smiled once more, nodding his head.

I noticed Neo, leading Alias III through the door, each of them expressing their sadness in a different way. They were going now. It was time. I felt a panic rise in my chest as I looked to Mari. She didn't look back once as she made her way through, but I knew why. She didn't want to risk taking another look, scared she would stay behind. But she had to go to Earth, because Aneko was walking hand in hand with her and needed her guidance.

Kurayami blew a kiss to Labramon and then waved to Norn before taking Haruki, walking backwards through the portal to make the most of every second.

"I guess it's our turn," Tatum said, looking right at me. She nodded her head feeling rather upset, but turned with Monodramon and made her way to the door. Momoe, Natsuni and Katsue all stood with her with Bearmon and Monimon joining them. Jou seemed willing to let the struggling Emiko go so he set her down and she ran off to join her mother with Monmon running along behind. Emiko flung herself at Bearmon while Rei waved to her friends, tears covering her entire face.

And then Tatum was gone—along with all the others.

Jenna, looking like she was afraid to cry, looked me in the eyes once more before turning with Chi and making their way out the door. I watched her go and my heart seemed to panic as she vanished halfway through the gate.

Daisuke didn't seem able to hold out much longer and scrunched up his face before finally turning and walking along with Iori and Miyako out the door. They, just like all the others, vanished on their way through.

Ken however, holding Mai, stayed for one last goodbye. "Ryou," he said softly. "Are you sure you want to stay?" Ryou, who was standing with his partner still nodded. "Well... take care of Wormmon for me," he said, looking down to his partner. Wormmon was crying while Veemon patted his head softly. And then Ken was leaving.

"Willis, I hate you for staying," Michael said, catching my attention. "B-but... If you _have_ to, I just w-want you to make sure nothing bad happens to Betamon."

My heart took a final plunge and I nodded, wiping the already forming tears from my eyes. "Of course, Michael. I won't let anything happen to him."

"I said that before," Michael admitted. "I want you to be super careful."

"I promise." I nodded once more and then Michael closed the distance between us and threw his arms around me. "I'll miss you, Michael."

"You're an idiot," Michael said finally, pulling away from me and turning to the doorway. He marched straight through and I kept my eyes wide, afraid I would miss the last moment of my brother. It didn't matter though, it still hurt just as much.

Lopmon pulled on my pant leg and I turned to her. She was looking up with wide, worried eyes. "I'm fine," I said, wiping my nose with my sleeve. "It's just sad. But it's not too late," I said, realizing suddenly. "You stayed on Earth before, right? The worlds didn't fall apart!"

"Are you having second thoughts?" Terriermon asked, his voice very clear as he looked to Lopmon, matching her worried expression.

"N-no!" I insisted, turning from them to see Taichi looking to his original team.

Mimi finally released Palmon's ivy and Koushiro's hand finally fell as his waving stopped. Sora was crying into Jou's shoulder as he held her close to him, keeping his eye on his partner. Biyomon was waving animatedly still, as if she thought that if she waved enough, Sora might never have to go. Tentomon was working on comforting Palmon but it didn't seem to be working. Gomamon had Patamon sitting on his head, and the two were both crying now, one more obviously than the other. Yamato and Gabumon were near enough each other that their conversation had strung along until now, but Gabumon had finally ended it with a quick, "You're my best friend," and Yamato had to turn away to stop himself from falling to pieces. Takeru was holding Hikari who had finally put herself together long enough to stop weeping and Taichi's parents were taking Kamemon toward the exit, realizing that no matter how long they stayed behind, the goodbye would not be made easier.

And then one by one they all began to fall apart.

Yamato and Koushiro were first, making their way to the exit, followed closely by Jou and Sora who had to support Mimi as her legs were too shaky to move well on her own. That left Takeru and Hikari, the latter of which pushed Takeru off gently and said, "Go," she kissed his cheek and he nodded taking one last look to Patamon, then to Taichi, and he was gone, following the others. As Hikari made her way to Taichi he turned from her and she grabbed his hand.

"I have to stay," Taichi said in a harsh voice. "You can't stay with me."

"I'm sorry," Hikari cried softly, and she leaned forward, pressing her head into his back. "You're right. I know you have to leave me."

"Please be careful," Taichi said, turning back to Hikari as she stepped back from him. She nodded, looking pained. "Goodbye, Hikari."

"Bye, Taichi," Hikari whimpered, "don't forget about me!" Taichi seemed choked off, but Hikari had finally turned from him and was making her way to the doorway.

And as I watched her go, I realized she was the final one to leave. I swallowed the hole in my throat that had been scraping away at my sanity and I nodded, looking back to Taichi. "Should I close the doo—"

I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and I saw that Terriermon had hit me hard, causing me to stumble backwards. "I'm so sorry!" he cried, tears escaping him now.

"Willis, I love you!" Lopmon cried, and I spotted her behind me where she slammed her fist into the back of my knee.

I fell straight backward and slipped through the doorway, slamming on the ground on the other side.

The panic that rose up in my chest then was immeasurable and I clambered to my feet, tears streaming down my cheeks. I reached for the door and grabbed at it but found that it had been slammed shut. "NO!" I screamed, my voice choked. Terriermon and Lopmon were on the other side. It was closed. It was _done_. The worlds were separated.

And nothing else mattered.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** The end. Forever. And even after that. Just kidding. The next arc comes up, but it's maybe not what you would be expecting. Perhaps we wanted to do a really season 1 vibe here, and maybe we liked how similar it was to the end of 03 which was our first completed story, so we liked that. We also needed a bit of a time jump, so I hope you're still on board because we have one more stretch to go from here!


	38. Digi See?

**Y/N:** This was an interesting arc to work on. We'd thought of it as being a good way to move the story along. And it was nice to get a chance to use some narrators that we'd only gotten to use the one time up until now. I got to be Veemon again, and it was definitely fun to go back to writing as him, and just to see how much he might've changed-if at all-as a narrator, now that he's older, and his and Daisuke's family has grown. I got the chance to do the same with Agumon as well. It was hard for a long time in the past for me to make Veemon and Agumon different enough, since I focused so much on Taichi and Daisuke, but I'm satisfied with their differences now. I hope you all are too. :D

 **U/N:** So this is the start of the digimon arc. Sometimes we like to shake it up and switch over to the digimon's perspective, and it's always nice to see what they're up to. Especially since every time the worlds split we jump through time and then flashback to what happened with the humans. The digimon have lives too, so this time we thought it would be fun to write the digimon's story, since it's more important anyway (though you will see the human story too, don't worry). We considered writing each other's characters for a kind of middle arc because we thought it would be interesting to see how well we could swap them over, but instead we chose this. So here I'm Gomamon. I tried to get into his personality, but he's so different from Joe it was a bit hard.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 3: Digi-Interlude (Part 3)**

 **Chapter 38: Digi See?**

 _ **Veemon:**_

Two months. I'd been without Daisuke for two months. I wondered if Haruki could crawl yet, and then I shook my head. I couldn't keep doing that to myself. I had a business to run. I had to beat Daisuke. He challenged me, and I was a winner. I was going to beat him.

Tapirmon and Tentomon had to help Taichi figure out Kiyoko's custom built program so that they could start actually building the towns Taichi had wanted. It was slow going, because they still weren't experts, but two towns had been built, and I made sure to stake my claim and put a noodle cart in each one. I actually had two carts in each, because they were quite big, and I wanted to make sure that my fellow Veemon were capable of producing enough noodles for the digimon that chose to live there. I added an additional cart to the Temple, where mine was, and that brought my total to six. We weren't doing quite as well as I'd hoped, but there weren't all that many digimon living in the new towns yet, and there were still some stragglers in the Coliseum.

I would beat Daisuke.

I wondered momentarily how Daisuke expected to know who won, since we would never see each other again, and I decided that thought was too sad to waste any time on. I was a business owner—well Daisuke and I were co-owners, even though the worlds separated us—and I was far too busy to worry about such sad thoughts. Maybe once I was really settled into a routine, I could think about Daisuke, and hopefully by then, it won't hurt so much. As it was though, I was much too busy. I had to hire a part-time employee—a Veemon, of course, because I had to support my long lost colony—to take my place some days, as I was an active member of the Knights, and we were under the new leadership of Agumon and Gabumon, now that Neo was gone.

Sometimes I found it hard to follow their orders, because we were friends and we were all crest holders, but they didn't mind too much. I didn't think they were used to having so much control and pressure on their shoulders just yet. They had to take turns running the Knights anyway, since they were both on the Council too. It was really difficult juggling everything we needed to do. Taichi had also given us back the jobs we'd had before the Digidestined had come back the last time we'd been separated forever. Palmon and Lalamon were watching over the forest, and Tentomon was guardian for the insects with Wormmon, but also the robotic digimon with Cyberdramon helping him this time. It was all very confusing, and time consuming.

Eventually, we'd revel in the fact that we had so much to do. It kept our minds off of our missing partners. It was hard for me to have any free time. I didn't know what to do with myself if I didn't have a job to work on. I would just wallow in self-pity, and that wasn't helping anyone. Not even me. Sometimes, DemiVeemon wanted me to tell him stories about Haruki, and that was hard to do. But I liked talking about Haruki. When I told the stories, it made it easier to remember them. I told a couple of the stories a lot of times, because they were my favourites and I never wanted to forget them. DemiVeemon didn't complain when I said the same ones over again. He liked them too.

Days when the Knights went out to patrol were the best. I could leave the noodle carts behind—with Labramon and the other Veemon to run them, of course—and the memories of Daisuke that they carried, and head out into the world hunting for bad guys. Just the one bad guy really. It was just Maugrim we were looking for. I wasn't even sure he was actually _in_ the Digital World, but Evelen was sure, and since she was his daughter, I figured she'd _probably_ know.

We hadn't found him yet though, so I was starting to seriously doubt that it was true.

Andromon was walking with Centarumon, as they always did, at the back of the pack. Kotemon was with Dorumon and Wizardmon at the front. Evelen was walking with Dracomon right at her side, and I was on her other side, walking with Terriermon and Lopmon. Warg and Melga were fighting over who got to be beside Dracomon. They were always fighting, so it wasn't too surprising. They never _really_ fought though. There was no bloodshed, and there were no real arguments. That was nice. I didn't want to have to step in between them. It wouldn't be very fun.

Agumon was with Dorumon, talking away about Yuuko, even though it was a sore subject with Dorumon. No one except Agumon, Gatomon and Taichi were allowed to even mention her name. He snapped at them, because it hurt to talk about her, but at the same time, those three _lived_ with her, and Dorumon never had, so he was always eager to learn more about his partner through them, since he couldn't do it on his own anymore. Similarly, Wizardmon liked to talk to Gabumon, and to a lesser extent Patamon about Hiroaki, and Centarumon talked to Biyomon about Haruhiko. Tentomon was asked about Masami and Yoshie by Andromon and Digitamamon, and Kotemon and Armadillomon had little conversations about Chikara, remembering times when he was alive. I knew Unimon hardly talked at all, but Gomamon was always willing to share Jou's stories about Isao, when he was asked for them.

Coronamon, Lunamon and Minervamon had left soon after their partners had gone back to Earth and the gates were sealed. They decided to go and reunite with the rest of Olympos XII. They needed to tell them that Ceresmon was never coming. I felt really bad that Lalamon and Tapirmon would never get the chance to feel a fusion. It was an amazing feeling, being only half of a whole, and working in perfect harmony with not only our human partners, but a friend as well. That's how it felt being fused with Wormmon anyway. It felt that way for both Jogress and DNA digivolving. We'd done both together, and it was a pretty similar feeling. The only difference really was what we became depending on which fusing technique we were using. But they wouldn't get to experience it, and it was sad.

I didn't rub it in their face though, because that would be really rude and just not nice at all. I was trying to be nice and humble, because Daisuke wasn't there to keep me in check, and I hoped he was trying extra hard to do the same on Earth, now that I wasn't there to watch over _his_ pride levels. It was harder than I expected it to be. I'd always been much better at it than Daisuke, but now that I had an entire colony of Veemon bragging about all of my past exploits, and practically worshiping the ground that I walked on—because I was some legendary hero that they learned about from Rei or something—it was a whole lot harder to keep my head on straight. It would be so easy to just let them praise me and to just bask in the glory they were providing me with. But I couldn't do that. Not only was it against the crest that I was carrying within my heart, but it just wasn't true. I couldn't have accomplished anything without Daisuke, and we couldn't have done half those things without having our friends around to back us up. I tried to point things like that out to the other Veemon, but they were too pigheaded, and they didn't want to listen.

There was only so much that I could do before I got tired of repeating myself.

I just had to ignore their praise, and not let it get to me. That was another reason why scouting with the Knights was quickly becoming one of my favourite activities. Everyone in the Knights were amazing fighters, and really good people, so it made it easier to realize that I had a long way to go in order to be the best I could be.

"And you're _sure_ you have no idea where to look?" Dracomon asked Evelen. His voice was whiny, and it was getting kind of annoying, but I could also understand his frustration. We'd been looking for ages to find Maugrim, and we hadn't found any signs of him at all.

"No," Evelen said, sounding exhausted. She was probably more tired from the walking than she was from repeating herself, but it was a pretty close race.

"He's _here_ though?" I asked, feeling guilty for annoying her, but needing to clarify once again, just to be sure.

"I wouldn't have stayed here if he wasn't," Evelen said. "I gave up everything to stop him. I didn't make that decision lightly. He's here. I know he is."

"Okay," I said. I still didn't quite believe her, but there wasn't anything I could really do about it. I wouldn't believe her until we found Maugrim while we were patrolling—or when we weren't. I wasn't picky. I just wanted to have actual proof.

"It was pretty brave," Warg said, fiddling with the bowtie around his neck. Hideto had sent them, and he was very excited that Melga wasn't the only one with an accessory now.

"Yeah," Melga said. "If we didn't _have_ to come, we never would have done it."

"I want to be on Earth still," Warg added, seemingly embarrassed by his confession. "I don't _like_ the Digital World."

"What's not to like?" Evelen said, wryly. She didn't have a real home yet, and she didn't have a lot of friends either. She refused Rei's offers of living with her and Taichi, and she didn't seem interested in going to Neverland with Ryou, whenever he got around to making that journey. She was just wandering, dedicating her entire existence to finding her father, and taking him captive.

"It's not _so_ bad," Dracomon insisted. "It's not as good as Neo's house. But it's still _good_."

"I don't think so," Warg said, shaking his head.

"But we weren't born here," Melga added, defensively. "We were created by Spring on Earth, so this isn't our home. We're just not used to it."

"I'm _never_ getting used to it," Warg said, crinkling his nose.

"This was my home for _ages_ before I met Ryou, and I met him before I met Daisuke," I told them. "I'm an ancient digimon though…and I don't remember actually being taken from Witchenly when the worlds were all one. But the other Veemon tell me that's what happened. They think the people of Pangaea took the egg I was in, and then brought _that_ home with them. I must've been in an egg when the digimon were cast off of Earth too, because I don't remember that part."

"You're old," Dracomon told me flatly.

"And you're rude," I said, crossing my arms. I wasn't _too_ upset, but no one liked being called old. That just wasn't a fun thing. I didn't look nearly as old as I was. I looked really _good_ for my age. Babamon was old. She looked it too. But I didn't. So there.

"Don't fight," Lopmon pleaded, sounding miserable.

Terriermon held tightly to his sister's hand, and the two of them let their ears drag on the ground. They'd been acting like that since they pushed Willis back through the gate when Willis had meant to stay behind.

 _The gate closed, and Palmon let out a horrible wail, as the path between worlds was sealed, blocking us from our partners for the rest of eternity. My heart cried out, but I stayed quiet. My throat was closed off with all of my welled up emotions, and I couldn't make a sound even if I'd wanted to. Daisuke was gone. He was gone and I'd never see him again. I wouldn't know my partner's fate, and I wouldn't know Haruki's either._

" _The Zeta curse," Labramon murmured miserably at my side. "They won't forget about it, will they?" I shook my head. Of course they wouldn't. They weren't stupid. That curse had plagued Kurayami's family since Yggdrasil created Zeta in the first place. They wouldn't risk having a second child if it meant that Haruki would be in danger._

 _I had to believe that they wouldn't be so stupid._

" _Without the darkness, there's no protection against it," Labramon cried. I shuddered at the thought. Haruki would be fine. He_ had _to be. Daisuke and Kurayami would never survive losing him. Everyone else would make sure they remembered it, even if they themselves forgot, even for a second. Sora would for sure, anyway. She was attached to Haruki almost as much as Daisuke and Kurayami were. And Takeru too._

" _MIMI!" Palmon cried, drowning out any attempts I'd made at comforting Labramon. No words would come from my mouth, so he wouldn't have understood me anyway. Tentomon landed on the ground next to the sobbing Palmon and did his best to offer her comfort, even if he physically had difficulty hugging her. He tried, and Palmon accepted his attempts by clinging to him._

 _Ryou was on the ground, having collapsed when the weight of his decision crashed down on him. When those gates closed, he lost any chance of seeing his family again, and lost what little remained of the life he'd had before the time travel occurred. Cyberdramon did not know how to comfort him, but Rei was doing her best. She was curled up with him on the ground, crying her eyes out, because Neo was gone now. She wouldn't get to see her brother or any of her friends. She cried out Katsue's name miserably, as she realized in the flurry of goodbyes that she forgot to say goodbye to her best friend._

" _Why did we do that?" Lopmon cried out aghast. "Why would we do that to him?"_

" _Because he's got a life to live," Terriermon said firmly, though he too looked rather distraught._

" _He hates us now," Lopmon said, bursting into tears. "He didn't_ want _that. We made him be without us, and he didn't want that."_

" _I know," Terriermon said. "But he needed to. We can survive without him, because we've got each other. But Mrs Mary can't survive without Willis, and Willis loves Mari."_

" _Michael will be very happy," Betamon offered._

" _But Willis will hate us forever," Lopmon concluded. "He hates us, because we're mean."_

" _I miss him already," Terriermon cried, and the two clung to one another. Betamon moved closer and closer, until they included him in their hugging. Soon everyone was hugging someone. Goblimon had Armadillomon. Hawkmon and Wormmon were hugging Poromon. Gatomon and Wizardmon were hugging, and so were Gabumon and Patamon. Biyomon was holding on to Taichi, showing no signs of loosening her grip, and Taichi really didn't look like he minded. Warg, Melga, Lalamon and Tapirmon were all clinging to each other, and Dracomon ran down from the Council rooms, nearly falling down the steps to join them._

" _Where's Neo?" he asked, looking around desperately._

" _They're gone," I said. "They're all gone. Forever."_

Dracomon had not been pleased to have missed Neo's departure, but he refused to let anyone rain on his parade. Neo had told him that he would find a way to get back into the Digital World. And Dracomon believed him. I knew that Neo didn't lie on principle, but I couldn't see how claiming to be able to do the impossible would work out for him. That was probably the first lie he'd ever told Dracomon, and while it seemed sweet, it was actually pretty cruel, because Dracomon waited outside each night, counting the stars and telling them all about how Neo was coming back for him, and how Neo was probably already working on doing just that.

"Couldn't your dad just jump out of a bush and announce himself?" Warg whined. "I want to go back to the Temple. I don't _want_ to be out here running around anymore."

"It doesn't really feel like we're doing anything productive," Melga added. "We're just wasting our time."

"I really hope not," Evelen said. "But we've got a lot of time now. It's not such a big deal to waste a bit of it, right? We're going to be trapped here."

"Only until Neo comes to get us," Dracomon supplied.

"But we don't know how long that'll take," Evelen said, letting him continue on with his delusion. I wondered then, if she had fallen for it as well. Did she truly believe that Neo was capable of breaking the barriers that Taichi had put in place?

"It took a really long time last time," Warg added. "Remember?"

"And Sigma had to do it," Melga pointed out. "Sigma's not around anymore, so Neo's gonna have to figure it out without him."

"Kiyoko's real smart," Dracomon insisted.

"Willis is too," Lopmon said, sounding a little bit happier than she'd been since they'd betrayed Willis. Terriermon nodded eagerly.

"And Koushiro," I added, begrudgingly.

"So it'll be fast," Dracomon said happily. "Forever won't be too long after all."

"I hope not," Evelen sighed. "But I'm willing to wait. I'll wait however long it takes, because I'm going to find my dad first, even if I _can_ leave."

"It's really hard to be away from Willis," Terriermon said. "If he was here, we'd probably have found Maugrim by now." That didn't make much sense to me, but I supposed it had something to do with motivation, rather than Willis giving them some sort of magical tracking abilities.

"It can't be _that_ bad," Evelen protested. "You've only been apart for a couple of months. You were apart longer than that before."

"You need a partner," I sighed. "You won't understand until you have one."

"I don't need a partner," she said firmly. "All I need is to find my dad."

"Is that all?"

I whirled around at the sound of a new voice. It was a tall, strong human male, with a scar down the side of his face. Evelen gasped, and clenched her hands into fists. There was a moment of total stillness. I gauged Evelen's reaction to see if this was the man we had been tracking for two whole months and found that it simply had to be. Evelen scrunched up her face and then marched straight toward him and slapped him across the face. He let her, and when she went to do it a second time, he caught her wrist.

"Once is enough, I think," Maugrim told his daughter. It didn't look like her slap had done him any damage. It really just seemed like he had been entertaining her, more than anything.

The Knights digivolved in a flash of light, and I sighed, knowing that without Daisuke, I was one of the weaker ones here, only able to become ExVeemon on my own at that point—at least in a stable form, since I could get to ultimate if I had to, but it would not last long or maybe even work at all. It was rough. I digivolved too, because I felt like I needed to, and I stood in between Warg and Melga, who had digivolved to champion as well. Agumon had become Greymon and was already advancing on Maugrim, with Alphamon, Dynasmon and Crusadermon on his flanks. Kentaurusmon and Craniamon were hanging back with Warg, Melga and me, while Terriermon and Lopmon fused together thanks to the omnipresent power of their crests, and were standing as Leopardmon, waiting for Maugrim to make his move.

Maugrim smiled at the thought of the fight before him and tossed Evelen to the side. Dracomon ran to her, hesitating on whether he ought to digivolve into Coredramon to help in the fight, or whether to get her to safety. Agumon— _Greymon—_ made the decision for him.

"Get her out of here," Greymon growled. Dracomon nodded, and digivolved into Coredramon before scooping her into his arms, and fleeing the scene of the fight.

Alphamon was the first to go down. Maugrim used his magic to create a strange set of gauntlets, and slashed down at the valiant warrior. Alphamon fell backwards, and before he could get his footing, Maugrim kicked him hard, sending him flying through the woods, knocking down trees left and right. By the time he stopped moving, he was Dorumon once more, and his eyes were closed. He was out cold.

Crusadermon and Dynasmon decided to double team him, since Alphamon didn't accomplish much on his own. But it was no good. Maugrim just pulled out some fancy footwork and did a few back flips while avoiding my teammates' attacks. Slashing down one both of his bladed gauntlets at once, Kotemon and Wizardmon fell to the ground. He kicked each of them, sending them flying.

"Kentaurusmon," Greymon growled. "You take them back. Hurry!"

Kentaurusmon listened to his orders and collected the three fallen Knights, though he did pause before following after Coredramon, wanting to make sure Greymon had been serious. Greymon growled impatiently, and Kentaurusmon left. Craniamon surged forward as fast as he could, and I followed after him. Warg, Melga and Leopardmon were on our tails. We swarmed Maugrim, and I managed to scrap my claws against the side of his face—leaving no damage whatsoever, which was very disappointing—before a blade sliced through me. The sharp edge moved as easily as a hot knife in butter, and it left a searing pain in its wake. It was like I was lit on fire. I fell to the ground, struggling to hold on to my power. It was slipping away from me though, and I was left in my Rookie state once more.

Warg rolled to the ground on my right, his bowtie ripped and hanging limply around his neck. Melga fell on top of him, when she too was discarded. Her bow had survived mostly intact. They both were struggling to their feet. I tried to follow suit, but Andromon landed on top of us, making us topple over once more.

Greymon was still fighting, but that was only because Maugrim was toying with him. Leopardmon was dancing around Maugrim, looking for any opportunity to get back in the fight. Maugrim ejected a blade and shot it directly at Leopardmon without looking, and managed to hit our friend square in the chest. Leopardmon looked down at the glowing blade, made purely out of magic, before the glowing spread and Terriermon and Lopmon fell to the ground in surprise.

"Greymon, fall back!" I called as I crawled out from under Andromon. "We can't win this round! We need Taichi!"

"Oh, it's too late for that," Maugrim assured me, sending a sword into Greymon's side. I winced, panic rising up inside as I watched Agumon fall down. He hit the ground hard near Maugrim and I struggled to pull myself to my feet. Maugrim bent down to pick him up. He smirked in my direction, and walked out into the woods. I chased after him, but it was no good. He'd disappeared, and he'd taken Agumon with him.

 _ **Agumon:**_

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded.

I'd been struggling for hours, trying to get free, and I thought I'd succeeded once, but Maugrim proved to be too powerful for me. He'd defeated me completely. I couldn't gather enough energy to digivolve even to champion, and I had no way of defending myself when Maugrim came after me.

So I was in his clutches. He hadn't said a word since capturing me. He was completely silent, even when I'd managed to escape—however temporary that ended up being. There was something sinister about his silence. It put me on edge. I didn't like it. And I think Maugrim knew that. I'd spent the entire time I'd been his captive trying to off put him with _my_ silence, but he was enjoying it too much, and I wasn't able to gather any information about what was going to happen to me.

I had to break the silence, and my question was the most obvious choice: where were we going?

Maugrim glanced over to me with his cold, hard eyes, but said nothing. I shivered at the sight of those eyes. I wondered how Evelen had lasted as long as she had with _that_ guy as a father. His chin was strong and solid, and his build matched in every way. He was huge, taller than Taichi for sure—and boy was he stronger. I was glad that it was _me_ that Maugrim ran into, instead of Taichi. Taichi wouldn't have lasted even a minute in a fight against Maugrim. _I_ hadn't lasted a minute.

I would have probably lasted longer if Taichi had actually been there with me. We were a team, and I was able to get a whole lot stronger when Taichi was there being the human example of courage. It really powered up the crest in my heart, and I was able to become VictoryGreymon, which was awesome, because of how much stronger I was. The sword was pretty cool too.

"Are we there yet?" I whined, purposefully making myself as annoying as I could. I thought maybe if I got on Maugrim's nerves he'd give in and spill all his secrets. It was either that, or he'd kill me, and my data would gather back at Primary Village, where I'd be away from him, so either way, I was okay with it. I would've preferred simply getting all the information I could possibly need so that I could tell Taichi, and prove that I was worthy enough to be the leader of the Knights.

Neo had left pretty big shoes to fill, and since I didn't even wear shoes, it was pretty hard to take his place. Dorumon had a hard time listening to my orders, because he was Taichi's _mom's_ partner, and that meant somehow in his mind that he was superior to me. He was actually kind of annoying. He didn't like Gabumon much better than me though. He didn't think we were good enough to become the leaders of the Knights, just because we had the crests. We weren't there very often _before_ Neo left, but _Dorumon_ was, so he figured that meant _he_ ought to be the leader.

He also said something about how _Alphamon_ sounded like a leader's name, since Alpha was the first Greek letter or something. I didn't know much about that, since I could only read the digital language, but Tentomon seemed to find the argument compelling.

It didn't matter though, because Taichi gave the job to Gabumon and me. We were the only ones he trusted to make sure the Knights kept running smoothly. He trusted me the most, of course, because we were partners. It only made sense. Gabumon and I had proved time and time again to have only the best interests of the Digital World at heart, and that was a quality that Taichi really appreciated.

Maugrim on the other hand…well…he _didn't_.

"Why won't you talk to me?" I asked, glaring at him with my best glare.

Still, I got no reaction. I sighed heavily, and he tightened his grip on my wrist, yanking me hard. I fell off balance and landed on the ground, getting dirt, sticks and grass in my face. He didn't stop walking so that I could get up either. He just dragged me behind him.

It was very uncomfortable.

Anger coursed through me and I looked up to him, getting a glimpse of his sadistic smile before more dirt and grass smacked my face and I couldn't see anymore. I scrambled to my feet, and once I got high enough, I sank all my teeth into Maugrim's hand. He let out an involuntary gasp, and his hand loosened. I got moving as fast as I could. I ran through the trees, coming out into a meadow. There was nowhere to hide in a meadow. Not that it really mattered. Maugrim appeared in front of me. I skidded to a stop, and turned around, racing as fast as my short legs could carry me.

Maugrim was in front of me yet again.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted, but he wouldn't listen. No matter where I ran, he was always there, blocking my path. I couldn't escape him. I didn't even really _want_ to. I wanted to find out what he wanted me for. I needed to discover his plans. But I was still trying to annoy him, and it kind of looked like it was working. There were little bits of blood on his hand, but the teeth marks had healed up already. It was disappointing to know that my hard work had lasted only a few seconds at best. He was just too powerful.

He was also a fairy from Sidhendor, and Gennai had just recently (ish) told us that the only way to kill a fairy was to destroy its heart. I had no way to do that. I could never defeat him on my own. Not that I was allowed to. We needed to know what his plans were, and getting rid of him might not actually take his plans out of motion.

Maugrim seemed to have a lot of dedicated minions.

I kind of wished I could say the same. But then, since I was the leader of the Knights now, I kind of did. Mine were all a lot nicer though, and I probably would've called them friends instead of minions. Minions seemed like kind of a mean thing to call people. But I was pretty sure Maugrim called _his_ friends minions. I wasn't even sure they were his friends.

"You can't catch me!" I told him, lying completely. He knew it. I knew it. We both knew it. But I was being annoying, and his eyebrow was starting to twitch, so I knew I was being successful in my plan. I did a summersault under his hand when he reached out to grab me, and skipped away from him. He grunted, and I started running again.

"Got you," he snarled, appearing out of nowhere and grabbing my leg, raising me into the air. I swiped at him with my claws, but nothing happened. His arms were longer than mine, and I couldn't reach him at all.

On the plus side, I'd gotten him to start talked.

The only problem with that was that I wasn't sure why I'd wanted him to talk in the first place. He was such a grumpy guy. He was evil, but that didn't mean he needed to be so gruff and angry. Lots of bad guys were witty, or even pleasant. Gaia hadn't been _too_ bad, from what I'd heard. She saved Miyako's baby—before stealing the light and darkness from our friends. She was sweet and kind, but mostly to manipulate people. The point was, she was interesting. Grumpy wasn't interesting. Grumpy just meant I was likely to get my butt kicked because he had no sense of humour.

Yes, getting information was important—and would make Taichi very happy, but I wasn't sure how far Maugrim was willing to go in order to shut me up. I was willing to die for the cause—it wasn't that big of a decision really, when I would just get reborn after like five minutes—but I didn't really want to be exposed to prolonged pain.

Maugrim didn't look like the kind of guy that went for the easy kill if he didn't have to.

"Why don't you just kill me already?" I asked, pretending like I was bored with him or something, so that he would continue being annoyed. He narrowed his cold eyes at me, and I pretended _not_ to shiver with deep seeded fear.

"I have use for you yet," he growled.

"What use am I to _you_?" I wanted to know.

"That doesn't concern you," he said simply. "'It is between Gaia and myself."

"Gaia's _here_?" I asked, horrified.

"No," he said. He sounded bitterly disappointed by the fact, so I knew he was telling the truth. I sighed with relief. Hikari had gone to great lengths to make sure that Gaia was trapped in Witchenly once more. It would've sucked if she escaped before Taichi sealed the worlds. "That does not mean she has no use for you, however."

"What?" I asked, legitimately confused. I had no idea what he meant. How could Gaia need me for something? I'd never really even met her. She didn't know me at all. I wasn't going to help her anyway, so what was the point?

"Don't fret," Maugrim said coolly. His lips pulled into a sinister smile, and I shuddered again. "It won't hurt _too_ much, when the time comes."

"And has the time come yet?" I wanted to know. He shook his head once, and then flung me over his shoulder. I couldn't move much, even though I wanted to find out where we were going. I was tossed on his shoulder like a potato sack, and he wasn't being particularly gentle.

"You'll know when the time arrives," Maugrim said in a deep, ominous voice. I wasn't sure exactly how he planned on executing Gaia's plans, since I was sure her plans involved _her_ being here. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that Taichi _had_ to have been alerted by now that I'd been taken. He'd be out looking for me, and then I'd have a convenient escape route, once I finished getting the information from Maugrim.

Taichi wasn't always the most _reliable_ , and he didn't actually have any way of tracking me, but he would pull through for me anyway. He always had.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked again, growing bored watching the path as we passed it by. I couldn't see where we were going, only where we'd been. It was hardly interesting to watch things disappear behind us, when I wanted to be looking towards our destination. But I wasn't in any place to make requests, so I kept my mouth shut.

"We've arrived," Maugrim announced. I squirmed, trying to peer over his shoulder, but I couldn't manage. I looked around at what I _could_ see instead, trying to see if I could piece tighter a location. The trees had given way to grass and a well worn path. There was a house in the distance that screamed of home. I wondered…but that couldn't be right. Why would Maugrim kidnap me, only to bring me right back to the Temple where I _wanted_ to go?

But that's where we had to be. Standing before the Temple's endless pit of a moat, this was the exact angle that Taichi's house was visible. There was no other explanation. I sighed as he pressed forward. Tapirmon peeked out of the door of his and Yoshie's—though I supposed it wasn't hers anymore, now that she couldn't come back—café. His eyes widened at the sight before him, and I hoped he'd fly away to warn the others of Maugrim's arrival.

Maugrim walked confidently over the draw bridge, and grabbed the massive chains that hung on either side of the massive doorway with one hand and pulled sharply. With a loud clanging noise, the heavy doors swung open and Maugrim stepped into the gates without hesitation. The Temple was alive and bustling, but when Maugrim walked, the sounds dulled, before stopping altogether. When he stood in the centre of Main Square, he stopped to look around. I waited patiently, wondering if he would ever find what he was looking for.

"The keys," Maugrim growled to me. "Bring me to them."

"Not on your life, buster," I told him. He squeezed me, tightening his hold. He summoned his glowing gauntlets equipped with blades made of pure energy, and turned to the nearest digimon. It was Labramon, who was running Veemon's noodle cart—with the help of another Veemon, since Labramon had no opposable thumbs.

"Take me to the keys, or I kill him," Maugrim told Labramon gruffly. Labramon's eyes widened, and he looked to the Veemon he'd been working with. The Veemon fled into the crowd, heading off to find the Knights, most likely. The Veemon colony had very ridiculous and not at all true stories about my friend. It was always really funny to hear them worship Veemon, even though he found it horribly embarrassing.

"I can't," Labramon said, trying to stay bold. But his eyes wouldn't leave the glowing orange blade. "Don't' hurt him. I just can't do it."

"I see no reason why I shouldn't," Maugrim said, moving the blade closer to my neck. I knew for sure that he wasn't actually going to hurt me. He'd already said he was going to spare me for his girlfriend's sake. I still wasn't sure what that was about, because it still made very little sense, but it was a good enough reason to _not_ fear that he was going to kill me.

"Umm," Labramon hesitated.

"Don't do it!" I ordered. He firmed up his resolve and shook his head at Maugrim. Maugrim got angry and swung the blade towards Labramon. My dog friend jumped back just in time. It seemed almost too convenient, as if Maugrim was trying _not_ to hurt Labramon either.

Perhaps I wasn't the _only_ digimon that Gaia needed for her plans.

It was kind of a letdown to know I wasn't the only one that was special—but at the same time it was a relief, because I wasn't the only one!

Labramon barked, and started to digivolve, but seemed to remember that we were in a crowded marketplace, and stopped. I looked around, waiting for the others to arrive and help. But no help came. Tentomon, I knew would be in the laboratory, and wouldn't know of the danger until long after it had passed. I didn't know if any of the others were even _in_ the Temple at that point in time.

"Where's Taichi?" I asked Labramon, upset that he hadn't come to help me yet.

"He's out looking for you!" Labramon told me.

"If you will not show me, I will find them myself," Maugrim announced. "I will raze the city to the ground if I must."

It was different when it was only _my_ life on the line. Now it was the lives of several thousand digimon, _and_ Ryou—and maybe Rei, depending on where she happened to be that day. Ryou and Rei wouldn't be recycled like us digimon would. It was now imperative that I give him what he wanted. I would have to show him where the keys were kept, even though it was pretty much the last thing I wanted to be doing.

"Put me down, and I'll take you," I told him, sounding beaten. He must've heard the defeat in my voice, because he put me on the ground, trusting me to not simply run away when the moment presented itself.

I took him up the stairs into the Council building, and I led him down the hall, hoping the entire time that _someone_ would be around and be able to sound the alarm and gather the troops. But there was no one around. Labramon was the only one that seemed to grasp what was going on in Main Square, and now Labramon was trying to follow behind me, to protect me from Maugrim's madness. There was nothing Labramon would be able to do though. I'd made the only decision that I could. I had to stick with it now, and hope that things didn't go terribly, horribly wrong.

"I grow impatient," Maugrim warned me. I sighed, and picked up my pace, leading him down the stairs at the end of the hall, and opening the door to the Digimental room. He eyed them suspiciously, and greedily, but seemed to remember what he was here for when he saw several glistening keys. His eyes moved past the key to Witchenly. He glared at it, and I was afraid it would melt in the sheer heat of his wrath. His eyes found the key that looked kind of like a digivice, and he took it from its hook. I found no reason whatsoever for taking the key to the Digital World, since he was already in it. If I could've figured something out, I might not have let him take it. But to my knowledge, the key only opened a gate to _this_ world.

I thought maybe, once he had the key, that he would leave me alone, and let me go free. But I was wrong. He was using me as a failsafe. He knew that my friends would never hurt me—Taichi especially—so he could use me as a living shield, to manage to escape the Temple.

Labramon growled angrily at him, and he kicked my friend hard enough that he slammed against the wall, falling to the ground, unable to get up again. I cried out, wanting to go make sure Labramon was okay, but Maugrim had other plans. He dragged me up the stairs to the main hall, and then out the front door and _down_ the stairs. There was a moment of pause as he looked toward the boy known as Bitoru, and I knew there was tension between them. Bitoru had once been Maugrim's scientist and faithful follower, but now he lived here in the Temple with us. They stared for a moment until Bitoru turned his head in shame and Maugrim scoffed, marching away from his son. He parted the crowd of villagers with just his commanding presence, and he walked right out the gate, with no one bothering to even _try_ to stop him.

I was kind of a little annoyed, because no one wanted to save me—except Labramon—but then I realized it was probably because I was stronger than most of the digimon that lived in the Temple. If _I_ couldn't fight against Maugrim, they weren't going to give it a go. They didn't want to get hurt, or killed. They had just come back from the Coliseum—though there were _still_ some others there—and they didn't want any reason to leave the Temple again, even if that excuse was because of being reborn in Primary Village.

Growing impatient with this habit of his—dragging me around in the dirt—I bit him hard once more and took a swipe at the key in his hand. He was too busy protecting his pointless key, to worry about catching me once more. He might've been done with me, for all I knew.

What I did know, was that I was able to escape much more successfully this time around. He was too focussed on the pond outside of Taichi's house— _home_ —to be bothered with me. While he was distracted, I crept up behind him, and saw him stare out into the crystal clear pond. He put the key to his lips, and kissed it once, before casting it out into the water.

"I've found it, my love," he murmured.

I didn't know exactly why he _needed_ the key so badly, if he was only going to throw it in the water. It was ridiculous. Not only was the key useless in this world, but now it was lost.

There was one bright point in all of this. He'd just thrown the key in the water. I could enlist the help of my friends, and then no one would ever have to know that Maugrim had gotten the best of me. Taichi didn't need to know how stupid I'd been to get caught—and even _stupider_ , how I'd literally guided Maugrim to the keys. I could figure out this mess without telling Taichi. I didn't want him to be disappointed with me.

I was disappointed enough in myself.

 _ **Gomamon:**_

It had been a week since Agumon had been taken, and still he had us looking for that key. Obviously we _needed_ to find it, but it was also obviously not _here_. The small group of gathered digimon—and Aesop who was looking much better these days after his fight with his son—were the only few who knew what Agumon had been used for inside the Temple. Labramon knew of course that Agumon had been used by Maugrim but had promised not to tell anyone, at Agumon's request. So the secret was being kept, of course. Aesop had no reason to tell anyone, but was enjoying being in the loop of something, even if he hadn't exactly been included by choice. After I had finally satisfied myself with his care he was able to go out on his own and to thank me he came with some treats he made in his new home in the Temple, but I was searching for the key and I had told him before I knew it was a secret. Agumon was keeping a close eye on him, worried that maybe he would go back to his son and tell him what we were doing, but I knew that Aesop had risked everything to fight against Maugrim—losing the fight, just to add insult to injury—and he was not going to rejoin his side. Wizardmon had heard from Gatomon who refused to keep secrets from him, and since he was desperate to know what had happened after their fight with Maugrim, she had told him. Agumon had been the one to tell her, begging her for advice, and the advice she had given was simple. _"Find the key, Agumon."_

So together they had tracked down Betamon and I, and the two of us were swimming in the sparkling water, searching for the key to the Digital World that had apparently been thrown this way.

When I had questioned Agumon on whether or not he was _sure_ the key was thrown in _this_ water, or some other body he grew upset, thinking I didn't trust him. Of course I trusted him—he was our leader—but that didn't mean he couldn't make mistakes. The water was so _clear_ and that meant that Betamon and I could see everything from the surface to the floor of the pond. It was convenient that the pond was so close to Taichi's home, so it didn't seem too strange that we were all gathered around it and swimming here, but every day Taichi came to sit with us—sometimes only for a couple minutes, but sometimes for hours—and we were all forced to lie to him because Agumon was ashamed of the mistake he had made.

For a pond, it was awfully large, and I was pretty sure it could be considered a lake. And since Maugrim had pretty strong arms it seemed somehow likely that he maybe could have thrown the key really far into the pond itself, but Betamon and I had searched high and low for it—mostly low since things usually sank in water—but could find nothing. We even asked Syakomon—Jou's friend who once kidnapped me after being injected with a virus that Marrow had tricked Jou into using—who lived here in this pond if he saw anything, but he had been out with friends. Either that or he saw something that really made him clam up.

I figured I was pretty bitter about it all, but that was because I had several oceans to be looking after. Shinkoumon—the digimon of faith—was on the council and had the same duties as I did, which meant I worked under her and thankfully she was willing to get out and make the rounds by herself without asking questions, but I still felt pretty useless since I wasn't making any progress here either. I was also the only doctor the entire Digital World had anymore. I had been training some other digimon that were willing to learn but they weren't ready to head off on their own yet and that meant that me looking in the pond to fix Agumon's mistakes was entirely a waste of time.

But there I was, brushing clumped wet dirt aside to see if the key had lodged itself in the mud while Betamon searched through some underwater plants to see if it had simply gotten lost. Well, of _course_ it had been lost, that wasn't the issue really. We knew it was gone, we just had to find _where_ it had gone.

But we weren't going to, that much was obvious.

Betamon turned to me and looked up to the surface of the pond, wondering whether we should head up or not and I nodded. Betamon set off, but I waited, turning to Syakomon who was sliding slowly along the ground looking back and forth with his eyes, still expecting to find something. He wasn't quite sure what we were looking for, but he wanted to help anyway.

He caught sight of me and nodded when I showed him that I was heading up to the surface. He didn't seem like he was going to follow though as he turned from me and kept scouring the floor for whatever pearl of a find we were hiding from him.

When I surfaced, taking in the air from above I found that Betamon was already being pulled to shore by Wizardmon and Agumon who for some reason thought that since we were water digimon we were incapable of leaving the water without assistance, which simply wasn't true. I swam quickly in their direction and almost managed to climb onto land, but Agumon caught sight of me and grabbed my arm, tugging sharply.

"Thanks," I said wryly, and he seemed proud to have helped any.

"Did you find anything?" Gatomon asked, eyeing the water with wide eyes, as if she thought she might have to go in and search herself.

Betamon shook his head, "No, we didn't. I don't think it's down there."

Wizardmon seemed annoyed now and simply sighed, shaking his head, "I assure you that it is here. I can feel its presence. The key—"

"Yeah, yeah," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "You've said it before. The keys leave a trail of their power. The trail ends here, I get it. If you want to take a swim and search for the key then be my guest but I'm don't looking." Agumon gasped and looked down to me in horror. "It's pointless," I defended.

Agumon threw his hands in the air, marching over to where Aesop was sitting with his feet dangled into the cool water. "Pointless? It's pointless to find the key that was stolen? The magical key that is helping keep the worlds apart? It's _pointless_ to try to thwart Maugrim's plans?"

I nodded my head, "Pretty much, yeah." Agumon sounded off in exasperation as he fell back into the grass, laying face up. I shrugged to Betamon who was eyeing me up and giving me very strong _'he's crazy'_ vibes. He was crazy of course, but that wasn't news to me. "Look, you were searching for Maugrim for two months and you couldn't find him—he shows up one day because he's ready to find you and then he comes exactly here with something he was specifically looking for and throws it into the water seemingly without cause—but we all know that's not true—and then we can't find the key. Does that seem suspicious to anyone?"

"If you're implying he has been in control the entire time—" Wizardmon started, but I didn't bother to let him finish.

"If it helps make it clearer, I'll stop implying and simply state it outright," I offered, "Maugrim is in charge. He knows what he's doing and we're feeding into his ridiculous attempts at world domination. Shouldn't we be doing some background checks on him or something to figure out more about him?"

"If you think it would help," Gatomon said, leaning to the side to look at Aesop who was humming softly to himself and enjoying the sunny day. "Do you really think that Maugrim is something to worry about though?"

Agumon sat up, propping himself with his elbows and he looked to Gatomon suspiciously, "Why wouldn't he be?"

"Gaia was the real trouble, right?" Gatomon asked, shrugging her shoulders, "She's gone now, and so is Sigma. Maugrim didn't hurt Labramon, or Veemon _or_ you, Agumon. He attacked the Knights, but they all survived, and he's strong enough to see a different outcome. He doesn't seem all that bad to me."

"He wants us for something," Agumon said, seeming confused, "I don't know what, but it's something."

Betamon looked to me again and I rolled my eyes. Crazy Agumon does it again. "Well, you'll have to figure that out on your own," I decided finally, "I'm leaving now. I won't tell anyone though."

Agumon rocked forward and ended up on his knees, clambering toward me, "No!" he shouted, "Someone has to keep looking and I can't swim!" He totally _could_ swim.

I looked to the others and sighed, "Wizardmon can go. I'd say Gatomon too, but with the way she fears water it would be quite the cat-astrophe to send her in, but maybe with some gentle purr-suasion you could get her to hop right in."

Gatomon breathed a small laugh, rolling her own eyes and she sighed, "You're not funny, Gomamon."

"I know I am," I winked her way. I then turned back to Agumon who looked upset still and I felt rather guilty all at once, but I wasn't about to change my mind, "Look, I have duties to take care of. It isn't fair that you expect me to sit here and look all day. If you're so sure it's here go find someone who can find it for you, like that Dolphmon from Witchenly—or _tell_ Taichi, because that seems like a good start to me."

"I can't tell him," Agumon groaned, falling once more into the grass, this time looking rather defeated. "I know he'll be ashamed of me. I helped the enemy—the last time I did that was when Ken tricked me and stole me and I almost hurt everyone. I helped Maugrim, and Taichi can never know."

I looked to Agumon with a deadpanned expression trying to suppress all of the things I wanted to say, but after a whole week of keeping them back it became harder. "You know what?" I said, wincing as my conscience gave in to the temptation. "Taichi is _here_ , Agumon, and you can't keep secrets from him. He trusts you and you have to be honest with him. If he were keeping something from you then you'd be upset about it, and I would be _joyful_ if I had just a _moment_ to keep something from Jou. But I don't get that choice anymore and you do. Don't make the wrong decisions."

There was silence following my words and Agumon looked upset, and while I wasn't one to read minds or even facial expressions I didn't know what he was thinking. Wizardmon took Gatomon's hand and Betamon let out a soft whimper. I hadn't meant to remind them of their partners, it wasn't my intention. I was just sick of Agumon asking us to keep secrets from the only partner any of us had left. We couldn't share Taichi because he was Agumon's partner, but he was all we _had_.

"Gomamon is right," Aesop said in a rather distant voice, like he wasn't really conscious just then, and was rather floating around in some kind of limbo as he relaxed himself senselessly. "Honesty is always the best policy. I tried to teach my son that, and he did not ever listen to a word I had to say. You should not make the mistakes that my son has made. Lying to your loved ones does not always come from a blatant lie itself, but keeping something from someone can be a lie in and of itself."

"Taichi will understand," Gatomon added, nodding along to what Aesop had been saying. "He'll know that you did what you thought was best for the Temple. Besides, if he doesn't know there is a problem he can't fix it."

"And no one solves our problems better than Taichi," Betamon said and I knew he was feeling rather guilty. He always had an issue with other people solving his problems for him, but it was true that Taichi was an expert in that field.

Agumon let out a long sigh and seemed to finally understand that we were right. It was time for him to come clean to Taichi. "Okay," he decided in a weak voice.

I felt better about the whole thing now that Agumon had promised to allow Taichi in on the inside scoop. I felt better because now I could return to my post under water, while also making sure the digimon around the world were being cared for. I had to do that for Jou who I was scared I would never see again. I didn't _believe_ that it would be never—but that didn't mean it _couldn't_ be.

We were separated 'forever' but we had been redefining that word for sixteen years. This would be my third forever and I hoped it wouldn't be much longer than the other two.

"That's right," Gatomon sounded rather pleased with Agumon's decision herself and she patted his back gently. "We're all going to stand behind you. No one believes that you helped Maugrim intentionally."

"I bet Palmon would," Agumon sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I just know she'll be mad at me."

"Never," I objected flatly, shaking my head. Agumon looked up in a start and stared at me for a moment, "Palmon cares about you, Agumon. She's not going to judge your decision, especially if you helped someone survive. She stands for peace as much as Mimi does—and thankfully does so much quieter—so she isn't going to judge you."

Agumon smiled to me and nodded, but Betamon was confused, "Why did you jump to Palmon though? That seems random."

Agumon's face flushed, but he couldn't respond because the back door to Taichi's house opened and company was coming to join us now. It was Rei, with her hair pulled back with a bandana, looking like she'd just been cleaning her massive house. Pal and Pul were floating around Cyberdramon's head, trying to figure out how he could hold his ultimate form with such ease—which I could admit to being jealous to since I had only once managed to become Zudamon without Jou's help and it wasn't even in a battle—and it lasted a second. Ryou made up the end of their little procession and he looked less ecstatic than he usually did, which was to say that he simply looked joyous instead.

"Hey," Rei said, setting her tray down to the ground. There were several glasses of fresh juice sitting on the tray as she offered us something to drink. Betamon was quick to take her up on her offer, but I stayed behind, looking to Cyberdramon who looked annoyed with his company. "You guys really like this pond, huh?"

"It's lovely," Wizardmon told her, bowing respectfully.

"We don't have anywhere else to meet, really," Gatomon expanded blindly, shooting off random reasons until Agumon decided he was finally ready to open up about his secret.

Rei looked confused, and looked my way, "What about Gomamon's house? He has a whole house to himself now that the worlds are separated." She winced seeing my expression but I didn't mind. She understood like the rest of us what it meant to be apart from the others, she just didn't have much tact. There was a reason she and Taichi were married after all.

"It's being renovated," I said sarcastically, and Rei smirked my way, feeling relieved that she hadn't hurt my feelings.

"Well," Rei said, clapping her hands together, "I just brought Ryou and Cyberdramon out for you to say goodbye to them, Agumon."

"They're leaving?" Agumon gasped, "Already?"

Ryou rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Well, yeah," he admitted, "I'm not ready to grow up. I'm on my way to Neverland." Agumon seemed upset as he ran over to hug Ryou. Ryou patted Agumon's head and grinned down to him. "You'll see me again. If this is forever, I'll have to grow up sometime. When I'm ready to leave Neverland, you'll see me around."

It was weird to be around for the goodbye, mostly because I didn't really feel anything. It was an echo of a feeling though, as I remembered seeing Jou walk through the doorway and away from me, but I had no connection to Ryou. In the end, he decided he needed to be off, to find Veemon, Wormmon, Hawkmon and Armadillomon. They were his friends from a long time ago and he needed to see them off.

As he was walking to the door—with Cyberdramon, Pal and Pul—Agumon grabbed Rei's apron. She stopped and turned to him, and when she saw his worried expression she fell to her knees and cupped his face, looking right into his eyes, "Agumon, what's wrong?"

He looked back to us for support momentarily and then sighed heavily, looking back to Rei, "I need Taichi," he said weakly.

"Taichi?" Rei asked, "He's at work I think. What's wrong?"

Agumon turned his head from her and said very quickly, "When Maugrim took me I helped him steal the key to the Digital World and then he threw it into this pond and it's not here and I'm scared because I need to find it and I don't know how and I think Taichi will be mad at me for losing it."

Rei stared down in shock to Agumon and slowly pulled herself to her feet. "Keeping secrets is not how families are supposed to function, Agumon." Rei told him sternly, "But I understand. I am sure Taichi will too." She held out her hand to him. "Now come. You're right. We need to find him and tell him about this."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Now over to Biyomon and Gatomon with the weather! But like, it's not really with the weather. I just didn't know what to say. They're going to say what happens next!


	39. Digi Hear?

**U/N:** Biyomon was my favourite digimon to write as for several reasons, and most of them are obvious. She's so cute and fun and like... perfect :P She's so friendly and oblivious and loving and it was just a lot of fun to write as this completely unrealistic optimist—she's even more of an optimist than Takeru, who understands that there is a bad side to everything, while Biyomon, at least I think, has no clue. As for Gatomon, she was the exact opposite to Biyomon because she's by far the most mature of the digimon, because of her literal advantage in being a champion instead. Still fun to write, but not the same I guess.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 3: Digi-Interlude (Part 3)**

 **Chapter 39: Digi Hear?**

 _ **Biyomon:**_

"So that's the plan," Taichi decided, marching back and forth with his finger pressed to his chin in thought. He was so funny when he was thinking hard. It was like he wasn't very good at it but he always came out with a great idea in the end which meant it didn't matter _how_ funny he was, just that he knew what he was talking about. Or what he was trying to talk about anyway. "We're all going to return to our posts."

"But Taichi!" Agumon protested, sliding from his seat. "What about Maugrim?"

Taichi paused and turned back to Agumon. He was sitting in his usual place in the council room next to Taichi's empty seat and next to Palmon too. Taichi had made the immediate decision that he would meet with us digimon partners as well as with his council in this room once a week just to make sure everything was running smoothly. This meant that I had a usual chair now too! Of course, it wasn't _just_ my chair, I shared it with Benjamin, only he wasn't ever there when I was. Wouldn't that be silly though—me and Benjamin in the same chair! Dracomon sat next to me in Neo's chair and hummed to himself, not thinking that listening was too important.

Obviously I disagreed because we needed to pay attention to everything Taichi had to say because he was our leader still and he was trying to keep the world from falling apart and that meant he was the only hero we had left! And also we had Ryou too, but he was in Neverland or some other place I'd never been.

"I know," Taichi said before biting his bottom lip. Sora used to do that too when she was younger whenever she was stressed. I wondered if maybe Taichi was stressed too. It seemed pretty silly to me to think that he could be because he was _Taichi_ , he was the leader and was used to making big decisions. "It's been a month since you told me about the key, Agumon, a whole month of looking for him—on top of two previous months. Maugrim is out there for sure, but he doesn't want to be found. Whatever Maugrim wants, Maugrim gets."

A rather uncomfortable silence filled the room at Taichi's words and it made me realize that we were really under pressure here. Maugrim—who was Evelen and Bitoru's father apparently—was really out to get us, but we still didn't know what _for_. Agumon was so sure he wanted him and Labramon for something, but that probably meant he wanted us too! He wanted our crests, right? No, Taichi didn't think so. The crests couldn't be used by people like them, so why would they care even?

Eventually the silence got to me—like after three seconds—because I wasn't very good with quite time, so I set my mind into overdrive to think of something meaningful to add to the conversation.

"What if he _isn't_ out there?"

All eyes turned to me, expecting me to expand but I didn't have anything else. I just thought that maybe Maugrim couldn't be found because he wasn't _there_. Gabumon and Melga teamed up to use their noses to follow his trail and still had not found him, and while I didn't know anything about Melga I trusted Gabumon's nose with my everything.

"Are you insinuating that Maugrim may have utilized his dimension shattering device," Tentomon asked thoughtfully, "And is able to travel between the worlds at will?"

I shrugged, "Sure. Yeah, that."

Tentomon was abuzz with thoughts and I could just see the way his mind was working even though I couldn't really but I could still kind of tell that he was thinking, like he was up to something maybe even planning to help us get to Sora again! And the others too!

"I'm afraid that's not possible," I looked to the sound of the voice and found that it had been Aesop that had spoken. He had wandered into the council room with Evelen following closely behind. "The DWD—or the Dimensional World Divider—is powered by Earth. You sealed the worlds apart indefinitely by use of Norn, who is far more powerful and definite than Arnold could ever dream of becoming. When the worlds were sealed by _him_ the device was still useable because the separation could be broken with ease. Now that the separation is more permanent, the DWD serves no real purpose anymore."

I was sad to know that the theory Tentomon and I had concocted only moments prior was gone, and Tentomon seemed upset too, but I tried to send him the biggest happiest look I could just to show him that I still thought he was the smartest guy ever.

"Wait," Patamon said from where he sat on the table in front of his chair that was still pushed under the table because Patamon was too small to see over the edge if he sat there which was so funny and cute. "I thought DWD stood for—"

"Down With Digimon!" Betamon interrupted, nodding his head. "That's what I was thinking too."

Aesop hung his head slightly before responding. "Ah, well, Veronica is a twat, isn't she?" Terriermon and Lopmon both started laughing but I couldn't bring myself to. Veronica was a horrible girl and she had tried to put Sora in prison. She was maybe working under someone else's orders but her malicious and dirty and selfish and _awful_ mind found _pleasure_ in the act of ruining my partner's life. That meant that Veronica was _not_ a friend of mine. "The history of the Anti-Digimon movement is a long one, but I assure you that only those who were wildly unaware of the happenings of the war ever referred to our cause as DWD."

"' _Our'_ cause?" Gatomon asked snidely. "So what you're saying is that you're still working with them?"

Aesop looked to her apologetically and shook his head. "I never was, but I am very sorry for the danger I had helped put you through. I thought I was doing what was best for my son."

"Speaking of which," Evelen interrupted loudly. She looked really bored, like she wanted to be anywhere but here but when she looked my way she waved and I was so happy that I had to wave back. I really loved making new friends and Evelen was going to be a part of our lives for a long time now since we had no other humans. I was glad she picked _me_ to wave at. I even turned to Dracomon beside me with a big happy smile, he was laughing at me but I didn't know why. "We're looking for Bitoru."

"Well he isn't here," Taichi noted.

"I can see that," Evelen said dryly. "Any idea where he went?"

Taichi shook his head apologetically but Evelen just looked even more annoyed. Silly Evelen, sometimes people liked being alone, I would know, Sora always loved being alone and I would always follow her too and she'd be so happy because being alone was one of her favourite things to do. "We saw him," Tapirmon offered, looking up to Evelen with big eyes, and pointing to Warg and Melga. "We saw him last night in the cafeteria. He was yelling at the wall or something weird." Everyone looked to him confused.

"Well?" Warg shrugged. "We've seen Kiyoko do enough weird things to just let it roll right off our shoulders."

"Maybe he was on the telephone," Lalamon suggested in her beautiful voice that always made me want to follow her around and ask her to sing me to sleep. But Sora advised me not to ask her because it might estrange her from me so I would take her advice even though I still wanted to ask her.

"Who would he be talking to?" Evelen asked, confused, but speaking politely now which was a welcome change.

Aesop seemed to know the answer to that. "Spring," he said in a breathy voice. "He's been working to make contact to her world, perhaps he has finally broken through."

Taichi clapped his hands together and pointed to Aesop. "You get him. Find him and bring him here. I want to know about all of his research and creations. I've lost Jou and Koushiro and Bitoru will have to stand in their place. If he's working on contacting other worlds I want to do all I can to support that. He can use our laboratory."

"He already is," Tentomon told Taichi and I thought that maybe if he could roll his eyes he would be. "He sits every day in the furthest computer in the corner and he's even adjusted it so his work can be kept more private from Andromon, Centarumon and I."

Taichi seemed intrigued, and then looked back to Evelen. "Take Dracomon and find Bitoru. Aesop, you stay inside the Temple because if I leave, someone will have to be in charge. Tentomon, you're taking me to the lab and walking me through all you understand."

"What about all of us?" Veemon asked, scratching his head.

"The plan is the same as before," Taichi informed us flatly. "Return to your posts."

"But Taichi!" Agumon objected, jumping from his seat and rushing toward his partner who was already making his way to the exit. "What about Maugrim?"

"Maugrim is gone," Taichi said seriously—in the way Sora always did when I _begged_ to stay up late to watch television—and then Agumon froze in his place. "Unless someone comes up with a method of locating him that does not involve walking aimlessly around the Digital World for months on end, we'll return to our posts and wait it out."

"That seems fair," Gomamon said quickly, hopping from his chair. That made sense though since he was so dedicated to his post and to helping others.

"No it does not," Agumon argued. "I want to find him—"

"Then send the Knights," Taichi fired off, aimlessly. "But you and everyone else are going to their posts."

Agumon swallowed thickly and finally nodded his head. "Fine," he decided.

"Meeting adjourned," Taichi said crisply as he followed Evelen out of the room with Tentomon rushing off behind him. Dracomon whined, thinking Evelen was going to leave him behind and then rushed off toward her, desperate to catch up. Palmon was quick to comfort Agumon while all the Allias III digimon made their way to the exit. Their duty was way down south but they often slacked off and did not obey orders because they didn't see why they should bother. I understood how it felt to be cast aside from my friends and told to watch over an entire region of the Digital World just because I had a crest and was sometimes able to reach an ultimate level on my own but I always stayed at my post with my trusty side-kick!

"Are we ready to leave, Madam Biyomon?" Hawkmon asked in his funny accent.

I nodded and giggled, "Of course we are, Sir!" Hawkmon held back his laughter and I linked my wing through his and he escorted me out of the room following behind Wormmon and Armadillomon. It was probably good that I was so patient because Wormmon was the slowest of the digimon in the room! He was so funny though so it was almost like that made up for it.

When we were finally free we said a quick goodbye to our friends—quick because we would see them again tomorrow most likely—and rushed off to the exit. It was nice being a flying digimon because that meant we didn't have to walk all the way to the exit of the Temple and then _all_ the way to our post. Instead we made it outside and released each other long enough to leap into the air and take flight.

Of course being such small birds our flight would take too long—luckily for us we were both super strong like champions and could turn into our next stages whenever we wanted! Even _without_ Sora and Miyako!

Aquilamon was such a pretty bird and it was always fun to fly with him. He moved much quicker than I did but he was so kind and always waited for me. Our post was pretty far from the Temple and in the opposite direction to the Allias III digimon, being all the way up in the North, past even Toy Town and the Koromon village!

Hawkmon veered off course and I knew exactly where he was going. He was such a kind guy and always wanted to check in at the Yokomon village whenever we returned to our post. Yokomon village had always been the most overcrowded of the small villages—or at least from what I could remember. It wasn't always that way though, and I had always wondered why the village grew so quickly, but it was pretty clear to me _now_ why that was.

As we landed, and shifted back into our smaller forms we were flocked by two types of digimon instead of just Yokomon. Poromons helped make up the crowd. Sure, the Yokomon overcrowded the Poromon and the ratio was still _way_ off, but Hawkmon's influence had somehow shifted the evolutionary line of the Yokomon and they began to slide and shift into Poromons! One even jumped all the way to Hawkmon. She had moved away though, ready to find her place in the world without living in an In-Training village.

Hawkmon was embracing his own son—well I wasn't sure if it counted as a child, but it pretty much did, and Hawkmon sure liked to think it was his kid so I went along with it—before the crowd had surrounded us. He had been so upset to leave him behind, but it was safer for him in the Yokomon village and it was also a good place for him to spread his Hawkmon-like wisdom.

"Biyomon!" a familiar Yokomon said sharply, but her voice was not as welcoming as I had expected it to be. As the other digimon came nearer it was obvious that they all had the same worry etched upon their faces. That couldn't be good—well it actually could but it seemed unlikely! "I'm so glad you're here!"

"What is it?" I asked quickly. "What's wrong? What happened?"

The Yokomon finally reached me and skidded to a stop in the dirt before turning back and looking up to me. "There is someone building something over by the ruins!" This caught Hawkmon's attention and he turned to join the conversation, still holding his Poromon under one wing. "I don't know what kind of digimon they are but he sure looks strange!"

"Could it be Maugrim?" Hawkmon asked, looking to me from the corner of his eyes. I nodded because in all likelihood it _could_ be Maugrim! "Where is this happening? What ruins to you speak of?"

Yokomon leapt into action. "Follow me!"

"Follow _all_ of us!" The entire village seemed to exclaim which was _insane_ and adorable too!

Hawkmon fluttered into the air and landed in front of the crowd holding both wings up to stop them from moving. They all silenced, seeming confused as they looked his way. "Perhaps only one of you should come along. If anything should happen, we would not want to risk losing an entire village."

"Y-y-you think it's dangerous?" Hawkmon's Poromon—I think—asked.

"I think it might just be," Hawkmon confirmed, nodding his head.

"Then I'll go," Poromon declared. "I'll risk it all to help you any day!" Hawkmon was so proud and expressed this by holding a wing over his heart. He nodded and the other Yokomon and Poromon all backed off, some of them seemed upset that they wouldn't be allowed to come along but others were happy. If it was dangerous—which it could really easily be—they didn't want to be in the way of the war. It seemed probable that Maugrim _was_ the culprit just because he was out there somewhere, and would be unrecognizable to any digimon who had yet to see him. It also seemed pretty coincidental that it would be him because we were just talking about how we shouldn't be looking for him. But if it was him, I was sure the Yokomon had nothing to worry about. Maugrim may have taken part in the virus, but it was not his call and he wasn't bent on destroying all life like Arnold seemed to have been.

Poromon led us all the way out of the village and into the woods to where we found a nice trail. The trail wove into the trees a fair way and then split three ways. Poromon froze, looking down each path in turn. "Okay," he said in thought. "I know that this way is where we grow food, so it's not there…"

"You're lost?" Hawkmon asked dryly, he seemed upset and maybe a bit worried but it was okay because we couldn't be _too_ lost. Both Hawkmon and I knew the way to the feeding grounds so even though Poromon took a pretty silly way of getting here, we would be able to find our way back if we had to.

"N-no!" Poromon insisted as his face turned pretty red in embarrassment. Finally he shot off to the right. "This way to the ruins!"

Hawkmon looked to me and shrugged, deciding to follow along. Poromon was pretty confident now as he led the way, bobbing up and down in the air in front of us. Hawkmon was relaxing too, but that didn't last long. About halfway down the path—or so Poromon said—we heard something in the woods to the left and we all froze in place.

"That's him," Hawkmon said firmly, looking off through the trees. Much of the light was blocked from the sun so we couldn't see too far into the depths of the forest, but I thought it was a pretty quick assumption that it was Maugrim himself! We all waited in silence, staring the way the noise had come and the moment Hawkmon heard a second snap he had set off, rushing into the darkness with Poromon nervously following behind, calling for him to wait for him.

I rushed into the trees after them but it was not long before Hawkmon had slipped away into the darkness. There was no way I could find him in the darkness, not without making too much noise anyway, so I stayed back, waiting patiently on the trail for Hawkmon to return. I wasn't crazy about having the credit of finding Maugrim anyway, not like Agumon seemed to—but I think that was an attempt to make up for his lies—so I could wait around for Hawkmon to return no problem.

Except something caught _my_ attention and my curiosity got the better of me. I heard something down the path a little way and wondered if Maugrim was able to move that quickly. It didn't seem likely—but maybe Hawkmon was following a diversion! Yeah! That had to be it! Maugrim was still out here trying to split the two of us up!

I was determined to catch him now, not for the glory, but to save Hawkmon, and I rushed off toward the sound that I had heard. It was pretty loud, like a big _snap_ , but I didn't know what it could have been.

A moment or two passed of me taking the quietest strides I could before remembering that I could fly! I jumped into the air and glided slowly along the path until I finally found the end of the trees. A clearing opened up in front of me and I could see several tree stumps, like someone had just cut them down, and to the left of the clearing there was a pile of logs next to a messier and larger pile of leaves, twigs, sticks and rope. Someone was going to be building something here—maybe a house of sorts!

I lowered myself to the ground and stared toward the large stone structure that sat in the center of the clearing itself. I ducked behind the nearest tree when I heard a sound from within, like someone dropping something, or maybe taking a big heavy step. Maugrim was heavy, and I knew already that it had to be him. It was just so obvious! Hawkmon had been tricked but I wasn't going to let Maugrim get away! Not this time! We needed to put an end to his crazy reign of terror and find out what happened to that key!

I launched myself out from behind the tree and ran as fast as I could straight toward the cave. "Maugrim I know you're in here!" I shouted, hearing my voice echo around me as I passed the entrance to the ruins. I saw a faint light and when I whipped around the corner I found myself looking to a torch. "Aha!" I shouted, but my face fell when I realized it was _not_ Maugrim at all.

The man I was looking to resembled a superhero! He was wearing all black, but with a silver chest plate and a long white cape. His hair was bright red and that matched the sandals on his feet. He had a metal mask covering his eyes and the fire that was lighting his torch seemed to be emanating from his fist.

He stared to me blankly, his mouth forming a slight frown and I stared back in total silence until I found enough motivation to speak. "Who are you?" I questioned sharply.

The man—who was clearly a digimon—stood tall and stared down to me a moment longer before finally replying. "My name is Gankoomon."

"What are you doing to these ruins?" I asked him, looking to where the light of his torch was illuminating the wall where many crests had been carved into the ancient looking wall. Gankoomon turned his head to them and reached one hand out to trace the lines with his finger. "I'm talking to you! Are you going to destroy the ruins?"

"No," Gankoomon said simply.

"Oh, okay," I said. I felt a lot happier about the situation already. Obviously he wasn't going to break the ruins if he said he wasn't going to and I trusted him because I had no reason not to. I fluttered toward him, not wanting to step in the pools of water that had accumulated in the floor and stood by his side. "Whatcha doing?" Gankoomon did not answer and in fact turned his back to me. I got a face full of his cape but he didn't seem too apologetic. "My name is Biyomon and I'm a Biyomon. I like to fly and eat lots of berries and seeds." He did not respond to that. What did a girl have to do to make a guy talk to her? "Now you tell me a bit about yourself."

"My life has been lived in total secrecy and I intend to continue on that same path," Gankoomon said simply.

"Okay, cool," I nodded, hopping along after him. "I have some pretty secretive friends. One time my friend told us his name was Genki but it wasn't even true! And I have a friend named Neo who pretty much never tells a lie because he never says anything at _all_ which is basically cheating—ooh and once Kiyoko told everyone his name was Gansaku, but it wasn't it was Kiyoko. Well it was also Sigma—but he was just possessing him." Gankoomon had stiffened near the end of my words and I couldn't help but notice. "What's wrong?"

"You know of Sigma?" Gankoomon asked in a cool voice.

I nodded. "Mhm, yup." Gankoomon actually bothered to look at me now. "He's dead," I assured him, "My friend Gomamon killed him, but also others. It's pretty complicated because he separated himself into three parts and kept trying to possess people—including his own body which I guess isn't really possession, am I right? Haha! But still it is possession, isn't it? I don't know, like I said, it's complicated."

"Seems as such," Gankoomon said, nodding his head.

"So where are you moving from?" I asked, not bothering to miss a beat. "I move around a lot. I used to live in Signpost forest with my friends, then I lived in Odaiba, but I've also lived in Floppy-Drive Glen, Tokyo, Yokomon Village, Gennai's Temple, and even Omotesando which is just _beautiful_." Gankoomon didn't seem to be listening but I didn't mind. "I asked where you were moving from," I reminded him just in case he had forgotten.

"A different world," Gankoomon told me blankly. "I'm sure you have never heard of it."

"Oh I doubt that," I told him, sending him a friendly laugh. "I've been to Earth, the Land of Dreams, the Dark Ocean, and of course the Digital World, and I've seen Sidhendor, and once I even went through the Tunnel of Time to bring my best friend back to life. I _have_ seen the door to Witchenly, but never the world itself. I've been to the In Between only once, and Norn has done lovely things with the place. I hear it was all white when Yggdrasil ruled but she changed it up to be more interesting—oh hey, speaking of all white I've been to that crazy maze that is run by Theta too! Pretty boring place, but it was peaceful and—"

Gankoomon rounded on me sharply and stared down, and I thought maybe he was trying to be menacing but he didn't scare me! "You have been to see Theta's energy?"

I shook my head. "No I never saw her, just her world. I killed the Behemoth there but Gennai promised that Theta would forgive me. I still feel really bad for it though—hey wait, how do you know about that?" Gankoomon ignored me and turned his back once more. "I bet that's where you're moving from, isn't it? Well I don't blame you; it would get pretty boring there. But if you _are_ moving from somewhere else—and it was recent—could you just, like, tell me how? I want to go back to Earth."

Gankoomon seemed to realize that I wasn't asking just to be nosey and graced me with a response. "My move is not recent, nor is it from a world in which you wish to return. I have been in this realm for several months, sent here by my partner."

"You have a partner?" I exclaimed. "That's amazing! Me too!"

"I have no partner," Gankoomon corrected. "My partner is dead."

I jumped forward and hugged his legs. He didn't seem to find it very comfortable but I didn't let go. "Poor you! I'm so sorry. Once my partner died but I changed the timeline and now she's okay."

"My partner has been dead for many years," Gankoomon informed me. "I have moved on, and I would request that you stop clinging to my lower limbs." I obeyed and released his legs, allowing him to move along down the wall to where the crest of Faith was being described.

"You could always get a new partner if you've moved on," I suggested, though I didn't know if I'd _ever_ move on if Sora ever died.

"I need no partner," Gankoomon told me with little interest and he continued on his way, skipping over Faith and Knowledge.

I hopped after him again, wondering about what had happened to Hawkmon and if he was okay or if he thought I got lost or something. I would have to go find him pretty soon! "So you like the crests, huh?" Gankoomon did not answer. "I have one in my heart."

That sure caught his attention.

"You are a crest bearer?" he asked, kneeling down and reaching his non-flaming hand out to me. I flinched but his touch did not hurt. He merely reached one hand out and brushed it gently against my chest. "Ah, the crest of Love." He actually smiled which sent rather warm fuzzy feelings up into my chest and stomach. "What a beautiful trait to hold so dear."

"I thought so too," I nodded, and Gankoomon turned from me again. "I've been here before. With my friend Tentomon. He loves it here, and so did his partner. The information is pretty old hat though, there's nothing really new to learn."

"There is always more to learn, even through repetition," Gankoomon said flatly. "I find that these walls hold many secrets. The Cycle of the Crests is merely one of the interpretations of this information. Perhaps learning more about its origin would offer more answers." He turned to me once more, stopping by the crest of love engraved on the wall. "Do you know who built these walls?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, probably the fairies. They're pretty much the answer for everything—"

"Gankoomon!" I jumped at the sound of a new voice—this one much more childlike than Gankoomon's voice—and turned to the entrance to the cave. "I found someone!" Gankoomon turned to look too and held his torch out further from his body, illuminating the entrance to the cave where I found that Hawkmon and Poromon had been led inside by a smaller digimon. He was a silvery dinosaur digimon who remained on all four legs and had a long red cape to match Gankoomon. "And so did you, I guess, huh?"

"This is Biyomon," Gankoomon said, introducing me. I bowed gently and the new digimon smiled to me.

"I'm Hackmon," he said. "This is my friend Hawkmon!"

"We've actually met," Hawkmon told Hackmon kindly. Woah! Their names were pretty similar and I wondered how hard it would be to say their names in succession! "Several times."

"Ah," Hackmon nodded. "Well we're just building a new home here by these nice ruins. You should help us!"

"It would be an honour," Hawkmon said politely. "But we are in fact on the clock. We have a duty to protect our region from invaders, such as a horrible man who is walking in amongst this world."

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "You guys could help _us_! That would be so cool, right Gankoomon?"

Gankoomon was ignoring me again—or so I thought, but he eventually cocked his head slightly and said, "We go our own path."

"Okay, cool!" I told him, nodding along. "So we'll split up? Hawkmon and I will go North, you guys look around this area and protect the Yokomon and Poromon! Then we'll meet up and see what we've both found."

Gankoomon did not respond at all, but his friend Hackmon exclaimed with joy. "Sounds perfect! We'll be sure to let you know if we find whoever it is!"

"Great!" I shouted in joy, rushing over to Hawkmon. "We'll be back soon then! Goodbye Gankoomon! Goodbye Hackmon! It was so nice to meet you! We'll be back soon I promise!"

Hackmon expressed his feelings by waving to us, but as we came to the exit of the ruins Hawkmon pulled from my grip. "I'm not so sure they wish to help us, Biyomon."

"Nonsense!" I told him flatly. "They're great guys!"

Hawkmon simply rolled his eyes and suggested that we walk Poromon back to the village before making our way to our post like Taichi wanted us to. I agreed but made sure to walk behind them muttering to myself, "Hackmon, Hawkmon, Hackmon, Hawkmon, Hackmon, Hawkmon, Hackmon..."

 _ **Gatomon:**_

Aesop was wandering ahead of everyone, and it looked like he may be leading us, but I figured he was just on his way back outside. Evelen had taken Dracomon and left already while Taichi and Tentomon had slipped down into the laboratory and now we were all required to go back to our lookout posts and sit like good children and watch out for the bad guys.

I thought it was a pretty dumb idea, but I wasn't going to say anything to Taichi about it. Taichi was always stressed and I didn't want to add anything to that, it just didn't seem fair.

Even so, returning to our posts to simply look out for all digimon seemed reckless and pointless. I was more than sure that the digimon to the west were safe and sound, and even if they weren't, Patamon and I were surely not strong enough to defend the land by ourselves, even _if_ we digivolved to our highest forms—if that was even possible, which is was _not_. I didn't want to go wait out in the woods either—I loved Patamon, sure, but that didn't mean I wanted to _only_ see Patamon for the next sixteen hours.

Aesop took a turn when he had reached the end of the alley and I decided to slip off in a different direction. I saw Biyomon and Hawkmon flying above me and smiled at them. I could fly around too—but I wouldn't be able to hold the form for too long. Longer than most, but I suppose that came with being a champion full time.

I ran off, down the street and leapt the last few feet into the courtyard. We had finally finished fixing everything after Sigma's attack and it was beautiful once more. I loved it in the courtyard because it was always so still and silent.

I pressed my back against the nearest wall and slid to my place in the grass that surrounded the walls. My eyes had only been closed a moment when I heard a voice interrupting my silence, but I did not mind. I opened one eye and looked up to him.

"Hello Gatomon," he had said.

"Hello yourself," I grinned, patting the ground next to me for him to sit down. Wizardmon pulled his cape behind himself and sat down, humming softly. "Where were you?"

"Training with the Knights of course," he told me with a grin.

"Of course," I rolled my eyes. The Knights had to train rigorously which I found to be insane. At least once a day Wizardmon was called in for anywhere between a single hour and ten hours to train and that just seemed excessive to me. He was nearly always exhausted, but at least he was stronger each day. It was impressive just how easily the Knights were able to hold their highest forms, but I figured since they cheated with the Digimentals it didn't really count. I wondered momentarily if _I_ could use the Digimentals to reach a stage of more power. "I'm supposed to go back to my post today."

"Well that won't be so bad," Wizardmon informed me with a sly smile. "I don't have Knight training until tomorrow night now, so I can accompany you." I smiled and leaned into his arm, closing my eyes again. He was such a good friend—willing to go out into the woods and sit still for hours on end—I didn't know what I would do without him.

The two of us sat silently for a bit until a voice interrupted us. I jumped, and wheeled around to face our intruder, but found that it was only Patamon. "There you are!"

"Here I am," I confirmed.

Patamon narrowed his eyes at my humour and lowered himself to the ground where he walked the remaining distance toward me. "Taichi said we're supposed to go to our posts, and if we don't go soon it'll be dark!"

"The sun _is_ setting," Wizardmon confirmed, looking up to the sky with a hand over his eyes. "I can, however, take you much quicker. It would not matter what time we leave."

Patamon looked up to Wizardmon with wide hopeful eyes. "You're going to teleport us?" Wizardmon nodded. "Yay! So I can go get some food?" Wizardmon nodded once more, this time laughing. Patamon growled with excitement and then was off, running back the way he had come.

I figured we shouldn't leave him behind so I hopped to my feet and pulled Wizardmon after me as we chased Patamon. He knew exactly where he was going and he was moving rather quickly. Eventually he came out in the exact location of Veemon's noodle stand. Veemon caught sight of Patamon from across the square—that was no longer empty since digimon were finally feeling safe enough to come home now that Rida could not get access to them—and waved dramatically. Patamon flew over the heads of the crowd, but Wizardmon and I were forced to weave our way through. By the time we had caught up, Patamon had already placed his order and Veemon was preparing it. Labramon looked upset again, since it was his shift, but he still could not find a way to help out with no hands. When he saw me he scowled, and I scowled right back.

I knew he didn't hate me, and I didn't hate him. It was just something we did for show. It was a cat and dog thing.

"Look who's coming," Labramon said as a greeting, which I found odd, but when I turned to see I found Aesop prying Mr Ogremon and MetallifeKuwagamon apart so he could make his way through the crowd. He tripped on his way through, over his long pant leg, but he caught himself before falling completely and finally he made his way toward us.

He smiled upon finding that I was staring at him, so I smiled back, though I was not sure how much I truly trusted him. I knew Hikari would, and so would Takeru. Taichi _did_. So I wanted to too, but he just hadn't quite won me over yet. "Hello all," Aesop said as he placed his hands on the countertop of the noodle stand. "Could I please have something to eat?"

"Absolutely," Labramon cut in before Veemon could try. "What would you like?"

"Noodles, really," Aesop admitted.

"Okay—" Labramon started.

Veemon cut him off, "Might I suggest Ramen since that is all we have right now?"

Aesop grinned and nodded his head, "That sounds lovely." Veemon smiled back to him and began preparing a second meal. I was hoping Patamon's would be done soon so we could leave though. Not because I was in any real hurry to return to the forest, but because I just wasn't in the mood to be talking to Aesop. I was kind of exhausted and just didn't want to try to figure out his allegiance right then.

"Aren't you supposed to go find your son?" Patamon asked.

Aesop looked up to Patamon and nodded his head. "Yes, I suppose I am, but I see no point." I perked my head up and looked to him, realizing that he had the same outlook as I did. "If I find my son I will die, and if I don't find my son there was no reason to go out there. Either way it does not help you any."

"I thought you were looking for Bitoru?" I asked, leaping up to sit on the counter. Veemon looked to me and then to the food to decide whether or not I was too close. I slid further away from them and he seemed pleased with that and smiled to me in thanks.

Aesop nodded. "Yes, that's true too, isn't it?" He seemed a bit like a pushover, like he would just do or say whatever anyone wanted him to which didn't really sit well with me because as a team member that meant he was untrustworthy. I would have to test that theory though.

"And of course you're supposed to imprison him," I offered up blankly, shrugging my shoulders.

Aesop's eyes slowly turned to me and he narrowed them in thought. "I will be doing no such thing," He said firmly. I nodded, that seemed fair. At least he had his priorities set straight.

"I was kidding," I told him simply.

He nodded, but didn't seem to find it very funny and looked over to Veemon expectantly when Veemon hit a bell and cried out that the food was ready, but it was not for Aesop. Patamon growled in delight again and fluttered down to sit by my side and began eating away at the noodles. Labramon began to argue quietly with Veemon about how _he_ was supposed to ring the bell, not Veemon, but Veemon didn't seem to think it was important.

Wizardmon leaned against the side of the cart and looked up to Aesop, "What is that long story about EVOLVE you mentioned earlier?"

Aesop eyed up Wizardmon suspiciously, "Were you even present in that meeting?"

"No," Wizardmon said with a sly smile. I knew he enjoyed people thinking he was all knowing but in all actuality he just had very skilled hearing and everyone liked him a lot, so he had heard pretty much all of our stories which just helped with his deductive skills.

Aesop looked to Wizardmon with amusement and then turned back to Veemon and began watching him make his food. "Well, I suppose it starts back a few years when Yggdrasil rained from the sky. My first impression was that we were all being welcomed by death. I was not afraid, because I had known that one day it will happen, and so I simply embraced the end." I remembered back three years and thought to where _I_ was when it all happened. Patamon and I had become Shakamon together and were protecting the Temple without Takeru and Hikari, because they were locked in Taichi's house which made little to no sense at all. "My son, Graul, did not welcome death as easily as I had and he fought, and because of that I am still alive today. I thought perhaps he was fighting for his children, for they were all present and afraid, but in the end it was clear that he was simply saving himself."

"That's horrible," Patamon said, with a mouthful of noodles. He seemed embarrassed, like he'd forgotten he was eating and shook his head, returning to his food.

I felt something pound inside of me like a drum and I gasped, but no one seemed to notice aside from Labramon. I turned to him suspiciously but he looked worried himself, like he'd felt it too. When I looked back to the others it seemed that none of them had even noticed at all.

"I agree," Aesop nodded. "Though Yggdrasil's presence made an impact on Graul and he knew that the worlds were still connected, not simply separated. He found a man by the name of Benjamin Arnold and together they worked on the DWD. When word leaked out about their actions, Arnold begged to be distanced from the movement, and Graul simply did not want attention, so they appointed separate leaders. They began hiring people and Arnold took control, shaping EVOLVE into something against digimon entirely, when that was never the case. EVOLVE was created to open the worlds to one another and to embrace unity."

"Unity?" I asked nervously.

"As in, combine all the worlds?" Veemon asked, swallowing the obvious lump in his throat. He turned abruptly back to his cooking, afraid it would not come out to his standards.

"That is exactly what it was for," Aesop confirmed. "It was a study of theories pertaining to alternate dimensions. Arnold had been working on this for several years thanks to your friend Willis, and when Graul was able to bring him with some more concrete proof, the study became truly active and the fight was to begin. Arnold was of course very greedy and arrogant, thinking he could outsmart everyone in his path to superiority. He in turn was imprisoned, as I'm sure you know. He was simply trying to make use of the worlds for his own purposes, unaware that Graul had his own schemes."

"And that is to fuse the worlds?" Veemon asked once more just for some clarification. Aesop nodded, but in a way that clearly said 'not exactly' but also 'yes' at the same time.

"And what does EVOLVE stand for then?" Wizardmon asked curiously.

Aesop seemed to prepare himself for the response when he finally said "Exceptional Vertex Operator Lagrangian Vector Energy." Wizardmon nodded seeming to fully comprehend but when I looked to Patamon, Veemon and Labramon I was relieved to find that they were about as confused as I was. It didn't matter what it meant really. EVOLVE was bad, Graul was now in charge and while it was no longer a blatant attack on the Digital World by a greedy man set on taking it over for himself—how cliché—but it was instead led by a man who wanted it to note exist in its own plane of existence. Arnold did however get some solid work done in his time as head of the company, managing to somehow get so many people behind him to the point where they couldn't see who was in charge. Now that Arnold was taken out, they didn't know they had no leader and still hated on something they knew nothing about.

Veemon elbowed Labramon when the food was nearly ready and Labramon got excited, getting ready to hit the bell. "And I suppose," Aesop said. "That the weapons and creatures my son created with Arnold's assistance were for the both of them to use. A confined virus that could kill anything in its path is something my son surely has been looking forward to. The barrier to keep digimon out of a certain area would be useful now, were Graul to know he was to be locked away here he surely would have taken some of these creations along."

"The monsters too?" I asked, feeling rather nervous.

Aesop shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure, really." Finally Labramon hit the bell and Aesop's food was prepared. He smiled to Labramon and took the dish from Veemon. "Thank you very much," he said, digging into his pocket for some money. He set it on the countertop and then spun on the spot. "It was nice talking to you all," he said on his way back into the crowd.

"Do you trust him yet?" Wizardmon asked.

I looked down to him and shrugged, finally sliding off of the counter and landing next to him. I didn't really have an answer yet. I figured I had a little more respect and faith in him now that he told us so much. There was no way he was lying because it just wasn't something someone _would_ lie about. Why would he give us information that was a lie when it hardly affected us anymore? I still wasn't entirely convinced he was on our side because he and his son were pretty sketchy but I decided that at least I wasn't going to glare at him when he passed by.

"Are we leaving then?" Patamon asked, handing Veemon his empty dish. Veemon thanked him dryly and then threw out the cardboard and let Patamon flutter through the air toward Wizardmon where he landed on his hat and rested there. "I think _someone_ should. I saw Biyomon and Hawkmon veer off course, while Veemon and Labramon are here. Wormmon will take all night to get to his post, and the Allias III digimon are still hanging around here somewhere. Terriermon and Lopmon went to the Knights room instead of their post, and Agumon and Gabumon's post is the _temple_. Tentomon and Dracomon are with Taichi and Evelen respectively and that leaves like four of us actually doing some good."

"That is a good point," Wizardmon agreed, looking to me for confirmation, wondering if I was ready to go along and of course I was. After Patamon's pretty detailed list of who _wasn't_ doing their job it seemed like anyone who declared they were going to wander off and ignore their duties would simply be lazy and possibly cruel—to Taichi at least. I nodded to him and he smiled, turning to Veemon and Labramon to bid them farewell.

I waved too, but my wave was cut off halfway by Wizardmon teleporting and we appeared in the familiar forest near the cave where the Digimentals of Light and Hope had been found the first time. Our lovely and thrilling post.

Patamon was quick to fly off to the cave, knowing we were supposed to be there as our meeting place, but he froze when he spotted something. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Labramon was looking around in a panic, "I'm not sure! Did we just teleport?" I smirked, but Wizardmon was quick to apologize to the frightened Labramon who shook him off. "No no, I'm alright. This is close to where I'm supposed to be too."

"I thought you were working," Patamon noted.

Labramon shrugged. "Veemon can handle it. I wasn't doing much anyway." Well that much was true. Labramon laughed a little, trying to get over the shock of teleporting and then he just kind of skipped into action. "That's so weird," he said as he wandered off into the trees. "Teleportation! I thought that was just for movies and stuff!"

Wizardmon laughed, but Labramon was gone, off into the woods like he was supposed to. Patamon shrugged to me when we made eye contact and then he began flying off toward our cave. Wizardmon reached out for my hand. I took his hand and then together we began wandering after Patamon. "So do we stay awake all night?" Wizardmon asked, "Or do you get a nap break?"

"That depends how late Patamon stays up," I told him with a smile. "I always let him get his sleep first beca—" I froze and released Wizardmon's hand. The drum in my chest sounded off again, this time much louder and sharper. I gasped loudly and Wizardmon fell to his knees in front of me.

"Are you alright?" he asked sharply.

I shook my head but otherwise ignored him. The drum beats in my chest didn't stop. It was one right after the other like a warning sign. And the weirdest part was that I could tell where the strikes were coming from—like whatever hand or drumstick that was being used was coming from my left. I turned my head to look in that direction and stared into the thickness of the trees. The drums stopped momentarily and I felt free for that moment, like I was going to be fine.

But when they started once more it was harder, louder, and stronger and they took up all the space in my mind. My focus had been set and Wizardmon was talking I knew but I couldn't hear him. I had to get to the source of the drumbeats. I set off, running as fast as I could, vaguely aware that Wizardmon was following, but it didn't matter. I had to get to the source. I had to find out who was pounding at my heart so intensely.

And then I was flung from the trees into a meadow-like clearing and I could see Labramon flying in from the other side looking just as frightened as I felt, then as one we turned to the tall bronze doorframe that sat in the center of the meadow with a thick wooden door filling the gap.

The drums stopped all at once and I gasped, staggering backward and bumping into Wizardmon. I looked up to him in shock but his eyes were focused on the doorway in front of us and I nervously followed his lead, staring to the door as it clicked. Someone was turning the door from the other side.

The silence inside of me with the absence of the drums was going to be the death of me. The anticipation was strong and overpowering. And then, all at once, the door was thrown open.

Labramon instantly began growling, catching sight of our newcomer before I had myself, but when the door creaked open wide enough I saw a bare foot make its way through the doorway to where it landed softly in the grass. A moment later the beautiful figure of Gaia crept through the gateway and smiled, her hair blowing softly in the wind that was following her through from Witchenly.

In her hand was the bronze key to the Digital World.

So that explained that bout of confusion.

A ball of black energy followed Gaia through the doorway and a moment later, one of white energy. My heart yearned for that energy. I needed it. That was Hikari's _light_.

Gaia noticed us then and I realized we had no time to hesitate.

" **Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon!** "

" **Labramon digivolve to... Seasarmon!** "

" **Wizardmon warp digivolve to... Dynasmon!** "

Gaia's perfect lips formed a smile which startled me. The energy of being an ultimate was rising up quickly in my chest and I had to make use of the power before it ran out, but Gaia didn't seem like she was willing to risk anything. She took a stance ready for battle and held her fists high.

"Celestial Arrow!" I cried out, summoning the weapon from my core and feeling it sap some of my energy. I aimed the arrow carefully and released it, firing the attack directly toward Gaia who had not been expecting it to move as quickly as it had. She slipped aside, but just barely, and the arrow sliced through the edge of her shoulder.

Blood pooled from her shoulder and she turned her attention to that as her orbs of stolen energy followed, hovering protectively over each shoulder.

Seasarmon took advantage of her distraction and fired off "Tee Dia!" and several arrows filled with energy fired toward her. She spun quickly, not making the same mistake twice and she held up her arms setting a beautifully warm sunset coloured barrier to protect her from the arrows. Those that had not hit the barrier came flying toward Dynasmon and I but Dynasmon was quick to react, taking my arm and pulling me aside.

Dynasmon was ready to fight now and he released me, holding up both hands and crying out, "Dragon's Roar!" The palms of his hands began to light up and then ten shots of energy fired off toward Gaia who had not sensed them coming. It seemed for a moment that they would catch her off guard, but the darkness orb reacted, lashing out like a whip and slicing through each of Dynasmon's attacks separately.

He looked startled when his attempts failed so surely and then Gaia turned her attention to him, and moved quickly, releasing vines from the ground to reach out to him. I had seen this before, and I wasn't about to let them get to him. I drew another arrow of light and used the weapon to hack away at the vines as they slithered toward Dynasmon. The sections I had cut off fell to the ground, but those that were coming from the ground did not stop.

My heart lurched upon realizing that it was no good to cut them and instead I shoved Dynasmon aside to take the vines for him. I did not stop fighting them though, lashing out with my feet and my arrow, but soon the vines had tied around my wrists and my ankles.

Dynasmon had taken the time of Gaia's focus to charge her, using his "Dragon's Roar!" once more, this time pounding the palm of his hand into her side and knocking her over completely.

Seasarmon, eying Gaia up nervously made his way to my side to help get through the vines. I was struggling against them, but even now with Gaia so distracted, they were too tight to pull free from. Seasarmon eventually snapped the vine holding my right arm and I began working away to free myself too.

"Seasarmon," I said sharply. "We can't stay here to fight."

"Wha'?" Seasarmon asked, not bothering to take his mouth off of the vines around my ankle.

I looked down to him momentarily as I sliced through the vines with my arrow, and then looked back to Dynasmon who had just been thrown toward the open doorway by Gaia. My heart pounded at the thought of him being trapped in a separate world, so I was relieved to see him catch his balance and kick off the ground toward her again. "All the Knights and Patamon helped before, we still lost. It is not safe to fight against her alone. She is here, we must alert the others."

Seasarmon had finally made it through the vine on my leg and he nodded as I hacked away at the final vine. "I'll go," Seasarmon offered.

"We'll all go," I told him confidently, looking back toward the Dynasmon. Getting him would be the issue we were to run into. We had to find a way to get Gaia out of the way long enough for us all to escape. I turned to the final vine and sliced through it with my arrow.

I heard Gaia scream and I looked up in time to see her thrown through the air toward her open doorway. Dynasmon was soaring after her, ready to close the door in her face but she caught herself in the doorframe and slipped out in time to slam the door shut. Dynasmon crashed into the doorway as it was vanishing and managed to slam into the ground near Gaia's feet.

"No!" I shouted, spreading my wings and soaring toward the two of them. Gaia's foot swung back and struck Dynasmon sharply in the side of the head but he rolled back and leapt to his feet. His eyes flicked to me with fear and I stopped in mid air, worried at what he might do.

"Dragon's Breath!" his voice was thick with fear but he took his stance anyway and let his hands fly into the air as fire burst from the red orbs on his palms. I stared in awe as the fire shot high into the air—high enough to be seen. I could only hope someone noticed the dangers. "Angewomon!" Dynasmon shouted, catching my attention again. "You must leave _now_!"

"I'm not leaving you!" I yelled back.

" _Now!_ " he bellowed.

I staggered backwards, and turned to Seasarmon, fear filling me as I ran. He was right though, we _had_ to escape. We had to go. Seasarmon seemed to understand this and together we began to run into the trees.

When Seasarmon took a glance backward and muttered a quick "Woah," I had to look. I stopped and turned back sensing the fire above. It was a massive wyvern now. The fire had shaped itself into a beast and was being controlled by Dynasmon but it was clear to me that he was struggling.

"GO!" he shouted when he noticed that we had not left yet. I took one more step back but watched as the fiery dragon dived downward toward Gaia and opened its mouth wide.

Gaia didn't seem bothered by this though, and a moment later I found out why. The darkness from her orb lashed out once more and wove itself between the flame of the dragon and tainted the fire into dark fire. My heart was pounding as I realized she now controlled the beast as it turned back on its owner. On Dynasmon. On _Wizardmon_.

"W-Wizardmon _no_!" I screamed, ignoring his earlier request. I began running toward him, but he was not going to back away from the fight. I readied the arrow I had already drawn and whipped it toward Gaia, not having time to prepare my bow. The arrow nearly hit Gaia but she caught sight of it and looked sharply toward me, letting the arrow shoot through her hair. She gasped, looking back, but her face soon turned to a snarl and she ordered Dynasmon's creation to come toward me instead.

Fear filled every crevice of my body as the beast made its way toward me. I turned to run, but I knew I would not be fast enough. I tried to fly but the black flames had already begun bursting by me on either side. I threw my arms up protectively and screamed.

The flames were hot, but they were not touching me. "No," I muttered, already knowing what had happened. I turned back and saw Dynasmon standing with his arms outstretched, taking the blast in my place. "NO!" I shrieked, the sound escaping my lips without my consent. I felt pain like I had only felt once before in my heart and tears escaped from under my mask. I caught Dynasmon as he fell back, but he did not last long enough. As my arms wrapped around him he burst into data and the black flames dispersed. "N-n-no!" I cried out, wrapping my arms around my middle, unsure what to do now. "Please! D-don't be gone!"

"Angewomon!" Seasarmon barked, bounding across the meadow and leaping over my head. "Tee Dia!" He exclaimed, sending his barrage of arrows toward Gaia who had not been expecting them. Her malicious grin faded instantly as the two orbs at her side began lashing out in her defense. Only one arrow managed to get through and it lodged itself in her leg.

Seasarmon had not sent that arrow.

I had.

I readied one more, rage and horror filling my body. "Don't move Gaia. I _will_ end your reign of terror." I paused and dropped the arrow, not caring about wasting my energy anymore. "Heaven's charm!" I cried out, firing my stronger blast toward Gaia who saw it coming a mile away and had run in a different direction, and she leapt into the air, firing a vine toward Seasarmon who was looking to me worried. "Watch out!" I warned, but it was too late. The vine had pierced through his chest and he fell to the ground, reverting to Labramon.

I had to go. I had to do as Dynasmon had wanted. I moved toward the fallen form of Labramon to pull him into my arms and escape, but Gaia was too quick. Two separate vines had grabbed at my feet and tripped me. I fell straight to the ground and slammed against the dirt. I was panicking as Gaia made her way to Labramon so I turned once more and summoned another arrow feeling all but a tiny trickle of energy leave me as I sliced away at the vines. They broke, but in my haste, the arrow had snapped and dispersed as well.

I turned back to Gaia and saw her crouching over Labramon's form, and I extended a shaking hand, summoning an arrow with the last of my strength. I aimed for Gaia but caught sight of the orb of light. An idea struck me and I threw my arrow directly toward Hikari's light, hoping against all hope that it would release the power.

As the arrow came near I knew it would work. I knew I would be renewed with strength in a moment.

And then the orb of darkness released a final whip and sliced through the arrow, rendering it useless.

My energy was gone and I had reverted to Gatomon, staggering forward and trying to reach Labramon, but it was too late. Gaia had taken one hand and reached directly inside Labramon. His chest lit up with darkness and in a flash he had burst into light. An orb that floated over to Gaia's chest. She caught it with a smile and turned to me.

I was too close. I panicked, turning from her but I couldn't escape.

I felt her hand inside of me and the light tried to fight her off, but was unsuccessful. I saw a flash of pink, but then nothing else.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** ! Oh no! What's going on? Palmon and Wormmon are next up to the narrative and they'll be covering the... story... Obviously.


	40. Digi Know It Was Coming?

**Y/N:** I wrote as Palmon this time around, and she is honestly very fun to write as, even if the situations surrounding her aren't very pleasant at the moment. It was definitely interesting to take the digimon and put _them_ in the thick of the action, rather than just narrating with the Digidestined like we always do. I don't think Palmon was the easiest for me, in this arc, but I liked how it turned out, and I hope you will too.

 **U/N:** So, way back when we started 03 my sister and I (oh so wisely) decided that since it was HER fanfiction account that it was only fair that she wrote seven of the twelve characters, and that we would not in fact split them evenly. That's totally obvious logic, right? Well it was a terrible idea, and I lost the chance to write Yolei in that confusion. As it is NOW my sister didn't want to write seven parts while I wrote five in this arc, so she passed Wormmon off to me. So now I get to write as a tiny green bug. I can honestly say I've never done it—and actually, this makes Wormmon the first character to be written by both of us... even if he was technically evolved when my sister wrote him back in 05.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 3: Digi-Interlude (Part 3)**

 **Chapter 40: Digi Know It Was Coming?**

 _ **Palmon:**_

Babamon looked upset. I didn't know why—there were too many reasons to be sure. Was she upset because we still hadn't found Maugrim? Maybe she was sad that she wasn't a beautiful Rosemon anymore. There was also that pesky business about Labramon and Gatomon and Wizardmon. They'd disappeared. Patamon was the last to see them, but he didn't know where they'd gone to. They were heading out to their posts, ready to do their duty.

And then they disappeared.

Patamon was sulking a lot. He didn't know if they were just so caught up in their duties that they _forgot_ to come back, or if they were lost. He was getting worried, and was upset that they hadn't brought him along with them. He might've been able to help them if he knew where they were. But he didn't. None of us did.

That was enough to make _anyone_ upset, even crusty old Babamon. Wizardmon should've been able to bring them back to us at any time. He could teleport with his magic. They shouldn't have been gone nearly this long. It had been a month. And no matter how much effort we put into finding them…we just couldn't. We'd searched all over Gatomon _and_ Labramon's sectors, but it was like they were just gone for good.

It wasn't doing much for morale around the Temple.

Word hadn't really gotten out about their disappearance, but rumours were spreading like wildfire within the Temple's gates. I'd heard all sorts of rumours. None of them were good. I was frightened by their disappearances, but the digimon of the Temple seemed to take their absence as an ill omen. I'd heard a Floramon warning his friends about how light and darkness had fled. He was practically _bragging_ that he could read between the lines. He told them that there was no hope now that they were gone. He assured them that Maugrim would get us all. There was no balance without them. We would fall into utter chaos. It was only a matter of time before doom befell us all. He was being rather dramatic about it all, but I was really scared that he was right. I didn't _want_ to think that Gatomon and Labramon had run away and left us all behind, but it was hard to not think that way. They had disappeared, and we were left to try and fill in the blanks. It was impossible. The most common rumour—one that I heard at least four times a day when I was actually inside the Temple, instead of overseeing the plant digimon for Babamon, since she was always trapped in work with Taichi—was that they had abandoned us, that they no longer supported our cause, and that they had lost all respect for Taichi. No. Not _just_ Taichi. They were claiming that they no longer supported the humans.

It was pretty bad.

Taichi was doing his best, along with his Council, to keep the masses relatively calm. There were some talks of a revolt, but Veemon had already claimed he wouldn't serve any food to a digimon that couldn't support humans—and so there was no _real_ rebellion coming just yet. But it would come, if we couldn't find Labramon and Gatomon. The Temple digimon would leave this gated city and spread their hateful thoughts to the rest of the population, and once again we'd be fighting a war of acceptance, only this time we would be supporting the _human_ race, rather than the digimon.

I didn't want it to end in a fight though. We just needed to find Gatomon and Labramon and Wizardmon. Everything would be okay once we found them. I was sure they were just tired of falling into line. Taichi was rather demanding, because of how stressed he was getting. I would have liked it if he would give us free reign to pick our own hours, but I didn't want to pressure him. He was trying so hard to keep the world peaceful. He was doing everything in his power to make sure that we wouldn't _need_ to fight. And I was going to do whatever I could to help him with that plan.

Even if it meant I spent sixteen hours at a time out in the trees, wandering around and asking any plant digimon I came across for their opinion of their homes, and whether there had been any danger. I always asked about the homes first, because it was a much nicer topic. I didn't like talking about the dangers out in the Digital World, and Taichi actually _needed_ to know about the homes and stuff, since he was going to build towns all over the place. Two new towns were operational, with a lot of digimon moving to them, and there was another one that had finished construction, but wasn't really as well developed yet. Taichi was working on finding the perfect location for a jungle town that would be like a plant sanctuary. I was trying to convince all the digimon I came across that they'd like the town to be built on the treetops, like a bunch of tree -houses, but it was slow going on my part. And then, once everyone was calm and happy, and having a good time, I would ask about Maugrim and if anyone had seen anyone of his description.

No one ever had—seen him I mean.

They might have. I didn't know. I was always too nervous to explain _why_ I was looking for him. We were instructed to _not_ cause a worldwide panic. The digimon were supposed to continue on with their peaceful lives, while we fretted and panicked _for_ them.

"Why are you so sad?" Lalamon sang to Babamon, distracting me from my inner panic. I didn't like keeping secrets from the world. It made me feel mean, and bad, because they were all supposed to trust us to take care of them, but we weren't telling them the truth and letting them live in the dark, unaware of the dangers they were in on a day to day basis.

I was really scared of what kind of dangers Labramon and Gatomon might've found, since Wizardmon hadn't brought them home yet. I was worried something happened to him, and they were just stuck wherever they were. I really believed that they would never give up hope. They couldn't. Hope was all that was keeping us going—and they were both really responsible, no matter _what_ that rumour said (the one where Labramon ran away due to wounded pride, since he wasn't helpful at all with Veemon's noodle business, and was too upset to deal with it rationally).

"What makes you think I'm sad?" Babamon asked as sharply as possible. Her eyes were soft though, like she was just nervous. She didn't like people focussing on her emotions. I could tell she felt really vulnerable. She was a tough cookie though, Mimi told me so. Babamon was tough as nails, and liked everyone to think that way, even if she was soft and gooey on the inside with a heart of gold. She had to have a big heart. She was a Rosemon before she got too old to stay in bloom. I had a big heart—Mimi told me _that_ too—and so did Lalamon, and we were the only other Rosemons that I knew existed, even if Babamon didn't believe that Lalamon could do it. That meant, based on facts, that Babamon was caring and loving, and beautiful inside and out.

Tentomon assured me that was my vanity talking, but I couldn't help it. I was honest about who I was. I could be vain sometimes, that was just me. I was a beautiful flower. I could see _his_ beauty too; I wasn't so vain that I could only look skin deep. I found the beauty in Sukamon and Chuumon even, and Yuk and Huh. But I could take pride that sometimes I was one of the most beautiful flowers in the world. I looked like a weed most of the time. A pretty weed, but I was still just a weed.

"You sigh sadly," Lalamon said simply, her words still sounding like a song as they floated out of her mouth and through the air.

"I miss Jijimon," Babamon admitted, though she was doing her best not to _sound_ vulnerable. She wasn't doing a very good job, because my heart was sad for her, and Lalamon's eyes filled with unshed tears. "Wipe those tears away," Babamon snapped, and Lalamon did so. Babamon sighed, and reached out with one hand to pat Lalamon's head. She still held her broom in her other hand, and looked at the broom's bristles with very focussed eyes. I was sure she was trying to distract herself.

"Why don't you go to him?" I asked. I already knew the answer though, before she even said anything.

"There is too much to be done," Babamon said simply. "I cannot worry over my own desires when I must keep the Digital World safe. The Council meets with alarming frequency, and I must oversee everything when Taichi is off working on his own projects. It is a rather tiring job, but I would not trust anyone else to do it."

"I wouldn't either," I admitted. Babamon was probably the only digimon stubborn enough to rival Taichi. She was a natural to be Taichi's substitute when he was out and about. She demanded and commanded attention.

"It can't be helped," Babamon said, tapping the broom's handle on the ground a couple of times. "I have missed Jijimon this long already, I can wait a little longer to see him."

"I can go and get him to visit," Lalamon suggested.

"No," Babamon said quickly. "He must continue his work. He too has many duties. He has so many digimon that look to him for guidance. I cannot take him away from those that need him. But there is much he does not know."

"Maugrim?" I asked.

"Yes," Babamon said sadly. "He knows nothing of the dangers Maugrim presents to us. I wanted to keep him sheltered. I thought Maugrim would be dealt with by now. My assumptions proved to be incorrect."

"I will tell him all that we know," Lalamon decided. "I will go to him in your place, and get him all caught up. He will be able to help better, if he knows what he's trying to help with."

"Where are you going?" Agumon asked. I sighed. He came out of nowhere, and nearly scared me half to death. Taichi was behind him, and I could tell by his tired breathing that Agumon had come from Knight's training. Taichi was holding a plastic dish of cold soup, trying to walk and eat at the same time. It looked like Tapirmon and Digitamamon had gotten over their differences finally, and had reopened the café. That was good, because I was getting tired of trying to eat noodles. They just weren't good for plants. I kept trying them though, because it made Veemon happy. I wasn't worried about rivalries between the two dining options. Veemon and Tapirmon would get along.

"I must go to the forests near Toy Town," Lalamon said, sounding very much like she had no idea where she was going. She hadn't grown up in the Digital World. She didn't understand which names went with which parts of the forest. She didn't know where anything was. She was very bad with directions, even when she was given step-by-step instructions.

"And I'm going with her," I decided. It would just be easier. She looked at me gratefully, and I smiled back with as much energy as I had—which was a lot. I was always energetic—except in the winter. I didn't want to do _anything_ in the winter. Plants and the cold did not mix well at all. "I even know exactly where Jijimon lives."

"Excellent," Babamon said, though she still seemed sad that she wouldn't be able to go to him—she took her duties too seriously to even entertain the thought.

"Agumon, why don't you go with them?" Taichi asked. I sighed. Lalamon and I were plenty capable of taking care of ourselves. But I saw him looking at Lalamon with anxious eyes and I knew why he was sending Agumon with us. He didn't want anything to happen to Lalamon. I knew he didn't want anything to happen to _me_ either, but it was mostly Lalamon. We'd lost her once, and I knew he was worried we'd lose her again. She looked so delicate and small. I knew she could be powerful, but she really needed Mari in order to do that still. We were all kind of protective of her. No. We were all _very_ protective of her.

"Of course," Agumon said. There was a glint in his eye, and I knew we weren't going to be coming straight back after meeting with Jijimon. Agumon was still out for Maugrim. He was still blaming himself for losing that key—and yes, it was his fault, but that didn't mean he did it on purpose. He didn't _plan_ to give the key to Maugrim. Maugrim made him do it.

But Agumon still couldn't see that.

We said our goodbyes, and started on the long, long, _long_ , walk towards Toy Town. My legs weren't very long, but they were longer than Agumon's, and a _lot_ longer than Lalamon's. We couldn't move too fast, unless we ran, but there was no way we were going to waste our energy running all that long way. There were still other digimon we could talk to and gather whispered rumours from. Agumon was very excited when we ran into anyone. He asked the Deramon we ran into about Maugrim without even _trying_ to talk about the towns. Deramon didn't know anything, and neither did the two Woodmon, the Mushroomon, the Floramon, the Blossommon, or the small group of Tanemon that were being led around by a Veggiemon. I was a little worried for those little In-Trainings, since Veggiemon was in such a hurry to get rid of us. But I knew that they had to make their own choices. And a lot of digimon chose the darker route because the payoff came sooner. The darkness was stronger. That's why there were so many bad guys. It was like a short cut to power. It had taken me years and years and _years_ to be able to become Lilymon on my own. And I still wasn't good at it. Forty seconds was my record actually, which wasn't very impressive at all.

But I did it without the darkness.

Not all digimon had a partner that could help them resist that temptation. Devimon hadn't, that's why he continuously became Devimon even after all of the times that he'd been defeated. Etemon—before he'd been permanently deleted—had always bounced back far faster than we hoped he would. It's because darkness was so tempting.

No dark digimon was powerful enough to defeat Maugrim though. A lot of the darker digimon had fought against Yggdrasil's robots, and again against the virus, saving as many digimon as they could. They weren't pure evil, and they wanted to keep the Digital World safe, just like we did. But they weren't strong enough to fight Maugrim. I hoped they'd never realize just how much of a danger he was. I didn't want them to throw their lives away in a fight. I didn't care _how_ dark they were. They still deserved the chance to live. It was my duty as a crest carrier to make sure they _got_ that chance.

"That's odd," Lalamon said, her voice sounding like a melancholic melody, rather than her usual joyous song. "The life is leaving the forest."

I looked at the trees and understood what she meant. The trees we'd passed before were beautiful and vibrant, just like they were supposed to be. But these ones weren't. They still had life, but it was fading fast. No digimon were in the forest anymore either.

"We should turn back," Agumon suggested half-heartedly. I knew he was sure Maugrim was at the bottom of this, but he wanted us to have the opportunity to get out if we wanted to. Lalamon shook her head quickly.

"I told Babamon I would talk to her husband," Lalamon said. She sounded stronger, less sad. There was a determined nature about her, and I was getting anxious just looking at her. I felt like a fight was coming, but I didn't want to participate. I wasn't going to run away though. I wouldn't leave my friends to deal with it on their own—and I didn't want to run off on my own either.

"What's wrong with the trees?" I wondered aloud. As we continued walking, the bark turned dull and grey, the leaves disappeared from the branches. They'd fallen to the forest floor, and were crunching loudly under our feet.

"I don't know," Agumon said. "But Maugrim is behind this. I'm going to keep going. You _really_ don't need to come if you don't want to."

Lalamon and I decided to ignore him. The leaves that once crunched under our feet were decaying, slowly as we continued onwards, and after we'd walked through half-rotten mush, they disappeared entirely. The only thing beneath our feet now was dry soil. The ground was cracked, and it needed water badly. The tree bark was darkening from grey to a sickly black. It was hard to look at. I was so used to the life, and feeling the energy around me. I was off guard and off balance without it. I felt very anxious and wanted nothing more than to turn away. It reminded me of Yggradsil when his roots began to rot in each of the worlds.

"I've seen something like this before," Lalamon said. She didn't sing it at all. Her voice had grown hard. She was searching around us, looking for something that might jump out at us.

And then we heard the sounds of a fight. Agumon raced forward instinctively, not waiting even a second to find out whether it was Maugrim or not. Lalamon shook from head to toe, and I knew that it wasn't Maugrim. She'd never seemed _that_ frightened of him. This was something—or some _one_ —else.

Agumon was in danger.

I raced after him, and Lalamon ran behind me. We needed to get there before anything bad happened to him. He was our leader. We needed him. I digivolved into Togemon on my way to the fight and Lalamon changed into Sunflowmon. I tried not to get distracted by how pretty Sunflowmon was, but I couldn't help it. She was such a vibrant green with so many pretty, yellow petals. I was just a cactus. But Mimi assured me I was the strongest, prettiest cactus, so I wasn't too upset about it. I still wished sometimes that I was prettier, but I couldn't change who I was. I understood the crest I carried within me, and I could not lose the crest because of uncertainty.

When we finally caught up to Agumon, I found that he was now MetalGreymon, and was using his large metal claw to attack a pretty, dark skinned woman. She looked kind, but I knew looks were deceiving in her case. It was Gaia. I was so confused. I didn't know how she got back, and I didn't really want to take the time to ask her. MetalGreymon was protecting Jijimon, who had been Gaia's initial target. I ran quickly to help, throwing some lightning fast punches Gaia's direction.

The punches didn't help. They didn't even make her angrier. She just turned to me and smiled a pretty smile, that grew slowly and surely until her teeth showed and her eyes darkened with her malicious intent. She raised her hand out to me. Her fingers started to sink into my skin, so I jumped back, and picked a rock up to shoot at her.

Two orbs floated from behind her, and shot whips of light and darkness through the rock. She was powerful _before_ , but now that she had Hikari's light and Kurayami's darkness on her side, she was bound to be unbeatable.

"Run Jijimon!" Sunflowmon ordered. He didn't look like he wanted to listen, but it didn't matter. Sunflowmon grabbed his arm and dragged him away from Gaia, before flying back at our enemy. I screamed, and tried to jump in the way, but she didn't listen when I told her to stop. She wasn't strong enough to win, but she didn't seem to care.

Gaia was pleased.

Sunflowmon flew at Gaia, and instead of moving out of the way, Gaia simply raised her hand and allowed it to sink into Sunflowmon's body. Sunflowmon froze, and let out a scream, as her power fled and she became Lalamon once more. Gaia grinned down at our friend.

"I've got you at last, Lalamon dear," she purred, "My lovely ghost," and then Lalamon burst into a flash of bright, light green. Lalamon was gone, only an orb that shone brightly with tenacity's light remained.

"RUN!" I screamed. I changed into Lilymon planning to make my forty seconds count for something and turned to flee. MetalGreymon didn't want to listen, he wanted to save Lalamon, but it was too late. The small orb that used to be our friend had melded into another orb, one that held the clashing colours of black and light pink. The colours were swirling around one another, and soon the light green of Lalamon was added to the mix.

My heart dropped in horror.

Gatomon and Labramon hadn't run away, they weren't just lost somewhere. They were taken by Gaia, the same way that Lalamon was. I needed to get away. I needed to tell Taichi. I flew to Jijimon, determined to save at least one friend in this ordeal, and then flew directly into Maugrim.

"MAUGRIM!" MetalGreymon growled, slashing at the man with his giant metal claw. Gaia laughed lightly behind us, and I knew that the attack wouldn't work. She was too confident. I was right. Maugrim caught MetalGreymon's claw and heaved sharply. I watched in shock and awe as Maugrim threw MetalGreymon into the dead woods where trees began to crash and fall to the forest floor under his weight. In my distraction Maugrim caught hold of my arm.

"You caught her," Gaia said sounding pleased. He nodded to her, and she smiled at him. I fought down a gag. They were flirting over our lives. It was disgusting—and sweet, because love was such a sweet emotion, but it was mostly disgusting, really.

"For you, my queen," Maugrim told her, shoving me forward. She raised her hand and wiggled her fingers. I let go of Jijimon, telling him to run, and he scrambled out of my grasp and into the woods. But he didn't flee. He wasn't going to abandon me while death loomed so near.

"LILYMON!" Agumon shouted, running out of the forest. He tripped and rolled on the dusty, cracked ground. But he got back to his feet. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have rushed into the fight! Take me instead!"

"Interesting," Gaia murmured. "I'll be taking you both, regardless of your sacrifice, but it _is_ interesting."

"No, you _won't_ ," Agumon growled, running forward and sinking his teeth into Maugrim's hand. He let go of me, and I fluttered into the air. "Go, Lilymon! Tell Taichi. I'm sorry. Just _go_."

"Agumon," I cried. But Gaia was reaching towards my foot, which was still in her reach, and Agumon jumped in front of her. Her hand sunk into his chest, and she snarled, angrily forcing him to burst into an orb of orange light. There was nothing but his courage left.

He'd sacrificed himself for _me_.

That was the bravest and stupidest thing he'd ever done. And I wasn't going to let it be in vain. I flew as fast as I could, knowing that there was very little time left. My power was already failing me. I wouldn't be able to hold this form much longer, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And I pulled at all the reserved strength within me, as I grabbed Jijimon and flew out of there.

I didn't slow down for even a second. I knew that I was leading them directly to the Temple, but it didn't matter. I was sure Maugrim already knew where it was, both Aesop and Bitoru had been watching it when under his control. I flew through the decayed forest, into the half-living forest, and breathed a breath of fresh air when life surrounded me again. I flew faster than I thought was possible. When I finally spotted the Temple in the distance, I flew higher, so I could go over the wall. I dropped Jijimon in the courtyard, near Babamon who yelled at me for being disrespectful, but I couldn't take the time to slow down.

My power stayed with me until I flew through the door, down the hallway and into the Council room, where Taichi was talking with Benjamin and his fellow clones. Well, I had beaten my record of forty seconds!

"Lilymon?" he asked, confused. My power fled and I was Palmon once more. He grew concerned instantly, and got to his feet. "What happened? Where are the others?"

"Maugrim," I gasped.

"Where is he?" he demanded. I could see he was going to call the Knights. But he couldn't. I stopped trying to catch my breath and forced the words out.

"He's not alone," I said. "Gaia's back. And she's taking our friends!"

 _ **Wormmon:**_

I was really quite scared. I missed Ken because he always knew how to make me feel better when I was scared. I just didn't know anyone here who could warm my insides as well as he could. Hawkmon was so kind in the way that he tried, but it wasn't right. It wasn't the same. I was still scared.

It had been a whole month since Palmon had come back to us and told us what had happened. Taichi had broken down and once I had walked in on him crying while on a walk with Tapirmon, but we both left the room without a sound. We didn't want to let him know we'd seen his tears. But I knew how he may have felt. Ken was gone forever from me too, but at least in my heart I knew he was okay. But Taichi had now lost his entire family and all he had left was Rei. I still had Hawkmon, so Taichi and I were in a similar state of mind.

Two months had passed since Gatomon and Labramon had gone missing and with Palmon's information we at least knew where they were. Or what had happened. I shuddered at the thought. I was so afraid that I would be next. We had lost four of our number—and one had been Lalamon. I felt like a coward for not wishing I had been in her place, because I knew in my heart that it was not fair that she had been taken so soon, but in my head I knew I wanted to be safe too.

Today I walked into the council room early, as usual, because I was a pretty slow moving digimon and I never wanted to be late because everyone just expected that of me. I could digivolve to Stingmon at any point in time but I never felt right doing so without Ken around. It was much more stressful and difficult to do without Ken's support. I was not alone in the council room today though, as I had walked in on Palmon and Tentomon sitting on opposite sides of the table where a single cupcake sat between the two of them.

"Happy birthday, Mimi," Palmon said as she closed her eyes and blew out the candle. My heart broke slightly at the thought of Mimi living through a birthday without Palmon. It wasn't fair—Mimi loved her birthday more than any other day of the year. I was not very good at keeping track of the day here in the Digital World, but with this celebration—and I could trust Tentomon to get it right—we were past the middle of April.

Five whole months since Ken and I had last seen each other.

I wondered how Mai looked now. Was her hair growing longer now? Could she laugh and crawl? Could she read and fight? Did she still scream every time she pooped? I sighed, not knowing the answer to any of the questions and scuttled toward my usual place at the table.

Of all the Digidestined, Ken's birthday was next. Every night I wished to the first star I could see—as Miyako had taught me to do—that I would get to go home and see Ken. Perhaps I would get to celebrate with him. There were only thirteen days until his birthday began, and I wasn't particularly optimistic about the idea, but that didn't stop me from hoping.

It wasn't long before the rest of our team had come into the room—only there were four empty chairs now. It was jarring how obvious the empty places were. It was as if my eyes were not permitted to look at the digimon that actually _were_ present, and instead I was only allowed to see those that were not. I hung my head in respect for Gatomon, Labramon, Agumon and of course, Lalamon.

Taichi came into the room at last, followed by that Aesop fellow. At first I didn't think he was as friendly as he wanted us to believe, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and he had bought cotton candy for me several times so I knew he was nice. Taichi took his seat next to Gabumon and Agumon's empty chair and I could see in his eyes that he was purposely ignoring the empty chair.

"Okay," he said quietly. "We have a plan."

"That only took forever and a day," Terriermon said sarcastically.

"I'd say more like forever and a week," Betamon corrected.

Lopmon nodded her agreement but added, "Or forever and _ever_."

"I get it," Taichi said flatly. "I'm slow in the planning department. I don't have Koushiro anymore. I don't have Sora to tell me I'm stupid so I have to tell myself. It's hard, okay?" Terriermon, Betamon and Lopmon all looked to him apologetically. "About a month ago Aesop told us that Maugrim was doing what Gaia wanted of him. Their goal was— _is_ —to combine the worlds, it seems. That leads me to believe that they are of course after the Digimentals."

"That does make sense," Tentomon agreed with a nod and a buzz. "They keep the worlds in balance."

Taichi nodded thankful for Tentomon's support, but before he could say anything, Tapirmon spoke up. "What about the keys?"

"We need to keep them safe and hidden." There was a murmur that erupted from the crowd as everyone thought to whisper to their neighbor, but I was focused on Taichi because I didn't see how it would work but I was willing to find out. "The keys should not have worked, but Gaia had Norn captive for a long time in Witchenly and obviously she knows something about them that we don't. Maybe Norn didn't even know that she let the information slip. The keys are not designed to work under these circumstances, but Maugrim obviously found a way to get a key to Gaia and she used it to find us. The keys are in danger as well."

"So what will we do with them?" Warg asked.

"There are so many," Melga added. "If we hide them somewhere we might forget where we put them!"

"Sora loses her keys _all_ the time," Biyomon nodded her head, agreeing with their assessment.

"We will not be hiding the keys," Taichi told us seriously, keeping his temper calm. His hands were folded on the table in front of him and I was surprised at how well he was handling the interruptions. Lately he'd been getting really frustrated with how loud and childish we could all be, but he was different now, like it didn't matter anymore because he was level headed and had a plan. "I will keep the keys with me."

"Is that safe?" Gomamon asked.

"I hope so," Taichi said, nodding his head.

"And the Digimentals then?" Veemon asked, worried. "You're not keeping all of them are you? That doesn't sound safe."

Taichi shook his head. "No, the Digimentals have a different role to play." Taichi informed us all as he looked back up to the doorway where he had come from. I followed his eyes and saw that Rei and Evelen were coming into the room together, with Dracomon, Pal and Pul following closely behind.

"We've got them!" Dracomon exclaimed. "All of them! There were so many and they're all in here!"

"Good," Taichi said, flashing a smile in his direction, then looking back up to Rei who set a thin box on the table in front of him. He noticed something in her eyes a moment before I did and she leaned over to speak into his ears. "What?" he asked when he couldn't hear her.

I didn't hear all she said but I did hear, "Someone else in here." I didn't know what it meant, but Taichi's next response was enough to explain away any questions I may have had.

"There are more people in the Digital World?" he asked sharply. Rei winced, having not wanted us all to know that because she feared that we might assume it was our partners, but my mind did not immediately jump to Ken. I didn't think Ken would be here in the Digital World and not come _directly_ to me. That wasn't like him. "Who?"

Rei shrugged. "I'm not sure," she admitted.

Taichi turned to Aesop. "Can you find whoever is here?"

"Because his last attempt at finding someone went so well," Gomamon said sarcastically. I didn't think it was fair to scrutinize Mr Aesop for his attempts at finding Bitoru because Evelen couldn't find him either. Taichi had expected them to find Bitoru easily, but they had not been able to locate him. It didn't matter in the end because Tentomon had been able to make sense of Bitoru's notes and it seemed clear that he had not in fact made contact with another world.

"Hey now," Taichi defended Aesop softly. "He's doing what he can. We all are."

"It would be easier with Bitoru," Aesop admitted. "He is much better at finding things than I ever will be. But I assure you I will do what I can to locate the other humans inside the Digital World."

Taichi nodded his thanks and took a box from Evelen, setting it on the table. Aesop was already off to see what he could do in terms of finding the mysterious people who had joined us in the Digital World, but Taichi ignored him. "These are the Digimentals, and I fought with myself over what to do with them for a long time, but keeping them all in one place seems reckless. We don't know how powerful Gaia is, but we know who she has defeated. If none of you can evolve past champion—or at the very best, ultimate—there is no sense in trying to fight."

"So you want us to give up?" Patamon asked, sounding a lot like he had been physically wounded by Taichi's decision. I didn't want to give up either, so I was on his side!

"No," Taichi said flatly, shaking his head. "We're going to protect these with our lives. Maugrim saw the Digimentals when he came to get the keys. He knows where they are. We have to move them somewhere they won't expect them to be."

"And where might that be?" Hawkmon questioned thoughtfully.

Taichi reached into the box and pulled out the black and blue peanut shaped Digimental with the golden horn and the symbol of friendship and tossed it to Hawkmon who caught it easily. "Take that to the empty cave on Infinity Mountain."

"Pardon me?" Hawkmon asked.

"I know the place!" Biyomon exclaimed, and Taichi seemed to think that was fair.

"Then go with him," Taichi nodded as he reached into the box blindly once more and pulled out the Digimental of Faith. He looked down to it and when he looked back up his eyes focused on Armadillomon and he smiled. He set the Digimental down and slid it across the table to where Armadillomon stopped it with his hand. "Take that to the underwater cave. I have a friend who lives there—a Drimojimon. Whamon can take you."

"Isn't that where we found the tags for the crests?" Gabumon questioned.

Taichi nodded but Armadillomon looked startled. "I've never been there!"

"Whamon _has_ ," Taichi assured him. "You'll be okay." Armadillomon seemed pleased with that at least and Taichi began handing out more of the Digimentals.

He tossed the Digimental of Darkness to Evelen and told her and Dracomon to take it to the Dark Habitat—which was also where Fanglongmon's base used to be. I was glad I didn't have to take that one, but it wasn't hard to see where Taichi drew the connection between Kurayami's crest and Fanglongmon. Warg and Melga received the Digimental of Trust and were told to take it to Gennai's house in the bottom of the Ocean. Veemon was ordered to rule the Knights in Neo, Dracomon and Agumon's absence and take them to the Coliseum to look after the Digimental of courage. Gabumon was instructed to take the Digimenal of Purity to Toy Town and lay low as can be. Tapirmon offered to take Gravimon and a Digimental and Taichi suggested Overdell, and while Tapirmon seemed nervous, he was willing to help out in any way he could, so Taichi handed him Kindness. I watched it go, feeling a little jealous that Tapirmon took Kindness, but I knew Tapirmon would take good care of it and love that it was such a happy crest to keep in company in a town run by ghosts.

Taichi pulled out the Digimental of Light and stared at it for a moment before setting it aside. I figured he would be keeping that one for himself and when Rei noticed that too she took his hand gently. He smiled to her and revealed that he had already picked out the smallest Digimental—that of Honesty—for her to keep for herself. She kissed his cheek and he smiled to her, reaching into the box to continue passing them all out.

"Benjamin and the other Agents can keep these two," Taichi thought aloud, sliding the Destiny and Miracles Digimentals aside to hand them to the others later. He picked up a familiar Digimental and stared for a moment like he barely recognized it, but _I_ did. I remembered my first adventure with Ken and putting the Digimental of Desire back together. I secretly hoped that if I couldn't have Kindness that Taichi would hand that one to me, but when he muttered, "Ryou," aloud I figured that was fair too. He was a part of that adventure as well. Taichi was suddenly struck with an amazing idea and he grinned, passing the Digimental of Pride to Evelen so she could get it to Betamon. "You and Gomamon take that one with Whamon."

"Two in one place?" Armadillomon asked, sounding glad that he would have company.

Taichi shook his head. "No, Betamon and Gomamon will keep Whamon company and keep the Digimental there for safety." Both Gomamon and Betamon looked disgusted by the idea of living inside another digimon for who knew _how_ long, but it was Armadillomon that really caught my attention. Sure he would have that Drimojimon friend, but he didn't want to be alone. "Palmon can take Hope out to Meramon's mountain near Yokomon Village," he said, tossing the Digimental her way. With another look into the box he was struck by more inspiration, pulling out Tenacity. "Can we get the Crest digimon involved? They can hide this in their mountain base."

"You mean where they held _us_?" Patamon asked.

"Yeah, exactly," Taichi grinned. "Perfect hiding place."

"I'll talk to them," Armadillomon offered. "We've bonded over losing Iori and Meiyomon. I can get it to them."

"Good to hear," Taichi nodded, reaching once more into the box, this time with two hands. He held up the Digimental of Knowledge and that of Love. "Obviously these can't go back where we found them," he noted, and that was true. Gaia had once taken over that Temple—which now made sense if she was _looking_ for the Digimentals. "Patamon," Taichi decided. "You take Terriermon and Lopmon down to Factorial Town. That place is ridiculous, I'm sure there's a brilliant hiding place there."

"I'm really good at hide and seek," Terriermon grinned.

"I'm better," Lopmon rolled her eyes.

"Nuh uh!" Terriermon shot.

"Then how come I always find you?" Lopmon argued.

"Because—" Terriermon had been interrupted by Patamon.

"We'll hide it," he said loudly. "Don't worry. You can count on me."

Taichi nodded with a grin and looked to the final Digimental with a sheepish expression, "I'm actually… out of hiding places." He hesitated and looked to those sitting around him. "Who's left?"

Tentomon spoke before I could. "Just Wormmon and myself if my deductive skills are on point, which they always are."

Taichi looked between Tentomon and myself and then nodded. "Can you two find a place to hide it?"

Tentomon hesitated and I took my chance to finally add some input to the conversation. "Absolutely!" Taichi was surprised at how optimistic I was, but I had already chosen a perfect place to keep it safe. Taichi moved to hand the Digimental to me and then stopped, realizing I couldn't hold it then turned to Tentomon and froze.

He looked to Rei. "Can you help them hide it?" he asked.

She reached out her hand and smiled. "It would be my pleasure," she grinned. I loved Rei a lot. She was so happy all the time even though she had so many reasons not to be. She was a good role model—I aspired to be more like her whenever I could find it in myself to stop being so sad about Ken and Miyako leaving me and Hawkmon behind. Of course I understood their decision, and I would never stand in the way of Ken's happiness, but I still missed him. One day I would be as strong as Rei, though.

The meeting had ended about ten minutes ago and I was already on the way, leading Tentomon and Rei to my chosen destination. I was hoping to have it hidden in time to get back and wish everyone luck on their journeys though it seemed obvious that not all of them would be leaving immediately. Things had to be kept in order and planned well. We couldn't just extract the Digimentals from the Temple willy-nilly and take them off without any sort of idea of how to get to the destination.

Lucky for me, my chosen hiding place was inside the Temple. It seemed silly to take them all away. If Gaia and Maugrim got close enough and saw that they were missing they would surely not assume that one was hidden away in the confines of the same town! Probably not, anyway.

"What's this?" Rei asked thoughtfully, looking to the misshapen building in front of us, at the end of the street. "I've never been here."

"This is where I came from," I told her. I was happy she was carrying me too because we were going so quickly. I felt the Digimental of Honesty that hung from her neck hit me every few steps as it swung back and forth, but I didn't mind, because moving faster was worth a slight irritation any day. "This is the library!"

Tentomon buzzed his excitement and flew faster forcing Rei to jog to keep up. I was glad that he was excited because that meant my idea was a good one. I knew it had been though. There was no safer place than the most confusing building I had ever entered in my life! Even if Gaia thought it might be in the library it would take her forever to find it, which would give us all enough time to stop her! Hopefully anyway.

Rei pulled the door open and we were greeted by several Wormmon who had resumed their post here in the library. I hadn't expected to see them but I didn't mind. The eldest Wormmon—who knew he was close to his data reaching the end of its cycle, but was looking forward to starting again—smiled kindly to us with his eyes as we walked through the door.

"Hello!" he said with a pretty chipper voice for an old guy. "What can I do for you today?"

"We-we're just looking," Rei lied, unsure who all was to know about the Digimental's being hidden, but if she thought the Wormmon would be unaware then she was pretty silly.

"We're hiding something," I told him. "Strict orders from Mr Taichi himself."

The elder Wormmon looked to me and nodded. "Very well. I will alert the other Wormmon to leave whatever they find in its place. Will you get lost?" he asked, looking to the map on the wall. I looked over to it and shook my head, I was pretty sure I could remember my way around. "Very well. Good luck," he said sweetly, and then Rei thanked him and was off.

Tentomon started leading the way down the hallway which was lined with pretty common books, but once we had reached the end of the hallway he froze, unsure which way to take. To the left was a twisted hallway that by the end of it you would be walking on the ceiling, thinking it was still the floor, to the right was a set of stairs that led down to a maze of shelves that would only make even the most intelligent of digimon get lost. But not the Wormmon! We knew our way around things like this like nobody's business! Also, if we got lost, we could climb walls and stuff so that was helpful.

"Are there stairs on the ceiling?" Rei asked in a quiet voice. I nodded, looking up to see if she was afraid we might get lost, but she was actually smiling. "Oh this is a _brilliant_ hiding place." I was happy that Rei thought my idea was clever and I advised her to take the stairs downward. The maze was going to be our best bet. I was surprised at how well I remembered my way around because it had been a _really_ long time since I had been around here—well for a long extended period of time. The Digimentals of Trust and Kindness used to be held here in the furthest floors down, and when we needed to move them to the Council Hall, Taichi had asked if I could get them for him. I had of course, but even _that_ had been about five years ago.

"Oh," Rei puttered to a stop when it appeared we had found a dead end.

"Keep going," I assured her, and she did as instructed to where she found a sharp turn to a rounded corner that led to a place where even _she_ would be able to walk on the wall. She was nervous at first, but when she took her first step and felt the shift of gravity she began laughing and walked with much more confidence. We entered a hole in the wall where the ceiling was a little lower so Rei had to crouch, and finally we entered an entirely different room where Rei seemed interested in the mural along the opposite wall. It was broken up though, since the library used to be much smaller before the Digital World had rebuilt itself. Gennai needed more place for his knowledge so he had been sure to expand his favourite place. Only three sections of the mural were even in the room we were in, but Rei was still entranced.

Tentomon had seen it before so his focus was kept on hiding the Digimental still but when I told Rei to take a turn she ignored me and moved forward. She followed her own instinct, turning down hallways until I finally gave up giving her my own instructions. Finally she came to a place where she was able to reach the mural that was made of beautifully coloured gemstones and bits of glass, stone and even wood. "What is this?" she asked.

"This is a documentation of the first heroes of this world," I told her proud of the knowledge. The Wormmon clan was pretty proud that Gennai had built the mural _here_ and I couldn't hide that I too was proud.

Rei looked confused, but Tentomon interrupted before I could help her out. "When the world was dark there were ten warriors that kept the world safe." He paused and looked up to me. "That's right, isn't it?"

I was startled that Tentomon wanted _my_ input, but a bubbly feeling rose inside me. I supposed it _was_ true that I was the only one of our group who would know everything there was to know about the murals. That could change though, and I was happy to share. "Yep!" I assured him. "There were ten warriors and three holy digimon who worked toward the same cause, but from different sides. Eventually they joined one another in an attempt to take down the greatest evil the world had yet seen. Of course the world was built first. The ten warriors fell, and the Holy digimon did what they could to preserve their powers. They were turned into artifacts, not unlike the Digimentals, that would give them time to recharge."

"Takuya…?" Rei questioned, seemingly sure where the story connected.

I nodded. "Exactly that," I assured her. "The spirits—as the artifacts were called—needed help, and so Takuya and his friends Tomoki, Kouji, Koichi, Izumi and Junpei were summoned. They were the original Digidestined. Not the first Chosen for a partner of course, but as they were the first humans to ever enter the Digital World, they became our very own heroes, and they were dubbed 'Digidestined'."

"That's so interesting," Rei said, reaching up to the wall where she touched the clunky wood that made up the hand of the warrior of fire. "So is this the warrior?" she asked.

"Yes," I assured her.

"What happened to the Holy Digimon?" Rei asked.

"They died, did they not?" Tentomon asked curiously, and I nodded sadly.

Rei twisted her face, not please with that news, but as her hand trailed down the mural she asked, "What happened to the warriors after they recharged?" Her hand rested above the knee of the warrior where his image faded to that of something else entirely. There was a pit of flame where his legs should have ended.

"No one really knows," I told her, feeling a bit awkward. "All of Gennai's thoughts were recorded here in this library, but he burned the documentation of that event, so we can't be sure." Rei hummed her response and leaned forward to take a closer look, wiping her hand over the flames. She then hesitated and used a single finger to trace some of the lines.

I felt goose bumps form on Rei's arm as her finger traced around the confusing image of the mural. "A… Agumon?" As she said it my mind was immediately able to make sense of the confusing images. I gasped aloud at the sight of an Agumon in the fire at the warrior's feet. "I'm not crazy, right? This is an Agumon?"

"I-I think it is," Tentomon said, stuttering in his own shock. "If you tilt your head…" I did as he instructed and gasped again as it looked even _more_ like an Agumon. "How odd," Tentomon noted suspiciously. "Could we hide the Digimental and then resume our viewing of this mural—and perhaps look more closely at the other pieces as well."

"I think that's a really good idea," I agreed with a nod, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Me too," Rei nodded. "Then we might tell Taichi?"

"Of course!" Tentomon and I said as one.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Patamon and Hawkmon are taking the narrative next time! Hopefully they fare better than their friends have been!


	41. Digi-Will

**Y/N:** Hawkmon was great to write too. There really weren't any digimon that I didn't enjoy writing as, now that I think of it. I don't even think I would have minded writing as Wormmon either (I just wanted the numbers to be more equal). I just really like the partners to the Digidestined I write. Maybe it's easy to love them from all the time I wrote as their partners (who all love their digimon unconditionally). I don't know what it was, but I don't care either. I just very much enjoyed writing this arc, which sounds funny, now that I write it, because so many bad things were happening...

 **U/N:** I don't remember writing Patamon's so it was probably somewhere in the middle ground for me, just like Takeru's chapters usually are. I don't feel great about them, but I don't typically feel like I did a terrible job either. I do know that Terriermon and Lopmon were in this, and I love them, I'm just not sure if they had a big enough part for me to enjoy writing it :P Ehh.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 3: Digi-Interlude (Part 3)**

 **Chapter 41: Digi-Will**

 _ **Patamon:**_

I was watching as the plan was reiterated one final time. I already knew what we were supposed to be doing and I wanted to do exactly that. I made sense that we should be out and hiding our Digimental. I wanted to do _something_ useful. We had lost so many of our number already and I maybe could have helped Labramon and Gatomon if I had just stuck around a little longer—and if I _had_ then Lalamon and Agumon would still be with us because they never would have gone out alone knowing that Gaia wanted them.

Agumon might have. He'd said it before.

" _Maugrim wants Labramon and me!" he told me seriously._

" _And why would he want the two of you?" I asked feeling rather confused._

" _I bet we'll find out soon," Agumon said menacingly_.

Of course I should have believed him, and in a sense I guess I had but I never expected to see him taken away from us. Just as Takeru viewed Taichi as his leader, I looked to Agumon for guidance. What was I supposed to do without my leader— _and_ without Takeru? I felt useless now more than ever. I just wanted to help out in some way and if hiding these Digimentals was the way Taichi was going to have that happen, then so be it.

I had watched Hikari trap Gaia in Witchenly, and while it wasn't hard to draw the connection of how she had actually returned to the Digital World, it wasn't something I had been expecting. I was scared that she was back because I didn't know how to fight her, and with whatever ability she had to take our crests, or our data or _whatever_ she was doing, I didn't feel safe one bit. Gatomon was gone and if I ever saw Takeru again I wasn't sure how I was supposed to tell him that. How was I supposed to explain to him that Hikari's partner was gone forever? If we did see them again I figured Mari was going to be really upset though, and I just didn't know what to think anymore. I wanted them back, but wouldn't it be better that they live in ignorance?

Veemon was really distraught now too because Labramon had only accidentally been taken along with Wizardmon at all, and if he had been a couple inches closer he would have been taken too and he could have helped. We both lost our friends and tried to help each other through it, but it still somehow felt like a fresh wound even if it had been so long since it happened.

Our duty to hide the Digimentals was old by now. Most of the other digimon had already gone out to their intended hiding places, but since ours was the furthest away we had yet to leave. Our planning was nearly completed, but keeping Terriermon and Lopmon focused was a lot harder than it should have been. I didn't expect them to keep a one track mind though, so at least I wasn't surprised or frustrated, just impatient.

"So what do you think Tentomon found?" Terriermon asked.

"I find that it is of no importance," Hawkmon told Terriermon kindly, and then looked back to Biyomon who _he_ was planning with.

"I disagree," Terriermon said, looking to where Tentomon and Wormmon were making their way back to the library. Obviously they'd found something. Sure, it was where they hid their Digimental so they had the obvious excuse of going back, but there was something else going on. I wondered if it would be important or not, but in the end I was sure we were simply looking too far into it at all because Taichi still wanted us to get the Digimentals out of the Temple.

Nothing was going his way though. Aesop had found more proof that people were in fact in the Digital world with several fresh tracks leading toward primary village, but the tracks faded and he had yet to pick up a separate trail. Evelen and Dracomon were still working together to track down her father but he was better at keeping concealed than he was at fighting—and that was definitely saying something. Bitoru was still missing—though when Veemon suggested that the tracks Aesop had found were Bitoru's, the idea was shut down because Bitoru could not be multiple people at once. I thought that was a pretty good response, though Veemon seemed upset that he hadn't been able to help much. And since Bitoru's studies proved to be useless, it was pretty obvious that Taichi needed a win.

So we needed to get the Digimentals out and hide them. Taichi wanted our Digimental to go to Factorial Town and for Hawkmon's to go to Infinity Mountain. Those were both really far away, but they were close to one another, so we made a pretty solid plan to hide them together as a team. It made the most sense. Well, the plan was to actually _travel_ as a team and then split up. It was just unfortunate because we would have to go quickly and take several turns to throw anyone off. We would of course be _flying_ to our destination and we did not want people to be able to follow us so easily.

Weeks of planning for a simple trip seemed silly but when the fate of your life and your friend's lives rested in that plan, things became much more serious.

"I think we're ready," Hawkmon finally said, puffing his chest out with confidence.

I knew Taichi would be pleased, but he was already gone. He and Rei had taken Pal, Pul and Aesop and together they were searching for Bitoru, and the mysterious figures in the Digital World. They had two Digimentals with them and very little protection so I knew there would be very little resting time and they would likely keep moving at all times.

Keeping more than one Digimental in the same place was dangerous and that was exactly why we needed to get out of here as soon as possible. We lost track of Gennai's Agents and no one really knew where they hid the Digimentals of Destiny and Miracles but I for one had not seen them leave the Temple, and since Wormmon and Tentomon already had one here as well it was time to get out of here.

"I think so too," Lopmon agreed, looking over Hawkmon's shoulder to the two Digimentals that sat, wrapped in a towel on the ground. Nearby there were three other towels, each containing only rocks that we would use as decoys. Of course we could have walked to the destination but that seemed unsafe and would take months possibly, so flying was our best bet.

Terriermon let out a big sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, I've been ready for like, fifteen years." Lopmon shoved her brother's shoulder sharply, rolling her eyes. We had only been working on this for twenty-seven days, so fifteen years was pretty much a lot longer than that.

"That's silly," Biyomon laughed. "I'm ready too though. I lied to Gankoomon, my new best friend though. I told him we would be ready last week, do you think he hates me."

"He's not part of the plan though," Terriermon pointed out. "And he won't even know that you lied—maybe ever."

"I know," Biyomon agreed, "but is he angry though?" Terriermon slapped his forehead with his hand and sighed, but Biyomon was still dead serious.

"I'm sure he's fine," I told her, flying over to the Digimental's. "So who did we finally settle on?" It had been a lot of back and forth on who would take the actual Digimental's because keeping them with Terriermon and Lopmon was the safest, but if someone was watching they would _assume_ we kept them with the strongest, so it made sense to give them to the weakest, which in this circumstance would be Hawkmon, but even that could be expected.

Hawkmon looked up to me and looked rather sheepish when he said, "I think you'll be taking them Patamon." I looked alarmed, and apparently Hawkmon noticed because he reached down and nudged one of them closer to me. "It seems safest to me."

"And we all agreed," Biyomon nodded. Lopmon agreed too, but Terriermon seemed rather pouty, not that it really mattered who took them in the end as long as they all came back together in one place—safely. "You were in the bathroom and we decided to surprise you."

I nodded, feeling like they accomplished a surprise. They had all wanted to take them, but I never asked once, and it felt odd that I'd get them but I wasn't going to argue. We needed to get out of here as soon as possible. "Okay," I agreed, nodding my head. "Then let's get out of here. Does everyone know their paths?"

"Naturally," Hawkmon nodded his head, jumping backward to give us all more room. He folded the nearest rocks in the towel they sat on and grabbed it with his foot, feeling rather awkward about it all. And in a flash he had digivolved, making his grip tighter and more natural.

Biyomon was next, dragging her rocks further away from us all so her larger form would not be so in the way, and she then held the towel in her beak before shifting into Birdramon. Terriermon and Lopmon fused together to become Leopardmon which I was pretty jealous about. They were probably the strongest of any of the Digidestined's partners because they could go as high as they wanted with no restrictions. I knew that I could become MagnaAngemon if I really tried, but it was a lot easier to just not bother at all. I evolved to Angemon and took the Digimental's as Leopardmon took his set of rocks and then the four of us lined up near the Temple walls.

"Remember," Aquilamon said seriously. "When the sun reaches the highest point in the sky we should all be at the base of Infinity Mountain. We will meet up with Floramon there and go our separate ways. If you are caught, do not stop to fight, and do _not_ lead Gaia or Maugrim to Infinity Mountain. Just fly until you're sure you're safe."

"And if they catch sight of me?" I asked. "What will you do without the Digimental's?"

"We will wait for you to come to us," Aquilamon told me, "is everyone ready?" Birdramon squealed her agreement, unable to talk with the rocks in her mouth and Leopardmon nodded his head. Aquilamon looked to me and while I was nervous I agreed quickly. "Then we shall be off."

Aquilamon was the first to go, flapping his wings sharply and setting of in the air. He was also faster at flying than I knew I was. Aquilamon took a sharp left while Birdramon turned right. Leopardmon followed after Birdramon where I knew he would take an unexpected turn later, just as I was supposed to do to differentiate my path from Aquilamon's who I was currently following.

The moment we had come near Primary Village I knew it was time to separate and I tightened my hold on the four corners of the towel that kept the Digimental's safe inside and veered off course, flying as quickly as I could in the direction of Infinity Mountain.

The trip was long and it was stressful. I took every moment I could to scan the ground for any moving life forms. Several times my heart jumped in start at the sight of a Monochromon or a stray Vilemon who escaped the Dark Habitat. I was mostly frightened by the alarming rate at which the forest was dying. The spread of death had started in a forest near the Temple but now stretched over _hundreds_ of miles. The trees, grass an otherwise all wildlife was rapidly changing colour to a dull brownish hue of death. It set me on edge to see just how far the world was falling when Gaia had been around for no longer than two months.

She was to blame I was sure.

A jolt of fright sent through my body, but I could see nothing, and the feeling passed as quickly as it had come, and so I continued on my way. I took several turns and once even saw Birdramon in the far distance, and realizing I was coming too close for comfort, I turned back and set off in a different direction.

Finally it came into my sight, a tall, majestic mountain that looked far more colonized than it had been the last time I'd been around. Several earthy digimon had begun building homes around the base and over time, the spreading of the urbanization spread up the slopes of the mountain.

It was time to take the second stage of the plan and I ducked down, under the tops of the trees. If we were all visible coming to our final meeting place the separation would do no good. I knew the others were doing the same, and did not think for a moment about whether or not they were okay. I _knew_ they had to be because I simply would not accept anything different. I nearly shouted in surprise when Leopardmon darted out from the trees in front of me, but managed to hold myself together and fly alongside him instead. He looked to me and grinned, releasing two corners of his towel and letting the rocks fly free. I took the opportunity to check my own grip on my treasures to ensure they were still safe, and when I found that they were, I resumed my trip to Infinity Mountain.

Finally we had reached the end of the trees and I looked up in amusement to the town, wondering if the original inhabitants of the mountain were pleased with the new developments, but decided that there was enough of the mountain left untouched for Unimon and anyone else to be content.

The town was lit by several lanterns strung along on a rope that was attached to many posts that also had tarp like covers shielding the streets from rain and sunlight. Several Jagamon were chattering to one another, and a Stegomon was sleeping on the outskirts of the small village. I stopped exploring with my eyes when I found a Floramon pushing her way through the streets toward us.

"'Ello!" she exclaimed, waving to us excitedly. "Angemon, I 'ave not seen you in ages!"

"Hello, Floramon," I smiled to her as she threw her arms around my legs. "How has your time been?"

"Well," she said with pursed lips. "I 'ave moved here in zis town and I simply love 'ow quaint—" She cut herself off when we heard a loud thud. We all turned to see Birdramon making a rather rough landing, and reverting to Biyomon. Leopardmon kicked off the ground and rushed to her side, but Floramon just gasped and looked up to me. "Is she alright?"

I did not answer as I watched Biyomon hop to her feet and laugh nervously. "I'm sure she's okay," I said, feeling rather relieved. So we were just waiting for Hawkmon now—and of course our guide. Floramon was going to be taking Hawkmon and Biyomon up the mountain from what I could tell, but we needed someone to help us find our way through the Industrial Town, and we knew just the guy. He would be meeting us halfway there, and so we would have to leave soon or he may assume we were not coming.

But first we would need Hawkmon.

I was beginning to worry, and fade out of consciousness as my mind spun with all possible outcomes of where Hawkmon may have been, and I was thankful for Biyomon's talkative tendencies because she and Floramon were conversing about all the things Catherine left behind for Floramon in the Digital World and Biyomon was dying to see them all. Floramon had been a friend of mine for years, but I was not prepared to talk about trivial manners. This was a big ordeal and I did not want to let Taichi down.

When Aquilamon finally came into view I heaved a massive sigh of relief and watched as he lowered himself and landed gracefully, shifting back into Hawkmon and dropping his rocks. Biyomon was still holding hers, claiming she could use them as a weapon if need be, but it didn't matter because we were all together now. Biyomon, Hawkmon and Floramon made a wall of bodies to keep anyone from the town from seeing what we were doing, and we unfolded the towel on the ground, revealing the two Digimentals. They were safe and I was relieved to see that I had not even scratched them. Biyomon and Hawkmon were both tempted to take the Digimental of Love, but to ensure Taichi knew exactly what was going on they took the artifact emblazoned with Friendship and stuffed it in to Biyomon's towel for secrecy and I instinctively folded the Digimental of Love back up and holding the bunches of fabric in one hand tightly.

"That went smoothly," Hawkmon nodded his head, "good job everyone."

"For flying in ridiculous patterns?" Leopardmon asked dryly.

"It was fun," Biyomon defended. "I got a little dizzy though," she laughed and Hawkmon couldn't keep his own laughter back but I felt much more serious now that the next stage of our plan was coming up. No longer would we have Hawkmon's strict schedule to keep us moving, because he and Biyomon were taking their leave.

"Good luck to everyone," Hawkmon said, bowing his head politely. "We shall send word when we are well protected, so all you will have to do is send our messenger back with good news."

"Can do," Leopardmon nodded, and then Biyomon and Hawkmon had hurried off toward the town. Floramon followed them before lingering a moment to look back and wave to me. I waved back and I noticed she blushed. Girls were weird. "Alright, we should keep moving," Leopardmon noted. I nodded and let him lead the way.

Leopardmon's lead did not last long as he had no idea where we were going. This was only his second time living in the Digital World and neither Lopmon or Terriermon knew the lay of the land, so I kept in the front until we finally came to the big open space that we would meet Andromon in. He was sitting, looking particularly uncomfortable, under a tree, but when he saw us he seemed pleased and got to his feet, waving dramatically.

"I have been waiting all week under this tree," Andromon told us, and I felt guilty, though he seemed proud of his accomplishments.

"What a guy," Leopardmon said, looking startled and impressed at Andromon's patience. "So where is this metal city?"

Andromon turned his head to the West and said, "It is a factory, not a city."

As Andromon began leading the way, Leopardmon turned to me nervously, "Other digimon live here though, right? We're not going to be alone the whole time?" I did not know the answer so instead I looked ahead to where the ground caved in like a crater, and as we came to the edge of the crater Andromon did not hesitate and he simply leapt over the edge, landing smoothly and surfing down the side to get to the bottom. In the center of the crater there was a massive metal fortress that looked much livelier than it had the last time I'd been there, so I could assume that Leopardmon's fears had been put to rest and that we would not be alone.

I did not _see_ anyone else however but did not worry as I followed Andromon along. I did not find the absence of life to be odd, but he sure did. "Everyone was so excited to be a part of the protection," he said, sounding rather confused. "I wonder where they all are."

"Probably waiting to surprise us with cake," Leopardmon said, though I imagined that was more wishful thinking than anything else.

"Excuse me," I said, hurrying to catch up to Andromon as he made his way to the front door of the Factory that was kept wide open. "You told them that we would be keeping a Digimental within the walls of the factory?"

"Oh, yes," Andromon nodded. "They were all very pleased to be of help. There was nothing spoken of more during the past month. Excitement has never been so prominent in the Factory." I felt really nervous about the idea that everyone was talking about it. There was no way to know how far the word had spread, so I would be sure to contact Taichi as soon as possible to judge whether or not we should move the hiding place to somewhere a little more secretive—but not tell those who resided within the Factory to keep them happy but also to keep a diversion present.

Andromon poked his head around the doorway and seemed surprised. "That is so odd," he said, straightening up again and taking a step forward to stand under the doorway. "Where did they all go?" Leopardmon and I stood on either side of him and looked into the large chamber where several machines were whirring and moving and acting on their own accord as they had been before.

Something sounded off in the nearby office, like metal hitting metal and Andromon seemed to realize where someone was hiding. Leopardmon looked around, obviously judging whether or not it was worth it to live in such an industrial place, while I took a look around the outside. There was very little vegetation and I couldn't help but wonder what we might eat.

Then something caught my eye, laying on the ground near the corner of the Factory. As I looked closer I saw that it was actually a Kokuwamon, crawling along the ground looking hurt.

Dread filled my chest as I spun back to the doorway, "Andromon—don't go in there!"

It was too late.

A thick arm had shot from the door frame and a strong hand had wrapped itself around Andromon's face, pushing back sharply and smashing him against a wall. A moment later Maugrim's form had revealed itself and he held Andromon tightly against the surface, looking deep into his eyes with the malice that formed so naturally on his gruff face. Maugrim's beard had grown out slightly in his time stuck here in the Digital World, but his appearance did not matter.

"Get out of here," Leopardmon said sharply. "You heard Hawkmon. If we see trouble, we _run_."

"Andromon—" I stuttered.

"I've got this," Leopardmon said, though I knew he was lying. Maugrim was stronger than a simple fusion digimon, and I was not able to force myself to allow Leopardmon to stay on his own.

I looked up sharply as Andromon gagged out the words "Lightning Blade!" Maugrim released him and jumped back, giving Andromon enough time to evolve into Craniamon. Craniamon swung his massive weapon fast enough that Maugrim was forced to leave. The tight space they were in restricted their movement, but Craniamon's blade did not hesitate to rip through the metal of the walls.

Leopardmon darted forward, rapier extended, while Maugrim was distracted and very nearly ran him through, but Maugrim was barely quick enough to fall back, catching himself on a nearby piece of overhead machinery. He reached up with his other hand and swung himself back, creating enough momentum in his swing to kick Leopardmon on the way back, sending him staggering backward.

Maugrim then ducked under my Hand of Fate and turned his sights on me. I filled with horror when his eyes looked down to the Digimental wrapped up in my hand. Leopardmon was right. I had to go.

With lightning reflexes, Maugrim reached forward and grabbed Craniamon's leg and pulled it out from under him before allowing his gauntlets to form on his hands and swing down hard, hitting Craniamon once directly in the face and knocking him out cold. In a flash he reverted to Andromon, and Leopardmon realized it was time to go. There was nothing we could do.

He turned to the door and saw I was still here and his eyes widened sharply. "Go _away_!" he insisted, and I nodded, taking his advice before turning to the door where Maugrim had managed to move fast enough to block my path.

I didn't risk anything and turned immediately, planning to smash through the highest windows in the other end of the room to escape, but something had grabbed my ankle and stopped my flight and the momentum brought me crashing to the ground.

I slammed hard against the metal surface and instinctively released the towel in my hand. The Digimental of Love bounced along the ground, and I watched it go for a moment before tightening my grip on my staff and shoving it back sharply, hitting Maugrim in the chest. He gasped unexpectedly and I took advantage of his loosened grip.

Leopardmon had already retrieved the Digimental and was flying straight up, so I followed his lead. Maugrim was a quick thinker though and leapt up as high as he could and grabbed some of the machinery. He moved swiftly, climbing higher and higher, using the factory equipment like a ladder and when he had reached the top he ran forward, keeping his feet well placed as he moved along the crane's arm.

Panic rose inside me and Leopardmon slammed his hand into my chest, handing the Digimental off to me and sending me backward through the air. I knew I could not hesitate this time. I had to get out of there. I moved straight for the window, bowing my head to brace for the crash.

"Angemon!" Leopardmon shouted, I turned back and saw Maugrim running faster than I'd seen him move yet along the machinery to stop me. I took an unexpected dive to avoid him and crashed through the windows halfway up the wall instead. The glass cascaded around me and as I looked back I could not see Maugrim.

Then I heard shattering from above and when I spun, flying upside down to see above me, I saw Maugrim leaping from the highest windows. I did not have time to move before he landed directly on me sending both of us directly to the ground. Pain shot through my back as we slid along the rocky surface and my wings tore in several places. Maugrim stopped us with his feet and proceeded to press his knees into my arms and wrap both of his hands around my neck.

"Extinction Wave!" Leopardmon bellowed from above, but Maugrim wasn't going to allow him to perform anything with the word 'extinction' in the title and he whipped out a gun, releasing my throat, and aimed perfectly, sending a single blast of red light toward Leopardmon who had not seen it coming and was hit straight through the chest.

I gasped out but could do nothing to help as Terriermon and Lopmon fell from their place high in the sky. Maugrim flashed a malicious grin—smiling seemed so out of character for him—and then turned back to me. His narrow eyes narrowed even _more_ and he wound his hand back. I flinched before he hit me, but after the contact I could remember nothing else.

 _ **Hawkmon:**_

I had to believe that Biyomon understood the severity of the situation. She _had_ to realize that we'd spent weeks planning this very excursion. We could not afford to have anything go wrong due to an overwhelming need to share idol gossip. She knew that. She did. I believed it entirely. I also believed that she didn't care. No. That wasn't true. She cared. She simply cared about the gossip as well.

"If we could pick up the pace," I suggested to deaf ears. I sighed. It was no use. The Digimental of Friendship was heavy in my wings. I knew how imperative it was that we keep it safe, and having it wrapped in a piece of cloth was _not_ very protective in my opinion. We needed to find a secure location on Infinity Mountain—as Taichi instructed. I would've preferred to hide it where I was raised. It was a solitary location, and no one ever crossed it. I was able to live for ages without a single visitor before Ryou showed up, disrupting that claim—followed by Armadillomon, Winter and Summer in such a sadly rapid succession.

But this was Taichi's plan, and while I wasn't sure it was a very good plan, I would follow it. I couldn't devise anything better with the amount of time that we had. Gaia was able to travel the world quite easily. I wasn't sure how she'd make the journey from Server to File Island, but I knew that she _would_.

Why were we only hiding the Digimentals in those two locations though?

There was an entire world open to us. The Digital World was designed with Earth in mind. For every location on Earth, there is a digital counterpart. Earth was larger than Asia. There was more to it than Japan. We spent an obnoxious amount of time in New York, really, when the travel was free through the Digital World. Why were we not in the Digital World's counterpart for _there_?

It wouldn't matter though. The Digital World was modelled after _Earth_ , and from what little I'd pieced together from Miyako's ramblings, Earth used to be Pangaea, where Gaia called home. She had an advantage that we couldn't overcome. She knew the feel of the land. She might not know precise locations anymore, as the continents were split from the one into seven, but she knew enough to be one step ahead of us.

How many of our friends had fallen to her already?

Gatomon and Labramon had gone first, and Lalamon followed soon after with Agumon. But what happened next? I didn't know. I wasn't privy to the others' wellbeing. I could not magically _know_ that they were safe and sound. I did not know if Gaia had destroyed the Temple the moment we left. Wormmon could be taken right then, and I would never know it. Not until it was too late to try to fix. I couldn't protect Wormmon, I couldn't protect Poromon. It was safest when I was away from my son. He couldn't be near me. He would be a target. He would have to lead the other Poromon and Hawkmon to the return of my kind. I would no longer be able to take that role. I was too dangerous. I was a plague that would only lead death and destruction to my feeble race. We were not numerous enough now to stand a chance in a joint battle. We were not yet the glorious warrior race of my youth. We were small in numbers and in size. And it was disheartening to know that by simply visiting them, I could inadvertently kill them all.

We actually didn't know how violent Gaia or Maugrim intended to be with digimon that got in their way. I knew they had no love for my species. Aesop had confirmed that much when he'd been questioned by Taichi in my presence about the weapons EVOLVE had at their disposal. Taichi wanted to know if Maugrim had any with them, and instead, we'd gotten a lesson. Digimon were at war once upon a time with Sigma and his people—Maugrim and Gaia included. Our enemies had no love for our kind. They were living in the past; acting as though the war was still in place.

The death toll, however, did not appear to be as large as I would have anticipated.

"It's absolutely _tragic_ ," Biyomon sighed. "You didn't have to stay you know. You could still be with her, with your Catherine. I would give anything to be with Sora again. She's my best friend. Don't tell Gankoomon that though, because he's my newest best friend. He might be really mad at me though, so I don't know if he's _still_ my new best friend or not. But I miss my old best friend. I miss Sora. She's helpless without me, you know. I really don't know how she's going to manage on her own. I have to help her eat all the food she has. It's impossible for her to eat it by herself. And who's going to pick out what material she needs for her next work of art? That was always my job, you know."

"I am sure she eez worrying about you too," Floramon said. "She does not know 'ow you weel live without 'er."

"I'm doing okay," Biyomon said. "I miss her lots, and Veemon's noodles and Tapirmon's soup really don't live up to _Sora's_ cooking in my opinion, but that can't be helped. I would never _tell_ either of them that, so don't _you_ tell them. I don't want to hurt their feelings. But they aren't."

"I know what you mean," Floramon said sadly. "Ze Digital World does not 'ave much in ze way of French cuisine. I meez it terribly."

"What made you decide to leave it all behind, Floramon?" Biyomon asked, very curiously. "I wouldn't have thought in a million years that you would leave Catherine forever."

"I deed not want to," Floramon said, looking to the ground. "But eet was my choice. I knew zat Catherine would not be there forever. I would be. Eet just made sense to me, yes? Geeving up my home for Catherine was not logical in ze end."

"I guess that makes a lot of sense," Biyomon said with a gasp. "I still wish I could be with Sora forever, but you're right! All those poor digimon that chose to stay on Earth will never be able to come home when their partners are all gone. Oh, that's even _more_ tragic than not having Sora around at all, don't you think Hawkmon?"

"No," I said sharply. I was angry with this dawdling. We had places to be and a Digimental to hide. We didn't have time for this!

"He's just grumpy," Biyomon assured Floramon, flapping her wing in my direction. "Ignore him. Have you had a chance to talk to any other digimon that came back home when the worlds were separated? I haven't really. I've been so busy. I talked with one or two, but that's it! I wish I had more time to really talk to the others. I think it would be so much easier to come to terms with not seeing Sora ever again if I could talk to _other_ digimon that had to leave their partners behind too. Not just the Digidestined's digimon, but of course they went through the exact same situation as me, but I don't want to bother them. It's so hard because we didn't have a choice, you know? I never would have made this choice if I was offered one."

"Some zat were offered zat chance did not manage to make eet," Floramon said. "There were a lot of digimon zat were undecided—unsure. Zey did not know which path to choose, and zey ended up trapped in one world or ze other. Zey are very unhappy with the results—at least ze ones that were trapped 'ere."

"Oh no!" Biyomon gasped. I too was unsettled by this news. I did not enjoy the idea that digimon were not happy. There was very little we could do to change that though. The choices Taichi made were necessary to prevent the human race from eradicating our species. Granted we weren't experiencing anything remotely close to peace at the moment. We were once again running for our lives, scrambling to keep the world safe.

I was definitely sure that Taichi's decision was pointless now.

The first time I'd been forced to say goodbye to Miyako was the _second_ time Biyomon thought she and Sora would be apart forever. I'd been convinced then—as I still was now—that forever actually _meant_ forever. But both separations that Biyomon suffered lasted only three years. That alone ought to give me hope. But it didn't. We didn't have time to think of _that_. We had Gaia and Maugrim to deal with, which of course just brought up memories of all the horrible things that the Digital World had to endure while it was sealed off from Earth the _last_ two times.

Bad things happen when the Digital World was sealed. It was a pattern that had demonstrated itself several times in the past—not only with our Digidestined, but with the previous set as well. I was afraid for the future of our world.

"Mina was trapped 'ere as well," Floramon said, her voice heavy and sad, yet it still sounded to my ears that she was enjoying the juiciness of that piece of gossip.

" _No_ ," Biyomon said horrified.

" _Oui_ ," Floramon insisted. "She left when she was told to, but the gate never sealed. She did not think twice about coming back to say one last goodbye. But she did not make it out again. She is still here, living with 'er partner Meramon, over on the Continent."

"That's so horrible," I said in distain. I could not understand how others' suffering was enjoyable to gossip about. But I supposed I would never figure it out.

"She eez not ze only one," Floramon added. "I 'ave 'eard tell of more chosen that were sealed away with ze world."

"Who?" I asked sharply.

"Anna, the Russian," Floramon said. "She, Laura and Yuri were on their way out, and they made it, but she didn't. She is stuck simply because she was in third in line. A similar thing 'appened to one of ze Poi brothers, you know. Ze eldest was on a walk with 'is partner, and did not leave when 'e should 'ave."

"That's not even taking into account all of the other continents," Biyomon said in wonder. "Have you heard anything from them?"

"No," Floramon said. "Not yet. I will keep my ears open, oui?"

"Yes," Biyomon said, nodding enthusiastically. "These are things Taichi and Rei ought to know about. They aren't the only humans!"

"We already knew that," I pointed out. "Do you suppose Mina, Anna and the Poi brother could have walked to the Temple?"

"I doubt that," Floramon said. "I doubt they even realize all three of them are 'ere."

"Then who made those tracks, I wonder," I said. No theories sprang to mind, but I was pleased to find that Biyomon and Floramon were both pondering answers themselves, and for once we were able to walk in silence.

We'd left the earthy borough behind us. It lay below us, as we trekked up the mountain. It felt awkward to carry the Digimental in my wings, rather than simply flying up the mountain. We needed the stealth that came with walking, however, and I had to find stealth wherever I could. The literal fate of the world rested in my wings, after all.

"Do we know where we plan to hide it?" I asked, hoping that Floramon had done a thorough exploration of the mountain, and had a few ideas.

"At the very top," she said simply. "Unimon lives there. He will not let anything 'appen to it. He is a solitary digimon. No one bothers 'im."

"That's _very_ true," Biyomon agreed. "He lives in a cave. Caves are good hiding spots."

We were doomed.

Why would Taichi send us here, to hide a Digimental, if there was nowhere _to_ hide it? Infinity Mountain was a _mountain_. It was a giant hill made of dirt and rocks, and we knew that Gaia had an affinity for earth and plants and the like. Would we just be placing the Digimental in her grasp by putting it in such a natural, organic location?

I had to force such thoughts from my mind. It simply would not do for me to lose hope entirely. This was my plan, and I intended to stick with it. I could pull this off with enough time and energy. I had forever, and I fully planned on utilizing it.

We walked on further, but we were silent no more. My important question about where we were going to hide the future of our world led Biyomon off on a tangent, telling Floramon all about the very first time she and the other Digidestined digimon—and the Digidestined too of course—all came to this mountain. She and Sora waited until morning to reach the top of the mountain, and instead of simply climbing, they _flew_ , because they were intelligent like that. She described to us the first time that Gomamon digivolved to Champion, and how Unimon was infected with a Black Gear, and how the gear made the typically calm and quiet digimon into a bad guy.

I'd already heard this story several times, but Floramon was fascinated. When Biyomon reached the end of her tale, I thought we'd have another moment of silence, but Floramon had to ruin that for me, by requesting the story of how _Biyomon_ first digivolved to Champion. Biyomon was flattered beyond all reason, and immediately launched into that story. I kept my eyes open, using my sharp vision to scan our surroundings. There was no one coming for us, despite the fact that we were quite obvious targets since there were no trees to keep us out of sight. We were on an open mountain path. I was bright red, and Biyomon was pink. We were very obvious.

So why were we able to keep going so effortlessly?

I tried not to look that gift horse in the mouth, but it was hard—because the _last_ gift horse gave us a virus.

My eyes were shifted from the distance to the path beneath our feet. We were noisy and left rather large footprints. But they weren't the only footprints on the path. My stomach started twisting, and my heart hammered in my chest. The others didn't notice, and I knew logically that we'd just been talking about chosen that had been trapped in this world. There was no guarantee that these footprints belonged to anyone with malicious intent.

But there was no proof that they _didn't_.

"Floramon," I said cautiously. "Biyomon?" The two were walking ahead of me, leading the way for the Digimental, as though this was a proper ceremony, instead of a stealth mission. And instead of answering me, they continued asking questions and telling stories.

I focussed on the footprints. I needed to identify them, since the others refused to listen to me. There were some that I couldn't be sure _were_ footprints, as they were simply straight, horizontal lines. But there were others. Some had to be digimon footprints. There were claws and the feet were on the larger side. Those footprints calmed me. But the ones that were sort of bulky, and clearly marks left by a shoe, I knew there were people waiting for us at the top. The footprints didn't come back down, after all. There were also delicate, bare footprints, and those were the ones that bothered me most of all.

"We should turn back," I warned Floramon and Biyomon. But it was too late. We were nearly at the top of the path. I could see Unimon's cave from where we were. It was also that close proximity that allowed for Unimon's cry of pain to fill the air around us.

Finally, Biyomon and Floramon understood that we were walking into potential danger. They stopped walking and turned to me. I needed to be sure it _was_ danger, and not someone removing a thorn from Unimon's leg or something. I couldn't judge too quickly. But I also needed to be cautious.

Floramon was shaking like a leaf, but Biyomon had steeled her nerves and was walking towards the open mouth of Unimon's cave. She waltzed right to the door, and gasped when she saw what was inside. She raced through the opening, and Floramon and I were unsure. Biyomon hadn't told us what she saw, and so we slowly edged our way to the opening as well, peeking inside the moment we were able.

Unimon was on the floor, squealing in pain as a slim, chocolaty hand rested on his neck. I might've believed the hand was attached to a kind and caring person that was simply trying to protect and heal Unimon. But I knew Gaia wasn't like that. I backed away, feeling the Digimental grow heavy in my hands. I couldn't risk spending any time here with it. Not with Gaia there, looking pretty and powerful and in control.

"Don't run," she said. Her eyes met mine, and I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the natural temperature. "You wouldn't want to be responsible for your friend's death, would you?"

"You leave Unimon alone!" Biyomon shouted. She was edging around the cave, trying to get close to Gaia, but also moving towards the contributors to the other footprints I'd seen. It was Gankoomon and Hackmon, and I knew she was more than thrilled to see them. I just wished she wasn't moving _into_ danger, when she knew full well that Gaia was after more than just the Digimentals. She wanted the crests we carried in our hearts as well.

"If you would consent to a simple exchange, I won't need to hurt him," Gaia assured us. "I simply want you to hand over that Digimental, and the crests. It's not hard."

"Do not even entertain the thought," Unimon gritted out through teeth clenched in pain. I nodded to him, respecting his honourable decision to put the fate of the world above his own life. If my doing the same would be counterproductive, then I too would make that decision.

"Be quiet," Gaia snarled, losing her sweet tone that she'd been trying to win us over with. She clenched her fingers into Unimon's neck and he howled out in pain. My heart ached at the sound. But I could do nothing. I had a mission to complete and I intended to fulfill it—for Unimon and the rest of the world.

"Floramon," I hissed. "Get out of here."

"Okay," she said, agreeing readily. We turned to leave, only to run head first into Bitoru's chest. I rocked backwards, and Bitoru reached out to steady me. I flinched away from his touch.

"Thank you," Gaia told him, sounding disgusted with herself for even speaking to him. She had no love for Bitoru. That much was evident. Yet he _still_ chose to betray his father—or perhaps _pseudo_ father—Aesop to work for her. I could not grasp the concept. I didn't put much effort into trying. I needed to get past him, and out into the open air. It was imperative that this Digimental leave.

"Floramon can go," Bitoru offered. I nodded to her, and she thanked me, before running off down the mountain, hopefully to raise an alarm of some sort. "She wasn't needed," he informed me. "But you were. I can feel the Digimental. I know you have it."

"It's in the cloth," Gaia snarled at him. She composed herself, looking back to Biyomon, Gankoomon and Hackmon. She smiled, while she clenched her fingers into Unimon's throat once more, deeper than before. He reached a new level of pain and screamed out accordingly. I could barely focus on my next move. I needed to get out of here, but the sound of Unimon in such pain was nearly enough to distract me. I couldn't allow myself that distraction. I knew that was Gaia's plan. She wanted to exploit our good hearts and kindness. I would not let her win.

"Bitoru," Biyomon scolded. "Your father is worried sick about you. He's looking all over. You should go back to him. He misses you!"

"I _am_ with my father," Bitoru corrected. "He's not _here_ at the moment. He's gone to collect those friends you brought with you. But he's around."

"Don't tell them our plans," Gaia ordered. "Just execute them."

"For a higher chance of success," Bitoru conceded. He held his hands out and jumped for the Digimental I had. I dodged him, but he kept coming. I could not rest for a second, or he would end up stealing the Digimental from me. I hopped and leaped around him, trying to make my way to the exit, but he seemed to be corralling me towards Gaia.

Biyomon, in the mean time, wasn't done talking. "How did you know we'd be here?" she demanded of Gaia, who was torturing Unimon again. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Biyomon was edging her way towards Unimon, and I wished she wouldn't. I wanted Unimon safe as much as the next person, but she shouldn't be the one doing the rescuing. She was the carrier of love. She couldn't risk herself like that. She needed to keep the world protected by keeping the crest out of Gaia's clutches.

"Bitoru has his uses," Gaia said begrudgingly. Her distain morphed into malicious delight, though, when she saw that Biyomon was still creeping closer. "He has one particular magic that is ever so useful. He has _instinct_. He can figure the outcome of your decisions before you do yourself. And I simply required him to find the Digimentals. I knew I would be led straight to you."

"Bitoru," Biyomon cried out. "How could you betray us like that? I thought you were our friend."

"I'm not on _their_ side," Bitoru said simply, diving at me. I jumped and landed on his back. I quickly dismounted and started running to the door. He was on my heels quick as a bunny, however. "I'm not on your side either. She offered me what I need, so I'm using my Instinct for her."

"But that's not right!" Biyomon insisted, before letting out a squeak. I turned to see what happened, and Bitoru caught my arm. Gaia had lunged for Biyomon, finally leaving Unimon alone. Her hand was deep in Biyomon's chest, and Biyomon was flapping her wings, trying to escape, but Gaia wouldn't release her. Instead, she transformed Biyomon's beautiful plumage, and big personality into nothing more than a red orb. She'd taken the crest of love.

Gaia took the orb and fused it with one of the three that were following her around. It had several colours inside already. I could name the digimon she'd taken them from with ease. Labramon, Gatomon, Lalamon, Agumon… _Palmon?_ I swallowed thickly, realizing that Palmon was gone now too. Biyomon's red joined the swirling colours, and I gathered my wits about me.

"Let go of me," I demanded, pecking Bitoru's hand. I needed to leave. But he wouldn't let go. Gaia was on her feet, and was moving towards me with grace and poise. I was doomed. But then Gankoomon flew at Gaia with flaming hands, as he punched her aside.

"Go, now," Gankoomon ordered. He sounded—and looked—enraged. Perhaps Biyomon had been on to something when she called him friend. I tried to do as he commanded, but I was still being held captive. Hackmon took care of that though, as he threw himself into the fight as well. Bitoru was ripped away from me, and I took the opportunity to digivolve into Aquilamon. I was much faster that way. I clenched my talons around the Digimental and soared off through the air.

Biyomon and Palmon were gone—and if Bitoru was right about Maugrim's position, then Patamon, Lopmon and Terriermon were out of the fight as well. I hoped one of them escaped with the Digimental. I hoped one of them followed the plan. I didn't know though, if they'd get that chance.

I needed to find Taichi. I had to tell him that Gaia could find us no matter where we were hidden. But as I thought that, a painful thought struck me. What if she'd found _Taichi_ too? What would I do then? What would any of us do?

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Now that our (rather unhelpful, at the moment) heroes know what's going on, how will they move forward to try to counter the attacks? Armadillomon and Gabumon are going to do their best to help out of course.


	42. Digi-Dynamics

**Y/N:** Armadillomon was fun to write. Iori is one of my absolute favourites, and while Armadillomon and he differ so greatly, the things they do have in common are what I like the most about both of them. Armadillomon is honestly one of my favourite digimon to write as, and it was kind of disappointing to finish writing his chapter, knowing that this was his one moment in the story-and it was over so quickly, because I tend to write faster the more I like a character.

 **U/N:** Gabumon's chapter was the hardest and probably worst for me to write of all the digimon. I didn't really feel like I connected with him at ALL and also he's just so... the opposite of me. So I'm sure he's very out of character and it's probably terrible, but it's also my last of this whole middle arc thing, so there's that. Great way to go out -_- I hope it comes across relatively well though!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 3: Digi-Interlude (Part 3)**

 **Chapter 42: Digi-Dynamics**

 _ **Armadillomon:**_

It was kind of dark in that cave. I missed the sun. I'd spent too long in this damp, dark cave. There was _some_ light, but it was all artificial, and was being emitted from strange glowing lamps that were fastened to the cave's wall. They were a poor substitute for the sun. Everything was wet here as well. The sounds of the dripping water echoed throughout the cave, and was so consistent, I could keep track of the passing time just by counting the drops.

At least I wasn't alone down here. Drimojimon and Goblimon had joined me in my quest to keep the Digimental of Faith safe. Goblimon had bundled up blankets and created a soft, comfy home for my egg, but it was too cold down here for it to hatch. I was disappointed, because I wanted to meet my baby. I knew though, that I had to wait. I had to be patient. The baby would come when it wanted to.

I just wanted it to be here already.

At the same time, though, I didn't. I didn't want the baby to come when Gaia could arrive at our doorstep at any given moment. She hadn't yet. We'd been here two months now. I remembered the horrible trip down here, and I still didn't enjoy being in an underwater cave. I missed the dirt, and the sun and the grass and the trees. It was too dark, damp and cold down here. It reminded me too much of the Dark Ocean. But Gaia hadn't found it yet, so there was a bright side to this depressing place.

Drimojimon and Goblimon were talking at the other side of the cave, in the 'living room'. It was just a place with a bunch of blankets and cushions spread out so that it was more comfortable than the cave floor. There wasn't any furniture here, and Natsuni would probably have a heart attack at the sight of the décor. It was not up to her standards. Drimojimon didn't have any _need_ for furniture though, since he was too big to fit on any, so it made sense that there was very little by way of seating. I was just as happy on the ground though. It was easier to eat on the floor than it was at a table. Goblimon made all of our meals, since Drimojimon had decided against leaving while we were staying here. He didn't want to wander off in case he accidentally left us unguarded or lead Gaia straight to us. Instead, he had a giant pile of mixed up food in the corner—mostly herbs to go with whatever fish Goblimon was able to catch, and dried berries. Rei had sent some food with us when we left, but since Whamon had to carry it in his mouth, there wasn't a lot. We didn't want to weigh him down.

"You should try it," Drimojimon suggested. His voice carried just as well as the water droplets in the cave. I knew he was talking about some new herb blend for fish. Goblimon was always willing to try his suggestions—even when he knew they wouldn't turn out that well. He wanted to experiment with different flavours, because that's what Natsuni would've done.

He missed her a lot.

He didn't like to say it though. I knew though. I knew because I missed her too—and Iori, and Meiyomon, and Hikari, and Gatomon. But Gatomon wasn't safe on Earth like the others. She was taken by Gaia, and that made it worse. We could pretend that everyone else was fine, because we didn't _know_ any different. But we couldn't pretend about Gatomon. We knew she was gone. Palmon had seen her power swirling when Lalamon and Agumon had been taken. That was three months ago now. Almost four, even. We were coming to the close of our sixth month separated from our partners, and somehow, the hope we had all been feeling was draining out of me.

I shouldn't be losing hope, I knew that. But it was so hard not to.

There had been no word sent my way about any of the others. For all I knew, I was the only one left. But I tried not to think like that. It wasn't helpful. I needed to focus mostly on keeping Faith safe. I needed to keep my baby safe, and I tried not to think that Natsuni was pretty close to having _her_ baby. She was eight months pregnant by now, and that meant she was close I thought. I was pretty sure that nine was the magic number. I wasn't sure though, because I didn't understand half of what Iori was saying as he explained where human babies came from. I couldn't understand how they could form without having an egg to live in. But he told me exactly how. It was just really hard to wrap my head around.

I would never get to meet that baby. I wouldn't get to know if Iori got his secret wish for a daughter named Kana, or if he'd get a son that he would love and cherish anyway. I knew he'd love the baby whether it was a girl or not, because he already _did_ when I left. I loved it too. I just wouldn't get to see it ever. And that was sad. It was even sadder to know that Iori would never get to meet my baby either. I wanted him to. I wanted to introduce them, and be a real family. Instead of one big happy family, we'd be two smaller, not quite happy, but _trying_ to be, families. Goblimon, the baby and I were living in a wet, dark cave. We were miserable, and we missed our partners. We weren't happy, and the fate of the world was in our hands. I was a wanted digimon. Gaia was after me because of the forgiveness I held in my heart. I was bringing terror and danger to my family, and I couldn't do a single thing to stop it.

I wished that Natsuni, Iori and their baby were happier than we were. I liked to think that they missed us too, but I also liked to think that they were moving forward with their lives. Iori was in a really good place when I left him. He'd gotten a job, and was getting a house. He was married and had a baby on the way. Natsuni had even started a blog that made her really happy. I didn't know if she was going to keep doing that without me, because my opinions were half of the blog, but I hoped she did.

"Armadillomon?" Goblimon called. I sighed and turned to him. "Keep your hope. They are happy." He always knew when I was getting down about leaving everything behind. I liked that he could read me so well, but sometimes it was irritating. Sometimes I wanted to wallow in self pity. There was nothing _else_ to do in a damp, dark cave. I mean, there were a few raided convenience stores—even though they weren't very conveniently located—but everything inside had been used already or was mouldy. Every day I sat by the water's edge, and starred down into the black abyss. I looked for signs of movement, and when I _did_ see something, it was usually just a fish, but for the few moments before I was able to identify it, I always assumed it was Gaia. I assumed she'd come for us.

We didn't have all that great of a track record without our partners. We always just sort of lost ourselves without them—sometimes we were kidnapped, other times evil just grew around us. We'd been kidnapped by the crest digimon, and our partners had only been gone a couple of weeks at most that time. During the three years between _that_ adventure and defeating Fanglongmon, we'd been scattered and nearly destroyed while waiting for our friends. And now, we were being picked off one by one, by Gaia, who wasn't even supposed to _be_ here.

Why couldn't she stay trapped in Witchenly, where Hikari put her? Why did she have to come and destroy everything we'd ever worked for? It wasn't fair. The sacrifice of ours to leave Earth and everyone behind was supposed to result in peace for both worlds. There wasn't supposed to be anymore fighting, or heartbreak. We were supposed to be safe.

But the second our partners were locked away from us, disaster struck, just like all times before. I was starting to think that peace would only be able to happen if the human and digimon worked together to show that we could support and care for each other while still embodying the crests. It was a stretch, but wasn't there supposed to be some sort of balance? Wasn't that where the peace was meant to come from? Therefore, humans and digimon needed to work together in harmony.

It made sense to me.

But I could see it was also a desperate plea to have Iori back.

I was staring into the abyss of the ocean again. Goblimon came up beside me, announcing that Drimojimon was going to sleep now. He stood guard most nights, so that I could sleep some. His reasons were that I was stronger in the end since I could digivolve—so I would need more sleep—and that his job for a long time was to keep watch of prisoners so he was used to it. I never managed to sleep the whole night through though. I was always too worried that Gaia would come while I wasn't paying attention. I was very tired, but I couldn't sleep. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to sleep again. The threat of Gaia could last literally _forever_. She couldn't die without her heart being destroyed, and I wasn't going to die either, so we were forever going to be playing this game of cat and mouse. I just wished I wasn't the mouse.

"What's that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes into the deep, dark water. Something was moving, but it wasn't the same as usual.

"A big fish," Goblimon assured me, as he cast his fishing line into the water. I wasn't so easily convinced, but I could tell that it wasn't the right shape to be Gaia—not that she could just _swim_ down here. I was sure it was too deep for her to manage. The pressure alone in the water was enough to damage her, and that's even _if_ she could hold her breath long enough to get down under the cave in order to swim into it.

But the shape was growing, and headed our way.

"Drimojimon!" I called, feeling guilty, because he'd just turned over for a nap. But I couldn't take any risks. He was up in an instant, and rushed over to the water's edge where Goblimon and I were already waiting. He looked into the water carefully—not that his eyesight was the best—and clenched his teeth, ready to let out a growl.

"Enough of that," came the voice of the shape. It was familiar, but I couldn't place it at first. I worried that it was one of Gaia's minions, but Drimojimon relaxed and let out a laugh.

"Hello Whamon," he said happily. "Have you come for a visit?"

"Not today, old friend," Whamon said, as he broke through the surface. He opened his mouth wide, and Betamon and Gomamon waddled out. Taichi staggered out behind them, looking disgusted.

"That was worse than I remembered it being," he said, with a grimace.

"It's no picnic carrying you, you know," Whamon said, sounding insulted. Taichi held his hands up in surrender, and everyone sort of laughed. I didn't though. I was too confused. Weren't Betamon and Gomamon supposed to be somewhere _other_ than with me and the Digimental of Faith? We were supposed to stay far apart, and keep everything hidden.

"Get ready to go, Armadillomon," Betamon told me. "We're being called in."

"What for?" I asked, confused.

"Turns out Bitoru's working for Gaia," Gomamon informed me. "He can track the Digimentals. We're not safe out and about. We aren't strong enough to stop her, even if we're in a group, but we've got a better chance that way. You're the last one."

"It took forever to find Whamon," Taichi said apologetically. "He took his job seriously. He wasn't about to come up for any reason."

"I was told specifically _not_ to," Whamon said defensively. "I don't see how I'm not protecting the Digimental. You couldn't find me. How exactly is Gaia meant to catch me at the bottom of the ocean anyway? I'm constantly on the move. She would never find me, even if she _could_ track the Digimentals."

"I know," Taichi said. "But I'd feel safer at the Coliseum. It's invisible you know. You can only find it if you know it's there. Gaia doesn't know where it is, and neither do Maugrim or Bitoru. It's just the safest option at this point. I'm not doing as well as I would've hoped. Gennai said he was proud of me, and the decisions I'd been making. But I think he was wrong. I've made the Gaia situation into a bigger mess. Agumon was too scared to tell me that he'd let Maugrim take a key, and that was my fault. I put too much pressure on him. And now he's gone. And so are so many others."

"It's not your fault, Taichi," Gomamon insisted.

"But I'm the one that sealed the worlds!" Taichi exclaimed. "We can't get the other Digidestined, and I can't even call Norn to lend a hand, because I made sure she sealed _her_ world off too. I thought Gennai was right. I thought sealing the worlds was a good idea. I needed to keep you all safe from Rida and EVOLVE, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the worlds were safer _before_ I sealed everything off. "

"Don't stress," Betamon told him, quietly. "What's happened can't be changed. But we can all work together to bring forth a brighter future. You're not alone Taichi. We can all help you. We just need to cooperate."

"And the first step for that, is to get everyone in one place," Gomamon said with a silly grin. "So come on Armadillomon and Goblimon. Time's a wastin'."

"It will be safe to leave once more?" Drimojimon asked, sounding hopeful. He was very pleased to have been doing his duty to protect the worlds, but at the same time, he missed his standard schedule. He wanted to go out and find his own food, and sleep whenever he liked. I missed the same things. Taichi grinned at him and tossed him two thumbs up. "Thank you. It was an honour."

"It was great to see you," Taichi added. "I should make more visits out this way. If we can ever figure out this Gaia thing, and I'm alive by the end of it, I'll be sure to do that."

"If a war does indeed break out," Drimojimon said, with a faraway look and a grimace. "I will be ready to serve you, no matter the risk. You are a good leader, Taichi. I know you doubt yourself now, but you were a good leader when I first met you back when you were merely a child. Now, you are a grown man, and I see more confidence and courage in you than I've ever seen in a man. You are a born leader. Gennai was right to trust you."

"But I've made so many mistakes, even just since sealing the worlds, I can't do anything right," Taichi protested, though I could see that Drimojimon's praise had done a little something at restoring his faith in his own abilities.

"You have learned from those mistakes," Drimojimon pointed out. "That is the true sign of a great leader."

Goblimon went to collect my egg—our egg, kind of, since he called it his baby too—and the Digimental of Faith, and we all piled into Whamon's mouth. It was gross inside, but it was warmer than the cave, and so I was happy. After sharing some quick goodbyes, and promises to come visit, Whamon and Drimojimon both departed the cave at the same time. They took different directions right away, since Whamon was bringing us to the nearest shore to the Coliseum, and we were on our way.

I fell asleep during the actual trip to shore. It was just so warm, and I was so tired. Goblimon woke me up when Whamon was rising up out of the water, and we all fell out. He thanked us for the honour—although he was still disappointed that he wasn't needed anymore, since he'd been doing a really good job—and we all moved as quickly as we could through the trees.

It was the most terrifying thing that had happened to me since I found myself in that cave. I was constantly looking over my shoulder, expecting to find Gaia or Maugrim there waiting for us. But we were safe…for now anyway. Taichi was a little impatient, but really, that was his own fault. Gomamon, Betamon and I were some of the slowest Digidestined digimon. Wormmon was the only one that was slower than us. Goblimon picked up Betamon, after passing the egg and Digimental to Taichi, but that only sped us up a little.

But, after the longest, most stressful race since the one against the virus, I saw the Coliseum in the distance, growing larger with each step that we took. It was the most beautiful building I'd ever seen, since it was safe. It was our new refuge. I couldn't wait to get inside and try to unload some of the stress.

Taichi waited outside, letting all of us go inside first. He kept lookout, and once we were all inside the large doors, Taichi pushed them shut. He led us through the halls, until we were up in the arena, where the garden was growing wild. I spotted Veemon stuffing a tomato into his mouth, and kicking the ground, angrily. I came to a stop. Something wasn't right.

Gabumon was seated with Rei, who was patting his head. Pal and Pul flew around them, making general nuisances of themselves. Tentomon and Wormmon were nearby, talking quietly, and looking upset. Hawkmon was with Ryou, who was curled up, looking sadder than I'd ever seen him. I'd never seen him without a smile on his face—except the few minutes following the sealing of the worlds. That was it though. He was always happy. For some reason though, he wasn't happy now. Warg and Megla were sitting at Gravimon's feet, and I spotted Kotemon and Dorumon huddled together, behind some overgrown sunflowers. Taichi's Council were in the stands. Leomon and Ogremon had their backs to us, as Babamon, MetallifeKuwagamon and Shinkoumon were seated in the pew above them. Centarumon and Andromon were to their left, a little distance looking serious as they spoke to one another. The powerful Jupitermon—who I'd forgotten had joined the Council—was looming to the Council's right, and looking down at our collective forces. Babamon's husband Jijimon was at her side, as well, trying to support her, despite the fact that he was losing hope as well. Tinkermon was probably there too, but she was too small to see from this distance. She also could have been with Petermon and CaptainHookmon, who were also in the stands, just on the opposite side of the arena.

"Where's everyone else?" Gomamon asked.

"Gone," Taichi said, his voice breaking. "I haven't heard from Evelen yet, so I don't know if Dracomon's okay or not, but I know that Tapirmon is gone. Gravimon found us. He went for a walk to observe the trees, because he feared they bore 'signs of Gaia' and when he got back to Overdell, the place was a mess. The Bakemon were cowering behind their graves. They told him Tapirmon was gone."

"Taichi," Rei called. I spotted the little Shinramon behind her, trembling with fright. "Shinramon came after you left. Gaia has taken the Digimental of Tenacity from them. He was the only one that was able to get to us, to warn us. The others are completely beaten. They're In-Trainings right now. She's not messing around anymore."

"She was never messing around," Hawkmon said bitterly. "She's manipulated Bitoru into doing her bidding. He's bringing her to us one by one. That's how Biyomon was taken. It was how Patamon, Lopmon and Terriermon were taken."

"I am sorry, for Bitoru's actions," Aesop said behind me. I screamed, and curled into a ball, before I realized he didn't mean any harm. He shouldn't have snuck up on me though. I wondered what he was doing wandering around in the Coliseum anyway. I didn't care enough to ask though. "I raised him better than this. But there are things he wants that he cannot accomplish. He has been cursed since birth to never have what he wants most. It would be relatively easy for Gaia to sway him to her bidding. She could offer very little, and get very far with it."

"That doesn't help us any," Veemon said angrily. "Labramon's still gone. Andromon was nearly killed while he tried to get our friends to safety. I _know_ Terriermon and Lopmon wouldn't dare to even _try_ fighting if they weren't fused into Leopardmon. But they still lost. They were the best chance we had! They were our strongest, now that Agumon is gone. With Taichi, Agumon could have achieved Super Ultimate, and that might've bought us some time. But even _Cyberdramon_ is gone, and he was the next best!"

"I didn't want him to go," Ryou said, flinching at the words. "I tried to stop him. He wouldn't listen. He said I was too important to fight in his place. But I'm not really. He was the one with the crest. She took it. I just know she did."

"What about your Digimental?" Gomamon asked, gently.

"Petermon fled with it when they showed up. He and CaptainHookmon were helping me protect it. They left when she arrived, and Tinkermon fled with me when Cyberdramon sacrificed himself for me. I didn't _ask_ him to," Ryou cried. "I wanted him safe too."

"Sometimes our partners do stupid things for noble reasons," Taichi said, shaking his head. "And Benjamin? Has anyone seen him?"

"No," Rei said. "He hasn't come. Meramon did though. He told us of his fight with Gaia, trying to get Palmon free. It's not a good story. He's downstairs, beating himself up about her loss. Unimon's feeling better, not too long ago. He's in the infirmary. I didn't know how to help him. He practically _dragged_ himself into the Temple. He needs help."

"I'll go," Gomamon agreed.

"He's very weak," Rei murmured. "He's just getting weaker. I'm afraid for him."

"I'm afraid for us all," I muttered. Our numbers were dwindling. Eleven crest carriers were taken, and only ten of us were confirmed to be safe. We didn't know about Dracomon. I wasn't in a place where I could find enough hope to wish for the best. I didn't know how many Digimentals were left, but we had to protect them. There might only be half of _us_ carriers, but we had friends. The Council and the Knights, Petermon and CaptainHookmon, Meramon, Unimon, Goblimon, Jijimon, Shinramon, Taichi and Rei, and Pal and Pul were all standing behind us. We could maybe pull through.

United, we might stand a chance.

 _ **Gabumon:**_

Any doubts we had on whether or not we were safe here in the Coliseum was put to rest after a whole month had passed. June had come to a successful end and even though we had lost a lot of our team already, it seemed we were going to be safe for the remainder of the time it took for Taichi to think of a good action plan. Gomamon helpfully related it to Taichi playing a game of chess with only a set of pawns and expecting to win, but I had faith that he could pull through. He'd never failed us before.

Sure, with Agumon, Cyberdramon, Terriermon and Lopmon all out of the fight it seemed unlikely that we could win, but in situations like these that was where hope came in handy. Patamon would be upset if I'd lost hope so easily, and since he wasn't here I owed it to him to keep hoping. And since Biyomon and Lalamon weren't here someone had to pick up their crests too—I figured Gomamon was set with the Tenacity front—and Armadillomon's obsession with his egg was pretty loving. Veemon was filling in for Agumon I figured since he was leading the Knights now, which meant I was out of my position but I didn't mind since I wasn't very good at it anyway. Hawkmon's inability to keep his bitterness at bay certainly made up for Palmon's purity because he simply wasn't diluting his thoughts no matter who was around to hear them. Warg and Melga wanted nothing more than to have Dracomon, Tapirmon and Lalamon back and while we had no proof that Dracomon had been found by Gaia we also had no proof that he hadn't been. So they were good where Desire was needed, and that meant only Light and Dark were left.

That scared me.

The fear didn't go away when a whole other month passed either. We were still here in the Coliseum and we wouldn't leave if Taichi didn't want us to. We knew we were safe. Tentomon was upset that he wasn't in the library anymore, and asked if he could go without a Digimental, but Taichi feared for his safety and shut his idea down. Wormmon was also rather upset by this because he was so sure the library had been a safe hiding place. He just didn't quite understand how Bitoru's powers seemed to work. No matter how many twists and turns the library had, Bitoru would know where he was.

Some of the other digimon were permitted to come and go as they pleased, which I was jealous of. I spent a whole two months locked away in this Coliseum because of the virus and was not happy about having to do so again. This time had been three days longer already! That wasn't fair! It wasn't fair because it _sucked_ here. It was cold, it was creepy and dreary and awful.

Betamon was strangely happy though and when asked why he simply responded by saying "It gives me a chance to test out my new strength. Sigma can't hurt me here anymore and I can do as I please! This place isn't so bad!"

But it _was_ so bad. It was worse without more digimon though. Petermon and CaptainHookmon were mostly always gone off somewhere—probably in Neverland or some other place that didn't matter because it wasn't here. Whenever they _were_ here though, we were gifted with thrilling stories about magic spells, daring sword fights and a prince in disguise!

There was one digimon who had joined us and that was MarineAngemon. He was obnoxious beyond all previous limits of the word, but his constant attempt to make everyone feel better was admired if nothing else. Gomamon was particularly annoyed with MarineAngemon, which was mostly due to the bubbly digimon asking where Emiko was constantly and not understanding Gomamon's words when he finally broke down and explained it to him.

Unimon had taken Meramon many days ago back to Infinity Mountain to see if they could find signs of Gaia or her whereabouts, but had yet to return, and that just left us with even less company. Jijimon and Babamon argued like an old married couple, while Centarumon and Andromon were both as silent as could be. Andromon was quiet in shame of losing against Maugrim had having been a leading cause in his arrival at all, which was different than Centarumon's reasons for being so quiet which mostly consisted of his desire to drown in an air of mystery. Tinkermon had gone off with Petermon this time, leaving the Coliseum for the first time since her arrival, and Jupitermon had left mere hours after his arrival. He had not returned. Dorumon and Kotemon spent all of their time together with Veemon, training endlessly to be stronger for when Gaia finally found us, and that scared me. If we were expecting her to find us, then why were we sitting still and not trusting Whamon and all climbing into him so he could swim us to safety whenever Gaia came near?

When August was gone I felt a big weight drop off my shoulders. It felt wrong waking up each morning and knowing August was upon us and not spending the time reliving old memories and taking long trips with one another. Yamato wasn't here though, and that took a large part of the celebratory feeling away from the events. But finally it was September.

Shinramon, the tiny robotic digimon of Trust cried every single day still, even though CaptainHookmon and Petermon had led all of his siblings to the Coliseum. They bounced around with glee and excitement all the time, but it was still horrible to see that they had been killed. Shinkoumon—the mermaid of Faith—blamed herself for not having been present, claiming that any additional support could have shifted the odds in their favour. But there was no reason to dwell on the past, because it had all happened already.

All of it.

I'd lost Yamato, then Agumon, then Patamon and now I was forced to watch each of us slowly descend into madness. Rei was the only one who could really keep it together, which I found impressive since Pal and Pul, who were so obnoxious, never left her alone.

When the middle of September rolled around it came time for Shinkoumon to take Shinramon and the rest of the crest digimon back to where they came from and everyone had gathered around the exit to say their farewell to them. I did too, even though I was mostly jealous that they got to leave, because I was also happy for them. They didn't deserve to have their fundamental development take place in somewhere as dark and depressing as the Coliseum.

We were able to go outside in the arena at least, and Taichi had previously expanded the yard around the Coliseum as well as the barrier so there were places to go that were sunny and mostly normal, and that was where I spent all of my time, but that didn't change the fact that it was awful around here. The atmosphere had not brightened since day one because we had yet to hear any good news.

I wasn't sure what kind of news I was expecting, but _something_ would be enough. Hawkmon was still waiting on news of Gankoomon and Hackmon, though I wasn't sure who they were really. Warg and Melga were waiting to find out what happened to Dracomon and Aesop was curious about Evelen. The only thing I could keep my mind on was whether or not Benjamin and the other Agents had been found yet. They wouldn't refresh when they died—we knew that from Jackie and from Gennai. If they weren't going to come back, did that mean Gaia would spare them? Or had she already killed them?

I was lucky that my worries paid off in the end. As the first week of Autumn fell away and October was dangerously close to us, I approached Taichi with vigor.

Taichi was laying in the stands, looking up to the sky with a rather thoughtful expression on his face. Rei had left him alone, taking Pal and Pul to the kitchen to make lunch for everyone, so I seized my opportunity and made my way up the stairs to where Taichi was. He looked toward me when he heard me coming and managed a polite smile before resuming staring at the clouds above.

"Taichi," I said with more fervor in my voice than I had expected. "I'm going outside,"

Taichi nodded, but then stopped and looked to me, sitting upright. "We _are_ outside," he noted, gesturing to Mari's mostly emptied garden.

"I mean that I'm going _outside_ ," I told him and I received the immediate response that I had expected.

He shook his head flatly, and didn't look at all willing to negotiate a deal. "Absolutely not, Gabumon. We've discussed this as a group several times. It isn't safe for anyone out there. We are safest inside the hidden walls of the Coliseum. Obviously whatever program is protecting it works wonders against the fairy magic. Otherwise, Bitoru would have been able to find us by now. We're safe here and so are the remaining Digimentals. We've already lost Love, Hope, Kindness and Tenacity. We can't lose anymore."

"Well I won't be taking any Digimentals," I told him seriously.

"Yeah, because you're staying here," Taichi said bluntly. "We lost Agumon, Patamon, Palmon, Lalamon, Labramon, Gatomon, Biyomon, Terriermon, Lopmon, Tapirmon and Cyberdramon. That's eleven crests, need I remind you? Gaia is winning but if we stay here she'll never win the whole war."

"And neither will we," I said rather defensively. "And if you were remember, I didn't ask for your permission! I told you I'm going out and I am. I think I know where Benjamin and the others are and I need to check to see if they're okay."

Taichi stared to me, shock on his face and slowly he shook his head. "No, they're safe or they're not. We can't risk losing you too. I'll send Petermon and CaptainHookmon when they return."

I nodded my head, and Taichi accepted that to mean that I was going to go along with what he said, but it wasn't true. I was going to go anyway, because like I said, it wasn't his decision. So maybe living in the Coliseum wasn't the best choice in the end because it felt like the dark surroundings were seeping through my fur coat and attaching themselves to my soul and my personality and tainting my thoughts. Disobeying Taichi was not something I would have done eleven months ago.

But this wasn't then, this was now. Eleven months had passed since I had said goodbye to Yamato—nearly eleven anyway—and I wasn't going to put up with any more let downs. I wanted to know that some of my only remaining friends were okay and I was going to risk myself to do it.

Taichi looked apologetically my way before I turned and made my way down the stairs, and I felt guilty for going against what he had decided, but I had my own mind and Yamato would not be very happy if I obeyed everything Taichi said blindly—he would want me to trust myself too, and that's what I was doing now.

Rei was surprised to see me in the kitchen when I popped out from under the counter, sneaking through there, instead of using the more obvious entryway. "Hello," I said to her as I used the stepping stool to reach some freshly baked bread. "I am making my own lunch today."

"Okay," she said, and she was smiling but her back was to me and mine was to her, so I couldn't see it. She herself was working on some salad while Pal and Pul worked together to prepare some pancake batter. At least we had a lot of food here in the Coliseum—mostly things that couldn't go bad aside from the food in the garden, but it was still food. "What are you making then?"

"Just a sandwich," I told her, slathering some peanut butter onto one piece of bread. Peanut butter was something Yamato hated and that was honestly the only good thing about the Coliseum—I had it at my disposal. "I do love your cooking though. I just wanted a change today."

"That's quite alright," Rei assured me, as she reached over my head to grab a knife from the block on the island I was working at. "Ooh, that looks good. Teach me your recipe sometime." I thought maybe she was just humouring me because she had a funny face on as she watched me slice some cheese for my sandwich. After a bit of salt and pepper and of course mayonnaise I closed off my sandwich and hopped from my place on the stool. "Just one sandwich?" Rei asked, still smiling away.

"I can eat like seven," Pul told me. "And I'm like, way littler than you."

"Yeah," Pal agreed. "Can't you digivolve? Shouldn't you need _more_ food?"

"We can't digivolve," Pul said, shamelessly foreshadowing future events.

I shrugged to them and continued on my way, eating my sandwich as I went. I didn't want them to grow suspicious, so I just acted as normal as I could.

I was tiptoeing down the hallway and looking wildly over my shoulder at every sound to make sure I could get out unnoticed and when I entered the antechamber I caught sight of Warg and Melga wrestling over something green and made of plastic, while Hawkmon conversed with Goblimon. I knew I had to act inconspicuous so I began whistling to myself as I reached for the door, but Warg and Melga both caught sight of me.

"Hey, are you going to the park?" Melga wanted to know, releasing what she was fighting over and revealing it to be a toy car. She rushed over to my side. I looked up to her bow and saw that it was covered in orange sequin today. She batted her eyes playfully and I felt my cheeks flushing.

I shook my head, "N-no, not today." Warg and Melga had worked together to build something that they liked to call a 'park' even though it was actually just a couple pile of sticks. It was good that everyone could use their imagination or they would never have found it to be as entertaining otherwise. "Taichi told me I'm allowed to leave."

"Like _leave_?" Warg asked from across the room, loudly. I froze and motioned for him to come closer. He nodded and did so. "You're _leaving_?" he asked, just as loud.

I winced and shook my head. "Not forever!" I said in a quieter voice, hoping they could catch on. "Taichi asked me if I could check on Benjamin."

"You know where he is?" Melga asked, seeming suspicious.

I nodded. "How?" Warg wanted to know.

" _When I tried to collect my things from the laboratory it was locked," Tentomon had told me when he and Wormmon arrived in the Coliseum. "It was strange, but I had no time to investigate."_

"I just do," I told them quickly, noticing that Goblimon was excusing himself from Hawkmon in the other side of the room. "Look, I'm going now, so goodbye." I turned and reached for the door but Hawkmon had stopped me.

He had moved quite quickly, and his wing pressed against the door as he looked to me seriously. "If Taichi is letting you go then I'm going too."

"Ooh!" Melga squealed. "That's an option? Me too then!"

"I'll go!" Warg agreed.

"No," I insisted, shaking my head. "Please stay here, it might be dangerous."

"You can't tell us what to do," Melga said defensively, reminding me of myself in my conversation with Taichi. I had a pretty quick internal debate but finally settled on letting them do as they wanted to. I nodded and ignored their shouts of joy and chose to reach for the door.

I felt more and more guilty with each step away from the Coliseum. I didn't want them to come along because I didn't want them to get hurt. It maybe wasn't safe, and while I was okay with risking my _own_ safety for my _own_ schemes, it didn't seem fair for me to allow them to come so close to danger. But I was also guilty because I was happy they had come. Hawkmon understood the severity of the situation and was keeping a brisk pace, while looking every which way as often as he could to ensure that we were as safe as could be. He also kept his voice down. Warg and Melga could not say the same.

It was lucky that we knew the path between the Coliseum and the Temple so well because Warg and Melga were making it increasingly more dangerous with every passing second. Warg thought he was the funniest thing since sliced bread—that didn't make sense, bread wasn't funny, but hey, neither was Warg. Melga sure thought he was though, and she laughed with each joke. I loved to hear laughter, no matter whose it was because living in the Coliseum was too dreary, but the laughter was far too loud.

I didn't want Gaia or Maugrim or Bitoru to find us.

We had to remain safe.

No matter how often I told Melga and Warg that they didn't seem to fully understand.

That was part of the reason I felt so relieved when I saw the Temple rising in the distance. Partially because we would be able to return soon and I could apologize to Taichi for being so reckless, and also because it meant we were halfway to safety and I wouldn't have put my friends in danger.

The Temple doors were left propped open as they usually were when the guards were in hiding. It was unfortunate that we had a usual setting for when people were in hiding, but it was exhausting to try to count the events where the whole world had been in potential danger even over the past two years. Stupid EVOLVE.

The Temple was abandoned—again. It was weird, because I didn't know where the digmion had gone. If they didn't live in the Temple anymore, and they hadn't returned to the Coliseum, where _were_ they hiding? Had they found somewhere safe, or were they in as much danger as we potentially were?

"So where are the Agents?" Hawkmon asked in a quiet voice when we had made it through the Temple doors. I said nothing, instead choosing to simply point to the council hall. Hawkmon nodded and began to lead the way, moving swiftly across the barren courtyard. Even Warg and Melga quieted themselves upon realizing the stillness was even more present here in the Temple than it had been out in the woods. They followed behind me as I kept a quick pace to keep up with Hawkmon.

When we made our way up the council stairs Hawkmon froze in the doorway. I bumped into him and felt Melga bump into me from behind. I was nervous now and my heart was beating quickly. What had Hawkmon found?

A moment later I heard it too.

It was a voice and it was coming from the council room. I swallowed thickly as Hawkmon turned as quietly as he could and pointed down the stairs. He was right though, we'd have to get out of here. I was such a fool! Bringing them somewhere they could get hurt. They should have stayed behind but they never would have, not knowing that I was going out on my own! I should have listened to Taichi and stayed behind!

"Wait," Melga said _far_ louder than she should have, "It's okay!" She pushed me aside gently and practically bowled Hawkmon over in her attempt to get to the council room. Warg looked startled, but trusted his sister explicitly and followed her to the sound of the voices. Hawkmon hung his head in frustration before following after them.

I realized that they couldn't face Gaia alone, and it was my fault they were here so I couldn't flee on my own! We'd have to go together.

But when I stepped into the doorway of the council room I found that Melga and Warg were hugging Dracomon and jumping up and down in excitement. Evelen was slumped in a chair at the other side of the room looking all too relieved to see us. "I thought you were Gaia," she admitted, holding her heaving chest. "I was so _sure_ I'd heard her."

"It was just us," Hawkmon assured her, nodding his head along with his words. He composed himself well but I could see that he was shocked and relieved to see her and Dracomon as well. "Why would you assume it was Gaia?"

Evelen leaned forward, unsure how to respond but Dracomon's tactless ways won over and he interrupted her when she tried, "We found her! We found a place where she was staying with Maugrim and the busy haired scientist."

"Bitoru," Evelen rolled her eyes.

Dracomon nodded, wide eyed, "Bitoru, yeah! He's working for the baddies!"

"We know," Hawkmon nodded his head. "How did you escape Gaia?"

Dracomon looked nervous, like he was reliving a painful memory. "We _ran_. She has some Digimentals, you know?" We all nodded and Dracomon seemed upset that all of his knowledge was old. "Evelen and I were out walking, and when we came back to the Dark Habitat it was strange because we found _Gaia_."

"We followed her," Evelen explained, jumping to the point of the story. "She had the Digimental of Darkness, so there was no reason to stay in the messed up pit of evil—remind me to slap Taichi for assigning me to live there—and so we followed her into the dead jungle. She's sapping the life-force of everything for her own needs, and she's living in the only live part of the forest."

"Did she follow you?" Warg asked, skipping over most of their story. He had a pretty one tracked mind, "When you ran away, did she follow you?"

Evelen didn't really know the answer and that made me nervous. We would have to get out of here quick if we expected to return safely. If Gaia lived near to us, then she may be able to find us quick—especially if she had followed Dracomon and Evelen here to the Temple!

"Hawkmon," I ordered, and apparently fear was present in my voice because Hawkmon rounded on me with wide eyes. "Go watch for anyone coming. I'll be right back. We should get out of here. We'll need to get back to the Coliseum."

"That's where you were hiding out?" Dracomon asked, scratching his head. "I never thought of that—sorry Evelen." She waved him off. Apparently they'd been looking for us. I felt bad for not telling them where we were! But they knew now, and we'd take them back with us. But first we'd need to get to the Agents.

I wasted no more time, and Hawkmon and I set off into action mode. I rushed down the hallway and the set of stairs and threw open the door to the laboratory and found that it had resumed its disguise as a supply closet. I wasn't sure how to open it, but I could remember Daisuke mentioning something about a bucket. My eyes fell to the blue plastic bucket and I skeptically grabbed it in both hands, lifting it from its place in the corner. Instantly a reaction had set off and the back wall of the closet began opening with the bricks shifting and sliding against one another, making loud scraping noises.

The moment the doorway had been opened I rushed inside only to see several startled and frightened faces.

"What have you _done_?" I turned sharply to the sound of the voice and was unsure which Agent was speaking. "You just let out the secret! They will find us now!"

Every one of the Agents jumped into action mode and my body began to shake with panic and guilt. So the closet was keeping the secret of their whereabouts hidden from Bitoru just like the Coliseum was for us? And I'd broken the only protection they had. My heart filled with dread as an Agent—I think it was Hogan—pushed past me, holding the Digimental of Miracles in his hand.

"You should never have come here." I turned to Benjamin apologetically.

"I-I didn't know," I stammered.

"It does not matter now," Benjamin said briskly. "We must make quick work of our departure. They may find us at any moment."

I heard a shout of surprise from up the stairs and both Benjamin and I hurried toward the sound where Hogan was yelling at Hawkmon. "What do you mean?" he shouted.

Hawkmon ignored him and caught sight of me, and looked relieved. "She's coming."

 _Already?_

Hawkmon led the way to the doorway and I clambered past Hogan to see over the Temple wall. Hawkmon was right. Gaia was on her way already with three orbs of light following behind her. Maugrim was nowhere to be seen, but Bitoru was leading the way, setting a quick pace.

" _What have you done_?" Hogan asked again, this time putting emphasis on each word to express just _how_ careless I had been. But I hadn't known! I knew it was a bad idea now, and there were moments along the way when I thought of turning back, but I could not have known that by finding them I would let a secret out!

Everyone around us was moving in fast forward and most of the Agents were rushing out the door. I noticed Hogan in the center of the group holding onto Miracles, but I still had yet to notice the Digimental of Destiny anywhere.

"What the heck is going on?" Melga asked as she, Warg, Dracomon and Evelen joined us in the hallway. I didn't wait around to give her an answer and instead grabbed her hand and dragged her down the stairs. I knew the others were following too, but we had to get out as soon as we could or we'd all be in trouble. I knew the Temple had only one real exit, but if we climbed the wall, Aquilamon could carry us across the moat one by one and we'd be able to escape no problem.

That was my plan anyway. I had to get the others to safety no matter what. I couldn't let them die because I'd been desperate to get out of the Coliseum!

As a group we ran down the steps, and I noticed that Benjamin was keeping with us, probably to ensure our safety. I really wished he would have gone off with the others. I didn't want to be responsible for his downfall too!

It was when we reached the steps to the wall that Evelen practically roared in shock, grabbing my coat sharply and pulling back. I fell onto my but as a blast of orange energy shot overhead. I gasped and looked down the alley to where Gaia was waiting, her arms outstretched.

"Bitoru," Evelen said bitterly, standing tall with her fists out.

"Sister," he bowed his head, but looked rather ashamed of himself. He extended his arm and a thin throwing knife appeared in his hand as if created by magic. He turned his head and threw it without looking, wincing at his own actions. Evelen gasped, but Melga was quick to push her aside, nearly getting his by the knife herself. The moment the knife hit the ground—and it sank through the stone that's how sharp the blade was—it vanished and returned to Bitoru's hand.

"Oh you like to play with boomerangs, do you?" Hawkmon asked, wielding the feather on his head.

"You again?" Bitoru asked.

"Feather Strike!" he called out, whipping his feather toward Bitoru who let out an animated shriek and leapt aside so the feather would not hit him. Gaia was already growing bored of the game we were playing and she set her sights on Melga.

Warg reacted before Gaia had even struck and he jumped in the way, taking the brunt of Gaia's magic for his sister who caught him as he was sent backward.

"What pretty bows you two have," Gaia said with a smirk, I looked to Warg and saw his sequin blue bowtie and knew the connections Gaia was making. She knew they were sharing a crest. If she wanted the crest that meant she was going to need both of them.

Benjamin pushed on my shoulder gently and wielded his glowing sword, "Hurry and leave," he warned, preparing to fight Gaia. "I will protect you."

It didn't feel right to have him protect me when it was _my_ fault that Gaia was here at all! Hawkmon grabbed my arm and began leading me down the street the opposite direction and but I couldn't ignore the guilt building up inside. Dracomon took the lead telling us to follow him and he wove himself through the streets. Warg, Melga and Evelen were behind me I was sure, but I felt awful about leaving Benjamin behind. What if he died too? I wasn't sure what I would tell Taichi if I was the cause of more deaths!

I didn't even know how I would go on at all!

Dracomon screamed as the two towering buildings on either side of us sounded off loudly. A crack ran through the base of each of them and the two buildings began to topple toward one another, caving in on themselves.

Fear was rising quicker and I ran as fast as I could, letting Hawkmon drag me slightly since he was actually faster than me. The buildings were close to us now and I clamped my eyes shut, listening to the frightened shouts of everyone around me and then finally I felt Hawkmon make a final leap and I followed, finally opening my eyes.

I was screaming when the buildings finally came to a complete crash, crumpling under the force of each other. The remains began filling the streets around us and I clambered to my feet, running further away. I hadn't even taken note of who had all gotten out. I was too cowardly. I was still trying to save _myself_!

When I finally looked back I saw Evelen carrying both Warg and Melga. She had succeeded in saving them. Her legs were longer. She was faster than all of us.

When Hawkmon grabbed my arm to stop me running, I turned ahead again, this time seeing Gaia.

"W-where is Benjamin?" I asked in a broken voice.

Gaia did not answer. Instead she lifted her arms into the air and let vicious looking vines tear through the streets around us. Evelen shouted in surprise, but Melga and Warg jumped from her arms.

"Blue Blaster!" Melga and I cried together.

"Pepper Breath!" Warg joined in.

"Baby Breath!" Dracomon shouted.

All four blasts of fire shot toward the vines as they made their way toward us. I risked a look back to the fallen buildings and winced, realizing how much damage we were causing. At least it wasn't the council hall—Taichi loved that place!

Focusing back on the battle at hand I saw that the vines were now on fire, but apparently fire was nothing to Gaia because the vines, even while slowly turning to bits of charred plant-life were still moving in slithering motions through the air toward us.

"Feather Strike!" Hawkmon shouted, sending his feathery boomerang soaring toward Gaia who ducked under it, but was distracted enough to let her vines fall. Even if only for a moment it was long enough for us to make our escape.

I digivolved to Garurumon immediately and Evelen jumped onto my back, pulling Melga up after her, and holding her in her arms. I bent down for Evelen to grab Dracomon and while she did, Gaia had taken him in the same moment, wrapping her vine around his leg.

Dracomon let out a scream of horror, but when I felt Evelen's grip on my fur tighten I knew her plan and I kicked off the ground, setting off at a run toward the crumbled building. Dracomon's foot slipped out from the vine and I risked only one look back to see both Warg and Hawkmon were making their way down a separate street.

I kept my balance to the best of my ability as I bound along the fallen buildings, and watched for any signs of Bitoru or Gaia. I could not allow them to catch any of my friends. I was hoping Hawkmon was wise enough to lead Warg to the exit, as that was where I was heading; hopeful to find an escape, for fighting was evidently not an option.

"We have to get Warg!" Melga cried out softly, and I nodded my head. She was right. We couldn't trust that they would save themselves. This was _my_ fault. I had to save them myself. I skidded to a stop when I'd reached the entrance to the Temple.

"Evelen, take Dracomon and Melga," I told her. She acted quickly, sliding off my back and holding Dracomon in her arms.

"I'm going nowhere, thank you very much," Melga shot sternly. "I will be saving my brother."

I didn't have time to argue with her, but a snarl escaped my lips. Melga reacted simply by holding my fur tighter and when I shook her off she growled right back, digivolving into her own champion form, still with a pretty orange bow on her head.

Melga wasted no time and set off, running toward the danger, so I turned back to Evelen quickly, "Dracomon, get her to the Coliseum. Tell them what happened. Tell Taichi I'm sorry."

Dracomon began protesting loudly, but Evelen had a tight hold of him and she nodded her head. She gave me a meaningful look filled with hope and then turned, running from the Temple. As I turned to follow Melga's trail I prepared myself for my fight against Gaia. In a strange way I had always known the Temple would be the end of it all. It was the center of our world. It was the home of our king and our queen and was where we spent all of our time.

I wasn't surprised then when I ran into an enemy who had thrown a well aimed knife my way.

I ducked under it and rolled into the next street while Bitoru chased after me. "Stop running!" he pleaded, and I was shocked to hear seriousness in his voice. He was genuine in his request. "She's not going to _hurt_ you! She needs your heart!"

I had rounded the next corner and stopped momentarily, "And I'll cease to exist!"

Bitoru growled and I heard his loud, anger driven footsteps make their way toward me. I didn't wait around for him and instead chose to keep running. "Who is to say what she is doing is wrong? She wants unison. She wants everything to be the way it once was!"

"And that obviously didn't work out the first time," I said, finally turning to face Bitoru as I turned the next corner. I crouched down, preparing my flames, but the moment the footsteps came loud enough I realized I was no longer being chased by an enemy.

Hawkmon shouted in surprise when he rounded the corner, catching sight of me in such a ready-to-fight position, but clutched his chest in relief upon seeing it was only me. "Where is Warg?" I asked, astounded.

" _What_?" Hawkmon gasped, "I thought he was with _you_!"

I turned my head at the sound of a distant cry and in my distraction Bitoru had taken action. I was shocked to hear Hawkmon shout in his own pain. I turned sharply and found that Bitoru had Hawkmon held tightly under one arm with his knife held up to his throat. A familiar feeling of dread rushed through my body and my heart pounded in my ears, loud.

" _Don't_ move," Bitoru warned, holding the knife closer to Hawkmon who was struggling against his hold. "I have every capability to hurt this creature."

"But you won't," I told him with a snarl. "What would Spring say?" Bitoru's face fell and his mind was distracted. I lunged forward, but Bitoru snapped back to attention, leaping backward to avoid me, and pressing the knife closer to Hawkmon.

Hawkmon struggled for a moment longer, gasping for breath, then managed, "He's distracting you!"

I whipped my head around and found that Hawkmon was right. Gaia was too close for comfort now, holding Warg close to her chest in one arm and extending her arm toward me with the other. I snapped my teeth toward her arm which she retracted quickly. Her eyes flicked up to my head and she hummed her annoyance. "Bitoru, drop the bird and help me with the big one."

"Why not take the crest of the one you've got?" Bitoru asked.

"It's part of a set, you dimwit," Gaia snapped through gritted teeth, "I need the _both_ of them!"

Bitoru reacted quickly and rushed past me, releasing Hawkmon and lashing his knife toward me. I did not shy away from him this time. I bowed my head and rammed forward, slamming into him and crushing him against the nearby wall. Bitoru gasped out and dropped his knife, and fell limp by my side.

He had not gone out of the fight without leaving his mark though. His knife had cut deeply into my shoulder and the pain was stinging like poison.

I turned weakly back to Hawkmon in just enough time to see Gaia grab his foot and drag him closer to her. She released Warg for only a moment as she used her second hand to reach deep into Hawkmon's chest and turn him inside out. Hawkmon's fearful expression vanished in a flash of turquoise light as his remaining energy joined the colourful ball at Gaia's side.

It was the ball of pure darkness that stopped Warg from escaping though and three thin threads of darkness shot out toward him, wrapping around his arms and legs and stopping his movement.

I sent him an apologetic look and set off, running toward where I could sense Melga. With each step my shoulder seared with more and more pain. The world began to spin and my stomach churned from the pain, but I would hold out. I had to get to Melga.

When I finally found her, she was back in her rookie stage, creeping around a corner. I reverted back to Gabumon too—not by choice—and warned her I was behind her. She still jumped in fright and turned to me, shocked.

I reached for her head and took her bow.

"Hey!" she snarled, reaching for the fabric.

"Stop!" I slapped her hand. "Warg is taken, but he'll be safe as long as she doesn't get _you_. You have to get back to the Coliseum! Hurry and catch up with Evelen, tell the others. It's the only way to save Warg!"

Melga's eyes filled with tears, "B-but what about you?"

"I'm giving you _time_!" I said sharply. "All of this is _my_ fault! I have to save _one_ of you! So _go_ Melga!"

She nodded, a single tear running down her face and she hugged me tight before jumping at the sound of the earth cracking from down the street. Gaia was coming. She nodded to me one last time before hurrying down the street toward the exit to the Temple.

I quickly attached her bow and stood in Gaia's path. "W-Warg!" I shouted when I saw them, trying to impersonate Melga as best I could. He looked to me confused, having easily spotted the difference, but Gaia seemed convinced. She moved swiftly toward me and reached out with her arm, but I was quick and ducked behind her, slapping her sharply with my tail. She spun back but I bit her arm and when she wailed in pain I fired a blast of fire toward her face. The ball of white light protected her though and the darkness that was still wrapped around Warg shot to me as well.

Gaia, looking _horrified_ , flicked some blood from her arm and looked to me with disgust. "Got you in the end, I did." She reached out with both arms and though her arm sunk into my own chest, Warg was still okay. She looked up to the bow on my head and then her eyes trailed to the trickle of blood from my shoulder. "You're not _her_."

It was the last thing I heard before Gaia ripped her arm from my chest and a flash of blue filled my vision.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Tentomon is the only narrator of the Original 12 partners left and so he takes on the whole next chapter to himself (which doesn't happen often)!


	43. Our Digi Destiny Starts Today!

**Y/N:** This is the first of two chapters that I wrote entirely on my own, with only one narrator each. That means that for Tentomon, and the next chapter, I had to write twice as much as usual. I thought Tentomon's would be difficult because of that, but I honestly enjoy writing as Tentomon so much that I hardly noticed that it needed to be twice as long. It practically wrote itself.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 3: Digi-Interlude (Part 3)**

 **Chapter 43: Our Digi Destiny Starts Today!**

 _ **Tentomon:**_

The arena was as peaceful as it ever got. The sky was bright blue, and the sun was shining brightly. It was a sharp contrast to what the sky was while the virus still plagued the world. I wondered if it was even gone yet. I couldn't be sure that the virus squad was still doing their work. I couldn't be sure of anything anymore. It had been so long since I'd had anything to spend my energy on. I was trapped in this Coliseum again. I'd been apart from Koushiro for nigh on eleven months. Almost an entire year had passed, and I hadn't accomplished what I'd promised.

I gave him my word that I would never stop learning. But I had stopped. There was very little here _to_ learn. I spent days upon days in Sigma's old chambers upon arriving here, once the initial shock of the dangers we'd been facing wore off. I hadn't learned anything new or exciting.

The library was where my heart was. I wanted to be there, continuing my deciphering. There was a story told within those murals, and I was beginning to piece it together. I needed to _see_ them in order to finish the puzzle. I knew Rei was right when she found Agumon within the mural. I knew it could be _any_ Agumon, but there was something within my code that told me that it was our leader—the barrier of courage. The act of finding an image of a Biyomon and Terriermon in other mural pieces solidified my assumption. It was rather coincidental that a Biyomon, Terriermon _and_ Agumon would be a part of a historical mural that had clearly held importance to Gennai, if it _wasn't_ my friends.

All three of them were gone now. They'd been gone before we even arrived at the Coliseum. I couldn't share this new knowledge with them. I couldn't speculate what it meant. I was failing my promise. I couldn't find it within me to _want_ to seek out that knowledge though. It was safer to stay here, even if I was entirely bored. There was little to entertain me. If I had fingers, I might've read some of the large collection of books Mari had supplied the Coliseum with, or played card games, or assembled jigsaw puzzles.

But I had no fingers, so it was all moot.

I spent my days staring at the sky, imagining that Palmon, Mimi and Koushiro were with me. I tried very hard to find images in the clouds, but my creativity levels were far lower than Palmon or Mimi's, and I only ever saw wisps of smoke, or cotton candy, or marshmallows. Once, I thought I saw a sheep, but it had no arms or legs, and so it was just a ball of fluff. It was rather disappointing.

Wormmon spent long periods of time at my side, whenever Hawkmon disappeared to do whatever he did when he was alone, but we spent the majority of that time in companionable silence. There was much he wanted to share with me. He had a seemingly endless reserve of knowledge that he hadn't realized he possessed. He, at some point or other, got it in his head that all of those secrets he'd learned at the library were common knowledge.

He was wrong.

But I could only spend so much time listening to him as he _told_ me the workings of the Digital World, when I knew that I wanted to discover everything for myself. He understood, and would give me prompts to ponder over during our long stretches of silence, before he scuttled off to watch one of his movies. I'd looked over the selection, and found there was a distinct lack of nature documentaries, and I longed for home once more.

Not once in my existence before the sealing of the worlds, had I realized that my concept of home had shifted. Once, it was this world. There was no specific location. The entire world was my playground for me to explore and document. At some point though, my concept of exciting had stopped taking the form of unlimited exploration, and had become sitting at the coffee table in the living room, while music played around us. Palmon and Koushiro and Mimi and I played board games and laughed, and told stories, and facts. We shared gourmet popcorn, and all manner of treats that Mimi created—working with Palmon or I, teaching us both different recipes and treating us both as equals, despite the fact that I was not her partner. I missed just resting on the couch watching the great migration across the Serengeti Grasslands, while Palmon cheered the wildebeests and Zebras on as they made their journey, and cried when the alligators and cheetahs caught their intended prey.

I missed spending countless hours talking with Koushiro about all manner of topics. He taught me how a rubber duck functions, and explained pulleys and gears, and video cameras. He taught me all sorts of things about various human cultures, and we'd planned out trips to all corners of the world, where I would be able to experience those cultures first hand.

Instead of going on those trips though, I was locked inside the Coliseum, inside the locked Digital World. The sky looked the same in both worlds. It was pretty much the only thing that truly looked the same. I mapped the stars at night, just as Koushiro had. I watched the clouds, because Palmon enjoyed them. I allowed my antennae to blow in the wind, because Mimi had loved the feel of the wind through her hair. Biyomon had loved soaring on the gusts of wind, allowing the wind to do the work for her, as she reached new heights.

I had lost more than my family during these past eleven months. I'd lost Biyomon, my best friend, too.

We'd all lost so much. This act of sealing the worlds was meant to make things better, not worse. I knew that Gaia had learned more about the keys than I ever could. She had the same magic flowing through her veins that the keys were made out of. I did not have any magic. Electricity ran through my body the way the magic ran through hers. That magic had allowed her to break the seal that Norn had put in place, and to get to our world. I knew that she would be able to break the gates open to the rest of the worlds if she were only able to get her hands on the keys.

She was after every important artifact that we'd ever protected: the keys, the Digimentals and the Crests. She would take our lives in the process, so long as she was able to get her greedy hands on the power we carried within our hearts.

I couldn't imagine that she'd really be able to utilize their power. She might be able to activate Pride, Miracles and Destiny, but for her to manage Faith, or Forgiveness, or Kindness seemed like a feat that was insurmountable. How could she, in all her brash, greedy, maniacal glory, manage the delicate balance of a single crest? It seemed preposterous to me. But she obviously didn't share the same view. She was still intending on collecting the lot of them.

It was terrifying.

And it was intriguing.

It scared me, the amount of curiosity that was thrumming within my code. I needed to understand her, and it was overwhelming me. I blocked my senses off as much as I could, as I starred at the sky, ever changing, always familiar. I needed to stay focused on our cause. I needed to hope for our continued survival, not drown in curiosity that was dangerous to satisfy.

Wormmon was beside me then, staring at the sky, twisting his head to the side, and humming happily to himself. "I've found a walrus!" he exclaimed, and I tried to find it within the clouds, but I couldn't. There were several oddly shaped pillows, but there wasn't a walrus. I sighed, unhappily. I would never be good at this game.

"Hey," Taichi's voice called out. Dinner was served. I sighed again, and Wormmon and I started heading over to him. Taichi was doing a head count, listing off our names as he spotted us. Tinkermon, Petermon and CaptainHookmon still weren't back, and he excused their names when he came to them. He found Betamon and Armadillomon with Gomamon, all laughing and talking excitedly. Goblimon followed behind them, with Ryou at his side—still looking lost and unsure. Veemon came with Kotemon and Dorumon. Babamon and Jijimon were coming as well, but they were much slower than the younger digimon were. MetallifeKuwagamon dutifully walked alongside them, patient as ever. Leomon and Ogremon were tired, and I knew that Meramon and Unimon hadn't returned yet either.

"Andromon," Taichi said, spotting him as he came up from the twisting hallways of the Coliseum with Centarumon at his side. "Centarumon, Tentomon, Wormmon…Gabumon…. _Gabumon_. Where's Gabumon guys?"

"He made a sandwich for lunch, Taichi," Rei told him. "It was kind of gross, but he was happy with it."

"When was this?" Taichi asked, running through the limited list of current residents within the Coliseum. He counted them off on his fingers and he stopped, holding four up. "Gabumon, Warg, Melga and Hawkmon. They're all missing. Has anyone seen them?"

"No" seemed to be the general consensus.

"He talked to me earlier," Taichi said, growing anxious. "He said he wanted to get out. He wanted to go find Benjamin. You don't think he actually _did_ it, do you? I told him not to. I don't want to see him get hurt. I owe that much to him—to all of you. It's my fault everything is so screwed up. I should've given Norn the keys. If I did that, then none of this would be happening. It was a thought that actually crossed my mind. I asked her, and she said she might be too tempted to use them."

"She might've been," Rei said comfortingly. "We can't change what's happened. We can only look to the future. How long ago did Gabumon talk to you?"

"A while," Taichi admitted. "When did he have his sandwich?"

"A while ago," Rei repeated. "It was before lunch. It's been literally hours. We would've stood a chance of catching him if we'd realized the others weren't at lunch."

"They often play at the park over lunch," Armadillomon said, sounding worried. I understood the sentiment. I too was very worried about our friends. I didn't want to add any more casualties to our ever growing list. "I thought Hawkmon went with them, because he doesn't really trust them to go on their own."

"That's what I thought too," Taichi said with a groan. "Someone's going to have to go after them."

"I'll go!" Veemon said, hopping to his feet. Dorumon and Kotemon jumped up behind him, excitedly.

"Not a chance," Taichi said sharply. "Gaia is after crests. You have one. No crest is going to leave this Coliseum until we can figure out a way to do away with this problem."

"That could be forever," Gomamon muttered. "I promised Jou that I'd be the best doctor I could be. I can't do that trapped inside this place."

"I just barely like it here," Betamon whined. "I don't wanna stay permanently."

"I know!" Taichi said, exasperatedly. "I don't want to be here at all. If I could figure out how to work the program Kiyoko and Sigma created, then we'd be in the Temple still, or at my house. But I'm not that smart guys, I know it might _shock_ some of you, but I can't figure computers out. I couldn't work the architectural program that Kiyoko designed without Tapirmon holding my hand and walking me through it. I'm certainly not going to be able to do it without him. If the invisibility program hadn't been uploaded to my phone, I wouldn't be able to get it. I don't understand this type of stuff. I'm a hands on person. I learn by making mistakes, and I know that's not what you want to hear. I've made far too many mistakes in the past year. Longer even, because it was my rash words that really kicked off Rida's mad quest to get rid of the digimon. It's my fault that the worlds needed to be sealed when they did."

"It's not your fault," Armadillomon told him gently. "You can't take the blame onto yourself. You're just one person Taichi."

"Yeah," Wormmon agreed. "EVOLVE has a lot more members than the Digidestined do. It's not your fault. They would've done the same stuff anyway."

"Your words simply let them do so more openly," I added. "In a way, your rash actions _helped_ us."

"How do you figure that?" Taichi said, rolling his eyes.

"Simple," Centarumon said with his sage and mysterious voice. He hadn't spoken often since our secondary imprisonment within the Coliseum. "Had they been able to execute their plans without our knowledge, we never would have survived. There would be no digimon left. Your rash decisions ensured our survival."

"He's right Taichi," Rei said. "Now. No more pity parties, from _any_ of you. We've got some friends to find before it's too late. I don't want to waste any time. Centarumon, could you digivolve into Kentarusmon? You're the fastest we have, and I could really use the speed."

"You're not going," Taichi protested quickly.

"You're their leader," she said simply. "I'm not. I can find them. Gaia's not even interested in me. She thinks I'm dead. I'm pretty sure she does anyway. It doesn't even matter anyway. Taichi, I'm going. The fate of the world isn't only on _your_ shoulders."

Centarumon digivolved when she smiled at him and he helped her onto his back, leaving before Taichi could make a solid protest. He growled in frustration, as he watched them go. Kentaurusmon was too fast for him to even _hope_ of catching up to. Taichi forwent dinner, and headed into the hallways. I looked to the rest of us, and we all decided to follow after him. We were too worried to eat anyway.

Taichi led us—though he hadn't realized we were following him—to the antechamber, and he watched through the open door. We all settled in around him. Veemon, Kotemon, Andromon and Dorumon were by the door, prepared to digivolve at a moment's notice, in case there were any signs of distress. Wormmon and Betamon curled into Taichi's side, as he fell to the floor. He curled his arms around his knees and watched the view, waiting for Rei.

I tried not to tell him that we'd be waiting for an exceptionally long time. There was quite a journey between the Temple and Coliseum. The journey seemed shorter now, since we'd travelled it so often, and were used to the path. But it would still take hours for her to get there and back.

"I know," Taichi said when my insatiable need to share information won out over my tact. He sighed, and made no sign of moving. I figured we were all in for a long wait.

It wasn't fun, sitting there, waiting to see if Rei would come back with Centarumon. I wanted to see Gabumon, Warg, Melga and Hawkmon come with them, but I wasn't holding my breath. Wormmon started humming to himself, and Gomamon joined him, creating a harmony that was terribly off key. Pal and Pul started dancing to their song not caring that it was grating to the ears, while Goblimon rocked Armadillomon's egg. Armadillomon was watching the door from beside Andromon. Babamon, Jijimon and MetallifeKuwagamon were in the door to the hallway, not wanting to intrude, but wanting to be here all the same, while Leomon and Ogremon waltzed in, knowing that anyone was welcome, whether they held a crest or not.

"Is that her?" Armadillomon asked, very confused.

I too was confused, since Rei hadn't left long enough ago for this to be her return journey. I held my breath, fearing that perhaps Gaia had found our secret base. But Armadillomon was right. I could see it was Rei and Kentarusmon plain as day. When they got closer, I realized that they weren't alone. Rei was holding a sobbing Gabumon, while Evelen and Dracomon followed behind. Kentarusmon wasn't moving as fast as he could. He was keeping pace with Evelen, who was panting and heaving. Dracomon was holding her hand, and perhaps it was only him that was keeping her moving, as he dragged her behind him.

Rei hopped off of Kentarusmon's back with grace, and carried the Gabumon with her as she walked through the doorway. The Gabumon curled into her neck and sobbed loudly. Dracomon wasn't looking very happy either. Evelen looked close to collapse.

"Hawkmon?" Ryou asked, from where he was lurking in the corner. He still felt awkward around us. Now that his partner was gone, it was as though he felt he had nothing in common with us anymore. "Where's Hawkmon."

"Gone," Dracomon whispered. "He turned to light, and then Gaia took him."

"And Warg?" I asked tentatively.

"Gabumon went to save him!" the Gabumon in Rei's arms cried out. I identified her as Melga, and listened as she tried to choke out words around her tears. "Gaia needed _both_ of us to take the crest, so Gabumon took my bow and made me leave. She got him. I know she did. They're not coming. She's got my brother! I want my brother!"

"Why would you leave?" Taichi asked, sounding absolutely lost, and he reached out to take Melga from Rei, who was straining under the weight. Melga didn't seem to mind _who_ was holding her, so long as she had a shoulder to cry on. "I told Gabumon _not_ to go."

"That's not what he said," she cried. "He told us you said we could go. He said you gave him a mission. And now he's gone!"

"Thirteen," Wormmon murmured. "Gaia has thirteen crests now. We've lost thirteen friends."

"Fourteen," I corrected. "Wizardmon must've fallen, as he's yet to return to us."

"Sixteen then," Evelen said. "Benjamin was stalling her. We don't know if he made it, but she's got Warg too. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants. I can't believe how close she's getting. I don't want to live in a world that she rules."

"How do you feel about the Dark Ocean then?" Taichi asked dryly.

"I could probably swing it, if it meant she wouldn't be there," Evelen said darkly. "I don't understand why my father is helping her. I knew that he was twisted, and not a good guy or anything, but he's got to see that he's doing the wrong thing."

"He knows."

"Don't sneak up on us, Aesop," Rei gasped, placing a hand over her heart. Aesop apologized, as he wandered into the antechamber. I felt bad for forgetting his existence, but he disappeared sometimes for days at a time. I knew he went into Sigma's old chambers, longing for the feel of home, and always coming back disappointed.

"He misses the world he was born into," Aesop told Evelen. "No. He was not born. He simply _was_. We all were. I miss it too. I miss the feeling of the wild magic roaming through air, riding on the wind. I miss Sidhendor and all of its splendor. I miss the glorious temples and peaceful nature of Neverland—the true Neverland, not the pale imitation this world contains."

"He wants the war back," Evelen protested, shaking her head, looking to the ground in bitter disappointment. "He doesn't care about the beauty."

"You're wrong, you know," Aesop said. "He does have a dream. He longs for peace."

"He's got a funny way of showing it," Veemon said with a snarky tone.

"Yes," Aesop agreed sadly. "He fights for peace, without realizing that his fighting is disrupting the peace that would already exist if he just _stopped_. He feels that peace isn't worth it unless you earn it. He's trying to do the right thing, he's simply going about it the wrong way."

"And Gaia?" Betamon asked. "What's your excuse about her?"

"She's manipulative, she is," Aesop murmured, losing himself in memories of the past. "I am ashamed to have fallen for her tricks several times in the past. I wasn't the only one, mind you. She swayed _everyone_. That is her power. But for all her manipulations, and her trickery, I do believe she cares for him. They are in love, and love makes fools of us all."

"He couldn't love her," Evelen protested stubbornly. "He doesn't love _anyone_."

"You're wrong," Aesop whispered. "There was a time when he was open to emotions. He was filled with passion, and he fought with upstanding morals—to Sidhendor standards, anyway. But Gaia sank her talons into him. I watched his descent into madness, and I could do nothing to stop it. He wouldn't let me. I am sorry for the pain that he has caused you, child, but I did all I could."

"He's beyond help," Evelen agreed—even though I was fairly certain that wasn't the intended lesson that Aesop had been trying to give her.

"What are we going to do?" Melga asked, trying to stifle her tears. "Gaia still has Warg. She can't do anything with him without me. I shouldn't have left him there."

"You did the right thing," Dorumon insisted. "You protected the crest."

"But I didn't protect my brother!" she shouted angrily. "And Gaia got away with Friendship and Honour. I don't know if she got the Digimentals of Miracles and Destiny or not. I didn't stick around to find out. But she probably did. Bitoru is leading her around like a blood hound. He tried to kill Evelen and Hawkmon!"

"We can't do anything about it yet," Gomamon said sadly. "We can't risk going outside. It's too dangerous. You'll have to be the princess we keep in a tower, now. You really need to stay away from Gaia. It's really fortunate that she needs _both_ of you, instead of just one."

"I'm so happy that my separation from my brother is _fortunate_ ," Melga said sarcastically.

"Guys," Veemon said.

"I didn't mean it like that," Gomamon insisted. "I just thought it was really handy in a tactical sense. I don't think it's _good_. I wouldn't wish Gaia on my worst enemy—well Gaia _is_ my worst enemy, but I probably wouldn't wish her on herself either. She's horrible. I don't _want_ to leave Warg with her."

"Guys!" Veemon repeated, more urgently than before.

"We're going to leave him there?" Melga wailed. "Someone's got to save him. I won't let him stay there. He's going to get hurt. I don't want that. Someone help me!"

"GUYS!" Veemon yelled. We all turned to him, and he gestured outside. Our eyes all moved at once to the open doors. Through the doors, we could see a pair walking towards us. One was humanoid, and the other was an orange dinosaur.

"Warg!" Melga shouted, squirming in Taichi's arms. The two figures moved closer to us, and I was horrified to realize they had vines wrapped around their wrists, neck, waist and knees. Their skin was bloody and bruised, and once they were close enough, I was able to spot the sequined blue bow tie that Warg had been wearing. It was him. And the other was Benjamin—I could recognize him anywhere. Megla wormed her way out of Taichi's grasp and started running towards her brother.

"WAIT!" I yelled. But she didn't heed my call. The vines that were propping Benjamin up let go of him, and shot towards Melga, capturing her. Benjamin forced himself to his feet, despite the great amount of pain he was in. He used his battered fingers—several of which were bent in a way they ought not to be bent—to try and pry the vines off of Melga, but it was no use. She was trapped. She screamed long and hard, but it wasn't helping at all.

" _ **Dorumon warp digivolve to… Alphamon!**_ "

" _ **Andromon warp digivolve to… Craniamon!**_ "

"Shock Ringer!" Craniamon shouted, spinning his dual pointed spear, sending crash waves blasting at the vines. The vines were torn to pieces, and both Warg and Melga fell to the ground. Melga scrambled to her feet, and raced over to her brother. She grabbed his arm and tried to drag him into the safety of the Coliseum.

"That won't work, dear," a maliciously sweet voice called out. Gaia stepped out of the trees and laughed. "I can _see_ your Coliseum. It's coated in powerful magic. I can _taste_ Sigma's distinct energy. He built this for you? How quaint. He grew soft in his death. I won't make the same mistakes."

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon screamed, flying into the air and gathering magical energy of his own, ready to rip her to pieces with a converged beam of light. She laughed, and then a knife was flying through the air, sinking into Alphamon's arm. Bitoru stepped out behind Gaia, and held his palm open, where his knife magically returned.

"How did you find us?" Taichi demanded.

"Ask your precious friends," she suggested.

"I'm so sorry, Taichi," Benjamin gasped. "I couldn't hold my tongue. They were going to kill Warg, and he was too exhausted to give them the information they needed. I couldn't let them torture him anymore."

"Don't be modest," Bitoru suggested. "He held his tongue for _hours_ under my father's undivided attention. It was quite remarkable. I didn't expect him to have such a strong sense of honour. It was refreshing."

"Shut up," Gaia snapped at Bitoru. I realized she wasn't keen on having him around. Knowing that she was the son of her lover—a son born during a time when Gaia and Maugrim were actively in love with one another—and not of herself. He was unimportant, yet his power was convenient.

"Bitoru," Evelen snarled. "How could you betray them? They _trusted_ you."

"You didn't?" he clarified.

"I knew better," Evelen sneered.

"She has what I want, Evelen. She can get it for me. She could solve your problems too, you know, if you were willing to give her a hand. She gave us this curse, she can take it away," Bitoru said eagerly.

"She's just going to double cross you," Evelen said, though she hesitated. She really wanted to go to Sidhendor. She wanted to go home. Now that I was banned from my own home on Earth, I could understand that desperate longing. But Evelen shook her head. "I won't stoop to your level. I won't turn my back on these people. They trust me, and I trust them. _Spring_ trusts them. Don't turn your back on her."

"You're blind," Bitoru said. "In this world it's everyone for themselves. There are no teams, there is no trust. Everyone will turn their back on you at any moment. You have to fight for your own dreams."

"Yet you're waiting for Gaia to hand yours over on a silver platter!" Evelen snarled.

"Enough, children," Aesop said sharply. "Arguments will get you nowhere."

"Oh, none of you are going anywhere," Gaia assured us. "I'm finishing my collection tonight. I'll have all the Crests and Digimentals by morning. If anyone wants to step in my way, they're welcome to die. It won't hurt… _much_."

"Do you _really_ think you can win, Gaia?" Rei asked, sounding much braver than I suspected she really was. Her hands were shaking and she balled them into fists to hide the tremors.

"You," Gaia said, sounding shocked. "You're meant to be dead. Astamon shot you."

"He only paralyzed me," Rei said, rolling her eyes. "Been there, done that. What I want to know is why he's not here with you? Are you so cocky that you don't need your faithful minion?"

"He _is_ faithful," Gaia purred. "He's waiting for me, in Witchenly. He's quite angry with you lot. He wants his revenge. I might be able to hold myself back and keep you alive long enough to give that to him. It will be difficult, however. I want so much to kill you all myself."

"Enough talk!" Alphamon growled. "Everyone, digivolve."

"No!" Taichi shouted. But it was too late. Several of us were already glowing. I was not, because I could see the folly in that plan already, but Veemon, Armadillomon and Gomamon hadn't spared a second thought.

" _ **Veemon digivolve to… ExVeemon!**_ "

" _ **Armadillomon digivolve to… Ankylomon!**_ "

" _ **Gomamon digivolve to… Ikakkumon!**_ "

" _ **Kotemon warp digivolve to… Crusadermon!**_ "

"Stop that," Taichi shouted. "She's just trying to goad you into fighting her. She's going to get the crests. Get back here!" But his shouts were falling on deaf ears. They all headed forward to attack, joined by Leomon, Ogremon, MetallifeKuwagamon, Kentarusmon, Alphamon and Craniamon. It was an impressive lineup, but I knew it would not be enough.

It was a complete frenzy. Alphamon was facing off against Gaia, with Craniamon and MetallifeKuwagamon at his side, while Leomon and Ogremon teamed up with Kentarusmon to fight against Bitoru. ExVeemon and Crusadermon lent their power to Alphamon's team, while Ankylomon and Ikakkumon joined Leomon. I could hardly guess where to look. Benjamin, Melga and Warg were in the centre of it all, while Babamon and Jijimon lingered with Pal, Pul and the rest of us. Taichi was clenching his teeth, angry that they hadn't listened, and Rei was holding her breath, afraid that anyone could die at any moment. Ryou was having as much difficulty keeping up as I was.

"Digitalize of Soul!" Alphamon cried out, gathering energy to try the attack once more.

"Don't you get tired of failing?" Gaia asked, as she sent vines up to capture all of his limbs. She moved the vines through the air, flinging Alphamon down on top of ExVeemon, who had sneaked around behind her in order to unleash his Vee Laser. He landed in a crumpled heap. Alphamon was pinning him to the ground, unable to get free of the vines. Gaia started walking towards them, her fingers twitching in anticipation as she reached forward to steal Veemon's crest.

"Emit Blade!" MetallifeKuwagamon screamed out, flying towards them with a blade made of pure energy that he had produced from his fingers. He slashed at Gaia, who simply brushed his efforts off, and then came back swinging, slashing at the vines, allowing Alphamon to get to his feet. Gaia scowled in annoyance.

"Seiken Gradalpha!" Alphamon shouted, creating a small circle of convergence, and blasting Gaia with a concentrated beam of energy. She flew backwards, and I thought perhaps she was injured, but she got back to her feet with ease, brushing off the dust, realizing that there was a scrape on her arm. She glowered at it, and then turned her fury on Alphamon—who had, until that exact moment, been looking rather proud of himself.

"You die, _now_ ," Gaia promised him, before dashing forward and stabbing him straight through the chest with a stiffened vine. It sliced through him without any hesitation. Alphamon had time enough to look down and see the vine protruding from his chest, before he exploded in a cloud of data.

"Alphamon!" Taichi shouted. I winced. I did not relish the thought of losing another ally—another _friend_. And Alphamon was his mother's partner. He had solemnly sworn to ensure Dorumon's safety, just as he had promised to protect Lalamon.

"Spiral Masquerade!" Crusadermon shouted, dicing the vines that had stolen the life of our comrade into tiny pieces. Gaia growled at him, but she was still quite pleased with Alphamon's destruction. I couldn't see _how_ she could possibly be _pleased_ with taking someone's life though. And he had been the leader of the Knights. What were we to do now, after losing someone so powerful? Gaia turned towards ExVeemon once again. But he wasn't in the same space anymore. He'd slipped away, and Craniamon was where Gaia had expected him to be.

"Shock Ringer!" Craniamon called, throwing his spinning dual-pointed spear in Gaia's direction. She used her magic to send it directly back at him. But Craniamon was expecting such a tactic, and promptly declared "Power of Breath!" as he created an impregnable shield that his spear simply wasn't able to break through.

And while Gaia was distracted with Craniamon, Crusadermon took the opportunity to ready himself for attack. As Gaia watched with twisted disappointment as the spear fell to the ground, Crusadermon jumped into the air, and called out "Laser Lattice." A net of energy fell down on top of Gaia, and she screamed with frustration. She wasn't able to get out immediately, and it was irritating her.

I hoped Crusadermon knew what he was doing, because a calm Gaia was enough, I didn't think they could handle an angry one.

While Gaia was temporarily trapped in Crusadermon's net, I turned my attention to the lesser fight against Bitoru. It didn't seem as though Bitoru was truly _trying._ He threw his dagger around, but he never struck his intended target. There was a legitimate chance that he had poor aim, but I doubted it. His power was Instinct, and thusly, his aim should have held true.

"Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikakkumon called, firing his horn off towards Bitoru. Due to his Instinct, Bitoru was always able to step out of the way at the exact right time. It was rather frustrating to watch, actually. I knew those that were fighting against him were probably liking it even less than I was.

"Almost got me that time," Bitoru teased, tossing his knife at Ikakkumon. It grazed by his leg, but since Ikakkumon made no sound of pain, I assumed it hit only his fur.

"Stay still!" Ankylomon growled. "Tai Hammer!" Bitoru jumped over Akylomon's tail, and landed on his back. He bent down over Akylomon's head so that he could look him in the eye.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Bitoru asked curiously, before performing a flip over Akylomon's head so that he landed directly in front of him.

"I've got you now!" Ogremon declared. "Bone Cudgel!"

"Don't!" Akylomon cried, but it was too late. Ogremon was already in motion. Bitoru dodged out of the way, and Ogremon's club bashed into Anklyomon's skull. Ogremon was thankfully quick to notice it was Akylomon and _didn't_ continue his intended beating. But it didn't matter. Akylomon glowed as he reverted back to Armadillomon. Ogremon lifted him up, and looked left and right, trying to find a safe place to put him, where he couldn't be hurt further.

I looked too, wanting to be of assistance in any way possible. But I was distracted by Melga's crying. She was still attempting to drag Warg over to us, but the battle was making it nearly impossible for her to do it on her own. Gaia was struggling out of the net, and she narrowed her eyes in on the pair of twins. They were a complete set now, and she could get the crest they shared with ease if they didn't move quickly.

"Warg, Melga, get over here!" Dracomon called frantically, noticing Gaia, just as I had. Melga continued to drag her brother. She wasn't able to move very quickly, and after watching her struggle for a short time, Ryou decided he was better off out in the field of battle, as he raced forward to help her. Wormmon, Betamon and I were all together now, all unable to be of much use. We couldn't fight, because we would risk losing the crests, but we couldn't just watch either. I didn't know what the best course of action was.

"I've got you," Ryou said comfortingly, as he lugged Warg off of the ground, into his arms. Melga was still crying, though she was happier now that her brother was relatively safe. It was unfortunate that none of us would be safe for long.

Where could we go to avoid Gaia's reach? This was the last chance we really had. She knew where the Coliseum was. We would be running for the rest of our existences, trying to evade capture, and keep the Digimentals out of her greedy grasp.

"Rei," Taichi said, his voice getting serious. He had a plan! "I need you to take the Digimentals. You and Kentarusmon will start running. We'll find you later. We'll find a way to meet up. Just get them to Whamon. He can get them across the Ocean. We can hide them on another continent. I don't know yet. I just know they can't stay here."

"You should be the one that goes," Rei said, shaking her head. She refused the cloth bag that Taichi was attempting to give her. I knew it held the remainder of the Digimentals. "You're more involved than me. You're also currently carrying all of the keys—which we both know will be her next target."

"I can give them to you," Taichi insisted.

"And let her know that we've got them with us? Fat chance," Rei said, shaking her head. "Get going, Taichi. You need to get out of here."

"Not to be a bother," I said, fluttering my wings experimentally. "But he's not the only one that needs to leave."

"Right," Taichi said, with a heavy sigh. He didn't want to leave Rei behind, but Kentarusmon could only carry one person comfortably. He needed to be able to reach his maximum speed. "Tentomon, Wormmon, Betamon, you're with me."

Taichi slung himself up on Kentarusmon's back—who was very disappointed to be called out of the fight, but there was nothing to be done about it. We all started racing around Gaia and Bitoru, trying to slip away unnoticed.

But our efforts were for naught.

"Going somewhere?" Maugrim asked, fingering the gauntlets on his wrists. He clenched his fists and blades extended from their orange glow. "You're abandoning your friends? Impressive. I never would have thought you had it in you. Fortunately, you won't have to do it. I'll just kill you now. How does that sound?"

"Not very good," Betamon grumbled.

"Prepare to die, human," Maugrim growled, flying towards Kentarusmon and Taichi. He couldn't kill Betamon, Wormmon or I. Gaia needed us. We were safe for the time being. Keeping that in mind, we did the only thing we _could_ do.

" _ **Betamon digivolve to… Seadramon!**_ "

" _ **Tentomon digivolve to… Kabuterimon!**_ "

" _ **Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!**_ "

"Multi Moon Shooter" was the first attacked fired at Maugrim. Stingmon shot multiple oversized needles towards Maugrim, who deflected them with the blades on his gauntlets. While he was dispatching with Stingmon's barrage, Seadramon threw an "Ice Blast" at Maugrim. His breath froze the water he spewed due to its absolute zero temperature, and Maugrim's feet were encased with ice. He didn't seem overly concerned, but it was enough time for Kentarusmon to scoot around him. Pal and Pul were frantically flying to catch up with Taichi, and I didn't need to look to know that Rei had sent them. It was unfortunate that Maugrim caught sight of them. He sliced towards them, and I dove in with a full powered "Electric Storm!"

I could feel the electricity pumping powerfully through my veins. My entire body had become supercharged, and when I collided with Maugrim, the electric current travelled from me to him. He grunted, but refused to scream. Pal and Pul got through though.

"DIE!" Gaia screamed, distracting me. Stingmon's shocked cry was enough to know that something terrible had happened. I glanced her way and saw her standing in a cloud of data. I did a quick head count, desperate to indentify who's remains they were, and found that it was Craniamon.

"NO!" Taichi shouted, just as I did. I couldn't believe it. Andromon was gone. He was the reason I had first digivolved into Kabuterimon, and now, as Kabuterimon again, he died.

"Go back," Taichi ordered.

"We just got cleared," Kentarusmon informed him, stubbornly refusing to go back.

"That doesn't matter," Taichi said firmly. "We've got to get the others. We've all got to make it out of this."

"VEEMON!" Rei cried. My attention went to Gaia once more, and she was swatting at the orb of darkness that was misbehaving. It was sending little whips out that kept snapping in ExVeemon's face. When one hit him in the chest, however, he lost the power to support his Champion form.

"That's what I'm talking about," Taichi growled. He slid off of Kentarusmon's back and started running back towards Veemon, planning to save him…somehow.

"It would not be cowardice, if he were to leave," Kentarusmon said softly.

Taichi didn't make it far. I flew after him, wanting to offer whatever support I could for our leader. I instructed that Wormmon and Betamon—newly reverted, due to our plans to continue fleeing—stay with Kentarusmon, to be ready at a moment's notice if things turned even further southwards.

"I'll be taking those," Maugrim informed Taichi, slicing at his arm with his gauntlet blades. The fabric of Taichi's jacket was slit open, as was his skin, and blood started pouring down, dripping to the ground steadily. Taichi unconsciously loosened his grip, and dropped the bag of Digimentals. He cursed and bent to pick them up, but Maugrim already had them.

Taichi tackled him and attempted to wrestle him to the ground, but Maugrim dispensed of him easily enough, throwing _him_ to the ground instead, where he hit his head against a tree. Taichi was out cold.

"Gaia, I've acquired them," Maugrim informed his lover. She let out a triumphant sound after a brief shock of seeing him. She hadn't expected him to join us, which meant he was doing something else in this world. What was it? I didn't have time to think of an answer because Gaia thrust her hand inside Veemon's chest.

My heart lurched and my body ached at the sight. This was what had happened to Palmon and to Biyomon and to all of the others. Gaia had taken the very part of them that made them special and unique. And now she had done the same with Veemon.

"Now for the Crests," Gaia instructed him. Veemon became nothing more than peach light. She narrowed her eyes on the fallen Armadillomon in Ogremon's care, and launched vines in order to get rid of Ogremon easily. Her hand sunk into Armadillomon—who hadn't even noticed, due to his unconsciousness—and he burst into a deep yellow light.

Two more friends—two more _Crests_ —gone, just like that.

Maugrim turned his eyes on me, and I reverted back to Rookie. Kabuterimon was simply too large. I was an easy target. I flew as fast as I could away from Maugrim. He chased me, thankfully leaving Betamon and Wormmon behind. I shouted for Kentarusmon to get Taichi and leave. He did, because he understood the severity of the situation and was also rather wise. He knew it was the right idea.

I flew through the fight that was still ongoing between Bitoru, Leomon and Ikakkumon. I shouted for Ikakkumon to make a hasty retreat, and he begrudgingly followed my orders. I couldn't stick around and watch as Gomamon made his way to the others, who were beginning their retreat. Babamon and Jijimon were making their way around the fight in order to collect Benjamin, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. Dracomon had Evelen and Aesop, and was trying to drag them away as well. Rei was throwing rocks at Gaia, who had narrowed in on her next targets: Warg and Melga.

Ryou was standing in front of them, doing his best to defend them. Gaia wasn't interested. She wrapped her delicate hands around his throat, and smiled at him. It was a pleasant smile, from what I could see as I flew passed as quickly as I was able. Ryou was in trouble. He couldn't fight back. And Maugrim was too close at my tail in order for me to do anything about it.

Crusadermon was free though, and he shot his "Laser Lattice," once more encasing Gaia in a net. Maugrim stopped chasing me in order to free her, and Crusadermon grabbed Ryou. Warg and Melga were running behind them, but Maugrim caught up to them soon enough, and Gaia violently stabbed her hands through their backs, and then clapping her hands together, creating a single ball of light blue light.

My heart clenched at the thought of losing _more_ friends, but I couldn't stop to grieve them now. Dracomon was running with Evelen and Aesop, and Rei had stopped to help Babamon and Jijimon with Benjamin. We were all retreating. I didn't know where we were going, but we needed to get away from them. Leomon stopped fighting with tactics, and relied on his own feline instincts, and caught Bitoru around the neck, flinging him into his father. Maugrim, before Bitoru knocked him to the ground, had been searching me out. I was thankful for Leomon's quick intervention.

Crusadermon was carrying Ryou, and Ogremon had Goblimon by the hand, dragging him away and holding on to Armadillomon's precious egg. When Leomon caught up with the others, he picked Betamon and Wormmon up, and they all ran after Kentarusmon, who was carrying Taichi—and the keys. I flew down and picked Babamon up, despite her protests, wanting to do my part in helping with the escape.

"Not so fast!" Gaia snarled, sending her orb of darkness our way. "I _will_ have your Crests. You can count on it."

"Not today!" MetallifeKuwagamon shouted, as the orb started reacting. There weren't simply thin whips anymore. She was able to manipulate the darkness to her will. That was terrible news. And she was planning on using that very darkness to destroy Babamon, Jijimon, Benjamin and Rei—and then she wanted to steal my Crest.

MetallifeKuwagamon flew directly into the darkness, before it was able to hit any of us, and took the entire brunt of it himself. The darkness dissipated, and MetallifeKuwagamon turned to Babamon. "You okay?" he asked.

"You fool," Babamon scolded him, tears in her eyes. "You didn't need to do that. I'm old. It was my time!"

"Too late," MetallifeKuwagamon said, laughing once, without any real humour. "Save the world for me?"

Babamon didn't have any time to answer him. He burst into data. Babamon screamed as her friend was destroyed, and hit me with her broomstick when I dared to fly away the moment the data was gone. She was upset, but it wouldn't mean anything if we died. Gaia's scream of fury echoed through the dead trees surrounding the Coliseum.

I flew as fast and hard as I could, surprised that Maugrim wasn't on our tail already. Perhaps they were pleased with their haul for the day. They got three Crests and all of the Digimentals that we possessed. We'd lost. There was no winning. There was no way to come back from this.

Everyone was gathered in a small clearing. It was dangerous to have stopped in such an insecure location. It couldn't be helped though. The only secure location was behind us. Our time was dwindling. We couldn't evade Gaia forever.

"We lost," Betamon said sadly.

"MetallifeKuwagamon," Babamon cried, curling into her husband the moment I placed her to the ground. Rei fell to her knees and Pal and Pul swarmed her. Taichi was still unconscious, and Goblimon was weeping for the loss of his best friend. He hugged Armadillomon's egg close to him. Crusadermon mourned the loss of the last of the Knights. He one of only two left now.

"What do we do?" Wormmon asked.

"Where do we go?" Dracomon wanted to go.

"There's nowhere _to_ go," Rei said sadly.

"They've won anyway," I sighed. "They have all of the Digimentals. They have most of the Crests. They'll hunt Betamon, Wormmon, Dracomon and I down one by one to finish the set, and then she'll go after the Keys."

"You're wrong," Benjamin said. His voice was hoarse, and he was worse off now than he was earlier, having run when he was so badly injured. "There's one left. No one has ever found it. They don't have _Strength_."

"But no one's ever found it," Evelen pointed out, rolling her eyes. "How can we get to it if no one knows where it is?"

"But I _do_ know where it is," Kentarusmon said slowly. Betamon looked up to him with wide eyes, particularly interested as it was the Digimental of his own crest and it had been thought be completely nonexistent until just now. "It was given to the Olympos XII."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** This in-between section to the story told in the perspective of the digimon ends in the next chapter where not even a digimon narrates... Rei takes the final chapter and things don't look good!


	44. Time to Digi-Cide!

**Y/N:** The digimon are done narrating now, and Rei has taken over to wrap up the arc, so we can say that no Digidestined narrates at all in this arc. Rei's was probably the hardest to write. It was actually more difficult than I thought to transition back from writing as the digimon. This is the conclusion to the Digi-Interlude arc, and we'll be getting back into the swing of things soon. I hope this conclusion doesn't disappoint.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 3: Digi-Interlude (Part 3)**

 **Chapter 44: Time To Digi-Cide!**

 _ **Rei Yagami:**_

January.

We'd been hiding away from Gaia, from Maugrim, from Bitoru…from the world really. It was horrible. There was light only in the main chamber, and then everything tapered off into darkness. I hadn't felt the sun on my skin for months. It wasn't quite as bad as Witchenly, but it was bad enough. We'd been trapped here, in the hollow at the base of the mountain since November. We hadn't seen the Digimental of Strength yet. We weren't even allowed to ask—and after hearing Benjamin's tale from beginning to end, we didn't even _want_ to. We couldn't risk opening the door on the off chance that Bitoru would be able to feel the Digimental the moment the seal was opened.

We had nothing to do here, and Olympos XII was being as accommodating as they could, but they had duties and routines that had been in place for thousands of years. It wasn't fair to expect them to mess with that schedule just because I was bored.

I wished I had yarn and knitting needles, or a book, or a puzzle. I wanted to stay lighthearted and hopeful for the sake of the remaining Crest bearers. Tentomon and Wormmon had separated from the others, and spent nearly every day looking over the murals painted on the walls. They talked quietly with Bacchusmon, or Merukimon, wanting to know more—always yearning for something to break the monotony. Gomamon had taken to helping Pal, Pul and Minervamon—who was thankful for our presence, since we were a taste of familiarity in a new world she too was bored by—pull pranks on Neptunemon. The guy was seriously uptight, and it did him good to be knocked down a peg. He never assumed Gomamon was involved though, choosing instead to constantly blame poor Lunamon and Coronamon.

"You know what I would do, if I could leave?" Betamon asked me. He was nestled on a pillow and was prone to taking extremely long naps due to sheer boredom.

"What would you do?" I asked him, reaching over and petting his head. He hummed happily, and pushed against my hand, prompting me to pet him some more.

"I would go to Primary Village, and I would see how many of our friends are there, waiting for us," he said softly. "I don't like the idea of them being there all by themselves. They fought for us. They defended us. We shouldn't abandon them."

"Andromon would understand," I promised him. "He knows how important it is that you stay safe. They all know that. But I'll let you in on a little secret. I miss them too, and I wish _I_ was in Primary Village right now."

Of course I also knew that I could never be there. The world was in too much danger. Gaia was trying to find us. The power of the Olympos XII's seal was keeping Bitoru away from the final Digimental, which was amazing, but we couldn't leave their mountain home. If we walked out into the open, we ran the risk of getting caught. More of us could be killed, and if we went to Primary Village, and they found us there….well…it wouldn't be good for the babies.

I couldn't risk the babies' lives like that. It wasn't right.

So instead of going there and meeting our friends, we had to trust that Elecmon would be able to help them with their transitions and digivolutions. Dorumon was a tough cookie, and I knew he'd be raring to go again in next to no time. Andromon was really smart, and MetallifeKuwagamon had a lot of heart. Wizardmon was probably already there too, and would wait with them. The Crest digimon had been taken back to their home, but I was sure they would welcome the others, should they ever want to leave Primary Village.

I didn't know if we'd ever get to see them again, but I knew that they were safe. They hadn't been killed with the virus. They would recycle. And I would be trapped here forever, because I would not abandon my friends. I wouldn't abandon Taichi either.

I was in this, until the very end.

This world depended on our togetherness and our ability to function as a team. I wasn't giving up hope entirely. I just didn't think we would be able to survive another year like this if we decided to venture out of the safety of the Olympos XII's fortress—and I also didn't think we'd manage to last the entire year if we stayed inside these walls.

We weren't entirely alone though, the Crest bearers, Taichi and I, I mean. We had the remains of the Council—Babamon (and her husband Jijimon), Leomon, Ogremon and Centarumon—along with Evelen, Aesop, the Olympos XII and the original Digidestined.

They had been _quite_ the surprise when we arrived, that's for sure.

" _Are you sure they'll let us stay here?" Dracomon asked Benjamin. "I don't want them to be mean. Hideto said they were mean."_

" _Hideto was probably being annoying," Taichi told him, rolling his eyes._

" _I can be annoying," Dracomon said anxiously._

" _Do not fear," Benjamin instructed him, as he led us into the mouth of a deep, dark tunnel. We followed after him as closely as we could, and he started telling us about the Olympos XII. "They have been around for as long as digimon have existed. They once ruled their country, but they were sent away with Pangaea, as they were fighting the war on it at the time. No longer able to rule properly, they fell away into obscurity, as none of the digimon that were on Pangaea, or Earth, were their subjects anymore. Still, they watch over the Digital World, and the digimon race."_

" _They won't be mad that Taichi basically took their throne?" Gomamon asked, to clarify. Taichi spluttered, claiming he wasn't the king or anything, but everyone ignored him. He was right of course, he wasn't the king, but he was the ruler regardless. Everyone in this world turned to Taichi during times of great crisis. They were looking to him now, as we continued on our quest to evade Gaia._

" _Of course they won't," Babamon said, sounding less grumpy than usual, due to her intense pain over losing her best and most faithful companion—aside from her husband, of course._

" _They bear no love for Gaia," Centarumon assured us. "They will wish to keep the Crests safe. They have been keeping Strength safe since its very creation."_

" _If they're so good at keeping things safe, why didn't they just keep all of the Digimentals?" Wormmon wanted to know. "Why separate them at all?"_

" _Simply to keep temptation at bay," Jijimon said. "The Olympos XII are already one of the most powerful groups of digimon to ever exist. Only the Knights and the Digidestined truly even compare. They are a magnificent force. But with a complete set of Digimentals, they would be unstoppable."_

" _And Jupitermon doesn't trust that Plutomon in particular would be able to keep his greedy mitts off," Babamon finished for him. "They've never trusted Plutomon. He's just a place holder for them, until Ceresmon makes her debut."_

" _That won't happen now," Dracomon said sadly, remembering Tapirmon and Lalamon had been taken by Gaia. We'd lost so many. It was hard to even think about it. It very nearly caused me physical pain._

" _I suppose not," Babamon sighed._

" _It was noble, to take only one, I think," Leomon offered._

" _I think it was foolish," Goblimon said. "The Olympos XII don't use the Digimental of Strength. It has not seen the light of day since its creation. You said that yourself, Benjamin. If Plutomon has yet to be tempted by that, then I doubt he would be tempted by a complete set."_

" _He might want to prove himself worthy of being a true member by proving that not all dark digimon are evil," Ogremon suggested. I knew that both he and Goblimon were very passionate on that particular subject. Kurayami had been too. She probably still was, I just wouldn't be able to confirm it, since I wasn't meant to see her again._

" _We know you're not evil," I said. "We know there are lots of dark digimon that don't want to kill everyone. I think you're probably right about Plutomon too."_

" _Maybe they were using him as a scapegoat," Taichi suggested. "Maybe they were worried that_ any _of them might want to collect the Digimentals for their power, and they just blamed Plutomon so that they didn't look bad."_

" _Have care how you speak," Benjamin said. I couldn't see him, since we were surrounded almost entirely with darkness, but I knew he was in front of us. Pal and Pul fluttered around me and landed on my shoulders as soon as they were able to identify them. I reached up and patted both on the head. "They may be allied to our Council, but they can change their mind. They are rather proud individuals."_

" _That we are."_

 _The voice came out of the darkness, and I screamed when I felt warm breath brush passed my face. It smelt strongly of fish._

" _Quiet, child," the voice said. I noted that it was distinctly masculine. "I have come to greet you. Coronamon foretold your arrival. He has at last found a way to tune himself to the Oracle. He can now hear her whispers from beyond this world."_

" _That's great!" Ryou said cheerfully._

" _It is," the voice agreed. "Jupitermon wishes to speak to you. Quicken your pace now. We mustn't linger. The longer we remain in the tunnel, the more likely it is that you will be followed._

 _We were led into a large, lit chamber, where eleven digimon rested on giant thrones. The guide they'd sent for us was a man in a wolf mask, and Taichi greeted him as Merukimon. In the centre of the room, in front of the largest pair of thrones, was a group of six people—five men and one woman. The woman was the most familiar to me, and I gasped._

" _Who're they?" Evelen whispered to me._

" _Izumi and her friends," I told her quickly. "They were the Digidestined before Taichi and Neo and everyone else. They saved the world before Taichi was even chosen."_

" _Huh," Evelen said. She sounded impressed. I was glad. They were a pretty impressive group._

" _Izumi!" Taichi called out loudly. Merukimon groaned and shook his head, exasperated by Taichi's behaviour. I worried for his safety. Jupitermon didn't send lighting down to smite him though, as I feared he would. He simply looked away from the people he was talking to, and nodded a greeting to Taichi. Merukimon was astonished. I was just relieved._

" _Taichi?" Izumi questioned, excitedly. She jumped happily, before she ran over to us. A Yakiimon hesitated, looking to Jupitermon before she decided to follow Izumi. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere! Gaia's crazy."_

" _We know," Evelen said, rolling her eyes._

" _What are you doing here?" Gomamon asked, confused._

" _We live here now," Izumi said. "We spent so long trying to find our way back, we couldn't bear the thought of leaving. This is the home we always wanted. We learned who we are here, and we never managed to fit back in on Earth after our adventures. We belong here."_

" _I know what you mean," Taichi murmured. I reached overtop of Gomamon's head to grab Taichi's hand, letting him know that for all I wished I was safe on Earth, I knew that staying here was the right decision for me too._

" _Who's this?" I asked, looking down at the Yakiimon, and smiling. Yakiimon beamed up at me. I let go of Taichi's hands so I could crouch down and pat her head. Pal and Pul were jealous of the attention I was giving her, and started to fly in quick circles around Izumi until she gave in and gave_ them _attention._

" _This is my partner," Izumi said, sounding positively thrilled. "We weren't sure we had any. But we wanted to explore the world, and we found these guys. They're perfect, don't you think? It's nice to be separate from my digimon. I can actually talk with Yakiimon_ _and I couldn't talk with my spirit before. I'm not the digimon in this relationship, and it's really weird, but I've loved it so far."_

" _That's great!" Ryou said happily, though I could see a tiny frown on the horizon. He'd lost his partner recently, but he wasn't about to let that stop him from being happy for the others._

" _Taichi," Jupitermon called solemnly. "Tell us of the outside world."_

" _You're not going to like it," Taichi warned, before launching into the story of the last eleven months._

But that had been two months ago, and since then we'd had no word from the outside world. I'd gotten to know Izumi better, and I really liked her friends—I was proud that I could call them _my_ friends now too. I wasn't happy though. I was supposed to be, but we were hiding away, afraid of our own shadows. This was the exact opposite of what I thought our eternity in the Digital World was going to be like. Separating the worlds was meant to bring us peace, instead it just brought more pain and misery. I was horrified by the fate of our friends. We could never beat Gaia, not without the Digidestined—and by that point, only Michael, Neo, Koushiro, Ken and Jou would have been able to truly help us.

We never should have separated the worlds. Rida was less of a threat than Gaia. If Gaia succeeded in her plans, Rida would get the chance he was looking for anyway, and all of this extra suffering would have been for nothing.

I wanted Neo.

He would've been able to find the silver lining. He always could. Having him be here with me, would have been enough of a silver lining. He was cold and calculating in a way that Taichi simply couldn't be. I loved Taichi for his sense of honour and justice. He was a good, strong man, and his faith in his friends never wavered for a second. I loved him, and everything he stood for.

But I was an honorary member of Alias III, and I knew when kind and just simply wasn't enough anymore.

Neo would be able to manipulate Gaia. I knew he could. He could manipulate anyone. But he was worlds away, and I would never see him again—even if I managed to live through Gaia's cruel game of cat and mouse.

"Darling, you simply _must_ listen to me," Venusmon cried, as she followed Evelen around. Evelen wasn't interested in whatever Venusmon had to say, and hurriedly rushed away, not even trying to make it seem like she hadn't heard Venusmon or anything. She just walked away. She spotted me and her eyes lit up, happy to have some sort of excuse not to need to be near Venusmon anymore. It was strange, how easily Venusmon could follow someone, since her eyes were covered. Apparently, her eyes were so beautiful that they could bewitch a person if they so much as looked at them. She was already so beautiful that she'd made a vow to never use her eyes as an unfair advantage, and had tied the white ribbon over them, so that she'd never be tempted. She hadn't been tempted in literally thousands of years.

That's what I call dedication.

"What's she want?" I asked Evelen as she sat down next to Betamon and I.

"She wants to tell me my love fortune," Evelen said with a sigh. "That's not something I need to hear about. I'd rather learn about a secret way to get rid of Gaia, or to get to Sidhendor so I can finally experience what it means to go home."

"I'm tired of waiting," Betamon pouted.

"You could play with Dracomon," Evelen suggested. "It might make the time go faster, anyway."

"I doubt it," Betamon sighed, but he moved off his pillow and started his hunt for Dracomon. He found him eventually, playing with Yakiimon and joined in with whatever strange game they were playing. Gomamon was whispering plans to Pal and Pul and I wished they'd start playing the game with the others instead of trying to irritate Neptunemon. I didn't like that they were always risking their lives to play mean tricks on him.

"It's good to see them so happy," Evelen commented. "I don't think they've got much time for that left."

"You don't have any hope?" I asked, fearing that I felt the same.

"I do," she said, which relieved me. "Not much though. I think we'll have lost the Crests by the time Neo finishes with his plans."

"What plans?" I asked, upset that he'd told Evelen but hadn't mentioned any plans to me.

"He's coming back for us," Evelen said. "I don't know how, but he was convinced, and he's apparently done it before, so it shouldn't be too difficult. It's taking way longer than I expected though. I figured he'd be back in a month or two, with all the confidence he was spewing. But he's not here."

"And it's been over a year," I said, feeling miserable at the thought. It had been more than a year since I saw my brother or my friends. It might not have been so horrible, if the world had actually been at peace, but things didn't exactly go as we'd planned for them to.

"He won't be happy when he gets here," Evelen said, smirking to herself in a way that reminded me _far_ too much of Neo for comfort.

"He's not happy about a lot of things," I agreed, still feeling apprehensive about her. Not for the first time, I wondered about the relationship between her and my brother, but based on her reaction to Venusmon, I decided not to ask.

The atmosphere of the room went from bored, yet semi-cheerful to cold and foreboding in an instant. My skin prickled with goosebumps and Evelen and I shared a confused look before we broke our eyes apart and searched for the source.

"Quiet!" Jupitermon bellowed. "Coronamon has a message for us."

"The Mother approaches," Coronamon said, in a wavering, terrified voice. "She comes for Strength."

"We cannot allow her to have it," Jupitermon said firmly. "Marsmon, you are the master tactician. What is our plan for the upcoming attack?"

"Do we have any set parameters?" Minervamon clarified, before Marsmon could even begin.

"No," Coronamon said softly, sounding thoroughly exhausted. "She didn't tell me that."

"It matters not," Marsmon said confidently. "This Mother will not pass our defenses. I will lurk in the tunnel to meet her, and I wish for Vulcanusmon, Merukimon and Neptunemon to accompany me."

"That sounds rather extensive," Junomon commented. "Will all that power truly be needed?"

"This is Gaia, right?" Taichi said. "She'll be bringing Maugrim with her. He's stronger than anyone we've got. He was able to beat Yamato and ZeedGarurumon and they had Takeru and Seraphimon to help them. He's powerful."

"So are we," Neptunemon growled. He glared towards Pal and Pul, who were still dropping things on his head. "I am willing to fight. I wish to be away from _them_."

"Good," Marsmon decided. "We will go now."

"Wait!" Venusmon cried. "What shall _we_ do?"

"You will sit tight, and stay safe. It will not take long to dispatch these upstarts," Marsmon declared. "We've been defending this world for millennium. No enemy has enough energy at their disposal to be rid of us."

"You say that now," Junpei murmured. "But what if things don't go as you plan?"

"You think they won't?" Merukimon asked, curious—though Neptunemon and Marsmon both glared at him. Volcanusmon didn't seem too interested either way.

"He's worried that, on the small chance that they don't, we won't have a plan to deal with Gaia, Bitoru and Maugrim," Takuya said quickly, before Junpei could anger Neptunemon or Marsmon any further.

"Exactly," Jupei said, pointing to his own leader. Jupei's partner, Kokuwamon subtly slipped in front of him, prepared to fight to defend his partner if need be—despite his Rookie status. It was adorable, noble and foolish all at once.

"If they get passed the four of us," Volcanusmon said nonchalantly, "There are eight more members of Olympos XII that can stop them in our stead. Someone will get you out so that you can continue to keep the worlds free of the Mother's reign."

With that, there was very little to argue with. We watched the four digimon leave, and my heart went with them. I'd seen Maugrim, Gaia and Bitoru in action. I knew what they were capable of. I didn't want to think that our hosts were going out for the slaughter. But I couldn't see how they could win.

That didn't mean I wasn't hoping they would though.

If they could win, and beat Gaia and Maugrim—I didn't care too much, one way or the other about Bitoru, mostly due to Aesop and Evelen's relationships with the guy, and I didn't want to make Aesop sad for any reason—then we would be free. We could figure out exactly what she'd done to our friends, and we could get the Crests back, and the Digimentals, and then our friends would be here too, and we could watch over the Digital World while we were ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity.

"Think realistically," I told myself.

"Rei," Dracomon said, coming up to me. "I'm scared. What are we going to do? How do we escape?"

"You'll go through the Labyrinth," Lunamon said. She scared me, because she'd been lurking in the shadows, fretting about Coronamon's predictions, and debating how trustworthy this Oracle was. "It's the only other exit. It has never been used, but it was built with an exit in mind."

"I think we would've seen if this place had a labyrinth," Junpei snorted. "It's just a throne room. Is it behind the thrones maybe?"

"No," Junomon said loudly, from across the room. I kept forgetting how well sound traveled in this room. It had great acoustics. I was sure Yamato would have loved it here—not that he'd get to come. I had to stop thinking things that made me sad. It wasn't helping to pile sadness on top of everything else. "The Labyrinth has been sealed since it was built. It was built with a single purpose in mind."

"And unless the need is very great, it shall remain sealed and secret," Jupitermon announced, cutting off the conversation. I couldn't understand how there was a large Labyrinth hidden within this mountain, but my mind was also quick to put the pieces of the puzzle together. There was a single door that we were told we must never open—the threat being that we would be tossed out of Olympos and left to flee Gaia on our own, which was actually rather convincing. It was also the doorway that Strength was hiding behind. I'd figured that much out on my own. It was kind of obvious. They had Strength here, after all, and they only had _one_ door we weren't allowed to open.

Suspicious?—Hell yes.

"What should we do?" Gomamon asked, looking to Jupitermon and Taichi for answers. Everyone else looked to them too, because we were lost.

"We wait," Jupitermon said simply.

He was worried. I could tell, because he rose from his throne and moved to the edge of the light, towards the tunnel. Venusmon was already waiting there, a frown on her delicate lips. Bacchusmon didn't move with them, but he wasn't nearly as jovial as he'd been before.

"Something's wrong," Coronamon cried, clutching his head. "The Darkness—she's using the Darkness!"

"Get to your feet," Jupitermon commanded, frowning at Coronamon's newest prediction. "It seems we must ready ourselves for battle. Junomon, I wish for you to take Lunamon, Coronamon and our guests through the Labyrinth, should the need become too great."

"I will assist them," Plutomon suggested. Jupitermon threw a thunderous look in his brother's direction, but he could not fault Plutomon's plan. Junomon was strong, and fierce, but Lunamon and Coronamon weren't. They would need protection, and so would Tentomon, Dracomon, Gomamon, Wormmon, Betamon, Taichi (with the keys), and Strength. That was a lot to put on one person's shoulders. Plutomon realized he'd won, and moved, as I'd suspected, towards the sealed door. He stood guard there, waiting for the moment to come when he could finally make himself a useful member of Olympos XII. I wondered if this was the first task Jupitermon had ever set for Plutomon.

The wait was the worst part.

Izumi huddled close to Yakiimon, and was joined by Junpei, his Kokuwamon, Kouji and his Psychemon. Tomoki and Takuya were on the opposite end of the room, but both kept their partners—a deep purple Elecmon, and the bright orange and yellow Hyokomon—at their sides. Pal and Pul huddled with Taichi, who was nearer to them then I was, while Babamon and Jijimon stayed close together. Evelen and Dracomon were together, where Evelen had to keep Dracomon from crying in fear. Tentomon and Wormmon were furthest from the door, as they were actively trying to keep themselves busy with the murals so that the fear wouldn't take over. Gomamon and Benjamin were inching their way towards Plutomon and the door. Lunamon and Coronamon were called by Junomon, and they hurriedly answered the call, clinging to her legs when they reached her, and she tried to keep them calm. Kouichi and his Liollmon were nearest to me, so I made my way towards him, not wanting to be alone, but also not wanting to cause any more fear to the digimon by dramatically racing across the room to get to Taichi. Kouichi seemed to understand, and he took my hand when I reached him. His brother, I remembered, was across the room.

There was a thud that stopped me from observing everyone. I listened carefully, straining my ears to try and identify its source. It echoed all through the tunnel until it entered the throne room, where the sound bounced off of the walls, back and forth. It was unidentifiable, but it was soon joined by more sounds. There was a shout and a growl. There were some softer, more feminine tones that over the course of the symphony we were being forced to hear, became much harsher and uglier. There was a howl, as Merukimon was injured—maybe killed, I couldn't tell. I wasn't there. I hoped he wasn't dead. It wouldn't be fair. He was just trying to protect our world. He wouldn't have been in danger if we hadn't led them here.

The tunnel was filled with a swirl of flames, and we knew that Volcanusmon was trying to fight back at least. That meant he was alive for now. The flames also entered the throne room, effectively splitting Kouichi and I from the majority of the group. We had Liollmon on our end, and Jupitermon. Minervamon was here, with Evelen and Dracomon. Tentomon and Wormmon were no longer able to focus on the murals, and Centaurmon was preparing himself for a fight—that was what scared me most, not the giant rush of flames that were burning my face with their close proximity. I wanted this to be over. We'd spent more than a year running for our lives. I was done with that. I didn't want to do that anymore. I wanted peace to reign supreme.

And then the fire was gone, and Venusmon cried out. She could sense something when none of us could _see_ it. Jupitermon looked to her sharply, silently inquiring more information. I thought it was rude, since she'd taken away her ability of sight, but she seemed to know what he wanted regardless.

"Vulcanusmon's flames were put out," Venusmon said. When no one reacted properly, she said with frantic energy "The Mother has beaten him. She used the Darkness, just as Coronamon said. Merukimon has fallen too."

"We should join them," Bacchusmon said fervently. "We cannot let them fall alone."

"Strength is our main concern," Minervamon said, shaking her head. She was new here, and she had enjoyed our company, for that very reason. But that didn't mean she didn't belong here. She was good with strategy. Marsmon understood war, but she could strategize as well as he could—if not better. That was her true calling. It had been why Daemon wanted her on his team to begin with. "We need to protect it."

"We should separate," Taichi suggested. I wanted to slap him. He always made that suggestion. "If they get through Marsmon and Neptunemon"—and here Coronamon insisted that they _would_ —"then we're going to need to keep the Keys away from the Crests. They can't get all at once, right?"

"You say that now," I said bitterly. "But there are three of them."

"We need to take the chance," Minervamon said apologetically. "Three groups provides a better success rate. Even saving just _one_ Crest, or just the Keys, or just Strength prevents Gaia from winning."

"Enough talk," Jupitermon commanded.

"Sound travels here, dear," Junomon explained. "We cannot allow them to know our contingency plans. We must also keep hopeful. There is no guarantee that they will win."

"They already have," Venusmon said with a hollow voice. Neptunemon and Marsmon had fallen. I cried out, and Kouichi panicked, trying to pat my back and squeeze my hand at the same time. "They are approaching the tunnel. The Mother has a light. She can see. They will be here in minutes."

"Stand your guard," Jupitermon commanded.

Minervamon and Bacchusmon moved forward to stand behind Jupitermon and Venusmon. Ogremon, Leomon and Centarumon followed suit. Junomon was quick to escort Lunamon and Coronamon to Plutomon's side, where they would have quick access to the doors. I thought that was probably a good idea, and realized that Taichi had thought the same, heading to Aesop, Tomoki and Takuya, to get them to follow after him.

Kouichi, Liollmon and I were getting Tentomon, Wormmon, Evelen and Dracomon when the first attack was made by Gaia. A singular pillar of Darkness opened up around Jupitermon, and flung him across the room. I could see a glowing white orb flying through the tunnel, providing light for everyone. Maugrim had his gauntlet blades out, and Bitoru had his knife. But Gaia was the one that drew my attention. Her long, beautiful hair was flying wildly about her face, and her hand was outstretched, commanding Kurayami's Darkness to do her bidding. I had noticed before that she kept the darkness from unleashing its full potential—she'd never let it have full control, but I hadn't realized just how much power had been lurking within Kurayami.

I doubted Kurayami knew of her full potential either.

Gaia was using the pure darkness to dismantle Olympos XII right before our very eyes. Jupitermon got to his feet, and rushed towards Gaia, utilizing the lightning at his command. The orb of light simply absorbed it, before the Darkness flew towards Bacchusmon. He slammed into the ground near Tentomon and Wormmon, and I let go of Kouichi's hand, realizing I needed dexterity more than I needed comfort now. I scooped Wormmon into my arms and beckoned Tentomon to join me. Evelen dragged Dracomon behind her. Junomon opened the sealed door across the room, and beckoned Lunamon and Coronamon inside. She sent Taichi in with them—ignoring his protests and the offer of the keys—and gathered Tomoki, Elecmon, Takuya, Hyokomon, Aesop, Pal, Pul, Babamon, Jijimon and Leomon—who wanted to be fighting, but she needed him to protect those she was sending to safety.

She turned away from the door, and spotted Betamon cowering beneath Neptunemon's throne. She looked to Plutomon who nodded and closed the door, placing himself firmly in front of it, so that no enemy could follow those that were already being sent to safety. I just hoped that whoever the Oracle was would tell Coronamon how to get to the exit.

"My my," Gaia purred. "Look how the mighty crumble."

The Darkness sent Minervamon flying. I noticed that Gaia was simply toying with the Olympos XII. She was using the Darkness to keep them busy. There was a long distance between me and Plutomon, and now that I'd realized just how Gaia's plan was working, I noticed that Maugrim and Bitoru were no longer at her side. I gulped and tightened my hold on Wormmon. I needed him to stay safe. He was Kindness, and the world needed him. Tentomon buzzed close to my ear. He was sticking as close to me as he could. Dracomon was shivering like a leaf.

"Keep back!" Centarumon called, drawing my attention back towards Junomon. Maugrim was stalking towards her. She stood tall, but Maugrim didn't allow her to ready an attack. He wasn't stupid. He knew how much power the Olympos XII had at their disposal, and he knew that he wasn't privy to the Darkness that Gaia wielded so wildly. He flew at her, and knocked her to the ground, slicing at her wings with his gauntlet's blades. Centarumon utilized his distraction with Junomon to slip in and collect Betamon, who was absolutely terrified. Centarumon was running towards Plutomon when Maugrim realized his folly. He got off of Junomon, who was growing more furious by the second, and raced towards Centarumon, launching himself at the centaur and stabbing his gauntlet blades deep into my friend's flesh.

"Centarumon!" Tentomon screamed, as Centarumon was rendered nothing more than data. My heart clenched. Centarumon had been alive since the beginning of the Digital World—and now he was gone. It was hard to comprehend, and I didn't have time to do him justice right then. The Worlds were in peril, and I couldn't stop to think about a fallen comrade, no matter how much I cared about it.

Maugrim grabbed Betamon, and threw him to Bitoru, who was waiting in the wings. Junomon flew at Maugrim, trying to destroy him, but it was too late for Betamon, who was in Bitoru's grasp. Ogremon tried to club Bitoru as he passed, but Bitoru slipped by with relative ease, due in large part to his Instinct. Gaia sneered at Bitoru when he presented Betamon to her, but she stuck her hand inside him and turned him into a pure white orb anyway.

"Betamon," I gasped. My voice was wavering. I was going to cry. I forced my emotions away. I had Wormmon to protect. I had Tentomon to protect. Evelen had Dracomon at my side. We had three digimon that needed me to be as level headed as possible.

"Junomon, flee!" Jupitermon demanded, as the Darkness hit him again. Junomon wasn't pleased, but she understood that someone needed to watch over Lunamon and Coronamon, and she was powerful enough to do that—no one non-Olympos could manage it.

She threw Maugrim at Venusmon, who took pleasure in attacking him. She was reaching up to untie her blindfold, and I held my breath in anticipation. One look would be enough to get Maugrim out of the fight. But Gaia knew that too, and sent the Darkness after Venusmon before she was able to do anything.

"We need to hurry," Kouichi urged. The door was open again, accompanied by the sounds of heavy stone scraping against more stone, and this time Junomon was leading a group of her own through it. Ryou was being moved through the door between Izumi and Kouji, followed by Junpei, who was with their digimon (Psychemon, Yakiimon and Kokuwamon). Ogremon forced Goblimon through the doorway, who was fiercely protecting Armadillomon's egg, and then Plutomon forced Ogremon through, despite his protests, before tossing Benjamin and Gomamon through the door. He closed it, before we got there. I almost cried. We had three digimon that needed to get out of here.

"We must wait for them to find their path," Plutomon explained, even though it didn't make me feel any better. "It is only a minute."

A minute was more time than I was willing to give. Evelen and Dracomon were holding each other tightly, and Liollmon was standing in front of us all, growling, ready to defend everyone if necessary. It was brave, but it wouldn't help in the end.

We could do nothing but watch as Gaia decimated the Olympos XII. Jupitermon, Venussmon, Minervamon and Bacchusmon didn't stand a chance, but they were valiantly fighting regardless. The Darkness didn't seem capable of truly killing them, but it was definitely draining their strength from them with each blow it dealt.

"Now," Plutomon said solemnly. His voice was subtly urgent, and when I glanced towards Maugrim, I could see why. He was running at us. Plutomon opened the door, and shoved us all inside. I tripped over Kouichi's feet, and Tentomon had to catch me before I fell and crushed Wormmon. Evelen and Dracomon took the lead, and Liollmon was at the back—right in front of Plutomon. We were lead through a long path before two options became available to us. The walls were made of solid stone, and every thirty feet or so, a small ball of soft light kept us from tripping over ourselves. I heard the door opening behind us, and Evelen made a quick decision. She took any and every turn available as we ran, and Kouichi kept glancing over his shoulder to see whether Maugrim was still following or not.

After what seemed like forever, but was probably only fifteen minutes, we finally lost him. We were able to stop running and just breathe. It wasn't doing us any favours to have our feet slamming in hurried steps and our gasps for breath filling the air. We couldn't creep through the Labyrinth undetected that way. And, now that we weren't running frantically anymore, Plutomon was able to take the lead.

"Have you ever been in here before?" Evelen wanted to know, when he first took her job as leader.

"Millennia ago," Plutomon assured her. "I was here when it was built."

"And you remember the layout?" Kouichi asked, hopeful.

"Well enough," Plutomon assured him.

That was good enough for us. He led us through the Labyrinth for literally hours. We were pretty sure we were lost, but no one was brave enough to suggest that to Plutomon. He kept tilting his head, as though he could hear the others. He never said a word though, so I assumed that meant Maugrim wasn't coming.

There was one particular stretch of the Labyrinth that we stopped to linger in. Plutomon was upset at us, and I knew that it was mostly just Tentomon, Wormmon and I that were truly interested, though Kouichi became interested, when we explained what it was. It was a completed mural. _The_ mural from the library, but it wasn't broken up like it was between the shelves. The bottom wasn't marred and ruined. We could see the entire picture. And it was beautiful.

"This is what Koushiro has been looking for," Tentomon said in awe as we saw the giant mural that included all ten of the ancient digimon. Within each of those digimon, was an image of another digimon that was smaller. Kouichi ran his fingers over one of them, and declared it to be the spirit of darkness. I figured he'd know, having been able to use that particular spirit, and then he traced his fingers over a Rookie that was painted at the spirit's feet.

"This is me," Tentomon declared, drawing my eyes away from what looked to be Labramon. He was looking at the digimon of thunder, and sure enough there was a Tentomon at the bottom. "It's me. This is my life's story. This is what I don't remember. I only remember Koushiro, and wanting to find him. It's never sat right with me. I should have been able to remember my previous lives. But I couldn't."

"I'm not here," Wormmon murmured, kind of jealously, but he did seem to be genuinely happy for Tentomon. I wasn't sure I entirely understood what this mural was telling me, but I was pretty sure it was saying that there had been ten ancient digimon that held the power that would later become the spirits that the Original Digidestined would use. When those Digidestined left the Digital World, someone—most likely Gennai—took that data and created the digimon for the Digidestined. I was sure there was more to the story, since there were actually twenty-two digimon that were partnered to Digidestined, and only ten were in front of me.

"That's me, Evelen," Dracomon pointed excitedly.

"How interesting."

It wasn't Evelen that spoke. I stiffened, and turned to see Bitoru. He wasn't looking at us, but I knew he was very aware of our presence. He was fascinated by the mural on the wall. I started creeping down the hall towards Plutomon, who was preparing himself for a fight.

"Run!" Dracomon screamed, ruining whatever plans Plutomon had. Bitoru sighed, and magically summoned his knife. He wanted to stay with the mural and study it, but he seemed to remember he was working for Gaia now, and she expected him to provide her with the Crest bearers.

We scrambled down the hallway and Plutomon ushered us passed him, so that he could be between us and Bitoru. I was definitely questioning Jupitermon's opinion of Plutomon, because he seemed rather nice now that he wasn't fighting for the approval of all of the other Olympus XII members. Plutomon called out directions from the back of the procession, and we ended up toppling out of a hallway into an open room with a single stand in the middle of the room that held the Digimental of Strength. I stared for a moment in awe, because it looked more like an egg than any of the others. It was pure white, almost like a pearl and had four spikes growing out the top like a mohawk. I knew there wasn't time to admire the artifact, so I grabbed it off of the stand, and Plutomon hurried across the room and slammed his hand into the wall, which opened into a doorway to the outside world.

"Not so fast!" Bitoru called. "You've got something I need."

"Shut up, Bitoru," Evelen snapped. "We're not letting you destroy everything."

"She's giving me what I _need_ Evelen," Bitoru pleaded, and I could see distinct tears in his eyes. He was tugging at _my_ heartstrings and I didn't even truly understand. Evelen _did_.

"I'm not helping you," Evelen said, shaking her head. "I made the mistake of being selfish for my own needs and I couldn't live with it. Just let us go. _Please_."

"I can't do that," Bitoru said sadly. "She'll know."

"You're right. I will," Gaia said, stepping out of another hallway that led into this room. There were four others, and I wondered if we could risk racing through one of them, but it didn't seem likely. "Now, let this be simple. Give me the Digimental, and the Crests, and I'll let you on your way."

"And the Keys," Bitoru added. Gaia glared at him, but had to admit he was right, and looked to us expectantly.

"It's not going to happen," I said firmly. "I refuse."

"Yes, well, the dead don't refuse anything," Gaia said, raising her hand for the orb of Darkness to attack me. Plutomon jumped in front of me, standing with some difficulty within the column of black energy that was meant to send him flying. Gaia scowled and increased the power. Plutomon was the guardian of darkness though, and he had a stronger immunity to it than any of the accepted Olympos XII members did. It was the main reason they refused to accept him in the first place.

It was also really handy when he was saving my life.

"It's Gaia!" I heard Pal scream. I followed the sound of my little friend's voice and found that Pal and Pul were leading their group to the exit. Coronamon and Lunamon were behind them, and Babamon, Jijimon and Aesop were next. Where was Taichi though? My heart was in my throat. I needed to know where he was. But I couldn't go to find him. I had Wormmon _and_ the Digimental of Strength now.

"Turn back!" Pul announced.

"We can't," Aesop said. "Maugrim is that way."

"We're doomed," Babamon sighed.

"You all are," Gaia promised, turning up her power once more, and Plutomon finally couldn't withstand it, and was blasted off of the ground. She used her Darkness to fling us all around. I flew into the wall, and I knew Evelen held tightly to Dracomon as they flew in the opposite direction. Gaia abused the Darkness until she had Tentomon singled out, and then she took him in a flash of violet light. I cried, but I needed to keep Wormmon safe, so I tried to keep myself quiet. Bitoru came to me and picked up the Digimental of Strength. I kicked him, making him drop it, and I looked to Pal and Pul as I clutched it to my chest. To my surprise, they started glowing.

" _ **Pal warp digivolve to… Beelstarrmon!**_ "

" _ **Pul warp digivolve to… Beelzemon!**_ "

Both were clad in leather, and wielding guns. They were taller than me, and looked rather humanoid. Pal was wearing some rather risqué attire that I would have to get used to, and Pul was a tough guy. They looked to each other in surprise, before cheering. Their voices weren't those of children anymore. They were deeper, more mature. But I could see they still held their playful personalities—something that was bound to be dangerous now that they carried guns.

I tried to ignore that they had become the same race of digimon as the Gluttony creature that had infected Taichi in such horrible ways three years ago.

The two of them started fighting Bitoru, who was growing frustrated, since his Instinct wasn't helping him all that much. It didn't take a genius to realize he couldn't prepare for an attack that wasn't prepared itself. Pal and Pul _never_ thought ahead. That was part of their charm. It was amazing that their stubborn, rash nature was actually helping to keep Wormmon alive.

Now that I wasn't in danger of death in the imminent future, I was able to look back over to the others of Taichi's group. I was relieved to find that more had come, and that they weren't waiting in the mouth of the hallway with Maugrim behind them anymore. They were over by the door. Leomon was shoving Babamon and Jijimon through, and with a quick headcount, I realized that they'd also sent Coronamon, Lunamon, Liollmon and Kouichi out. They were trying to get Taichi out right then, but he wasn't cooperating. He wasn't doing much of anything. He was battered, and bleeding, and being suspended between Takuya and Tomoki's also battered shoulders. When Maugrim walked into the chamber moments later, I realized why they were faring so badly. He was holding the keys, looking proud of himself. Taichi was protesting the retreat that was being forced on him because he felt like a failure—not because he was a stubborn idiot that kept forgetting he was holding the keys in his pocket.

I held the Digimental and Wormmon tighter as I clambered to my feet. Maugrim glanced passed me and narrowed in on his next target: Evelen. She still held Dracomon, and I assumed Maugrim thought she'd cooperate with him, since he was her father. He thought wrong. Maugrim grabbed hold of Dracomon, and when he did, Evelen launched herself at him, shoving Dracomon behind her. I tried to watch this father-daughter fight, because I really wanted Evelen to get a few good shots in, but Junomon had finally arrived, and with her, she brought the rest of our rebellion. She quickly ushered them towards the door, getting Izumi, Yakiimon, Junpei, Kokuwamon, Kouji, Psychemon, Benjamin and Ryou out the door before Gaia sent the Darkness after her. Ogremon acted quickly and got Goblimon and the egg out the door, before racing back for Gomamon—but he was too late. Gomamon had tried to run to the door himself, and Gaia caught him by the tail. He turned sharply onto his back and scratched out to her, getting her forarm pretty good, but it only upset her further. As she released him he attempted an escape, leaping into the air, but Gaia's fury bested him and she plunged her hand deep into his body, turning him into a silver orb, and adding the ball of light to the larger orb, just as she had with Tentomon and Betamon.

She turned to Ogremon who realized he was beaten and ran out of there, knowing there was nothing he could do here—but he wasn't happy about it. While Evelen and Maugrim fought, Aesop was escorting Tomoki and Takuya's partners, Elecmon and Hyokomon, out the door. He chose to stay inside, however, because he would not abandon this fight, even though he could not hope to win. He moved towards Beelstarrmon and Beelzemon, fretting over the fight between them and Bitoru.

Gaia, now having no enemy to fight of her own, slipped in behind Dracomon, and stabbed her hand inside his chest, causing him to cry out frantically. Evelen was distracted, and her father threw her to the side. She tried to get up, but she could do little more than watch, heartbroken, as Dracomon was reduced to nothing more than a ball of plum coloured light.

Wormmon was the only one left. I gulped and started moving towards the exit as fast as I could. I had the Digimental and I had the final Crest. I needed to keep moving. Leomon was dragging the still form of Plutomon through the doorway, and Junomon was left. Evelen forced herself to her feet, and made her way to Junomon, to lend a hand.

I was almost there! My breath caught in my throat. I stopped moving. I couldn't understand why, until I realized that Maugrim's hands had closed around my throat. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move. He took the Digitmental from my hand, and Wormmon fell from my lax fingers. He scuttled across the floor, trying to make it the final ten feet, but Gaia put her foot on him, and her hand quickly disappeared within his tiny form silencing his panicked screams. He was magenta light only moments later.

"Maugrim, you got what you wanted. Let her go!" Aesop called, and Maugrim did as requested, dropping me on the floor. As I was gasping for breath Maugrim turned to face his pseudo-father, while Gaia put Wormmon's light into the now completed orb. She smiled, pleased with herself.

"Maugrim," Gaia called. "We must go. The worlds are ours for the taking."

"Where to first?" Maugrim asked, holding out the keys.

Gaia simply looked to me and smiled maliciously. "We should first go to this girl's home world, should we not?" Maugrim grunted his approval. "But then we will get Astamon." Her eyes flicked to my stomach where I still had an ugly scar from his gun. "We wouldn't want to lose a faithful ally. He has been ever so patient."

I scowled at her, as I pushed myself to my feet. I made a grab for the Digimental, but Maugrim kicked me away. The air left my lungs and I slammed into the stone wall. Beelzemon and Beelstarrmon turned to him in anger. But Gaia had already selected the key to Earth out of the collection, and had opened a door. They stepped through, followed by Bitoru—who hesitated and glanced at Aesop, before following his father. The door closed, just before Beelstarrmon and Beelzemon could get there, and once the door was closed, they reverted into the PetitMamon that they usually were. The yelled angrily where the door once was before they flew at me, to check me over.

I wasn't okay. I was only battered a little, but my heart was heavy. We'd failed the digimon. We'd failed our friends. We'd failed the worlds.

Gaia won.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** The middle time skip arc is finished and we're jumping into the next and (final?) arc of the story! The next chapter is told in the perspective of Alias III and we'll get a chance to really see what they've been up to!


	45. What I Did For Love

**Y/N:** I loved this chapter. It doesn't flow flawlessly, but it was one of my favourites to write, because of the four narrators that take control. It's honestly my favourite group of people. I hope you enjoy it too.

 **U/N:** I would like to apologize for the randomly long wait between our last chapter and this one. It's been more than a month, so sorry. We both just got new computers and the files were all over the place and we were also super busy but we're back and hopefully we can post the rest of this story before the end of May (I'm literally so positive that will happen) Thanks for not getting too impatient waiting or whatever, and here's this. It's finally time to see what the humans were doing during the year or so that the digimon told. It's kind of a jumpy chapter, because it has to make up a lot of time, but we had some fun here. Anyway. Enjoy!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 45: What I Did For Love**

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

"Neo, where are we going?" Hideto asked, sounding rather exhausted. I didn't blame him. We had said a rather emotionally draining farewell to our partners and to Rei and there was nothing I wanted more than to simply return to my quiet and peaceful home that was shrouded in mystery and sip some nice calming tea before getting to work on a long nap. That was simply out of the question however. I had lost my job now, and while I was not foolish enough to have nothing sustaining me—I had invested my money wisely—I would still have to find a job to continue existing at all.

That too would have to wait however, because I had a much more pressing matter to take care of.

"Would you keep quiet and follow along, Hideto?" I asked him as politely as I could.

Hideto looked over his shoulder to Aneko, Mari and Kiyoko who were moving much slower than I'd have liked them to. I would not ask them to keep up, mostly because Mari would not take kindly to a selfish order at the moment, but also because I did not want them to feel attacked. I was not a kind person, but I was kind _enough_ to know that right now, they were hurting. "Neo?"

"Yes, Hideto."

"Uhm," he said, keeping his voice down to a whisper. "I need a change." I looked to him, confused, but chose to say nothing for fear of Kiyoko and Mari overhearing. Hideto's whispered tones were enough proof that he did not want them in on his secret. He looked back once more to Kiyoko and Mari and then shook his head. "Never mind, it's stupid."

I did not press into his personal matters because they did not matter to me. As long as Hideto was in my life I did not care what he did with the rest of his time. That was his choice. Instead the five of us walked in total silence down the street. It was rather unsettling to pass so many cheerful people, and I was rather pleased when we finally made our way out of the more populated areas. It was when we came closer to our destination that I finally turned to the three of them to speak.

"Now," I told them, startling Kiyoko into paying attention. "I know these are not the most propitious conditions, and I apologize in advance for what I am forcing you into, but you have always trusted me before, and that is all I ask now."

Mari looked rather worried. "What do you mean?" she asked, brushing some stray hair behind her ears. "Why are we here?"

"Where are we?" Kiyoko added, looking around with confusion on his face.

"We have arrived at the campsite," I told them vaguely. I turned away from them and took a deep breath of fresh air before diving into the mess. Walking down the trail toward where Maugrim had set up his tents was more stressful than anything else. I knew what was coming and I simply wanted to avoid it, but there was no choice.

I heard Aneko whisper behind me "Is this dangerous?" When I looked to her to put her worries to rest it was too late, Mari had already done the job and was holding Aneko's hand firmly in hers.

And then all at once we came into the clearing. I could see the dirty green and grey tents that had been set up for months, and I saw grass that had been worn in a trail to the outhouses that I could—if I looked harder I was sure—see toxic fumes emanating from. The putrid balls of sludge that referred to themselves as humans slinked around the tents, interacting with one another. A particularly robust human was splashing in a puddle of filthy water that she had created by using the tap that was meant for washing up after using the outhouse. It was probably _covered_ with bacteria.

I felt dizzy from the disgust and knew I would not last long in this location. I would have to act quickly.

Of course when I heard the voice I was searching for I nearly regretting coming at all. I was met with an instantaneous headache and I stopped in my tracks. Hideto bumped into me and I nearly panicked. I did not care _how_ clean Hideto was, I did not want to be touched in a place such as this. I moved quicker to the place where I found Kansui sitting atop a barrel turned on its side.

"LISTEN TO ME!" he bellowed, and yet not a single person turned his way. It seemed that the people were finally thinking of their own accord. I found that odd and made my way to Kansui, careful to slip between the figures and never touch any of them. With my arms folded and my hands twitching uncomfortably above my head I finally came near enough to Kansui that he caught sight of me. "ROOMIE!" he called out, flinging himself out to me to embrace me like the foolish child he was.

I held my arm out and my fingers wrapped around his face as I pushed him further away. "Kansui you petulant idiot, step back." Kansui was shocked and jumped back, finally taking in the sight of my company.

"Who is your _lovely_ friend, Neo?" Kansui asked, batting his eyes in an attempt to be alluring.

"That's Kiyoko," I said, blatantly ignoring that his eyes were focused on Mari. Kansui looked ready to object, but when Kiyoko giggled, Kansui found pleasure in helping make someone laugh. "Kansui I'm afraid I'm not here with good news."

Kansui scoffed and leaned against his barrel as if his day had been _oh_ so troubling. With his eyes rolled back into his head he said, "Tell me the good news first, Neo!" He straightened up and pointed out at random to one of the surrounding filth specimens. "You there! Have you finished your chores?"

"I told you not to talk to me, you—"

Upon the woman's words I turned to Mari quickly and she threw her hands over Aneko's ears so she did not hear the profanities. Kansui held out his hands as if to showcase just how troubling his day was. "It seems that Father's spell has worn off, these people are acting of their own free will again. How awful, right?"

"Spell?" Kiyoko asked.

Kansui nodded his head fervently. "These people have been taken from their normal mundane lives and given a greater purpose. Father planted a seed in their brains. He does that, you see. He loves war. He builds armies in his spare time. In every world he has ever been to he has done this, and the seeds will activate if he is near enough."

Kiyoko looked flabbergasted, and Hideto was ready to knock Kansui out, but I held my hand out to stop him. It was not Kansui who did the deed and truly he would be against it if he had a mind of his own. Instead he simply wanted the approval of someone he cared for, and it was rather sad that his father would never give him that. When Aneko gasped and said "That's awful!" Kansui rolled his eyes.

" _You're_ awful," Kansui said in a voice that was purposefully droll. Aneko scowled at him, but I ignored their interaction. It did let me know that this was the right choice however, because when Hideto and Mari had fist met, they did not get along either. "So what's this bad news?"

I was sure that no one had ever thought of me as a person they would like to hear troubling news from, but as I had no intention of beating around any bush, Kansui would soon be hit with a rather hard truth. "Your father, sister and brother have all been kept in a separate world that we no longer have access to. The passages may never be open to the public again and it seems that as of right now, you will never see your family again."

Kansui's eyes widened in shock and in horror and he gasped out, unable to form words. Hideto elbowed me sharply, not amused by my attempt to spread the news. Kansui doubled over and for a moment I thought he might vomit, and so I took a step back. When Kansui pulled himself back upright, he reached to me for support. I shoved Hideto in the way instead and Kansui grabbed his shoulder, wheezing on air, unable to form a cohesive thought.

"Oh pull yourself together, you twat," I rolled my eyes and once again Hideto elbowed me. I ignored him. "Kansui, come with me, I would like to show you something."

"W-w-w-what?" Kansui's staggered response came out in a very choked off way.

"Your new home," I told him kindly. "Pack your things."

Kansui, still bug-eyed, nodded and hurried off to his tent, dragging Hideto along with him to help. I turned to Mari, Aneko and Kiyoko, all of whom were worried that perhaps I had lost my mind, but when finally Kansui and Hideto were back, Kansui holding a small bag and Hideto dragging several large suitcases, I decided it was time to go.

Kansui helpfully informed us all that he would come back for the rest of his stuff later, and Mari and Kiyoko both took some of the load from Hideto, but I simply led the way back. I had previously called for a large taxi to come pick us up and when we arrived at the road, I put my gloves on while we waited. When finally a large van pulled up, I pulled open the door and allowed the others to load the back with Kansui's things. The taxi was tidy, but I knew it was misleading. The general population did not know how to properly clean _anything_.

But it did not matter, for we soon arrived outside my apartment building. Hideto looked to me curiously, but Kiyoko and Mari both seemed rather shocked. Neither had ever been inside, and were obviously looking forward to the unveiling of my home.

We took several trips up and down the elevator to carry all of Kansui's things, and then finally we were opening the door to my home.

Kansui went to take a large step inside but my hand shot out in front of him and I held tight to the doorframe, stopping him. "If you make a mess in my house, I will destroy everything you care about while you watch from a place nearby, tied to a radiator that is rigged to slowly warm up until it is hot enough that it will burn through your flesh."

Kansui looked shocked and then nodded. "Sure thing, _Roomie_!" He clapped me on the back, apparently forgetting about his lost family. He ducked under my arm and leapt into the room excitedly.

I followed him in while the rest of our procession made their way in with all of Kansui's things. "I would ask all of you to keep yourselves confined to one room. We have all come from a terrible experience out at the campsite, and I do not want to have to clean every room of my house with such intensity, so simply stay here if you woul—"

"Neo, your bed is _huge_!" Kansui cried out before laughing like a maniac and leaping from the doorway of my bedroom to my bed.

I felt my eye twitch and Hideto reacted quickly, dropping the luggage and hurrying off to get Kansui before I did something I would regret. Mari and Kiyoko simply looked around at the vast open space of my wonderful home and were hopefully taking notes on how to keep _their_ home just as nice. Though, their library was one of three places I had ever been to that did not make me shudder in disgust.

When finally Hideto was back, dragging Kansui behind him, I asked them all to sit on my couch. I regretted that immediately as Kansui threw his feet up onto my expensive coffee table. Kiyoko put his hand gently on Kansui's shoulder and shook his head. Kansui listened and slowly retracted his feet.

"Why are we here?" Mari wanted to know.

"Because we are Alias III," I told them simply. Mari, Kiyoko and Hideto all looked daringly toward Kansui and I simply shrugged. "I made Alias III and I can add whoever I want, no matter how temporary." They relaxed at the idea of it being less permanent. "This is an official meeting."

"We haven't had a meeting in a long time!" Kiyoko pointed out.

"That is because we did not have a goal to work toward," I told him simply. "We now do."

"And what's that?" Hideto scoffed.

"We are going to take over the world." All three of them looked amused, but Kansui laughed loudly. Aneko looked momentarily worried, but then nodded her head, thinking she would at least hear me out.

"Déjà vu," Hideto rolled his eyes and leaned back into the couch feeling rather annoyed that I had bothered to bring him out for this. I was annoyed that _he_ was annoyed.

I began pacing back and forth in the room, thinking of how to best respond. "I'm not surprised you feel that way," I told him. "We've done it before. Last time we were granted access to the Digital World."

"Neo—" Mari started.

"Don't you worry, Mari," I assured her, cutting into her protest. "I would not suggest this if I did not have the confidence it would work."

"But it isn't safe," Mari noted.

"It _will_ be," I promised. "I know it will be, because before we open the barrier, we have to take out the danger and put something else in its place. So, we need to make a plan."

"But the danger is Rida," Kiyoko said nervously. "We would have to get him out of his position in power and get someone else—someone more reliable into the position and that just seems..." Kiyoko trailed off and one by one they all seemed to see my point. They all looked to me with a mixture of pity and amusement.

I nodded my head. "Right you are, Kiyoko. We have to put someone else in charge of representing our country, and who better than me?"

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

"I'm thinking that purple and green aren't the best choices for wedding colours," Mimi said, biting her lip. "I really want to include them, because those are our Crests, and Palmon's green too, and Jezebel is purple. Tentomon's red though, and red and green would be worse than purple and green, don't you think? I want Palmon to be important on my special day, even if she's not allowed to be here because of Taichi. I understand why he did it, I really do. I just wish he could have safely waited at least a year so that I had my flower girl for my wedding. Palmon and I always talked about what my dream wedding would be, and she was very adamant about being the flower girl—she was practically _made_ for the role, right?" Mimi said, rambling on and on while holding out random swatches of material in shades of green and purple that looked nothing like hers and Koushiro's crests. The lilac was pretty, and I might've suggested it, if it hadn't been the colour of Desire.

Mimi would have gotten a kicked puppy look on her face and wanted to talk about my feelings, because for some reason she just couldn't get it through her thick skull that I had been the one to break up with Kiyoko. No one believed it though. Sora was absolutely flabbergasted, and really, her and Mimi were the main ones outside of Alias III that had invested themselves in the matter. It was ridiculous. Sora seemed to think it was a personal attack, because we were in love. And we were—which was probably why no one understood why we'd broken up.

It was complicated though.

" _We need to talk, Kiyoko," I told him._

" _Now?" he asked. His head was bent over a pile of textbooks. He was studying to get his high school diploma so that he could start working his way through the schooling he would need to become a legitimate architect, since Taichi wasn't around to let him get away without a proper education anymore.._

" _Yeah," I said. I took a deep breath. I could do this. I'd waited two weeks. The blow would be lessened now that it wasn't piled on top of the loss of Tapirmon, Warg, Melga, Lalamon, Dracomon and Gravimon. He was getting better, even if he wasn't happy yet. I just needed to rip off the Band-Aid and just spit it out. "I'm moving out of the library. I can't stay here forever you know, I need to become more independent. I can't stick around only for reassurances."_

" _What about me?" he asked with a tiny, hurt voice. He wasn't looking away from his textbooks, and I could see why. His lip was quivering, and I felt like the biggest jerk in the world. But I needed to do this. "Why can't you stick around for me?"_

" _Because I need to set you free," I said, though it was one of the hardest things to force out of my mouth. "I'm holding you back. We both know it. We're not in the same place right now."_

" _But I love you," Kiyoko said quickly, and I cursed myself for instantly feeling reassured. He pried his eyes off the pages and looked deeply into my own. His eyes were glistening, and he looked scared. "I love you a lot, and I don't_ want _you to leave. What did I do wrong? I can fix it. I can. Just tell me what to do."_

" _That's it right there," I said. "I can't tell you what to do. You're independent now, even if you don't want us to know it. You need to stand on your own two feet…and me…I need to learn to do that too. We're too codependent Kiyoko, and you're further on that journey to independence than I am. It's not something you can help me with. And I don't know how long it will take. So I'm going to set you free. You can date other people if you want to. I'll try not to mind too much."_

" _I just want you," Kiyoko said firmly. "I can wait."_

" _I don't want you to put your life on hold though," I said, though I did feel hopeful that he would wait for me. I didn't want to be with anyone other than him either, but we weren't in a healthy place individually, so our relationship wasn't going to last if we just continued the way we were now. "You need to keep living and figuring out what you want with your future. I'll do the same."_

" _You're really breaking up with me?" he asked in a small voice._

" _Yes," I said, nodding my head. "I'll be better off on my own. I won't let myself actually grow if you guys are around to help me with everything. I need to branch off and find out who I am before I can really give myself to you properly."_

" _I'll wait," he insisted. "I love you."_

" _I love you too," I whispered, before heading to my bedroom—which had actually been Mari's room, since Aneko had taken mine._

And instead of waiting, like he'd said he would, he was across the room, glancing at the clock every few minutes because he had a _date_ tonight. Everyone had gathered to wallow in our misery without our partners—or, you know, to celebrate Christmas, which we didn't normally do, just because Sora had been bored out of her mind and started making Christmas presents just for something to do whilst she was under lock and key before her trial. I might've been the only wallowing, and it was only partly because Warg and Melga weren't around. It was mostly because Kiyoko had a date, and it wasn't with me. I'd _told_ him that I'd try not to mind, but I was having a tough time of it.

Mari was the backstabber that suggested he go out and have some fun. He needed to date other people to know if he really wanted to be with me. He hadn't really dated anyone that he wasn't obsessively in love with before—which just meant me, and _Sigma,_ in a twisted sort of way. I could see things from Mari's point of view, but I didn't want to watch the guy I was in love with go around and date a new guy every week. And Kiyoko was cute, and sweet, and _confident_ now, so I knew he'd be getting dates. There wasn't a doubt in my mind.

Instead of getting dates on my own, or even bettering myself as a person, I'd fled my new apartment—I couldn't find it in me to refer to it as _home_ —to this party just because I was afraid of truly connecting with my brother. He was my roommate now, because Kansui had taken Neo's spare space, moments before I could actually ask to use it. It was probably better this way, because Puraido was literally a symbol of the past that I was trying to overcome, but it was so much harder than I expected to actually talk to him. I had so much resentment for him that no matter how nice he acted, I couldn't stop searching for some hidden manipulation.

I was a bigger mess than I was before—and Kiyoko wasn't. It was amazing to watch him really blossom into the person he was meant to be. But I guess I was jealous that he wasn't having as much trouble as I was.

Willis was talking to him, laughing each time Kiyoko looked to the clock in anticipation, even though he had over an hour before he needed to leave. Mari and Aneko were with them, and Neo was just lurking by the coffee machine, looking absolutely horrified as Kansui tried to flirt with Sora. Sora was laughing at the attention, but kept glancing at Yamato—who was too busy to notice, because everyone was so excited to talk to him about his upcoming plans for the coming year. He was finally putting that astronaut training to good use, and was going to the freaking moon.

I actually wasn't jealous of him, because I didn't think I wanted to be alone in that vast emptiness that made up space. I wasn't ready to be that isolated, but if that's what he wanted, I supported him. I just hoped he kept making _good_ music when he was up there. The Teenage Wolves—their new name was still up for debate—had made a triumphant comeback and were at the top of the charts once again. I didn't want Yamato to screw that up by taking a year off just to look at a giant rock that orbited the planet. He could look at it just by going outside at night, but you know, I was supportive, I guess.

"Are you even listening to me?" Mimi whined. I nodded, and she raised her eyebrow at me, silently demanding I tell her exactly what she'd _just_ said, and I winced. She looked superior and started to repeat herself. "I need your help, Hideto. Koushiro's still in rehab. He's doing really well, which means he'll definitely be back in time for the wedding, but it could be close, depending on how much time he wants to dedicate to getting clean. He doesn't want to fall into the old habit for any reason. I don't want that either, and I don't want our _wedding_ to be something that stresses him out enough to be tempted. I'm supposed to plan it on my own, but there's just too much. I need opinions. Now tell me, what colours should I pick?"

"Champaign, burgundy and lace," I said, firing off the first combination that came to mind. It didn't have purple or green in it, and I could see her brow furrowing, so I sighed. "There's red—with the burgundy—for Tentomon, and then you can put together floral arrangements with lots of deep greenery for Palmon. It's tasteful, it's classy, and it's not blatantly obvious where your colours came from."

"Thanks," Mimi said, nodding to herself. She pulled out a flower catalogue though, and I knew I wasn't done helping her. When I'd helped her plan out her proposal, I hadn't realized I was signing on to help with the entire thing. I was pretty sure Jun was making a legitimate career out of this. Why couldn't she ask her?

Mimi's proposal was actually pretty funny. She was trying to make it modern and romantic and sweet, but she just embarrassed Koushiro in front of the entirety of her customers.

" _Thank you all for attending the grand re-opening of Mimi's," she said, looking around at all of the hungry diners. She smiled brightly. "Now, before I get my waiters out here taking your order, I just hoped that you could all share in a special moment in my life. I'm very excited about it."_

 _She stopped talking and pulled a ring box out of her pocket. She waltzed over to Koushiro who hadn't been paying attention at all, since he was editing the menu for any lingering spelling mistakes. She got down on one knee in front of him and cleared her throat loudly. He looked at her and flushed, and got out of his chair, backing towards the wall._

" _Koushiro Izumi," Mimi called loudly."I love you with everything I've got. Will you let me be your substitute for those drugs? Will you lean on me instead of them for the rest of your life?"_

" _I guess…" he said, looking nowhere but his feet. Mimi had just declared his drug addiction to the crowd of people and he was still very embarrassed about the whole thing. She was getting a final dig in, because she was still so mad, but she wanted to marry him. It was all very…_ Mimi _._

" _Yay!" Mimi shouted, jumping to her feet and putting the ring on her own finger. "Okay, Hideto, get out here and take their orders. I'm getting married!"_

By the time I'd managed to talk Mimi into asking _Sora_ about the flowers, Kiyoko had ducked out of the celebration and had headed off to his date. I wasn't feeling much like celebrating after that, so I headed out myself. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and just sleep forever. But I couldn't do that. I still had a detour to make. It was important. It was Alias III business.

" _You're kidding, right?" I asked, when Neo announced his intentions to take Rida's place in order to make everything safer for digimon._

" _I'm not," Neo assured me. "I never kid."_

" _Very true," Mari commented. "What do you want from us?"_

" _What can you bring to the table?" Neo asked. "Rida needs to be stopped and I need to know that you're not holding anything back. He's getting bills passed right, left and centre. There were no laws against digimon last week, now there are three. He's going to keep progressing until someone stands up and stops him. He's furious that Taichi got the better of him. An angered person is easy to surpass. The anger will cloud his judgement and allow us to get what we want. Now tell me: what do you have to offer?"_

" _Money," Kansui said quickly, rubbing his fingers together excitedly._

" _Good," Neo commented. "You can foot the bill." Kansui actually looked excited to be paying for everything, and that made me more excited about the whole concept. I could do anything and it wouldn't cost me a thing. It was a little freer than it had been last time, at least._

" _I'll work on getting to the Digital World," Kiyoko offered. "I was there when Sigma did it last time, I can try to recreate the same thing."_

" _I'm ruthless," Mari said, shrugging her shoulders._

" _It took you forever to find something to do last time," I said with a snort._

" _I've already got ideas," Mari promised, with a wicked glint in her eyes._

" _I can make cookies!" Aneko said excitedly. Neo looked a little disappointed, but everyone else thought it was a good contribution. Neo forced a smile at her and she beamed. Then he looked at me._

" _I don't know yet," I told him. "I'll figure it out."_

" _Do that."_

And I had figured it out. If there was one thing that made living with Puraido worthwhile—and it really was one of only a few things—was that he knew our parents inside and out. And according to the official ballots, my father would be running to take Rida's place in the upcoming election. Rida was too risky now that the public knew too much, but he'd be taking another slot on the ballot, just in case he could pull of a win. EVOLVE was desperate to keep their place in the government.

There was a little journalist I could talk to that could discredit my parents and cause a scandal that would ruin their ranking in the election. I was just waiting for Neo to say the word. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. The message simply read: Do it.

So I pressed the buzzer for Katsue's apartment, and she buzzed me in. We had work to do.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

"Okay, now sit tight and look pretty," Katsue told Neo. He was in the studio, and she had the Teenage Wolves filming him for campaign videos. He wasn't an official candidate, because he'd missed the deadline, and he could only win with an overwhelming number of write in votes. We needed to work extra diligently to secure those votes. We needed Neo to win. In a perfect world, we would have had more than one candidate running, like EVOLVE _had_ —before Hideto got his parents to drop out of the running with a few well placed magazine exclusives that Katsue really had too much fun writing.

Katsue shut the door of the studio, and came to sit next to Amai and I. Amai instantly sought out her hand, without even looking up from the posters we were making. Amai was painting Angemon behind a headshot of Neo, and I didn't want to correct her, because I knew that Angemon would get more votes for our cause than a large dragon would—even if I knew that Dracomon would be upset that he wasn't included. I drew an overly cartooned version of him holding up a sign that said to vote for Neo Saiba on my poster, just for him.

I missed him. I missed Tapirmon, Gravimon, Rei and all the rest too. I even missed Hideto, and we weren't even separated by the worlds. It was an interesting time in my life, that was for sure. It was already March, and we'd been working on this campaign since we'd been separated from our partners back in November. We'd made _some_ progress, but we were all working on multiple things at once, and it was actually holding us back.

Once I'd gotten my high school diploma out of the way, I had a bit more free time to dedicate to breaking through the barriers that Norn had solidified. It wasn't long though, before I started taking online courses that would allow me some flexibility with my class times, but still ate up a large portion of my day. I wanted to become a certified architect. It was my dream. I'd had a taste of it while in the Digital World, but now I needed to earn it.

It wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. The classes were kind of boring—though it was mostly because I'd already made legitimate buildings already, and this was just boring by comparison. I had taken a well deserved break to come over to Mr Ishida's work studios to make election videos for Neo, and Amai had asked me to help her paint posters, and I just couldn't say no to her. I got along so well with her that it was basically magical. I'd never found someone outside of Alias III that I connected to so quickly and effortlessly. Even Koushiro was difficult to get to know. But Amai was open and loving and beautiful. She was also oddly creative. I could see why people might call her crazy, but I knew she wasn't. She just saw the world through different eyes. And she was so intelligent because of it.

"Haven't you ever seen two girls hold hands before?" Katsue asked, making me realize I'd zoned out staring at them. I flushed and nodded. "What's the deal then?"

"You're in love," I said.

"And…?" Katsue wanted to know.

"Me too," I sighed.

"Oh, you and Hideto worked out your problems?" Amai asked excitedly. "That's so good. I didn't like it when you were both super sad when you didn't need to be. You're good together."

"We're not together," I said, shaking my head. "I'm dating lots of people now. It's not the same, and I never date the same guy twice, because they're not Hideto."

"Then who're you in love with?" Katsue asked, squeezing Amai's hand. I smiled again. They were so cute together. I knew that Katsue got really defensive, and I was afraid that it was because of her mother—who she didn't really like talking about. I knew what it was like to have parents that didn't accept me. I didn't know it for very long, since they kicked me out immediately.

"Life," I said, though I was sad now, because I thought of my parents again. It was hard, knowing that Koushiro was my cousin, but that Yoshie wasn't my aunt, not really. She kept saying she could be, but it wasn't the same. Koushiro was my only family, and we got along, I guess, but it wasn't enough. I couldn't exactly just go out there and get a family, but I _wanted_ one. I was trying not to let it get me down, because I was supposed to be working on accepting my independence, but it was something that was persistently in the back of my mind.

I noticed Amai wanted to say something, probably to make me smile again, because she really liked smiles—she said they were like rainbows and puppies and sunshine all wrapped into one—but she didn't get the chance, because my cell phone started dancing across the table, since it was set to vibrate. I held a finger up, asking her to hold that thought, and she mimicked zipping her lips shut and smiled brightly. I accepted the call immediately when I saw who it was coming from.

"Willis!" I said happily, smiling. Amai giggled and started painting again, happy that I was smiling. Katsue was smiling a little too. It was practically a perfect moment. I was so glad I decided to get them to help on this project. The only thing that might've made it better was if Willis told me that Rida dropped out of the race, leaving Neo as pretty much the only other option.

"Hey," he said.

"Where are you?" I wanted to know. He'd been in Africa until Christmas, and then he went to Brazil afterwards.

"Peru, actually," he said. "I just wanted tell you to check Michael out on social media. He's got all the platforms. I'm not sure how good at English you are, but he's really rallying support for digimon right now. He's going all pro-digimon, and a lot of people are jumping on board. Hollywood loves a good equal rights movement, and everyone loves Hollywood. He's going on a talk show next week. It's going to be great. I'll have to look it up on the internet, because it's not available in Peru, but I'm pretty proud of him."

"I'll look it up too," I promised him. "And I can understand English…mostly."

"Oh, good," he said, thrilled by the fact. He rattled off all of Michael's user names for several different media platforms and then I heard someone speaking what I guessed to be Spanish in the background. Willis rattled of a few sentences in that same language, and I was impressed yet again by his sponge-like ability to soak up languages. He'd learned Japanese as a kid after all. "Sorry, that was my tour guide. The tour to Machu Picchu's starting now, so I've got to go. Just keep an eye on Michael, okay? I think he's going to be doing a lot of good."

"I'll keep an eye out," I promised, and then he hung up. I was glad he was enjoying his trip around the world. It was good that he was discovering himself, just like Hideto and I were—and Mari too. It made me feel less alone in my journey, without needing someone to hold my hand and drag me through it. I liked it. And Willis was one of my best friends. He might've _been_ my best friend, if I excluded Alias III, if it wasn't for Amai. She was a tough competitor, and I loved her to pieces.

I couldn't decide between them.

"You know what I was thinking," Amai said. "Social media is really handy, in that it gets ideas out there, but it's not the only way to do things. We had to do it differently not too long ago, when we were first getting our footing. Why doesn't Neo make a big speech at the next RISE meeting? That's how Shin got his positive message circulating. Wouldn't it work for Neo too?"

"RISE are very much digimon supporters," Katsue murmured. "And their numbers are growing each month. This could actually work in our favour. You're brilliant, Amai."

"Thank you," Amai said happily, before going back to painting. "I like it when everyone can band together and take out the bullies and make everyone happy. I want all the digimon to be happy. DemiDevimon wants that too."

"Monimon and I want that too, you know," Katsue reminded her.

"Of course I know that," Amai said with a kind smile. "There are lots of digimon around that support that too. Neo can get support for them. RISE would help. They're good people."

"I'll start working on some important points Neo's going to want to cover," I said, nodding to her. I pulled out a fresh piece of paper and started jotting words down. "Neo won't ever lie, so he might be a tough sell."

"But he's a Digidestined," Amai said, crinkling her nose happily, before reaching over to pet my nose. "RISE knows that the Digidestined fight for digmon rights, and for humans too. They want peace and prosperity. They want everyone to get along. There's nothing wrong with anything that the Digidestined stand for."

"I'll be sure to keep him away from phrases like 'total world domination' and other crazy statements like that," I decided.

"Would he really say those?" Amai asked with wide eyes, as her finger moved to pet my eyebrow instead of my nose. I nodded with a heavy sigh. She giggled. "That's pretty scary."

"He's a pretty intense guy," I agreed. "When is the next meeting? I need to get this ready, and get him prepared."

"I think it's….tonight," Amai said, counting the days aloud. "Yes. It is most definitely tonight."

"Oh," I said, mentally rescheduling the process of editing these propaganda videos. I needed the time for this speech. Neo wouldn't have time to figure anything out. He was liable to go off books and make things up on his own, but I could say that I tried at least. Katsue took the paper from me and read over my notes, sighing at the sight of them.

"This mission of yours is a lot to take on," she said. "Aren't you supposed to be enjoying your lives and putting all of this stuff behind you? Isn't that what Taichi suggested?"

"Since when does Neo listen to _Taichi_?" I asked, crinkling my nose. We all laughed, and hurried to finish our work. Katsue was right. This was a huge undertaking, and we had a long way to go before we could even hope to come out victorious.

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

"I love bagels," Aneko said ravenously before shoving the food into her face. I looked to her, feeling rather amused, and in the end I decided to go ahead and eat my own bagel as well. It was only fair. I didn't have to wait until I got home anymore because now I had someone to look silly with. We were walking through the park as a shortcut back to the library. I didn't care what anyone said, living in Ebisu was the best decision of my life. It was always beautiful, and calm and peaceful and there was nothing that could ever stand in the way of happiness. Nothing. Not even Marshall. "Isn't that—?"

"It is," I confirmed, breaking eye contact. "Try not to look directly at him. It might set him off."

"Right," Aneko agreed, nodding her head. "Are you gonna beat him up?"

I laughed and shook my head, risking one glance his way. He was sitting on a bench with some girl, acting like he was the coolest person in the world and the girl, who was on her phone and sipping some steaming beverage was evidently not interested in anything he had to say. I was _not_ going to beat him up because I had no reason to. And I had to set a good example for Aneko. "No, I don't feel anger toward him anymore. I don't even feel sadness or pity or _anything_. I just _don't_ care. He can't affect me anymore. Only my own choices can shape my life from this point onward."

"That's mature," Aneko noted, smiling up to me and taking my hand. I gasped as she set off at a run, dragging me behind her and my final look to Marshall was a pretty good one. He caught sight of me just as his most recent attempt at a girlfriend dumped her steaming coffee all over him. He cried out in pain and I winced, but could not stop the smile from forming on my face.

Aneko dragged me all the way back to the library and she threw the door open dramatically. It wasn't locked, which meant Kiyoko was likely home somewhere. I hadn't seen him before we left but there were enough places to hide away on his computer—that or he had recently returned. He was sitting by the counter, absentmindedly stirring a cup of hot chocolate as he read through his blog posts about Neo's campaign.

Kiyoko had begun shaping himself into a fighter the moment we had started this goal. Just as I had expected, he was much more independent now that he had come back from Witchenly, and any secrets he had kept about the adventure, Willis and Lalamon had filled me in. With Hideto gone—despite it feeling _empty_ and sad—was actually beneficial to all three of us. Kiyoko was learning what it meant to think on his own accord and fight for what was right—and he was even starting to understand people more. He knew what every one of Aneko's wide variety of facial expressions meant, which was useful since she never _said_ what she meant. Hideto was trying to sort through his own personal issues and finding pride in himself, while I was left to learn what it was like to be _happy_ without relying on other people to shape that.

It was something I thought I had always understood. But I was _very_ wrong. Before I had been trying to live _alone_ to find happiness, but that wasn't how I needed it to happen. Knowing that Lalamon was alive and okay was enough for me to truly step back and look at my emotions. It had been six months since I'd last seen her—six months since Willis set off across the world, and six months since Hideto had moved out. I loved them all, and they were all _okay_. They all cared about me—and that was fine! My happy ending didn't have to be solely for me to be self empowering. I was glad I had figured it out, because life was a lot happier when I accepted that other people were allowed in my life.

"Mari," Kiyoko said when I slipped into the kitchen area. Aneko had rushed off to grab the book she had been reading. It was one of my favourites and I was so happy to see that she liked it so much. I looked to Kiyoko and saw that he was grinning. "Guess what I just did?"

"What's that?" I asked, pouring a glass of the toxic green sludge that was supposedly healthy. I didn't eat unhealthy at _all_ , but compared to Aneko what I ate was greasy potatoes fried in bacon fat. Aneko was the healthiest person ever and I promised I would at least _try_ her diet. It was awful, but I could live through it.

"It's about Marshall," Kiyoko said maliciously.

"Oh hey, we just saw him," I told him. "In the park. We handled it maturely and simply walked off. I'm hoping I never see him again."

"You won't," Kiyoko said, suddenly feeling unsure of his decisions. I felt my face fall as I waited for the blow. "I... well, I adjusted his bank sheets and gave him a crazy amount of dept, and then brought up the hidden files of his birth records. He was born in America and because of his criminal record, he's being deported."

I snorted, but rolled my eyes. "That's insane," I decided.

"Do you want me to undo it?" Kiyoko asked.

I hummed for a moment, thinking up my response and then finally said, "Your choice. Don't tell me though, that way I won't feel guilty either way." Kiyoko smirked and changed his focus back to the computer. It wasn't _his_ computer, it was the computer that I bought when I moved here, but since his was so small he liked to use mine. I didn't mind.

After a quick breakfast, to expand on our celebratory bagel, Kiyoko spun the computer around to me and motioned down to the screen. A flashing green light told me that Willis was calling. I grinned and clicked the 'accept' button and Willis immediately flashed onto the screen. He wasn't smiling at first, but the moment he caught sight of me, his face broke out into a massive grin. "Hey, Mari."

"'Hey' yourself," I said back, pretending to be uninterested in the conversation. "I'm assuming you're calling because I said we had big news?"

"You know that I am," he said, and by the sound of his voice I just knew he was rolling his eyes.

I looked up with an unavoidable grin but bit my bottom lip to try to stop my face from looking too obnoxiously ecstatic. "The trials are finally over. The judge ruled in my favour."

"You won?" Willis asked without hesitation, slamming his hand down on something in his excitement. I looked behind him and saw that he appeared to be in some sort of tent. "You get to keep her?"

I nodded and looked over to Aneko as she read silently. I could not have been happier to have a sister who was enough like me—but not as broken. Looking to her was like seeing who I could have been if someone came in on a white horse and rescued me. I didn't need it in the end, but that didn't mean I couldn't have used it. Aneko brushed her hair behind her ear and caught sight of me staring. She beamed at me and then returned to her book. "How's saving lives going?"

"I'm not saving lives, really," Willis rolled his eyes again. I hated when he sold himself short. He was such a good person, and while I missed him so much I understood totally what he was doing. Just like Hideto, Kiyoko and I, he was _finding_ himself. He had a long way to go too, but he wanted to understand what it meant to be in touch with himself. And I knew he'd come back eventually—it was just upsetting how little he saw in his actions. "I'm building houses for people who don't have them."

"That's pretty much called saving lives," Kiyoko said with a mouthful of cereal.

"Well..." Willis said, unable to counter his point. I watched as his face flushed and I couldn't help but smile at him. "Whatever," he laughed nervously. "What about you guys? How is Neo's campaign going?"

Kiyoko and I shared a look of annoyance. "Alright," we said as one.

"That sounds convincing," Willis laughed again. "What's wrong?"

"There are four runners—and since Neo's not really part of it, it hardly counts," I explained easily. "There's Rida, and we _thought_ that the Fujimoto's were out, but they squeezed their way back into the running and then we were left with Kyoso—but he was a fool, right?"

"So you've said," Willis noted.

"It was an act," Kiyoko groaned. "He's pulling out all the stops and he might actually win the election." Willis and I looked to each other, one eyebrow raised. "Okay so no, but he's taking voters away from Neo! He's pretending he's on board with the digimon act but I've been inside his computer. It's a _lie_!"

"Use that information against him!" Willis declared. "Make it an anonymous tip."

Kiyoko shook his head. "I can't. I've been kicked out and can't get back in."

"Let me," Willis decided. "Send me the information later?" Kiyoko nodded and took his cereal elsewhere, leaving Willis and I alone. He looked to me and his face turned red again. I glared at him playfully and he laughed once more. He was laughing a lot more lately. I felt horrible for what Terriermon and Lopmon did to him, but in the end it was the right decision. Now everyone had a chance of being happy, instead of just Terriermon and Lopmon. I wanted Willis to be happy too. "So any news that no one filled me in on?"

"Natsuni had her baby," I noted, trying to think of anything else noteworthy.

"Boy?" he guessed

"Girl," I countered. "Her name is Kana."

"Is she cute?" he asked. I shrugged. "So like all newborns then? Kind of like a hairless baby penguin that was out in the sun too long?" I couldn't help but laugh and I nodded. "Yeah, I thought so."

I didn't think he cared about the stages Mimi went through to plan her wedding, but I did think of one other thing that was worth mentioning. "Takeru and Hikari are _obnoxious_." He agreed fervently by nodding his head. "I finally caved and went with them to see a movie. They're such nice people, really. I suppose I regret not caving sooner, but really they're almost _too_ in love now. They're gearing up for something bigger, I can tell."

"Not more babies," Willis said nervously.

"Before marriage?" I asked, shaking my head. "Takeru and Hikari? Not a chance." And this time, Willis didn't chuckle softly or simply breathe a small laugh. He just _laughed_.

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

"Mimi, I do not have _time_ for this," I told her snappishly. "I am busy with my campaign. I have several things to accomplish each day. Even if I was interested in seeing one of your potential hookups, I would not have the time."

Mimi gasped and stared to me, appalled. "They are not ' _hookups_ ', Neo Saiba! They are dates that you can use to get over the pain of losing Evelen."

I shook my head as we made our way across the street. "I have no pain from losing Evelen." Mimi and the others didn't seem to understand that I wasn't simply in _denial_ about this event. I was going to change Taichi's mind from a different world. I was going to show him that it was time to live in peace. To do that, I would have to accomplish all of my goals and then open the Digital World. I would see Evelen again when that happened. It was not a sad time to say goodbye. I could go this long without speaking to her. I had gone more than twenty years without her before I met her, and this was no different.

"I know how you feel," Mimi said, patting my shoulder as I turned sharply. She groaned and then ran to catch up to me. "I lost Palmon, so I _do_ know how you feel."

"You do not know how I feel, Mimi," I said, hardly paying attention anymore. I had nearly made it to my destination, but the flashy magazine stand on the street corner ahead caught my attention. Mimi was still rushing along because I was walking much faster than she had anticipated. "You are simply incapable of understanding the words I speak. You cannot relate because you are not listening to me."

"Oh, I _hear_ you," Mimi agreed, and I couldn't help but bite my tongue before I said something more harsh. I did not hate Mimi. Her company was _amusing_ at the very least, and yet she was often found pushing herself over all lines that were built up in a defense. I ignored her and made my way to the magazine stand. "Hey!" she shouted, running after me, not having noticed my increase of speed. "Why are you so _mean_?" she whined. "Whenever you're with Hikari you're so kind and walk slow for her."

"I do not," I objected. "Hikari is simply quicker than you are. And we typically sit and drink coffee and talk."

"We could do that too," Mimi suggested. I stopped in my tracks and stared directly toward her. She stared back for a moment, blinking slowly in thought then she nodded. "You're right. What would we talk about?" I nodded, thankful she caught on and together we finished our stroll to the news stand. "I guess we could talk about hair dye. My hair was pink once—and once I did a perm. You could dye your hair really well since it's so... white."

"I will not be dying my hair," I said absentmindedly as I reached for the magazine in the front of the stacks. I picked it up and flipped it open to the page the cover suggested.

"Oh hey, it's Takeru," Mimi said. I glanced up, losing my place in my own magazine and saw Takeru on the front of the magazine to promote his biographical book featuring the famous Michael Washington, Taichi Yagami and Yamato Ishida.

I ignored her, though it was impressive that Takeru had gotten his book out, and also assisted my own campaign by showing the emotional side to the digimon. I finally found what I was looking for and began reading aloud. " _'Last week on July 12th, the Fujimoto's were officially taken out of the running when information of their twisted pasts was leaked to the public. They now join their fallen competitors in a heap at the bottom of the voter pool. Now we are left to pick between Rida and his strongly worded opinions, Kyoso and his image that was recently tarnished by possibly the same source as those who ruined the Fujimoto's, or Neo Saiba a candidate who is hoping for a write-in win, while never truly running at all. His bitter, rather unattached stance seems to be working for some, and for others they simply love that he stands for true equality. If I myself was a voting man, I would vote for him. If anyone should represent our country—well, it shouldn't be Rida, that's what I'll say.'_ "

Mimi was staring at me with wide eyes and I slowly set the magazine back in the stand. Mimi took my arm and rushed me aside. "That's amazing!"

"It is a rather positive development, sure," I agreed, "but it was a biased report from a local journalist. It is nothing impressive."

"Not that," Mimi shook her head, "I mean that the Fujimoto's are out—and someone's after Kyoso next! Better watch out, Neo."

I felt a devilish smirk creeping onto my face, "Somehow I find that won't be much of an issue." Mimi looked to me with a horrified expression now, but I shrugged my shoulders. Hideto and Kiyoko had both worked with Willis separately and as a team they had been using a social hammer to whack away at my competition. The only man who seemed untouchable was Rida, and Mari was still on the job. I would have thought she was not trying hard enough if I didn't know better. The end goal here was her reuniting with Lalamon. I was no fool. Mari was trying—it was Rida that was the problem.

When we had been standing still for too long Mimi took advantage of it all and smiled, "So my friend—"

"I am not interested, Mimi," I groaned, turning off again and making my way down the street.

"But _Neo_!" she called out. "I want to go to your wedding someday. My wedding was amazing, I think you'll agree. Can you believe how smoothly it went? I would have given up the smooth sailing for Palmon though." The wedding had _not_ gone smoothly, but I would let her delusions fester long enough that they became her own personal reality. I saw no reason to ruin her wedding day for her. "I'm kind of annoyed though because Koushiro loves Kana more than he loves me. And she's not even his kid." She sighed. "Okay, I'm exaggerating, but that's crazy, right? At least he's not addicted to drugs anymore." She scowled at the thought. "But everyone is having babies, what if he doesn't love _my_ baby as much as Kana? But of course, I'm not pregnant. You know who is pregnant? Momoe? She's so big. Her second baby is coming _so_ soon! Anyway, marriage—you're not getting any younger—and hey, people probably think you're so old already because of your hair. Which brings me back to hair dye—"

I completely tuned her out at that point because I had joined the crowd around the large newly refurbished building. There was a man in front of the crowd, raving about how the building was created to house homeless families and was built by the one and only... me. I got the idea from Willis of course, but it was still a _good_ idea. Showing how proactive and kind I could be—which was mostly untrue, but I never said anything of the sort so the lie never existed—was just another way to gather more votes. This came out of my own dime. And luckily I had a good friend who was studying in architecture and was able to assist me thoroughly.

It was Yamato's old apartment building and since he was the last to move out, the man in charge was looking to sell it anyway. We completely repaired the awful building that I was simply _disgusted_ that Yamato had lived in for so long. Then the man in charge pointed to me in excitement and my plan was set into motion. As all eyes turned to me I simply smiled and made my way to the front of the crowd.

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

"Oops, sorry," Takeru said. He tripped over a diner's chair. The diner, thankfully, was kind and understanding about it. I would hate to lose a customer, or have to give them a free meal… _again_. Takeru was having a very off night. He was distracted and anxious. I didn't know what was wrong with him, but I couldn't exactly let him keep messing up. I knew he was self-conscious about serving food, after his miserable attempt at working in a coffee shop, but we were short-staffed that night.

We'd been short –staffed _every_ night. Mimi had hired her old friend Tako, who had supposedly played a big part in getting rid of Arnold, since she betrayed EVOLVE. She was actually really sweet, and she liked to flirt with me. I wasn't really interested in her, what with my being in love with Kiyoko still and all, but it was very flattering. She wasn't too invested either, so I wasn't hurting her feelings any. She was just a fun loving girl that was really stretching her wings now that Michan was no longer her oppressive jailer. She was serving food across the restaurant and winked to me when I caught her eye. I laughed, and thought _she_ was doing a better job at being entirely independent than I was.

Not that I wasn't improving.

I thought I was actually. I was doing better. I didn't feel the need to sabotage any of Kiyoko's potential dates anymore, and I didn't want to gauge Kansui's eyes out with a spoon _nearly_ as often as I used to. I was getting mature about some things. Puraido was finally talking to me again, after the dual scandals I'd caused for our parents. He didn't _support_ them, but he still had ties to them in a way I seriously didn't. I didn't even hate talking to him anymore.

But I still hated the idea of Kiyoko moving on without me, and some days I needed to stop myself from going to him and begging for him to take me back. I needed to wait until I knew I was begging him for the right reasons—and not just jealousy.

"Takeru, come here for a second," I called, after I'd just played the friendly role of a waiter to two of his not amused previous goof ups. His face flushed red and he tripped over his own feet on his way to me. I led him back into the kitchen, where Mimi was going crazy as the chef for the night, since Izumi disappeared and wouldn't answer any of Mimi's phone calls when she tried to hunt her down. It was so different not having Izumi around, but we were making it work.

"I'm sorry, Hideto," Takeru said sheepishly before I could say anything. "I'm trying. I'm just freaking out, and I need to talk to Hikari tonight, or I think I'm going to explode."

"Maybe you should just go do that?" I suggested. He shook his head firmly. And I remembered why, feeling like an idiot. I was leaving in twenty minutes to play the role of Neo's assistant. There was a debate going on tonight, and I needed to be there. Takeru had already agreed to work a double shift so that I could. I winced, and hoped that Tako would be able to handle everything on her own. I wasn't even sure why Takeru was even still working here. It had to be out of loyalty to Mimi, because his book release was the most successful all year. Everyone wanted to read the tell-all about their first digimon adventure. The publishers got him to sign a contract saying that he'll publish his subsequent digimon adventures with them. It was only a three book deal for now, but with the first one being so successful, there were already demands for more.

Did he even have time to be a waiter and host for Mimi? I didn't know, and to be honest, I didn't care to ask. I needed to get everything in order so that I could make it to the press conference before the reporters were let in. I didn't want to get lost in the crowd.

Mimi was frazzled beyond belief, so I didn't bother her with a goodbye and hung my apron up by the door before slipping out the back. It was cold, for a September evening. I wasn't looking forward to the winter, but it would be so much more bearable if Neo was in charge of the country. Maybe he could find a way to ban snow or something. I didn't know. But my whole life was now made up of Mimi's restaurant and Neo's campaign and trying to find myself. I just wanted some time to relax! How was I supposed to get any serious thinking done if I was always busy doing stuff for other people?

But maybe I was just irritable because the Teenage Wolves hadn't released any new music lately, because Yamato was still in space. I was going through a rather important time in my life. I wanted some new Teenage Wolves music to be my soundtrack. It wasn't _that_ much to ask for.

The press conference was being held in City Hall. It was annoying, because I'd never actually been there, and had no idea where I was meant to go. City Hall was a large building with open sky lights. The walls were crisp white, and there were glass hallways that provided an excellent view of the botanical gardens that were meticulously kept. They were beautiful, and I spotted Mari and Aneko looking through the glass. I imagined that Mari was identifying the flowers for Aneko. Kiyoko was looking at the columns and arches, and taking pictures. He was very interested in architecture before he started furthering his education. Now, he was practically obsessed. Neo's suggestion that Kiyoko help with the homeless shelter was pretty much perfect.

I headed towards Neo, who was waiting beside the assembled stage with Kansui trying to fiddle with Neo's collar. Neo kept brushing him off, but Kansui was insistent. "You can't go up there looking like a slob."

"In what world is _Neo_ a slob?" I asked with a snort. Neo looked to me, pleading silently to get rid of Kansui. I couldn't see _how_ I was meant to do that. I didn't care where he went, so long as Neo's ire was confirmation that Kansui wasn't taking my best friend from me. And since the ire was genuine, I knew I was pretty safe in that assumption. "When's Katsue getting here?"

"She will be arriving with the rest of the reporters," Neo said, fixing his collar from where Kansui messed it up. He was called over by the event coordinator, and since that was going to leave me alone with Kansui, I headed toward Kiyoko. I didn't _want_ to, but it was the less awkward opportunity presented to me, and I really didn't want to be around Kansui.

"What's up?" I asked, wincing because it sounded so dumb. He smiled to me, and my heart did that stupid thing where it wanted to escape my chest just because Kiyoko was giving me the time of day. Once upon a time, it wasn't that strange. But now, it wasn't something that happened all that often. I'd really hurt him when I broke up with him. I hurt myself too, though, so it wasn't just me being selfish. I really thought it was the best thing to do. It _was_ too, that was the worst part. Kiyoko was flourishing and was awesome and confident and even _more_ than I ever expected when I broke up with him. He was absolutely amazing, and I was so happy about that. "Still dating that guy?"

"No," Kiyoko said, crinkling his nose. He glanced at Neo and shook his head. "He brought up politics and made it known that he supported Rida in the election. I've cut all ties with him."

"Ouch," I said, knowing just how vindictive Kiyoko could get when someone irritated him. He'd gotten Marshall deported just for kicks. Kiyoko smiled and laughed at the expression on my face. "You're happy though?"

"I am," he said, nodding. His smile was soft and genuine, and felt like a knife through my heart. But I was still happy for him. "I'm really happy. Thank you, for helping me. I didn't know I needed the push."

"Yeah, well," I said, awkwardly. "It's crazy that Renjiro was born, isn't it?"

"Not really," Kiyoko said. I knew that too. Momoe had been pregnant for a week and a half longer than expected. She was ready to pop. I just didn't know what to say to him. I was left with nothing more than basic weather, after the baby. It was horrible. Thankfully, the reporters were let in, and Rida came in too. He was waving his hands around wildly while talking to his press manager, who looked pained. I knew Rida was a difficult man and that the public just seemed to hate him. That guy probably had the worst job in the world, trying to manage all of that.

"Welcome," the event's coordinator announced. He launched into a speech I genuinely didn't listen to, because his voice was very boring. It sounded just as boring as paint drying. I almost fell asleep before I managed to make it back to Neo's side of the stage. Kiyoko actually had to drag me. It was horrible.

At some point or other, the guy stopped talking though, and Neo took the stage. I paid more attention then. "I am Neo Saiba. You should vote for me. I will not base my campaign on false promises simply to sway the opinion of the public. That's conniving and underhanded and not worth my time. I do not lie. It is a fact. I have based my life around that simple choice, and as such, I cannot deign to snivelling for a single vote by spewing lies of promise and prosperity. I _will_ keep Japan beautiful and clean. I will work diligently to create laws and rights for the digimon that have been oppressed by the current leading politicians. I want freedom and equality. I want the digimon to feel safe, and no longer need to hide away in a sealed world because they fear for their very lives. They have been threatened, and they have been attacked unjustly. I will not stand for that, whether I am elected or not. The world has come a long way in terms of equality for races, and genders and sexualities. Why must we continue to find a new home for that hatred, instead of simply abolishing it?"

"Thank you, Mr Saiba," the coordinator said. "Ladies and gentlemen that was, once again, Neo Saiba, the man who hopes to achieve a write-in victory. Now, Mr Rida, the man who currently holds the desired position will take the stand."

Rida tried to bump into Neo as they crossed paths by the podium, but Neo had a thing about germs, and skillfully avoided him. Snickers scattered the audience, as Rida's act of rivalry was denied. It was subtle, but they seemed to take it as Neo declaring an early victory. Confidence was appreciated. What they didn't seem to realize was that more than half of Neo's confidence was arrogance.

"I do _not_ want the rights and laws for the digimon that Saiba wants," Rida announced. His hands seemed to move more grandly, as he made his way into his speech. His press manager's face fell into his hands. "They are illegal immigrants to our country and to our world. I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I truly feel that you're not looking at it from an unbiased stance. These digimon came to our home and forced their way in without any regard for rules or laws. They declared themselves at home, and were surprised when the authorities had something to say about it. Now, think for just one moment that these digimon were Chinese people, or North American people, or African people. Would we simply roll over and allow illegal immigration with them? No. We wouldn't. We would fight back, and we would put an end to this injustice. It is no different with the digimon. They are simply illegal immigrants that need removing."

A hush fell over the crowd, and Rida's press manager looked rather impressed and relieved. There were several faces that were intrigued, and I knew they were thinking about this new spin on Rida's old tale. The conference was opened to questions, and Katsue's hand was the first to go up.

"I understand this new stance," Katsue sneered. "But I can't help but wonder if you'd be using the same lethal means to be rid of human immigrants as well?"

Her question was perfect, but the damage was done. The other reporters had listened to his words and taken them to heart. Rida wasn't the underdog anymore. They would spin this story into a hero's tale about how Rida was trying to uphold the laws and didn't see the digimon as any different than any other humans. He wasn't racist after all—even though he totally was, since he was intending to kill all the digimon rather than just deport them.

We couldn't let Rida continue like this. He had a chance of coming back for a triumphant return and winning this whole thing.

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

So the obvious first step in getting Rida to stop winning over the voters was to show that there was a way around his insanity. If digimon were illegal immigrants, then we would make them legal. Neo certainly seemed to think it was a good idea and he went off to hire a lawyer. Lucky for him I knew the perfect guy for the job.

" _Iori," I said sharply into my telephone, "I need you to look for loopholes in the laws for digimon that Rida is working on and help us craft bills and all that jazz to make them legal."_

" _Well I suppose we could do a census," came Iori's_ immediate _reply_. _"That way they'd be known and we could do the proper paperwork and then they wouldn't be illegal immigrants."_

" _Can you do that?" I asked to my handy dandy lawyer._

" _You know I can," Iori said, sounding rather excited by the prospect. And then we hung up our phones._

Iori was on the case. Iori had _been_ on the case for two months now and he was pulling the rug out from under Rida at just the right moments. Every time Rida thought he could stand again, Iori tugged harder. It was unfortunate then that there would eventually be no more rug to pull. Unfortunate because it was truly satisfying to watch Rida fall flat on his face, which he had actually done thanks to Hideto and a bit of fishing line, but also because once the rug was in Iori's hand, there was nothing stopping Rida from climbing back to the top.

Rida was basically the worst human being and everything he said was either racist or made no sense at all. Just the previous night he had been on the television pumping his fist in the air and claiming that he would do all he could to _"Send the digimon back to Mexico!_ " which legitimately made zero sense. Yet somehow people soaked up his stupidity and enthusiasm and grew attached to his weird fake hair and the way his red tie matched his skin tone, and they were still helping to pull Rida back to his feet.

So it was my job to get him to stay down.

" _Mari," Neo had said, looking to the set of cards in his hand as he and Kansui played a new inventive game Kiyoko and Aneko had come up with together. "We're down to the final stretch and there is no one I can look to in my time of desperation but you."_

" _How flattering," I said, faking a joyous emotion. I rolled my eyes and leaned back into the couch._

" _You once threw a man into the Dark Ocean simply because you were not fond of him," Neo told me, looking over the top of his cards for just a moment. "Your ability to deconstruct a person from a distance is what I need."_

" _Sure," I agreed, nodding my head, "I'll get Iori on the case, but then what? What happens when that stops working?"_

" _Your crest entails empathy," Neo said, laying a pair of cards down. "You find out what the people want from Rida, and you make sure they cannot get that. Last time we attempted a world domination you were unsuccessful."_

" _So were Kiyoko and Hideto," I reminded him. "And you too."_

" _You were unsuccessful in finding some way to assist me," Neo said, seemingly unaffected by my words. "You were worried and you were withdrawn. You were not fully committed. I need to know that is not the case anymore."_

" _Of course not," I told him, sitting up straighter and looking to Hideto who was sitting across the room, awkwardly stirring a spoon around an empty cup._

" _Then it's time to play my Mari card," Neo said, playing one final card in the game he was playing with Kansui. Kansui shrieked in horror as Neo finally won._

It was perhaps a _bit_ annoying that Neo was forcing us all to help him with his growth and his career. I was hoping though, that once the election was over he would lay off a little. I knew he wanted to keep heading up the ladder and was sure that one day he may even rule the world, but as of right now I had to dedicate all of my time to him. It wasn't exactly fair because Kiyoko had a lot of studying to do, and while he received his equivalent of a high school diploma finally—which required him to finally come out of the closet to the world as _alive_. As it turned out he was living rather illegally with everyone under the assumption that he was _dead_ after his parents left him in the streets and then died themselves. Now he was alive though, and he had graduated high school. I had a ton of things to work on. I had four or five more years of school ahead of me because it was time that I got my life in gear.

I finally knew what I was going to do with my life, and it had nothing to do with world domination—Neo. I was going to become a social worker and I was currently enrolled in a very nice school studying. I was not going to let what happened to Aneko happen to someone else ever again.

"Are you going out again?"

I stopped by the open doorway and looked back to Aneko. She was standing at the end of the entrance hallway looking rather worried. I smiled and nodded, pulling my coat tighter around myself. "I'll be right back."

"This is for Neo's domination, right?" she asked me, and since I refused to ever lie to her, I nodded my head. "I want to come."

"Aneko—"

"No," she shook her head firmly, "I was asked to help and I can do that. I can! I want to come."

It took me a long time to decide, but as the cold air was seeping into the library I knew I'd have to decide sooner or later. I sighed. "Get your coat." She grinned and hurried toward the coat rack and grabbed her fuzzy floral pink winter coat. It wasn't _that_ cold out, but she loved how that one looked on her, and that was fine by me. November was unpredictable anyway—and also my least favourite month.

Having said goodbye to Lalamon _last_ November really helped the month's reputation for me.

As we walked down the street I began explaining the rules to Aneko. "I want you to stay away from him when we get there okay? He's close to cracking. I've been doing this for months and I think it's possible today is the day."

"How do you always know where he is?" Aneko asked, skipping along beside me. She reached out and touched everything we passed as a way of familiarizing herself with freedom. I knew she would eventually grow out of that but it was amusing to watch anyway. "Why would he go to the same place every day if he knows you'll be there?"

"It's a different place every day, that's why," I explained to her. "I just know people really well. When I saw him yesterday he was eating from Mr Greasy's and I know his wife, so he's going to feel guilty about it. That means, today, he will be eating from his favourite vegetarian restaurant."

"That's so clever," Aneko said with a smile. "I wish I could guess like that."

"Well, that's all it is," I told her with a shrug, "A guess. I won't know he's there until we arrive."

"Then let's hurry!" Aneko shouted, rushing off ahead of me, stopping abruptly when she reached the end of the sidewalk. There were no cars coming from any direction, but she waited because the light told her to. She hummed to herself and swayed on the spot until the light switched. "COME ON!" she bellowed, suddenly gearing into motion again.

Aneko and I stopped only once on the way, pausing in front of a television store where the news was being broadcast. I stopped because I had seen Takeru and a title flashed across the screen reading 'Author Takeru Takaishi is here with some _big_ news!'

I didn't see how it was big news, but whatever. I continued on my way.

When we came up to the restaurant, it appeared that I was right. I knew I would be. I could see Rida at the counter, paying the bill for his half eaten vegan meatball sub. For someone who felt so guilty about eating unhealthy he didn't particularly go all out with his counterstrike. Aneko gasped when he began walking for the door and I turned to her quickly, holding my hands out. "Stay put," I told her as several people pushed by. I hoped they would hurry. I needed to be in contact with Rida.

As I looked around I saw there were people all around. This would be perfect.

I marched toward the doorway, following after the group of strangers, and then Rida came right out of the doorway and froze when he saw me. He shook his head and kept walking and I hid my smirk. As I walked right past him I turned to him and, just loud enough for him to hear me, muttered, "I know what you did, Rida."

He stopped in his tracks. I could tell. I stopped in mine and looked over my shoulder to him. He looked back to me and stared for a long moment. I had _no_ idea what it was he was scared that I knew, but there was _something_ he was guilty about. Did he cheat on his wife? Had he performed illegal acts? Had he secretly taken up an addiction to alcohol in his attempts to cope with the pressure of running against Neo and accidentally abused his daughter in a fit of drunken rage? I knew all of those were true.

Rida's face suddenly screwed up in anger and a vein bulged on his forehead as the rest of his skin flushed a deep red. "You need to _stop_!" Rida yelled out, immediately catching the attention of those who were surrounding us. "You don't know anything! I am not a bad man! I did not _mean_ to do as I did! I will not be talked down upon by the likes of a street walker such as yourself!"

Gasps sounded from all around but Rida did not seem to notice. His narrowed eyes filled with fury were aimed directly at me.

I blinked quickly, bringing upon fake tears. "W-what?" I asked in the smallest voice I could muster. "D-d-do I know you?" Rida hesitated, looking shocked and finally seemed aware that there were people around him.

Aneko had rushed to my side and threw her arms around me to comfort me. I didn't want her involved, but the sweetness of it all was very worthwhile. It was making Rida look _worse_. He was trying to calm the crowds though. His arms were moving in big animated movements. "I have said nothing out of the ordinary! This woman has been harassing me!" He turned to me and pointed dramatically, startling Aneko into stepping back. He pointed furiously with each word. "What. Do. You. Want. From. Me?" His hands fell as he waited and they were by his side. "Money?" he asked, seemingly flabbergasted as the anger showed in his voice. He threw his hands up in defeat and one of his hand smacked Aneko across the face.

I watched as she fell back and caught her in her pain. She immediately began crying loudly and I turned my attention to Rida. "How _dare_ you Ambassador Rida? How _dare_ you hit a little girl _again_? I know you hit your daughter. You're a child abuser and a drunk. You're filled with hate and rage and you need to be _punished_!"

And then I turned to Aneko and threw my arm around her, choosing to leave now, but she wasn't quite done. "And _no_!" she shouted through her tears, "I will _not_ let you force me to marry your son just so your business empire can grow further! You need to _stop_ trying! It isn't legal!"

Then Aneko rushed off, pushing through the crowds and I followed them, taking note of all of the cell phones that were out, recording the interactions. I felt a malicious smile grow on my face as I chased Aneko down the street.

The moment we turned the corner she turned to me with a big smile on her face. "I wasn't really hit," she told me and then she smiled again, her tongue between her teeth.

"I know," I told her, moving toward her to hug her. "You're a good actress though, I think they'll believe it."

"Rida's going _down_ ," Aneko said excitedly as she hugged me back.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

I was sitting in the darkness that was my room. The wall was lit up by the assortment of old library computers I had mounted there. I could feel Neo breathing behind me, and I knew that Mari and Hideto were waiting on either side. The tension could be cut with a knife. My fingers flew over the keypad, and I remembered just a month ago, when I was finishing the program, worrying that it wasn't going to work. My breath caught in my throat, and I caught sight of the framed picture I'd put on my desk. It was a momentous occasion, and it made me more confident. If we could manage _that_ , then surely, we could do anything.

 _I had never seen the library so crowded before. Apparently it_ had _been, before I'd come back from Witchenly, because Mari laid down some seriously strict ground rules before she let anyone passed the front door. I was a little concerned about what had happened, but I wasn't going to bring it up._

 _Neo wasn't there, he was needed elsewhere, but Hideto was at home in the kitchen with Mimi and Daisuike making trays of nachos and vegetables and bowls of popcorn. Aneko was playing a kids board game with Emiko and Hikari, while Takeru talked excitedly with Michael about his books rising popularity. It was pretty much the most popular book in the entire world. It had been translated into a multitude of languages because everyone wanted to know the story of the Digidestined. The world had been saved multiple times, and now the general population was privy to a personal account—which was comprised of multiple interviews and a bit of artistic freedom in translating those firsthand accounts into a cohesive story. The world was going crazy for the story. And Michael wasn't allowed to talk about it, but there was definitely something in the works in Hollywood. He wouldn't say_ what _, but he'd heard some rumours. He was very excited, and so was Takeru—understandably._

 _Iori was holding his little girl, and looking pretty proud of her. Jou had Renjiro next to Iori, and Daisuke joined them with Haruki. Mai was getting changed in the bathroom by Ken, while all the mothers were collapsed on the couch with Sora and Tatum, chatting excitedly, and looking to the television, even though nothing was on screen yet. Mari was hovering, trying not to be too fussy about the state of her library, but couldn't help that there were babies that could spit up at a moment's notice, and make a mess of everything. Kansui was looking just as upset as Mari, but his frustration stemmed from the fact that no one was listening to a word he said, since he was acting like he was in charge,_ just _because he was temporarily included in Alias III due to Neo's insistence that he could prove to be of assistance in some way. Katsue and Amai were far more helpful in my opinion, and they hadn't been offered the same temporary membership. It didn't' seem fair._

 _But the decision was Neo's, since he'd created Alias III in the first place._

 _The two women were seated at the counter by the kitchen, and Amai was making colourful suggestions for plating the food and Mimi was definitely feeling inspired by her ideas. The Teenage Wolves that Katsue had made use of during the campaign were unable to attend due to a lifelong ban from the library that no one could get Mari to lift. Apparently, they made messes and touched books they weren't supposed to touch._

 _The atmosphere was intense, though, and everyone was waiting in anticipation for the verdict. There wasn't long now, before the final reveal._

 _This was the big day. Tonight we would know whether our hard work had paid off, or if Neo would lose the election. He was only a write-in candidate, so there was actually a larger chance than I was particularly comfortable with that he could lose. I didn't have a lot of time to think about it though, since I was working with Koushiro and Willis—via video chat—on breaking the gate between the worlds. Sigma had done it in the past without a problem, so the three of us should be able to manage. We had a lot of brain power between the three of us, and Willis could hack into anything, Koushiro had a very thorough understanding of the Digital World, and I had a tendency to invent whatever I needed in order to do the impossible. We could manage this._

 _We_ had _to manage this, or else Neo's plans were for nothing._

" _I'm so excited," Natsuni gushed to Tatum._

" _I don't even live in this country, and I'm excited," Tatum agreed. "The outcome literally won't affect me in any way, and I still feel like I'm going to die if Neo is voted in."_

" _I voted for him, obviously," Momoe said. "I got Dad, Mantarou and Chiziru convinced. Iruka, I know was all for it, because she's sick of EVOLVE having control in her life. Mom's a wild card. I don't know if she went for my sales pitch or not."_

" _I think she did," Miyako protested. "She's a sucker for Iruka, and you know that EVOLVE was a vital part in the death of her father. Mom's totally against EVOLVE now."_

" _I don't even care how fickle she is," Momoe said with a smile. "She's not praising Yorokobi, and that's good enough for me."_

" _I don't think anyone is praising Yorokobi right now," Sora pointed out. "The Fujimoto family suffered two scandals this year. They're not exactly a favourite of the public at this particular moment."_

" _She seems like the type of girl that could spin anything into her favour," Kurayami added, frowning. "She could come out of this looking like the victim, and let her parents hold the brunt of the controversy."_

" _She's ruthless enough," Sora agreed._

" _I was kind of hoping she'd be out of our hair now that her family's name has been dragged through the mud," Natsuni said with a sad sigh. "I don't want her to come after us for revenge. I've got enough on my plate just waiting for my mother to launch a counterstrike or something."_

" _She wouldn't," Sora said with a confident air. "You've got one of the best lawyers in the country on your side."_

" _I know," Natsuni said, sounding proud of her husband. "But it's still terrifying, not knowing what she's doing. She's my mom, so I'm naturally going to be attached, but I'm not sympathetic, because she was completely willing to let Armadillomon and Goblimon be killed. I can't forgive her for that."_

" _You don't have to," Tatum assured her. "Sometimes people are beyond forgiveness."_

" _Daisuke's father might not be falling into that category anymore," Kurayami said sounding tentatively hopeful. "They're not best friends or anything, and they can't be alone together without blowing up at each other, but family events aren't horrifying anymore. It's much more comfortable for Haruki."_

 _After that, the girls just sort of delved into stories of their infant children—and of Emiko, who was still a child, but no longer an infant. I could have listened to them, because the stories were sure to be adorable and funny, but I was far more interested in my work. Willis' voice was coming through the headset I was wearing, while Koushiro typed away on his laptop, trying to piece together the perfect line of code. He was meant to be creating a simulation of the Digital World, based on what he knew about it—which was pretty much everything—so that Willis and I could test the program we were very nearly finished writing. I was very excited. It was so closed to being finished. Over a year of blood, sweat and tears—okay, so there wasn't any blood—went into this program, and then I would finally be done with the final strike of Neo's plan._

" _Okay," Willis said. "I sent you everything I have. You might need a few lines of code to help embed it properly, but this should be enough to hack you through any firewalls you come in contact with."_

" _Should being the operative word," Koushiro murmured pessimistically. Willis snorted._

" _Yeah," he said. "But when have I ever been wrong?"_

" _Diaboramon," I said, while pretending to cough. Koushiro was startled into laughter, and Willis's laughs filled my ears through the headset. He was still in some country somewhere in the globe. I'd stopped keeping track, so long as he contacted Mari—and sometimes me—so that we knew he was still alive out there._

" _Okay," he admitted. "I'll have you know I've come a long way since then. I was only a child. I didn't really understand what I was doing. I've got this. It'll work."_

" _I hope so," I said. He sent me the file, and I opened it, running my eyes over the code, trying to see if I could find any discrepancies. None jumped out at me immediately, but that didn't mean they weren't there. I got to work implementing Willis' code into my own program, and was just about to ask Koushiro when he thought his simulation world would be done, when Sora's voice rang loud and clear over the room._

" _It's happening!" she called._

 _I looked away from my laptop towards the television screen, listening to Willis talk excitedly all the while, demanding a play by play of what was happening. I kept up a constant stream of murmuring, just describing the scene for him._

 _Neo was standing behind a podium with Kyoso at his side. Rida was there too, even though he had no chance of winning. He was stubborn. There were no Fujimotos in sight. A man came over to the podium and started a speech about how today would go down in history—which was obvious, because anything to do with politics went down in history, it was just a given—and how proud he was to have the honour of presenting the country with their new ambassador._

" _It's with great pride that I, on this momentous December day, congratulate Neo Saiba," he said. I knew he continued talking, probably about how outstanding it was for him to have won with write-in votes, but I couldn't hear a word he was saying, because the library was full of screaming, celebratory people. The babies didn't appreciate the noise, but their dad's just bounced them around while they shouted happily. Even Mari didn't mind so much that Mimi had accidentally upended a bowl of popcorn on her way to the couch in her excitement. I mean, Mari's eye was twitching, but she was smiling, so it didn't seem as scary._

" _QUIET!" Tatum bellowed, when there seemed to be no end to the excitement. "Neo's going to talk!" The room filled with hushed silence, except for the crying babies. The television was turned up louder to accommodate for them and Neo took the stand. He looked incredibly pleased with himself and arrogant. It was nice to see him so happy._

" _Change is coming," he started, launching into a speech that would definitely be one for those history books._

The framed victory photo gave me enough confidence to continue setting my program up. It was designed to mimic the keys. Koushiro had been jealous that I'd figured it out, but that didn't deter me from my task. It was his information anyway, and I didn't need to worry about anyone else's opinions. I was strong and confident, and I could do this. I didn't need to depend on anyone else to do it for me. Koushiro, Willis and I had, hopefully, created the most ingenious program the world had ever seen. It was revolutionary….and no one would even know about it.

After a minute of continuous keystrokes, I had everything in place. I breathed deeply, and exhaled slowly. This was it. This was the day. It had taken nearly fourteen whole months, but it was done.

"It's time," Neo said, and I nodded before hitting the enter button.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** We're finally caught up and ready for the story to continue! What happened with Kiyoko's program? What's everyone else been up to? Miyako and Kurayami are here to give us the details!


	46. It's A Hard-Knock Life

**Y/N:** After the Alias III takeover, it was nice to get to use Miyako to get a look at the current happenings. She's in a much better place this time around than she was before, now that Sigma's gone for good. It was honestly so relieving to get to write her without that threat hanging over her head.

 **U/N:** It was fun to get to use Kurayami again, and I didn't even hate this chapter. I honestly found that along with using the digimon, the time jump helped refresh the characters and give us more to work with. We had gone so long with no space between the chapters that it felt rather forced, but now everything felt new again and I really liked that. I'm also reasonably sure that we were writing the Christmas story around this time too, so that break was also helpful. Anyway, here's chapter two!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 46: It's A Hard-Knock Life**

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

"That's pretty much amazing," I gushed to Jou. He was calling me from work. And I was at work. So we probably shouldn't have been talking at all. But I worked for Neo, and I was a digimon rights activist now, so basically, talking to the Digidestined was my job—or at least it was excusable. Jou worked in what used to be Arnold's EVOLVE base. He was working hard to help humans and digimon alike, and it was awesome. I was really happy with where my life was now. The only way it could possibly be better was if Hawkmon and Wormmon and all the others were there to share in it.

"It's actually just science," Jou teased. "I'm really excited by the progress I've made so far. I'm kind of blown away by the idea of it."

"You're going to revolutionize the world," I promised him. "Just keep up the good work!"

"I don't know about that," Jou said modestly. "I'm just hoping to make a better future for the kids. I guess for everyone, but mostly, I just keep thinking of the kids, you know?"

I did know. It wasn't very long ago, that Emiko was the only Digidestined's kid, but she'd been joined by Haruki, and then Mai, and now Kana and Renjiro. Tatum was getting pretty big as she passed the six month mark, and she and Michael couldn't be happier as they waited for their bundle of joy. Mimi and Koushiro got married too, and while I knew they weren't ready just yet, I was sure they would be adding to the numbers at some point in the semi-near future.

Mai was a year old—specifically, one year and five months—and she was developing better than I'd ever dreamed of. She could crawl up a storm and was trying to start talking. She was babbling stories and sometimes I could understand some of the words, which was amazing. I couldn't believe she was growing so fast. I'd been worried for ages that she would have difficulties with how early she was born, but she was doing just fine. I felt very blessed to have my little miracle.

And she had a little cousin to play with now too! Emiko had been so good with Mai, and now Mai got to be the big cousin. Mai wasn't nearly as gentle as Emiko had been, but Emiko _was_ older. I wished Mai would stop trying to steal things from little Renjiro. He was just a baby. He was only born in August, making him just about five months now.

Mantarou had taken to teasing Chiziru about when _her_ second baby was coming, since we'd started the pattern over again, but Chiziru gave as good as she got, and teased Mantarou right back about him and Iruka. They were still a little new, having been official for just under a year, so Chiziru never took the teasing too far. We all liked Iruka, and we didn't want to scare her off.

Mom liked Iruka too, which was practically a miracle, because Yorokobi was her dream daughter-in-law, but having found out about Yorokobi's involvement in EVOLVE, and how EVOLVE had destroyed Iruka's family, Mom was finally starting to see the light. She wasn't preaching EVOLVE's message anymore, and since I worked for the guy that took over for Rida, she was even happier, since I had such a prestigious position. I didn't want to burst her bubble by pointing out that my job was literally nothing more than what I'd always done. I just got paid for it now.

But it was way better having Neo pay me to fight for digimon rights than it was being back at HYPNOS. When I was working there, I was basically in the centre of where EVOLVE started. It was horrible. And looking back at it, I'm surprised I lasted as long as I did. Momoe was practically a saint for keeping her job long enough to help figure out what was happening. I was just happy to wash my hands of them. I didn't want to have anything to do with an organization that tracked and monitored digimon—before sending people out to get them. I didn't know what they did to the digimon they captured, since they were _supposed_ to be nonviolent, but they probably weren't, and it made me sick.

Neo was much better than them—which was something I wouldn't have ever expected myself to say, since he tried to destroy the Digital World, and mostly succeeded. He was a good boss too. I liked working for him. And I liked that Neo passed whatever law I thought was necessary, so long as it was worded intelligently and wasn't frivolous. We'd undone the damage that Rida and EVOLVE had caused to digimon rights, and we'd taken the first step to recovery.

I'd only been working for about a month, after all. Neo was elected just in December, which was perfect. It was a great way to ring in the year. We would be making leaps and bounds in the coming months, I was sure of it. I had already talked with Shin into organizing some educational lectures so that people could become more informed about digimon, so they wouldn't fear them on principle. He was on board, and even offered to let me work with him as co-heads of RISE. I declined of course, because RISE was his baby, and he was doing just fine on his own. But I agreed to work with him in an unofficial capacity.

In general, life was looking up for digimon kind all over the world. It was a pretty drastic change from just last year. I wished Hawkmon was able to see it. But I knew he couldn't. Taichi had done what he could to save the digimon and I applauded him for it, even if it broke my heart when he did it.

"Hey, listen," Jou said, startling me out of my thoughts. I flushed with embarrassment, even though he couldn't see me. "I've got to finish up with this and clean up. I'll see you later, right?"

"I'll be there," I assured him. "I can't wait to show off Mai's little dress."

"Momoe's got a little suit for Renjiro. I feel sorry for the little guy," Jou said, but his voice betrayed him. He thought Renjiro was adorable in the suit, and now I couldn't wait to see it. We exchanged quick goodbyes, since we would be meeting up in only a few hours, and I actually got to work on my assignment for the day. I needed to write up my daily report. I did it every single day, even though Neo assured me that as the year progressed it would be fine for me to start writing weekly reports. I was looking forward to when that was possible, because the reports were rather tedious. But I enjoyed them enough, since they were really helping to make things safe for digimon world-wide. I couldn't be upset with a report that was so important.

"Are you going to lunch with the rest of the office tomorrow, Miyako?" Bengoshi asked me softly. He was a little afraid to be around me, even though I didn't blame him for his part in Sigma's schemes. I was pretty sure I reminded him of Sigma, due to Sigma's obsession with me and my daughter, and while I was on edge at first too, I soon forgave him of everything, and we were slowly becoming friends again.

It helped that we now worked together. Bengoshi had enough with his law firm, after Sora's trial, and their incredible loss, and had taken some time off to reinvent himself and to recover from his possession. Neo had been gracious enough to offer him a position in his team since he knew the law so well. Now, instead of arguing law in front of a judge, he helped to create them instead. It was nice, since I had no idea what I was doing.

"Unless something comes up," I told him with a smile. "But I doubt the world's going to end, so I think we're good."

"Don't jinx it," Bengoshi said, with wide eyes. I rolled mine. The Digital World was sealed off, and so were all of the others. There was no reason to worry. He was just being jumpy. I knocked my knuckles against my wooden desk anyway, just to put him at ease. He nodded thankfully at me, and I smiled once again. "I'll see you then. Have fun tonight."

"I hope to," I said. "It should be fun. I've known this was going to happen since I was twelve. There's a lot for it to live up to."

"It'll be good," he said. "Anyway, we're thinking of trying out your friend's noodle cart."

"Urgh," I groaned playfully. "Noodles."

"If it's not okay…"

"It's fine," I told him, rolling my eyes again. "Daisuke makes the _best_ noodles." It was true too. Daisuke was back up and swinging. His noodle cart was booming. It was still just one cart, but that was better than before. He was living his dream, and Kurayami was studying again, in between shifts at my parents' convenience store. They were doing much better than they were before. They didn't live in Sora's basement either, which I knew had been a genuine fear of theirs. They were actually gearing up for Haruki's second birthday next month. They were excited, and Haruki was old enough now to be excited about it too. He loved getting presents. Mostly, he liked the paper the presents were wrapped in, but it was cute either way.

Bengoshi left, and I finished up my report. I printed it off, and signed my name with a flourish at the bottom. I hopped to my feet, and smoothed out my skirt. I didn't wear my sundresses to the office, because I was trying to look more professional. It was also too cold for dresses—and skirts. I just didn't have any dress pants yet. I hadn't realized I'd need them when I started working here. It had only been a month. They were near the top of my shopping list though, right under diapers for Mai and a birthday gift for Haruki.

"Good afternoon," Kansui said to me with a smile when I got near Neo's office. Kansui's desk was right outside Neo's door, and he had a headset on. He had two different telephones, two laptops and a standard computer all piled into his workspace. He was Neo's personal secretary, and there were a lot of people that wanted Neo's attention. Kansui was really annoying, but he was also really good at his job. "I see you have your daily report. Would you like me to deliver it to Neo at the next possible convenience?"

"He's not here?" I realized.

"No he is not," Kansui said cheerfully. "Is that a yes on the daily report situation, or do you want to debate the pros and cons of the offer?"

"You can have it," I said with a sigh. He lit up and took the report from me. He started reading it, and decided it was definitely an important document, and set in on top of the smallest pile of papers on the filing cabinets that lined the wall behind his chair. I felt privileged to have made the cut for the small pile. Neo would get to it early the next day at least. "Do you know where he is?"

"I am not privy to such information," Kansui assured me. "There was a wedding today, I think. Yes. It's right here in his private schedule. I suppose he could have gone to that."

"It hasn't started yet," I said. I doubted Neo was even going to go to it anyway. He wasn't really the wedding type. He went to Koushiro and Mimi's and Mimi harassed him for _months_ afterwards about finding a nice girl so that he could get married too. He wasn't particularly thrilled with the concept. I wasn't sure he was willing to take the risk attending a wedding in case Mimi started getting ideas again.

"Then I do not know where Neo has gone," Kansui said with a pout. He was always pouting when Neo didn't share information with his 'roomie'. I was pretty sure Neo did it on purpose, just because he hated the term 'roomie'. I smiled to Kansui and thanked him, which perked him right back up, and then headed out the door.

The journey home was uneventful, but when I reached the house—still the same house, even though we'd experienced multiple haunting from Sigma—I found there were cars in the driveway. One was Ken's, and one was Natsuni's—a gift from her father when they announced the pending arrival of their baby, since he wanted to be sure they had a way to the hospital if there was an emergency. Daisuke's second-hand car that Jun gave him, when she bought a new one, was there too, and so was Momoe's. I brightened up immensely, and stopped wondering where Neo could've gotten. It didn't matter anyway. He was my boss, and I wasn't his keeper.

I also wasn't sure I wanted to know what he got up to in his spare time.

When I opened the door, I found a pile of shoes all lined up neatly along the wall—most likely Natsuni's influence—and one pair of girls shoes thrown willy-nilly about the hall. Those belonged to Emiko. I smiled and put them in place when I took mine off, and headed towards the sound of voices.

"Em-i-ko," Emiko was saying slowly. "Can you say that? Emiko. That's my name."

"He's too little," Momoe said with a laugh.

"But Haruki can do it," Emiko said with a pout to her voice. I waited in the doorway, watching as Emiko laid on the ground next to her brother's head and continued whispering her name to him, probably hoping to get it stuck in his mind so that when he _could_ talk, he'd know to say her name first.

Mai was clinging to Momoe's fingers, and bouncing up and down while she stood. She was really interested in learning to walk lately, but she wasn't ready to trust herself yet. She clung to fingers and furniture as she waddled her way around. She also really liked jumping. She was a bundle of energy. And her hair was finally starting to kick into gear. She's spent most of her first year being practically bald, but she had straight dark locks protruding from her head now, the exact same colour as Ken's. It was absolutely beautiful, and suited her to a T. I was so happy that she had enough hair to put into baby pigtails for the wedding. She was going to look cute as a button.

Renjiro was squirming, and Emiko stuck her finger into his hand, and he calmed down. She looked pleased with herself, and looked to Jou, who was talking with Iori, Ken and Kurayami, for praise. Jou stopped talking long enough to smile at her, and she beamed even brighter when Ken gave her two thumbs up. She got back to teaching her brother her name after that. I was glad that Emiko wasn't feeling jealous or threatened by her little brother. But Jou and Momoe were good parents, and they made sure she still had special one-on-one time and got to do fun things that Renjiro couldn't yet, because he was too little. She didn't seem to mind having him around. But there was a certain glint in her eyes when she looked at him that made me think she had plans for when he was older.

"Daisuke, can you hold her?" Natsuni asked, handing Kana to him without waiting for an answer. His nose crinkled and he held her away from himself, turning his head away, while Natsuni dug through the diaper bag for the necessary items to clean her up. She also dug out a bottle of goat's milk from a cooler bag, and tossed it at Iori, who caught it without looking away from Jou. He waited until Jou was finished talking before excusing himself to the kitchen to warm it up. Little Kana had struggle with a lactase issue, and hadn't been able to feed from Natsuni properly for a while, and by the time she had developed enough lactase to digest the lactose in milk, Natsuni had figured it was just easier to give her milk—but cow milk was still too much for Kana to digest. It was all very complicated, and I was very pleased that Mai didn't have the same trouble. But Kana was a happy and calm little girl and didn't seem to be suffering for it. I was very happy that she was doing okay.

Natsuni had the diaper and wipes and powder in hand, and took Kana from a disgusted Daisuke, rolling her eyes at him, and heading upstairs to Mai's room, where her changing table was still set up, thankfully taking the smell with her.

"Hey, Miyako," Momoe said, finally noticing my presence. I waved to her, and Mai seemed to realize I was home and started kicking up a fuss until I came and got her from Momoe.

I nuzzled my daughter, and she let out peals of laughter. I tickled her and kissed her, and gave her as much love as I could in those first few minutes, and she was exceedingly happy, no sign of any tears anymore. That was awesome. She was actually a really fussy kid. When Haruki was born, he barely cried at all, and Kana and Renjiro were both calm as could be. Emiko had been fussy too, so I didn't feel so alone, being a parent that still couldn't sleep through the night, because Mai was just so demanding. I hoped that I would follow the same pattern as Momoe whenever Ken and I got around to wanting a second child, because Renjiro was practically an angel. He was already sleeping through most of the night, and he wasn't even half a year old yet. It was pretty amazing. I was a little jealous, but I wouldn't change Mai for anything. I was happy she was her own person and was exercising her voice and calling for me when she needed me.

I was still just so _happy_ that Gaia had given Mai a second chance. I couldn't imagine my life without her, and I actually almost panicked any time I tried to. I couldn't hate Gaia _completely_ for that one reason alone. She gave my daughter to me, and I loved that I got that second chance. I loved Mai with everything that was in me, and I couldn't believe such a perfect, sweet little angel had once been inside of me. Ken and I were blessed every day that we got to spend with her, because each day was literally a gift that we might not have had if Gaia hadn't played her terrible came of chance.

Daisuke was looking pretty spiffy in what looked like his Dad's old suit, and Jou was dressed to the nines as well. Ken was half ready, since his suit jacket and tie were laying over the back of the arm chair he was sitting in. Kurayami was dressed prettily in a lace covered dress, and Momoe was wearing a frilly blouse with a pair of pressed dress pants. Emiko was wearing a fluffy, fun dress as well, and I realized I needed to get ready. I did my hair up in a complicated braid that morning, to get it out of the way, and I raced upstairs to throw my teal and yellow dress on. My shoes were teal, and my sweater was yellow, which covered up my scars enough for me not to need to wear gloves. I threw on a pair of black leggings to help keep me warm and decided against makeup, since Mai was likely to just mess it up with her wandering hands anyway. I ran back downstairs when I had Mai's dress in hand and struggled to get her into it. Momoe had a much easier time of getting Renjiro in his adorable baby suit. Haruki had a bow tie clipped to his shirt, and a sweater that Sora had knit for him, and when Natsuni came back down with Kana, she was wearing a yellow dress with a white sweater and a headband with a big fluffy, yellow flower on it. The kids were all adorable, and the rest of us paled in comparison, but we were all ready for the big event.

"Should we go then?" Daisuke asked.

"I'd imagine so," Iori said. "They'll expect us to be early to help with the guests. You know how stressed they were."

"Let's go!" I cheered, handing Mai to Ken, who had her coat ready, before I started handing out shoes at random, leaving everyone with mismatched shoes in my haste. I flushed, and took my shoes from Emiko, and handed the smaller ones to her. She laughed at me, but I couldn't help it. It was a wedding. And I was so excited!

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

I had no reason to miss being around my son now. I had to keep stronger now that he was older. We couldn't dote on him nearly as often. I wanted to ensure that Haruki had his freedom to think and do as he pleased because I certainly wasn't going to be in control of his life. And yet I still missed him. He was so little still. He was just about two and l didn't know anything about raising a child. The only friends I had that had raised someone past two was Jou and Momoe, and their only advice for a two year old was 'hide'. Haruki wasn't like Emiko. Haruki was kind and sweet and gentle, while Emiko had always been quite loud. So I had gone to see a child expert at the hospital and her advice to me was that I should simply start working on his spatial recognition.

So like, "Haruki, you are _under_ the couch, and I'd like you to come out."

Or "Sweetheart, we can't go see your favourite tv characters in real life because they live _very_ far away."

He always handled it well and his speech was getting better and soon I was sure he would catch on to the general idea that not everything was readily available and in front of him. He knew where outside was now, so that was progress.

So when I had told him, "Haruki, I'll be right back."

He had responded with, "You go ou'side?" he was looking up to me with big round eyes, asking if he could come along.

"Yes, and I'll be a little while," I kissed the top of his head, "I'll be back before you know it. Play with Mai, okay?" Haruki nodded his head dramatically to show that it was in fact 'okay' because he couldn't do anything subtly and then he ran off to Mai. I loved the way he ran. It was so cute.

And then I had left with Iori. We were on a mission and hopefully it would go quickly because I wasn't in the mood to be out shopping. I had been up late the previous night preparing things for today and apparently we had let one single thing slip through the cracks in all of our minds. 'something blue'. Iori and I had been sent out immediately to grab something—anything blue that could work for the wedding, and so we went out.

I figured I had to be lost in my thoughts when Iori had to stop me from crossing the road, saving me from being flattened by a massive transport truck. I let out a startled scream as the truck roared past. I looked to him as the truck passed and he smiled, amused at first, but then his face turned to a rather quizzical look. "Are you okay?"

"Just startled, I suppose," I told him feebly. He nodded his head and then gestured for me to walk since we were now able to. I was hoping he wouldn't find out the problem. I hadn't even told Daisuke yet.

I was sick.

I wasn't sure _how_ sick since the doctors had yet to find anything wrong with me, but I knew it was true. I felt like my entire life had been slowly draining from the pores on my body. It had only started a couple weeks prior to right then, but that didn't mean it couldn't be serious. It felt like there was a ball of horror inside my chest and it was diabolical in its methods of killing me, making it a slow and painful ride.

Since the doctors were incapable of identifying the issue, I had to wonder if it had anything to do with Zeta's supposed curse on my family. Without my darkness to protect me from the sorrow, did that mean Zeta's powers would pass to me and soon an eerie darkness would creep into my mind and heart and—would I turn into my mother? I had done so much to prevent this. I had worked _so_ hard to embrace and control the balance of the darkness. Could it be possible that it had all been for nothing, and that I had only prolonged the inevitable? Would I hurt my son because of some _insane_ rule of the universe?

I shuddered at the thought.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Iori asked, placing his hand on my shoulder gently and then squeezing slightly.

I nodded and flashed a smile toward him, "Sure, yeah." I nodded, but he didn't seem convinced. "I'm just thinking about my test."

"Ah," Iori nodded, "Well you know the material, believe me."

I nodded, "I know," he understood already.

"I know," he rolled his eyes, "you don't test well. Believe me, _I_ know. But I'm confident you're going to pass. I helped you graduate high school and do you know what you said right before you went into that final exam?" I shrugged, but could vaguely remember the moment. I knew the class was with Noriko and I knew Iori was ignoring her, but had not come as close to her in two years as he had in that moment. She was trying to catch his attention but decided it wasn't worth it and made her way inside. I missed her. "You told me you were going to fail."

I let my head fall back a bit, trying to remember. That _did_ sound like me. Then, as I was staring to the clouds, the memory flashed through my mind.

" _You can do it!" Natsuni said proudly, "Come on, Kura, just go in there and wipe the floor with them all."I looked to her in horror because there was no way I had enough confidence or strength to get in and do anything of the sort. She threw her hands up, "it's an expression!" She and Hikari began laughing but I didn't know how to laugh along._

" _I-I know the stuff," I said, trying to convince myself I could do it. One more test and I would finally be done with high school. I would get out of this stupid building and out into the real world. I had never_ not _had freedom since my mother had left and school was the only normal thing I had going for me. I should have liked it, but it was restricting and I hated it. "I've passed my other exams. I know the stuff. I've passed everything else. I know_ all _the answers, right?"_

" _Right," Iori nodded along, smiling slightly at the way I was pumping myself up._

" _I—" my voice broke. "I'm going to fail!"_

"Do you remember what I told you when you said it?" Iori asked, looking to me with a glint in his eyes.

" _If you fail, it doesn't really matter," Iori told me, "It's just a test. They let you retake it if you fail."_

 _With that, I had been led into the classroom, ripped away from my friends as the test was soon to begin. I nervously made my way to my desk and as I sat down Noriko was already handing me my usual pen since I could never remember to bring my own. "Thanks," I said in a shaky voice._

" _Good luck," she smiled to me._

" _Y-you too."_

"You lied to me," I rolled my eyes, "You told me I could retake the test."

"You can," Iori laughed, "You just have to take the course again along with it."

I punched his arm and he grinned foolishly, darting in front of me. For a moment I thought he might be trying to trip me or something but when he threw open a door I realized we'd come to his intended destination. He held the door for me and I walked in first, and instantly I felt like I didn't belong. Sure I was wearing a rather expensive bridesmaid dress, but my coat had holes in it and the store looked like everything would be really expensive. When I looked to the first item in the store it was an intricate urn and when I saw the price tag I expected it to say something like "Your first born child" because that was about all I could offer this place. I had no money. What was Iori thinking coming in here? How would this help the bride anyway?

The entire store was burgundy and golden and somehow it didn't seem likely that anything here would be in my price range. Daisuke had his noodle cart again, but with my online schooling and Haruki I didn't have _time_ for anything aside from a simple part-time job at the Inoue convenience store, and we still had to think about paying off my school bills. We lived in an apartment now—no longer in Sora's basement, but without Takeru the bill fell solely on the two of us. Haruki was an expensive little guy and this was just silly.

Iori didn't seem to think the shop was too overpriced though because he was making his way down the nearest aisle. I followed after him at a brisk pace and caught him as he looked at a snow globe that seemed to be made of _diamond_ , or more realistically, crystal. "What are we doing here?" I asked, nervous because I had offered to pay for the something blue. Surely Iori wouldn't make me buy a hunk of sapphire or anything, would he?

Iori hesitated and looked back, laughing nervously, "I didn't tell you?" I shook my head. "Tomorrow is my mother's birthday. I need a present for her."

I relaxed finally, hearing that it had nothing to do with the wedding or with me paying for anything. "Okay first, you should not have waited until the last minute, and second, your birthday _just_ passed."

"I came early," Iori told me, "I was supposed to come _on_ her birthday. Also, I was busy helping my friend study for her exam." My face flushed red and when he noticed he shook his head, "I'm kidding, I was happy to help. Just help me find something random for my mother."

I agreed to help and set off down the aisle with him, "Make sure you spend the day with her, that way whatever present you get will be fine."

Iori crinkled his nose and looked embarrassed when I noticed. He didn't say anything for a moment, but when it was clear I was expecting a response he said, "It's just that she's so... _her_ when it comes to Kana." I understood immediately. "When _I_ look at Kana I see a beautiful baby and I want to be a good dad, you know? So the only parent I've ever really known is my mother. I look to her and think, what did she do right, and what did she do wrong? Those wrong things keep coming out whenever Kana's with her."

"I know what you mean," I told him, offering up an intricate paperweight. He shrugged it off so I set it back on the shelf. "My dad was always really strict with me, and my mom was the fun one—well she _was_ , before she—anyway, yeah whenever I bring Haruki around my dad he's... so... him."

Iori nodded his head, pleased someone seemed to understand, "Like what?"

"Like when Haruki was _teething_ ," I groaned. "Haruki put his rattle in his mouth—because, you know, he was in pain and kids chew on things when they're teething, but Dad was like 'No biting, go sit in the corner' and he actually made Haruki sit in a corner for _three hours_!"

"That's insane," Iori said, trying to wrap his head around it all. "As you know, Kana likes to move. She crawls everywhere, but my mom always picks her up and puts her back in her sight, and that's fine. I was wondering _why_ , but that's fine. Or it _was_ before she did it last time."

"Why, what happened?"

"She picked Kana up," Iori told me, stopping now to stare at me as if to emphasize how serious he was about the story, "And she said 'Oh Kana, we don't want to leave grandma do we? No we don't. We'll never leave or do anything against the rules like your daddy did! We love following grandma's rules, don't we?'"

"That's insane too!" I gasped, trying to imagine Fumiko in that way. "My dad loves enforcing rules, but he's terrible at creating them, and he loves protecting people which just gets so annoying. He's a really nice guy, but I feel like we would get along better if someone was there for him, you know?"

Iori nodded, stopping in front of a giant wall of fancy rugs, "I do," he said, "My mom needs someone I think. I wasn't happy that she married without asking me, and to my friend's father no less, but she needs someone there for her. She has no one to talk to, and none of her rules mean anything because unless Kana is over no one follows them. Meiyomon certainly doesn't. I also worry because she's pretty frail sometimes, and I don't want her being so unprotected now that Dad, Grandpa and I are all gone."

I nodded along but then froze, realizing what we'd just said, and he looked to me, clearly thinking the same lines. Our parents matched up pretty perfectly. We narrowed our eyes in thought and then shrugged it off, I waved my hand passively and he agreed, pointing up to the rug. "This one," he decided. "She needs a rug, right? Who doesn't need a rug?"

We quickly placed the order and Iori ensured that someone would deliver it to her house the next day when he was there to pick it up for her, since she would likely not be able to carry the massive rug alone, and then we were gone, out of the store. I didn't even listen to how much he paid for it because we had only one rug in our apartment. We called it the bathroom mat and it had been free at a garage sale. I wished I was a lawyer who had money to toss around.

Then we made our way down the street to a much less appealing, and yet much more affordable shop. I didn't waste any time since we would be late if we waited too much longer, and we made our way down the fabric aisle. I was trying to figure out how we could use something to make a blue sash for her when Iori pointed to a roll of cheap blue ribbon. "For her hair?" he suggested. He was a genius. I grabbed the roll and together we rushed to the checkout counter. Iori tried to pay for the ribbon, but I wouldn't let him. I didn't want to be poor, so I wanted to buy things every now and then so I didn't _feel_ poor.

It was when we made our way out of the store that I was hit in the gut by something sharp and painful. I felt it run me through and I fell to my knees feeling like I was bleeding to death. Iori seemed shocked, but not shocked _enough_. My heart pounded sharply, racing with panic and I managed to prop my head up and run my ungloved hand over my stomach.

No blood.

"Give me your hand," Iori offered, finally grabbing my hand and dragging me to my feet. My head was aching and I could feel some snow making its way down my back. "Let's sit," Iori offered. I nodded and let him lead me through the spinning darkness to where he found a bench.

Sitting was amazing, but I was still checking my wound. There was nothing there. "I have appendicitis," I decided, running my hand over the dress.

Iori looked concerned but placed his finger near my navel, "Does it hurt here?" I shook my head and pointed much higher. "Then you don't," he seemed relieved. "Are you okay though?" I nodded, but wasn't sure I believed it. I felt water in my eyes and knew Mimi would be annoyed at having to redo my makeup _again_ , but last time had been Haruki's fault.

I clutched my stomach tightly and doubled over and all at once the pain seemed to vanish. Iori rubbed my back gently and slowly I saw back up. I took a few steady breaths and then shrugged. I felt fine again. "I have no idea what that was about."

I tried to stand but Iori stopped me by grabbing my wrist, "Wait," he said in a worried voice, "Maybe you should sit a while longer."

I shook my head, "I'm fine." I said, pulling my arm from him. I did a little spin to show just _how_ fine I was and he seemed to think that was fair enough, so he reached for the bag containing the ribbon and followed me as I made my way down the street. I wasn't sure if that random ache had anything to do with the sickness the doctors were unable to identify, but I didn't quite think so. Usually the feeling was in my chest, like near my heart, not in my stomach. Maybe I was just really hungry.

"If you need a rest, just let me know," Iori said, "I'm in no hurry. I'm sure the others can wait—or we could take a cab—"

"It's not that far," I protested, "I'm alright. I don't want to be any trouble." Iori rolled his eyes and began telling me how it was no trouble at all to get a ride to the church, but my mind was elsewhere. I had a sudden panic. "What if I'm pregnant?"

"Pardon me?" Iori asked, worried.

"I can't afford another baby—" relaxation set in the moment I remembered that doctors were fairly knowledgeable about fetuses, and they surely would be able to tell me if my issue was a pregnancy. Plus, I didn't remember Haruki trying to kill me like that when I had been pregnant with _him_. "Never mind."

Iori laughed lightly, but it didn't sound particularly convincing. "If you say s—" he froze at the sound of beeping coming from the pocket of his woolen coat. He looked confused but pulled his phone out all the same. When it seemed the beeping wasn't coming from his phone at all he reached back inside his pocket and pulled out his digivice.

The beeping stopped.

Iori and I looked to each other and a panic set in. What if we could go back? What if I missed my chance because I had left my digivice in my purse back at the church? I looked down to his device to check if it was saying anything but the screen had gone blank.

"Weir—" Iori tried to say, but was cut off my a scream of pain from me.

This time the pain was where it was supposed to be. Right in my chest. I fell to my knees and held my chest, wrangling my scream into something more of a groan of pain. I clamped my teeth tightly so I wouldn't scream again and breathed sharply and jaggedly through my nose, trying desperately to get enough air that might somehow stop the pain.

The worst part was that this pain was familiar. This pain was like when Gaia had been stringing me along.

I looked up to Iori with realization but he was reaching for my arm and the moment he grabbed on the world went completely black.

My vision was lit up by nine glowing orbs. They were floating around peacefully. In their center was a woman whose shape I could not make out, but I knew the feeling as Gaia. I knew it was her. The orbs that were spinning around her all came closer together until they formed one in her hand. I had an overwhelming desire to shatter the orb, but I couldn't. Someone else had gotten there first. It was a woman, glowing from top to bottom. It was Hikari and she knocked the orb from the woman's hand and it came falling to the ground where it shattered. But as it was falling there was something growing behind Gaia, something big and something dark. When a set of eyes flashed into being I woke up.

I gasped, pulling myself up into a sitting position. What had that been? Where was I? I saw people standing around me and realized I was laying on the sidewalk. They were all looking rather frightened and I realized that I must have passed out. I looked sharply to the ground next to me where Iori was stirring himself awake and I shook him sharply. His eyes fluttered open and he looked confused. I grabbed his hand and jumped to my feet, feeling embarrassed as I led him away from the crowd.

When I was sure they were done gawking at us I turned to him, "I just saw—"

"Hikari," Iori nodded, "Me too. I saw it before. When we were in Theta. It makes more sense now I think. Did you... was that—?"

"Gaia," I confirmed, "That's what I think. What was that darkness?"

Iori shrugged, "No idea... does it really matter?"

I nodded, "It does matter," I told him, "Because I can feel Gaia still. I think she's here." Iori's face paled but he didn't hesitate to follow after me as I set off, rushing down the street. I hated that I was wearing heels and a dress. Who was I? Mari?

"How do you know where to go?" he asked between pants as he hurried along beside me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I'm following an instinct." And that was true. I felt it inside of me, like she was leading me again, but did that mean we were falling into a trap? Because I wasn't sure a trap was something I could handle right then. But I needed to know that I wasn't insane. I felt her. I _did_. She had to be here, I wasn't just feeling nothing. This was the feeling Gaia had put in me when she had wanted my darkness. But it was different now, because I had no darkness.

I was hoping I was right. I didn't want to see Gaia, but I wanted to see Labramon. If Gaia could get here, so could he. So could Veemon. So could _Norn_.

And as we turned a corner I screamed as Iori and I both came smashing into someone. I gasped, falling to the ground for the third time, but a hand caught me before I fell. Iori groaned and I spotted Kiyoko helping him to his feet. And then I turned to my own savior. There was no one else here, but it would've been less weird if there had been.

"H-how?" I asked in shock.

"No time," Taichi said, "I have to go!"

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Woah, Taichi? What's going on? I guess he'll get a chance to tell us next time, after Sora gets a chance to explain her own life!


	47. There Are Worse Things I Could Do

**Y/N:** Taichi's back on Earth, and he's got some unfortunate truths that he's got to share with everyone, but honestly, I was just so relieved to have his friends back. It was difficult for me to write about Taichi without them. He's so stressed out and just having other characters to work with helped to mellow him out, I thought.

 **U/N:** I promise you that I am aware Sora's part of this chapter isn't great. A lot of Sora's chapters in this final half of the story are pretty terrible. She got the short end of the stick this time and I just couldn't get into it. I guess that's fair since she's been taking like, every plot since the start of 05, so it was her turn to step back a bit.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 47: There Are Worse Things I Could Do**

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

I was sure I was late, and yet he wasn't here. Did that mean he had already left and I was waiting for no one at all? I was certainly hoping that wasn't the case. I didn't want to be here for nothing. I was checking the time on my phone on repeat and feeling rather nervous about the whole ordeal. I was just so pressed for time.

With Neo's campaign—and of course winning that campaign—a whole new world opened up to us all. Takeru's books were able to be published because of the controversy, Miyako had recently gotten a new job dedicated to digimon entirely, Iori was fighting for digimon rights in court, Jou was using his knowledge of digimon to help those on Earth with a groundbreaking discovery pertaining to the virus in a jar that he had kept for this very purpose and was being funded by Willis who had bought out Arnold's old building. I loved that it was being used for good now. I loved that Jou was using the _virus_ for good _in_ the building that Arnold created it in. It was such a slap in the face to Arnold. I hoped he knew about it.

My career had taken off too though. All digimon styled clothing was selling, and my online business became a _real_ business. It was small, but I had a nice little shop down the road from my house and I was hoping to someday expand to include my own real clothing line involving traditional Japanese kimono's and the likes. But for now, digimon were saving my life.

Even though they weren't with us anymore, the digimon were still running our lives in the best way possible. Without them, none of us would be in a good place—or not a place that truly made us happy. But we were _all_ happy now. I was sure of it! Aside from possibly Hideto...

I checked my phone one last time and saw a message from Mimi asking me why I wasn't with her already. I sent a quick message back telling her that I was on the way, because I had been waiting for two hours now. It seemed that I was just wasting my time and since I wasn't allowed inside for any reason, it became pretty clear to me that my waiting was useless.

My legs and arms were sore because of my most recent tennis tournament, and I was wearing heels which wasn't helping me at all and standing outside aimlessly made no sense anymore.

I didn't have the time anyway. I had to be at the church in half an hour to get to work. We had to have things go smoothly. We couldn't have a repeat of Mimi's wedding. I shuddered at the thought and finally removed myself from leaning against the side of the building and began making my way toward my shiny new car. I was in a place in my life where I had money for a mortgage on a new shop _and_ a new car. I was in a good place.

As I reached for the door to my car though I stopped and turned toward the front door of the massive brick building and saw the blonde boy making his way out into the world. I released my car and smiled, making my way toward him.

He stood at the top of the steps, cupping his hands over his eyes and began looking around, taking in the sight of Earth.

"Well hello there, Space Boy," I said, standing at the bottom of the stairs with my arms crossed. Yamato's arms fell and he looked down to me, and a sheepish smile grew on his face. He lazily made his way down the stairs until he was standing in front of me and he threw his arms around me. I laughed into his hug, but pushed him away, "We have somewhere to be, remember?"

"Hey," he said, pointing his finger my way, "I'm going to assume you're not blaming me for being late?" I shrugged and began making my way to my car, "They can keep me for as long as they want. Do you know what kind of arguments I had to create just to get out of there?" I shook my head, but knew he was going to skip over it. He seemed rather talkative, like he hadn't had anyone to talk to. And he hadn't, not really. There was one other man up there with him, but from what I'd heard, he wasn't very nice. "And it sucked too. They kept making me eat healthy foods and exercise _every_ day, and there was nothing else I was allowed to do." We both got into the car and I started the engine, but waited until he was done. "I did not want to drink a broccoli smoothie while pedaling on a stationary bike and watching my partner do the same mirrored back at me."

"But," I said, turning to him with a smile, "How was it?"

He hesitated and then a smile grew on his face, "Pretty _freaking_ cool," he laughed. I nodded, and allowed him to start ranting about space and we were off.

I knew we were on a tight schedule, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get him a burger. He was pleased when I handed it off to him, thanked me a million times. Then we were off, heading to his house that he hadn't been in for more than a year. "So why did _you_ come pick me up?" Yamato asked.

"Because someone had to," I told him, trying to judge whether he was annoyed by it or not.

"I was just wondering," Yamato shrugged. "When Takeru came to see me the other day I told him to come pick me up on my motorcycle. I had many dreams of that wonderful machine and I just want to ride it again."

"Well he never passed the message on," I smirked, pulling into his driveway. "Now go get ready."

Yamato sighed and flung himself out of the car. I followed him of course, and we made our way up his porch. I took in the sight, since I'd never actually been to his house before. It was nice. The porch was a little dirty, but he hadn't _been_ here. It was stained dark and the house itself was large and beautiful. It looked rather regal. I was impressed. The inside of the house was even _more_ impressive. I was honestly shocked that Yamato had picked out something that appealed to me so much, but I knew that now was not the time to gawk over his house. And it was also not the time to point out that he needed more furniture.

Yamato motioned for me to follow him, so I did, up his twisted staircase that went up to a wonderful open hall space outside four bedrooms. He made his way to the end of the hall, pushing the door open and gesturing for me to go inside. I raised my eyebrows but did as he was told. The room was large and tidy, which made sense as he hadn't been here in a year either. "What do you need?" I asked, taking in the sight of his massive closet that made up the entire far wall.

"I need to know what to wear," Yamato admitted.

"It's already picked out," I told him. I pushed his bedroom door closed and pointed to the black bag that contained his suit for the wedding. "Picked out by me of course. Takeru told me where he put it. Will there be anything else?"

"No," Yamato said, seeming a bit embarrassed. He took the suit and made his way to the bathroom attached to his room. He shut the door, but of course it bounced open a little. "Hey Sora," Yamato called, and his voice travelled through the cracked open door. I hummed to let him know I was listening and began looking around his room. I stopped at the shelf by the bathroom and looked at everything he had kept there. My eyes stopped at a framed picture of him and Gabumon. I felt a tug at my heart for him and Biyomon and all the others. I wanted them back. And when I saw a copy of Takeru's book that he had obviously added himself I caught myself staring at the cover art and the depiction of Taichi made my heart ache even more. "Every time Takeru came to see me he only talked about space," Yamato told me, drawing my attention away from the past. "What's going on in everyone else's lives?"

"Oh," I said, realizing we may be in for a long conversation there. I turned away from the shelf and saw through the massive windows by his bed to a beautiful backyard. I made my way toward the window and sighed, "Well, Mimi reopened her restaurant , and you know you missed their wedding. Her and Koushiro obviously."

"Yeah, how was that?" Yamato asked.

I shuddered again, "Fine," I lied. "Hikari's working at the school again, I'm sure Takeru told you. She finally listened to the advice everyone was giving her. Failure doesn't mean the world is out to get you."

"That sounds like you," Yamato joked, and I winced. I remembered _well_ what it felt like to know that Mimi sabotaged my career... and somehow I turned that around in my mind to mean that the world didn't want to see me happy. That simply wasn't the case.

I ignored him. "Daisuke's noodle carts are running again," I told him, "And Kurayami is back in school for sociology or psychology—one of those. And Haruki is walking and talking. I miss him though. They don't live too far, but still further than my basement."

"You want your friends to live in your basement?" Yamato asked with a snort, "That's kind of creepy, Sora."

I shook my head in amusement, "That's not what I mean," I told him, "I just want them closer to me. I miss Haruki." Yamato laughed, and I took that as a sign to continue, "Willis bought out Arnold's business and is running them with his own plans. Jou currently is leading a branch of that in saving people from common diseases. He hasn't perfected anything yet, but he's on the way to deleted things like tumors inside the human body."

I heard Yamato drop something in the bathroom and he cleared his throat, "Well... that's—wow. You should have saved that for last though."

I shrugged, did it really matter what order things went in? But yeah, Jou was accomplishing a heck of a lot. "He also has a son now. He's so sweet, and while I'm not going to say anything to pressure them into common stereotypes or force them into growing up with a plan set in mind but I totally think he and Iori's daughter Kana should date."

Yamato laughed again, "They're infants, Sora."

"They're in love," I joked. "Tatum's pregnant too. Everyone's having babies."

"Well, babies are nice," Yamato said awkwardly.

"Yeah," I agreed blankly, thinking about what it would be like to have my own child. I wasn't ready. Maybe in a few years, but I just simply wasn't the motherly type yet. Okay, that was a lie. I _was_ the motherly type, but in a way I felt that I was still being a mom to so many other people and now with all of these babies around, I wasn't sure I was ever going to want a child of my own. But that was certainly bound to change.

I heard Yamato finally come out of the bathroom and make his way toward me, but I was still staring down at the yard. It needed a lot of work, but the space was nice. I looked to him and he looked sheepish as he gestured to his tie. I nodded and began tying it for him. "What about you?" Yamato asked, "How is your life?"

"Steady," I said, feeling rather unsettled about it all. I wanted more... spontaneity. I wasn't fond of when things ran too smoothly. "I bought a shop to sell clothes from."

Yamato smiled, and looked down to the yard, but I reached up and moved his head back. He was messing up my tying. "What about Mantarou?" he asked. I shook my head and he hummed thoughtfully. "Meet anyone new?"

"Are you asking if I have a boyfriend?" I asked, looking up to him. He didn't make I contact so I rolled my eyes. "Did you?"

"Meet anyone?" Yamato asked, "In space?" I didn't answer and he laughed. I smiled at the sound and took a step back, looking to the tie. It seemed right. "So, how do I look?"

I took in the sight of him in the suit I picked out. It was a perfect fit which I had been worried about since he was losing muscle mass up in space. I nodded, pleased with the outcome and smiled to him, "You look great. Now we should get out the door because we're running out of time."

"Of course," Yamato nodded, "After you." He gestured to the doorway in jest but I took the lead anyway. I hurried along ahead and made my way back down the stairs. When I was reaching for the door he stopped me, with a hand on my shoulder. I turned back and saw that he was pointing to the kitchen. "The garage is this way."

"And my car isn't in your garage," I reminded him. He grabbed my wrist gently and hurried toward the garage where he threw the door open. The only thing in the garage at all was a singular bike. His motorcycle. "No." I said with such seriousness that he actually turned to me in shock. "There's no way I'm riding your motorcycle, Yamato. You tried with the last one too, and it's terrifying. We didn't get of my driveway with it."

"You have to face your fears, Sora!" Yamato tried desperately to convince me, but I shook my head flatly. "Fine," he sighed, then with mock enthusiasm, "Quick! To the average-mom-mobile!"

I ignored the fact that he was calling my car boring, because it was anything _but_. It was reliable and safe and that was something I looked for in vehicles. I wanted spontaneity in life, but in terms of something as serious and dangerous as automobiles, I wanted something to trust. I was never getting on a motorcycle. Never in a million years.

And then we were off. Yamato clicked the radio on when the silence grew to be too much and he began to sing along quietly. I didn't mind, but I wasn't about to sing with him. I was too lost in thought about the day ahead. I had a lot of work to do still before the bride was ready for her moment.

Yamato had rolled the window down and was enjoying the wind blowing in his face. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be completely alone for so long, because the closest I had come was my school years, and I had made a couple friends up there. Yamato had no one to befriend. But he had made the decision to go and I could only hope that it had benefitted him in the way he had hoped it would.

He pressed his head back against the headrest and sighed peacefully. "Hey Sora," he said, reaching up to turn the music down. I didn't respond so he took the opportunity to continue, "How's Katsue?"

I felt my eye twitch on its own accord but I brushed that aside. "You can't ask her yourself?"

Yamato stared to me for a moment, trying to safely judge how to continue the conversation. "Well," he said, sounding rather cautious. "I'm just wondering. She's my friend, I think. I haven't talked to her at _all_ though and I'm just not sure what's going on with her. I don't know if talking to her would be too forward."

"Well no need to dance around the bush," I told him dryly, pulling to a stop by the dry cleaners. I unbuckled my seatbelt. "She'll shut you down, since she's still with Amai."

I threw open the door to the car and Yamato looked shocked for a moment. A second later he was chasing after me, but I had already thrown open the door to my next stop. He rushed in after me, "Sora," he said, "that isn't what I meant. Katsue's just a friend. And Amai is a friend too. I don't _want_ to come between them."

I was already at the counter and handing them my ticket. They took it and moved into the back to get to get the dress I had been assigned for the wedding. I turned to Yamato apologetically. "I... I know." I told him sadly, looking away. "I just get a little bitter when Katsue's mentioned." He didn't respond, and when I looked up at him again he looked confused. "She doesn't exactly like me."

"That's not true," Yamato tried to reason.

"Oh really?" I asked, hands on hips.

" _You're all invited to our anniversary party," Katsue said, moving around the room and handing out informational invitations that by the look of it had clearly been crafted individually by Amai. Katsue got to Mimi who giggled at the silly monster that was on hers. It looked like it was supposed to be Jezebel, Mimi's kidnapped monster that she took from Arnold. Then Katsue stopped at me, "Oh, there aren't any more invitations. You're probably busy anyway, right?"_

"That's different," Yamato tried, "She probably thought you _would_ be busy."

" _I'm not," I told her innocently._

" _Oh," Katsue shrugged, "That sucks."_

Yamato folded his arms across his chest. "Okay, that didn't happen." He was right, and he could tell by the look on my face. He laughed a little but then sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I wasn't invited either."

I smiled, but it didn't exactly make me feel any more secure in my friendship—or lack thereof—with Katsue. "She hit my car with her bicycle and dented it."

"Coincidence," Yamato reasoned.

"She didn't include me in _any_ of the propaganda videos when the virus struck," I added.

"You were a wanted criminal," Yamato shrugged it off.

Okay that was true, "She hasn't come up with any mean nicknames for me, unlike _everyone_ else," I said quickly, "And she glares at me when I enter a room, she didn't say very nice things about my work in her report, and when I baked her a pie as a house warming gift she told me she was allergic to apples. Who's allergic to apples."

"I didn't know she _was_ allergic to them," Yamato said, thinking back.

"She isn't," I told him simply.

Yamato looked down the hallway ahead of us for the lady who was getting my dress but there was no sign of her. "Well," he said, still thinking hard, "Why would she hate you?"

A sad sort of smile formed on my face at how oblivious he could be for someone who was so emotionally present and aware. "When she went on her date with Taichi he pretended to be dating me, upon my request. She went on two dates with Neo but they broke it off because he still had feelings for his ex fiancé, which was me. And she broke up with _you_ because she was pretty sure you had feelings for me, which I'm not sure was true—"

"It was," Yamato said sharply, cutting me off. I looked up to him and felt my face flush, but he wasn't looking my way anymore. "I guess I see your point. She does have some pretty good reasons to be resentful toward you. I could talk to her if you—" Before I could object, because it was a horrible idea, the door behind us had been thrown open violently and the bell above the door smashed wildly around. Both Yamato and I turned to the doorway and while the sunlight pooling in behind her was nearly blinding, it was impossible to mistake the form of Yorokobi Fujimoto.

"Oh. My. God." Her voice was higher than normal and she was infuriated at the sight of Yamato. "How _dare_ you come to my usual dry cleaners?" She marched toward him, her heels clicking on the ground. "How dare you show your face! You're a woman beater. You beat on me, and I needed stitches."

"Doubtful," Yamato interjected.

"Don't interrupt me," Yorokobi snapped, slapping Yamato across the face. He gasped, caught completely off guard, but I stepped between the two of them. "Oh your little girlfriend will protect you from the mean bully?" Yorokobi and I locked eyes for a moment, and then she scoffed. "I can't believe you're playing the victim. You're _insane_ Yamato Ishida."

Yorokobi roughly pushed us both aside and began slamming her hand down on the bell on the counter. It rang loudly several times before someone rushed back to her. It wasn't our same worker, which was unfortunate. I wanted out of there immediately. "Could you _be_ any less productive?" Yorokobi nearly screamed, thrusting her ticket toward them.

Yamato leaned down to whisper in my ear, "What happened to her?"

"Neo and the others destroyed her family name," I whispered back, nearly inaudibly, "I think they've all kind of come undone a little. They were respected before, but they're just a joke now."

Yorokobi turned her head toward us both and stared toward Yamato with an intense burning hatred. "What are you still doing here?" She shrieked. Both Yamato and I jumped back, startled, but at that moment our worker returned and she handed me my dress. I thanked her quickly and she sent me an apologetic look after flicking her eyes toward the crazy sister of Hideto. Yamato put his hand on my back and began ushering me out of the building. "You hit me once," Yorokobi said with a bitter sneer, "Shame on you. You foil my plans, shame on you _again_. But you take down my family and my chance of fame, and you, Yamato Ishida are going to feel what shame can do to a person."

"I'm not sure that made sense," Yamato whispered, moving quicker, pushing me outside. I didn't mind being pushed so urgently because there was something off about Yorokobi and I didn't want to find out what it was. We had to get to the wedding. The bride was waiting.

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

The Digital World was continuing on around us. I didn't understand how that was possible. We had lost to Gaia, and she was now in control. She had the keys and the Crests and the Digimentals. She had everything on her side of the game board. She had beaten us, and she had left through a doorway. I had been forced through the wall of the Labyrinth, and I hadn't even stood a chance in the fight against Maugrim, but I should have fought harder. There was more I could have done. I still had life in me. So long as there was a heart beating in my chest, there was more fight in me.

I was a failure. I hadn't fought until the bitter end. I was still alive, but instead of being able to continue the fight, I was just trapped in the Digital World while Gaia was off gallivanting through all of the worlds. How could I keep her from conquering the worlds if I was stuck inside one she'd already conquered? There was nothing left for me to do. There were no partners left for the Digidestined, even if they _could_ help me now. She had taken everything that could potentially stand in her way.

She was good.

She was better than us.

"What should we do?" Rei asked, rubbing my shoulders. I didn't want her comfort. I wanted to be comforting her, but she wouldn't let me. She was continuing to be an eternal ray of sunshine, shining through the darkness, trying to be the single pillar of hope for our future.

"There's nothing we can do," I muttered, angry and bitter.

"There is always a fight to be fought," Leomon assured me.

"We just need to gather our forces," Ogremon agreed. "There's enough digimon out there that haven't been lured in by Gaia. There have to be. Our people cannot have all been spirited away by her manipulations."

"Olympos has fallen," Lunamon said sadly. "We cannot keep fighting alongside you."

"Will there even be enough digimon on our side to keep the digimon on _her_ side at bay?" Takuya asked. "Is there any way that we can keep this world safe from itself?"

"Don't talk like that," Junpei said quickly. "There's always a way to break a spell, isn't there? There has to be. I don't want the digimon to fight against each other. We need them to be a united front."

"Maugrim had an army of humans on Earth," Rei remembered. "And Gaia had several digimon doing her bidding in Witchenly. She's collecting armies. I'm afraid for the worlds."

"We need to keep hope," Babamon said, shaking her head. "We've always come out just fine in the past. I've lived this long, and the world has seen more than its fair share of evil. We can come out on top."

"We can't," Izumi protested, shaking her head. "It was the Crests that always brought the good back to the world. She has them. She stole them. How can we win?"

"You're scaring the children," Babamon scolded, patting Goblimon on the leg—who looked rather insulted to be considered a child—and gesturing to Lunamon and Coronamon, who were curled around each other, shaking like leaves. Plutomon and Junomon were lying on the ground. Aesop was sitting near Evelen, but not touching her. She wouldn't appreciate it. She was looking to her hands, furious with herself for not protecting Dracomon, who she promised Neo she would keep safe. Ryou had no such reservations, and was openly comforting _Aesop_ who was miserable because his son was one of the main reasons that we were failing so badly. Kotemon was crowing Goblimon, as they were mourning the loss of Armadillomon, and the others. Kotemon was also dealing with the fact that he was the last of the Knights. Pal and Pul were the only ones that seemed excited, as they danced around Armadillomon's egg, cheering about their recent digivolutions. They wouldn't be able to achieve them again, because we no longer had any access to the Digimentals, but that didn't dampen their excitement.

"Tell us what to do, Taichi," Jijimon ordered. I couldn't handle the pressure. I'd been the only one making decisions since we'd been locked in this world, and I was obviously failing at it. I'd made the biggest mess that the Digital World had ever seen. I was a menace.

"Taichi?" Tomoki prompted.

"Come on Taichi," Izumi said. "Let us have it."

"Taichi."

"Taichi."

"Taichi!"

"TAICHI!"

"Shut up," Evelen snapped. She noticed what no one else could. My head was spinning. Their words were haunting me, making me dizzy. She moved to my side, and Rei continued moving her hands over my sore muscles that were still battered from my recent fight against Maugrim. I hadn't stood a chance, and instead of doing me in, Maugrim had left me alive, allowing me to wallow in my failure. I was embarrassed at being beaten so easily. And because of Maugrim I would get a front row seat to watch the destruction.

"Taichi, are you okay?" Rei asked softly.

"No," I said, defeated. "But that doesn't matter. I don't need to be okay. I need to keep figuring out what we can keep doing."

"And have you come up with anything?" Aesop asked, hesitantly.

"We do what Ogremon suggested. We go around the world and we find digimon willing to fight against Gaia," I said firmly. "Takuya, you once led the original Digidestined. I want to leave you in charge of this. Can I depend on you?"

"I think the question is _should_ you?" Kouji joked, elbowing Takuya in the side. I tried to smile, but my mind was still reeling.

"Leomon, Ogremon, I want you all to help them," I said. "Get Tinkermon involved and if you can find Shinkoumon, then she can help too."

"And us?" Coronamon wanted to know.

"You'll be here with Babamon and Jijimon, nursing the Olympos XII back to good health," I told them. They smiled, excited at the idea. They departed soon after, leaving only Ryou, Evelen, Rei, Pal, Pul, Aesop, Kotemon, Goblimon, Pal and Pul and they all turned to me expectantly. They were waiting for their orders. "Everyone else will stay with me. We've got unique points of view. Together, we'll be able to assemble a battle plan of sorts. I'm sure we can figure _something_ out."

"Can I stay with Olympos XII instead?" Pal asked quietly.

"I won't be much help," Goblimon said sadly.

"None of us will be if we have that kind of attitude," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. Evelen saw right through my ruse. She understood that we were going to be forming the final defense against Gaia, should she come back. I was the one Gaia would want. I was a Digidestined. She'd want me out of the way so that no matter what we couldn't get the best of her.

But then, Ryou was a Digidestined now too.

He was just a child though. Could I really ask this child to stand with me and fight to the bitter end? He was a kid. He hadn't lived much of his life. He'd been stranded in the past for most of the time he'd been alive.

"We're with you," Ryou said to me, as if understanding my train of thought. "We'll wait with you, for her to come back."

"Yeah," Evelen said. "Might as well. There's little chance of winning. But it's my dad that doing this. It's my family, my blood. And if I can help to stop him, then I'll feel better at the end of the day, I guess."

"How noble," a man's voice said. I could hear the smirk in his voice, and I turned, fearing that Gaia had found yet another ally, putting herself ahead of us even further. But before I caught sight of him, I knew who it was. Rei dropped her hands from my shoulders and let out a shriek, before climbing over me, kneeing me in the chest as she clambered to get towards him.

"NEO!" she screamed. He bent down to grab her hand and pulled her to her feet, before holding her tightly to his chest. She clung to him, holding as tightly as she was able, not wanting to let go, and to be honest, I didn't think she would ever want to. She was crying, and I was fairly certain that he was close to it as well. I was too. I never thought I'd see anyone from Earth again. Evelen perked up momentarily, before remembering that she'd lost Dracomon to her father.

"I told you it wouldn't be forever," Neo said cockily. I didn't even care how annoying he was being. He was _here_. "Where's Dracomon?"

"G-gone," Evelen said quietly. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for an explanation. "G-Gaia took him. She took all of the Crest bearers."

"She did what?" Neo asked in a false sort of calm. His voice had turned hard and icy. His eyes narrowed and he turned them to me. He blamed me. I knew he did. I agreed with him.

"She came and she took the Crests," Rei explained. "And she took the Digimentals and now she also has the keys."

"This is Taichi's fault," Neo said angrily. "She took _my_ partner. She wouldn't have had the opportunity if you hadn't stolen him from me."

"She's very strong," Rei protested. "Maugrim stole Dracomon from Evelen's hands. He took Wormmon from me. I tried so hard, but I couldn't do anything. Neo, you wouldn't have stood a chance either."

"We'll never know," he said solemnly. "Because Taichi is a moron."

"He is not," Rei argued.

"He took us from our partners," Neo countered.

"For good reason," she pointed out.

"That reason is irrelevant now," Neo said waving it off like it was nothing. "I've replaced Rida. The world is safe from EVOLVE for now. They can't do anything by manipulating those in power anymore. I simply won't allow it."

"Neo Saiba, in charge of Japan?" Evelen said, sounding both impressed and horrified. "What did the people do to deserve that?"

"They voted me in," he said smugly. I thought I was temporarily off the hook, since he was focused on Rei and Evelen.

"I'm sorry," Evelen told him.

"That the people find me irresistible?" Neo clarified, sounding slightly confused.

"That I lost Dracomon," she corrected. "I had his hand in mine, and my father stole him from me. I tried so hard. I kept him right until the end. But it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough."

"We've already established it wasn't _your_ fault," Neo said, awkwardly. He was growing angry again, and I didn't want him to continue to snap at me. I wanted him to explain how he got to us. I didn't want to risk adding fuel to the fire that was currently raging inside of him. I was mad enough at myself.

"What's that?" Aesop asked, nodding to something behind Neo. I looked towards it myself, and found that it was a rip in the fabric of the world. I'd seen something like that only one other time in my life, and that was six years ago, when Gennai had banned us from returning. We'd been too tempted by the opportunity of seeing our partners again that we hadn't even hesitated before taking advantage of it. And now that I'd banned everyone just as Gennai had before me, Neo had done the impossible once again and created a path between worlds. It was an unstable path, but it was still a path, and it had come when we most needed it to.

Destiny really seemed to want to keep the Digidestined involved in the never ending battle for peace. Maybe I'd jumped the gun on sealing the worlds, but despite what Neo said was now true, I knew that a little over a year ago it was completely necessary. It didn't matter that Neo was now in charge—which was definitely frightening in itself—because he wasn't _then_. Rida had been. And I made my choice to save the digimon from him.

I didn't regret that choice, even now as I was battered and bruised after fighting Maugrim. Even after losing all of our partners, our Crests, the Digimentals and the keys, I didn't regret saving the lives of those digimon. And maybe, we were meant to lose all those things. Maybe destiny _meant_ for it all to happen.

But if that was true, destiny was a wicked, cruel friend.

Yet everything up until then had happened for a reason. There had to be _some_ purpose in the loss of our partners, because it was too hard to handle it if it was for nothing. Their loss had to serve a purpose, or else I would lose all hope. I just needed to find out what that purpose was.

"Let's go," Neo said. "Kiyoko is holding the path open. We can't linger too long. Alias III is expecting us."

As he led us through the gate—which I thought of as gathering reinforcements rather than abandoning the Digital World, because that was something I simply would _never_ do—Neo regaled us with how Kiyoko had managed to mimic the power of the keys using a method based loosely on the one that Sigma had use the previous time. Apparently Koushiro and Willis had been involved. It was a team effort then. They were all fighting against my decision to separate the worlds. If things hadn't been so bad, I might've been a little ticked off about that. But since everything was more than terrible, I wasn't too bothered by the idea.

We passed though the pathway. I was at the tail end of the procession, keeping my eyes peeled just in case Gaia decided to come back for a visit. Rei went first, with Neo holding tightly to her, since she would lose the ability to walk the moment she passed through the torn door. Evelen, Pal and Pul went next, followed by Goblimon and his egg. Ryou went with Aesop, and they were followed by brave Kotemon, who was lingering to be sure I was safe. I nudged him through, before I followed suit.

When I got through the gate, it was closed behind me, and I felt a moment of panic, thinking that I was now stuck on the wrong side of the seal. But I knew that Kiyoko had opened the gate once, and could do it again.

"Welcome to my bedroom," Kiyoko said awkwardly. We were in a dark room, with the windows boarded up behind the heavy, black curtains. Everything was covered in shadows, but sure enough, there was a large bed against the far wall. The only light in the room came from the mounted computer screens that covered the wall by the door. He had all the screens working at once. Hideto and Mari were there too, standing near the door, hovering, unsure of what to do. Neo placed Rei on the bed gently, and when he stepped away, Hideto and Mari moved around the perimeter of the now crowded room in order to get to her. They missed their missing member as much as Rei had missed them.

"Gaia's out there," I said quickly, wanting to rip the Band-Aid off in once quick motion. "She's got the digimon, crests, Digimentals and the keys. We need to get out there and find her. She's on Earth. I need to get to her, and get everything back."

"That's insane," Hideto gasped in shock.

"I'll help you," Kiyoko said, not sounding nearly as timid as I'd remembered him being. "I hate her. I always did. I won't fall for her tricks, and you could use my help." He picked up his small laptop computer and smiled at me. "I can track the shifts in the world, and that should lead us right to her."

"Then let's get cracking," I agreed. Everyone else was left behind to come up with a plan of some sort, though I was sure they mostly wanted to catch up on everything that had happened on Earth in our absence. I wanted that too, and Kiyoko supplied me with all the information I might need.

Apparently I went away and everyone decided to start having kids—and getting married. It was insane. I couldn't believe that Koushiro and Mimi were married, or just how many kids there were now. I felt like even more of a failure now, because all of those kids were in danger. But that was why Kiyoko and I were out and about. We were going to hunt Gaia down, and once we knew where she was, we could make a solid game plan—hopefully Neo would lend a hand with that—and we could maybe save all the worlds in the process.

I could hope, anyway.

"I think I found her," Kiyoko muttered, after his computer let out a little 'ping' noise. He triangulated the signal, and made a sharp left. I grabbed the back of his coat, before he could walk out into the street, only letting go when I was sure no one was coming. He didn't seem particularly worried about his own safety. Twice he nearly walked in front of joggers, and once he caused a man on a bike to swerve into a tree because of his carelessness. They were all angry, but he paid them no mind, and I found it was fairly easy to follow his example. These people were annoyed, yes, but they were also in danger, and we were actively trying to save them from that very danger, though they knew nothing about it.

As we rounded a corner, I knew he had made another blunder, because two people were thrown to the ground in our haste. I caught the woman, only realizing after I'd already saved her from the hard sidewalk that it was Kurayami. She looked to Kiyoko, who was helping Iori to his feet before she turned to me. Her shock was evident on her face, and I was sure mine was too. I hadn't expected to run into anyone else on my mission. I wasn't even supposed to be here.

"How?" she asked.

"No time," I said quickly, glancing to Kiyoko, who was typing furiously on his computer, trying to locate the delicate signature of the keys that Gaia was carrying with her. He looked triumphant and started walking again. "I have to go."

"Wait," Iori insisted, but I couldn't do as he said. They ended up following after me, instead. They tried to get information out of me, but I was too focused on finding Gaia to be able to have an argument about how I had failed to protect their partners. I was too tired to deal with tears or rage. I just needed to find Gaia.

"Where are we going?" Iori asked. I didn't know how to answer, but as it turned out, he wasn't talking to me. Kurayami had grabbed his hand and was pulling him along faster, holding a hand to her heart as she led him onwards, moving beyond Kiyoko, who had been leading us up until that point.

"She's close," Kurayami told him. "I can feel her. I don't know where we are."

"I do," Kiyoko admitted. "Neo brought us here once. This is where Maugrim was keeping his army. This is their campgrounds. If you look carefully, you can see the tents already."

"What is Gaia doing here?" Kurayami murmured.

"She's appraising her army," I realized with horror. "She's got one in Witchenly, and in the Digital World. She's judging this one of its merits. She's planning something, and I'm afraid for when it happens."

"We can stop it," Iori said, shaking his head. "She won't beat us."

"We're just a group of humans," I said sadly. "We can't beat her."

"Just humans?" Kurayami asked, realizing what that meant. Iori looked to me sharply, and Kiyoko looked to his screen.

"We should hide," he suggested. We let him lead us through the tents, since he knew where we were going, and we hid behind a particularly outrageously orange tent, ducking down when we saw Maugrim coming down the next path.

"Kansui," Iori growled. I didn't know exactly who he was, but I assumed it was Evelen's brother—the one she was always complaining about. He was walking next to Maugrim, wearing a nice suit, and being ignored by his father.

"He was just at Neo's office," Kiyoko muttered. "He called Neo to ask what he was up to, since Miyako was being nosey. Neo didn't tell him, because...he's Neo. But I'm really glad now that he didn't."

"Why is he working for Maugrim again?" Kurayami wondered. "He was so happy just yesterday without having his dad around."

"He might not have a choice," I told her. "The digimon wouldn't willingly fight for someone that wants them dead, but they've got an army at their disposal."

"So they're being manipulated?" Iori clarified.

"Gaia's specialty," Kiyoko said darkly.

"Is this all of them, Maugrim?" a cold, yet pretty voice rang out. The people were all in lines all staring straight forward, and their eyes were glazed over. Gaia walked out from the largest tent and gave the people a once over. "They're not a very impressive lot."

"Humans are not impressive, my sweet," Maugrim told her.

"Am I not a human?" Gaia asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You have transcended," Maugrim assured her. "You are perfection itself."

"You flatter me," she said, sending a soft smile his way. "These peons obey your every command?"

"If I was to ask them to kill their own children, they would do it," Maugrim assured her. "There would not be a single complaint. It is most satisfying to see them falling into their proper place on the totem pole."

"Under me," Gaia said confidently.

"As everyone should be, my lady," Maugrim assured her. "These miserable worms are simply the first to remember that all humans belong to you. You are their Queen, and have been for many, _many_ moons."

"Don't call me old, dear," Gaia teased, sounding incredibly pleased with his reports. The tent flaps fluttered behind her, as a digimon dressed in a pinstriped suit walked out. Kiyoko gasped the name Astamon, and I knew that this was the monster that paralyzed Rei for the second time, by shooting her. My blood boiled at the sight of him, but Gaia was not angered the same way I was. She smiled softly. "Now, I have a mission for you, my sweet Astamon."

"You abandoned me in Witchenly," Astamon accused.

"No," Gaia corrected swiftly, yet gently. "I was protecting you. While you were in Witchenly, the Digidestined couldn't hurt you. I needed to get them out of the way. They have no digimon and no Crests. They are now nothing more than pitiful humans, and I need you to find them for me. You can exact your revenge then. How does that sound?"

"Adequate," Astamon decided. I eyed a large piece of wood on the ground. It looked like someone had gone to collect branches for firewood, but left a sizeable piece behind. I picked it up, preparing myself. If they wanted a Digidestined, then they could have one. But I wasn't letting him get his revenge on Rei. He'd already done enough.

"Maugrim," Gaia said, nodding his way. Maugrim took a device from his son, Kansui's hand and passed it to Astamon. "That will locate their digital devices, and lead you to them. Be sure to do as much damage as possible to them, my sweet. But keep in mind that I mean to rule this world, and I want it to remain intact."

"Of course," Astamon said, bowing to her. "And you?"

"I will be completing a task of my own," she said. "You need not bother yourself with the details."

"I understand," Astamon said, turning to the device.

"There is a wedding today," Kansui's voice called out. Gaia turned sharply to him and glared fiercely. She did not like him anymore than she liked Evelen or Bitoru, it seemed. "They were all set to attend."

"Go," Maugrim suggested to Astamon. He nodded and bowed once more, before stalking out of sight, trying to figure out the device he'd been handed. I gulped, knowing that I had a digivice in my pocket, and if he turned it on too soon, we'd be uncovered. Iori pulled his own out and seemed to have similar thoughts.

"Where's Hikari?" I asked, fearing the worst. Kurayami clutched a plastic bag that looked to have ribbon in it.

"At the wedding," Iori, Kurayami and Kiyoko all chorused. I knew the moment that Kurayami and Iori realized that their children were there too, and we all clambered to our feet. We had a wedding to crash.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Uh oh, things don't look good next time! Hikari and Yamato get a chance to tell a strangely romantic tale with quite a sharp edge!


	48. Getting Married Today

**U/N:** So I definitely like Kari's part a bajillion times more than I like Matt's, but because of pacing reasons hers just couldn't be the end of a chapter. It's alright though because this helps move things along faster. I hope you like a retelling of a familiar tale!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 48: Getting Married Today**

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

So, I was getting _married_.

That was enough to brighten up the day, and it was enough to make the steady feeling of longing and guilt grow stronger and stronger. I hadn't felt as _awful_ in the past year as I did then. My chest was tight, my throat was raw and dry and my voice was coarse. My head was spinning and there was an ache in my heart that just wouldn't go away. And yet whenever I thought of Takeru my heart skipped a beat, and that horror passed aside if only for a moment.

It just felt so wrong to be getting married without Gatomon and Patamon. It felt somehow like it wasn't even _my_ wedding since Taichi wasn't here either. I had been experiencing panic attacks in the week leading up to the wedding, but Miyako was always there to calm them, because she knew exactly what I needed. She was like a perfect ray of sunshine that always swooped in, swinging from the vines to save the day.

I wasn't nervous about the marriage, I was just worried that it wouldn't feel genuine if I didn't have everyone I needed with me. Mimi felt that way and that was why she had turned into such a monster at her wedding. She missed Palmon and I didn't want to miss Gatomon. I wanted her to be _with_ me. I was also a bit nervous about moving in with Takeru. We'd never lived together before, but he had moved out of Yamato's house a month and a half ago and was now living in an apartment that he had picked out specifically for the two of us. I could have lived with him already, even when he was in Yamato's big empty house, but it didn't feel right yet. Instead I chose to find a roommate online and live with her. She was nice, and we got along well. I wasn't sure the friendship would last, but she was already aware that I was leaving. She was in the church too, here for my wedding.

My wedding.

 _My_ wedding.

I stared into the eyes of my reflection. It felt so strange seeing me there, dressed all in white with the big dramatic dress. The dress, I loved, the idea that it was _me_ in it was something I was shocked at. The reflection reminded me of the nightmares of the Land of Dreams and how I had been so convinced even just a year and a half ago that no one was able to care about me. Funny how that worked out.

 _Takeru had said something—I couldn't be sure what now—but it had been funny and I snorted into my glass. Water spilled on the table so I moved quickly, using the napkins to soak up the liquid before it ruined the romantic dinner he had constructed. There were candles and elaborate ornaments, like a centerpiece that took up much of the table. The food was cooked wonderfully, but I thought maybe Mimi had something to do with that. We were in her restaurant after all. Alone, and after dark._

" _Let me," Takeru offered, reaching over to take the napkins. I let him, but only because he loved being helpful. I was fully capable of soaking up_ water _. I knew that much. I smiled though, as I watched him. "You know," he said with a coy smile, "We've known each other for seventeen years."_

 _I nodded, thinking back. "That's an awful long time," I agreed as he finished with the napkins. He balled them up and moved to the waste basket. "We grew up together," I said, actually realizing what that truly meant. "We learned right from wrong, you helped me when I was sick, and we faced evil, when we were only eight."_

 _He nodded, finally returning to the table. "We fought a crazed clown demon," he added, "We_ won _too. We ran from enemies we faced our inner demons and we told each other about them all too. We've always been honest."_

" _Remember when we rescued the trapped digivices?" I asked, thinking back to when we had been in such danger when the worlds threatened to combine. "And when the fog from the Dark Ocean was trapping us, but you helped my light." I tilted my head down, embarrassed, "Or when you jumped worlds to save me from my own manifested depression, that turned out to be an actual world?"_

" _Of course," he nodded, "Do you remember when we helped Hideto see the side of good and stopped him from hurting anyone without actually resorting to violence ourselves?" I nodded quickly. I was particularly proud of that. "Of course our digimon fused together. Did you expect anything different?" I laughed and shook my head. "And when your depression took physical form again, but this time for real, and we had to fight them, but this time we did it together."_

" _And all those times where you helped me through my bad days of work," I added._

" _Or when I needed someone to simply_ be _around to get rid of the negative emotions from my own day of work," Takeru agreed, "you were always there."_

" _It was the least I could do," I nodded, "You slew a dragon to protect me."_

 _A big grin formed on his face, "I did do that, didn't I?"_

" _We've been through it all," I told him, letting the memories flash by the front of my mind. "Highs and lows, safety and danger. Giant magma dragons and all."_

" _Yes, well it happens to the best of us," he grinned nervously._

 _I clicked my tongue and he looked away, hiding his grin. "I feel, somehow, that it's only happened to us."_

 _He had pulled something from his pocket then as he looked up to me, the smile gone. His face was serious, but there was a strong sense of worry rushing through his mind it seemed. "Exactly," he nodded, holding out a small black box. His voice was choked off, but I couldn't blame him. My throat tightened the moment I saw the box and I clutched my chest in surprise. I wasn't sure I'd be able to make sound come out, and if I could it surely wouldn't be louder than my beating heart. "Hikari Yagami," Takeru barely managed to say. "W-will you keep doing ridiculous things like that with me? Will you let me always be there for you, let me slay anymore giant dragons that appear for you? And will you ma-marry me?"_

 _I stared down to him in total shock and surprise, but like I expected, could not form words, so I simply nodded. Relief washed over him and he grinned once more, looking to the box. "Oh, wait, I didn't open it." He popped the top off and looked up to me, "Still wanna marry me?"_

" _Of course!" I laughed._

The ring was beautiful. I stared down to it and thought about the moment he had handed it to me again and again. When I looked back to my reflection I jumped in surprise at the sight of Miyako's reflection hovering over my shoulder. She waved to me and I tried to smile, but my face felt tight and unwilling. Miyako placed both hands on my shoulders and rubbed gently, "You're fine," she promised in a sweet voice. "What do you have to be afraid of?" I made eye contact through the mirror and she immediately understood. "Okay, so weddings aren't our strong suit," Miyako admitted, "But it couldn't be worse than mine." I actually smiled then. "Remember the food fight? The sprinklers came on because Mimi's hair caught on fire too. We had no band, so we had to use Yamato. Kurayami nearly killed our officiate by accident after chasing all our guests away. I ripped my dress and my contacts came in late, and they were _red_. And everyone was talking about how young we were and how it wasn't real love." Her face showed the purest bitter resentment I had seen on her ever, and then a smug sort of smile showed on her face, "Well I showed them, didn't I?"

"Absolutely," I agreed, turning to face her finally.

"That sounds hilarious," Emiko said from her place on her father's lap. "I wish I had been there."

"You were," Jou said dryly. Emiko looked up hopefully and he sighed. "You started the food fight." Emiko roared with laughter as she slipped off her dad's lap and began dancing around the beautiful dressing room. Jou had come in with Emiko, who was of course, our flower girl, and Koushiro was here too. The two of them were avoiding the commotion of the outside where I knew Mimi, Michael and Ken were helping people to their seats. I was hoping it was going smoothly, but when I had asked and Koushiro and Jou simply shared a look it didn't look promising. I didn't want to know. Hopefully Ken could keep things on track.

Daisuke I knew had gone off to see Takeru, since he was his only present groomsmen that wasn't busy or in hiding. He had chosen Yamato, Koushiro, Daisuke, Ken and Iori to match my set of Mimi, Kurayami, Miyako, Natsuni, and of course Sora. While Sora and Yamato didn't exactly make perfect sense to partner up, I couldn't think of anyone better. Besides, I wanted Sora and I wasn't expecting Takeru to kick his brother out.

The door flew open and Sora came flying inside. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" she gasped, catching sight of Koushiro. "What are you doing here?"

"Hiding," he answered as simply as he could. Sora glared at him and he diverted his eyes. "Is Mimi looking for me?" Sora looked to him like he should already know the answer and he sighed, getting to his feet. "Well, I should be on my way then."

We all watched as Koushiro left the room, and the moment the door closed Miyako turned to Sora, "You're not late, don't worry. We did what we could without you. I have no idea how you expected her hair to look like this though," Miyako said, holding a picture up. "So I compromised."

Sora nodded, moving forward and with one finger motioned for me to turn around. "Aha," she said before reaching up to my head. She pulled a single pin out and came in at a different angle. She stepped back and showed Miyako. "Voila."

"Woah," Miyako gasped, "So pretty!" Sora beamed at the praise. I couldn't see the back personally, but I was glad it looked nice. All I could see were my bangs, and they were out of my face, like I had asked.

Emiko stopped dancing around when the door opened and she caught sight of her mother coming through the mirror so she ducked behind the door. Momoe stood in the doorway and jerked her head back, telling Jou to get out. He sighed, but agreed to. "Emiko," Momoe said, "Mirrors work both ways. I can see you." Emiko groaned and made her way to her mother, but stopped in the doorway, spinning back and letting her dress fan out.

She smiled to me and said, "Good luck Mrs Takaishi." And then she was gone.

"She's not Takaishi yet," Momoe was saying as they walked off.

"She _said_ to the class _Mother_ , that next time we see her she'll be Takaishi," Emiko ranted, and I heard Momoe groan before the door had been shut by Miyako, who turned back.

"Ooh," she said, "Mrs Takaishi? How about that?" I felt my face flush pink and her and Sora made fun of me some more. It was all in jest of course, and it didn't offend me. How could I be upset by the prospect of marriage to Takeru? It took only a few moments before Sora and Miyako were ready themselves, and I was happy about that. Not because I was trying to be selfish, but their calming words were perfect for my mood. When the actual wedding was coming nearer it became clear that Kurayami had been unsuccessful in finding anything blue. Sora calmed my panicked nerves by reaching into her backpack and pulling out a ball of blue yarn.

"It won't be perfect," she admitted, feeling apologetic as she tied a small string around the bouquet, "But it's blue. No one will see it, and yet you'll have your requirements."

"Thanks," I told her nervously when she and Miyako set out to prepare. I needed the moment to myself. Being alone was something I had specifically asked Miyako to not allow in the week preceding the wedding, and so she was unwilling to leave at first, but I promised her that I would be okay. When the door closed I took one last look to myself in the mirror, this time holing my bouquet of beautiful dusty rose and white flowers.

With a deep breath I finally turned away, moving to where I had set up a single picture frame. I stared down to the image of Taichi and I with Gatomon and Agumon. I remembered the day well, because it had been pouring rain and we'd been angry all day until finally we just put it behind us and ran around for hours, soaking wet.

I missed him.

I missed Gatomon too.

But right now was not the time for longing. It was the time for marriage.

I heard the music start and my stomach seized up. I hurried from the room, taking one final look to the image and made my way down the hall to where Mimi was waving dramatically to get me to hurry. Then it came her turn so she entered the hallway, marching away from me. I was about to miss my cue if I didn't move faster. Dad was there, waiting to walk with me. His arm was outstretched but it didn't seem that I was going to make it on time.

I wasn't much of a runner, not while wearing heels at least, but I made it on time and flung myself through the doorway in the least graceful way possible. Crisis averted.

The first thing I saw was Takeru, standing directly ahead at the end of the aisle. I heard someone 'Whoop!' in the crowd and knew it had to be my mother. I laughed as my eyes scanned the crowd for her. I found her finally in the front row. Dad was walking me carefully down the aisle and he whispered to me, "you look beautiful, Hikari," and that's when it really hit me. My dad was walking me to Takeru who I was going to _marry_. My entire body lit up with a tingling sensation and a smile grew on my face. I wanted Taichi to be there with me for this moment, but he wanted me to keep living, and what better way to do that than to marry Takeru?

Then, all at once, the church shifted. The ground slid and Dad caught me as I nearly fell to the ground. The bouquet fell to the ground and the door behind me was thrown open. I turned, but as I did the church shifted to a dark, disturbing building with a broken statue of a man at the end of the aisle. Standing in the dark doorway was a digimon wearing a pinstriped suit, holding a massive gun, aimed directly at me.

"He's coming," a gentle voice said behind me. I looked and saw a beautiful woman wearing a faded orange dress. Her glowing hair and skin was contrasted to the dark, grim setting I had been cast in. "Hikari, he is coming."

I stared at her for a moment, before looking back to the digimon who fired his gun the moment I saw him.

And then it had all shifted back.

"Are you alright?" Dad asked, holding my arm tightly. A panic set in as I looked around the room to where the beautiful decorations of my wedding had finally returned to their normal places. Hundreds of eyes were on me now and I spun on the spot, stopping when I looked to Takeru. Iori and Kurayami were both missing from their places. Where had they gone? Were they not back yet? It didn't matter. "Hikari," Dad said sharply, "What's wrong?"

"Danger," I said quietly, looking back to where the digimon had come through the door before. The door was closed, like was planned, but that didn't ease my worry. I swallowed thickly and my heart was still beating, but for a different reason. "Danger!" I said louder. A murmur ran through the crowd and I looked to Takeru who's eyebrows were furrowed in worry and confusion.

"What are you talking abou—?" Dad started.

"RUN!" I shrieked in time for the door to be thrown open. I screamed, spinning to face the doorway where the digimon I had just seen in my head appeared. The digimon, still in his suit was wearing a black mask and had bulbous red eyes. There were two horns coming from his head and he was wearing a jagged cloak that allowed for two bat wings to escape from behind him.

There was a moment of total silence as he lifted his gun into the air, pointing it to the ceiling. Then he fired six times in quick succession and screams erupted around us all. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" The digimon bellowed loudly above the screams. When no one listened because they were fighting with one another to find the escape he fired once more to the ceiling. "GET DOWN!"

"Hikari," Dad said, startling me when he took my hand. He was on his knees and I nodded my agreement, quickly getting to my knees and then laying to the floor. My chest was pressed against the floor and my heartbeat began to _hurt_. The beating was so quick and so hard and my body was shaking in fear. I didn't know what to do or what to say.

I swallowed thickly as I looked over to my father whose face had turned a deep shade of red and I could even see nervous sweat glistening across his forehead. Beyond him I saw Michael with Tatum, both of them were laying with half their bodies under the seat behind them, unsure how best to protect themselves from the invader.

"Hello all!" The digimon called out loudly, dropping his gun from the ready position. The barrel of the gun hit the floor of the church and he began dragging it behind him as he made his way down the aisle. I tried to look up to him but Dad grabbed my hand tighter and refused to let me move. "I am here today, because I have been asked to wipe out the Digidestined." I felt Dad grip even more tightly. I winced, and turned to him but my eyes fell to Michael again. The light was hitting him in such a particular way and my mind flashed to the woman in my vision. Had that been his mother? "I was oh so pleased to take the job," the digimon continued, "For you see I have a little vendetta against them. A particular set took part in trapping me inside a small enclosed cage, then proceeded to _leave_ me there for _months_." Who was this then?

My breathing was sharp and fast and it only intensified as the digimon's footsteps came ever closer. I just wanted to get to Takeru!

"So," the digimon said sharply. I heard his voice very near now. I risked a glance toward him and saw as he grabbed out to a nearby row where he snatched Chiziru's arm. He pulled her sharply and I heard Masa cry out loudly. Chiziru screamed as she was dragged from her hiding place. I winced, looking away and finding Jou in my sights. His face was pale and he had horror written all over his expression. "If you do not give me the Digidestined, I will kill this girl and her son." Jou gasped out a terrible choked sound but I couldn't even do that. I had tears already spilling from my eyes and my lip was quivering. I just didn't know what to do. We should have left when I had seen him in my mind. We should have run! "First, give me Willis, and give me Kiyoko. Rei too, if you have her."

Rei.

She wasn't here. She was with Taichi in the Digital World. At least she would be safe. Willis too, as he hadn't chosen to come to the wedding. We had a long talk about it of course and I understood why. If only I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have invited anyone at all. Especially not Chiziru and Masa. I winced when I heard her gasp out again. It was Kiyoko I was worried about. He had promised he would come. I hadn't seen him, but surely he was somewhere in the crowd, lying on the floor. I didn't want him to give himself up. He _couldn't_. I wouldn't let him.

I pushed against the ground, willing to take Chiziru's place, but Dad pulled as hard as he could, keeping me firmly placed against the ground. I let out a sob, unable to keep it in anymore and he looked me dead in the eyes, " _No_ ," he insisted. Tears were streaming down my face now and I couldn't pull my arm away from Dad's grip. I _had_ to though. I wasn't going to let him take Chiziru. I didn't even know who he _was_ but he needed to be stopped.

I could stop him.

Jou looked to be contemplating it himself, but was holding his son in his arms. He couldn't go. He was holding a _baby_. Emiko was nearby too, curled up in her mother's arms, crying silently. I took in a big shaky breath and tried again, but Dad pulled once more. I slammed against the ground and saw Michael, pushing Tatum away as he made his way to his feet.

My heart nearly stopped at the sight. He was shaking and scared, but he was going to step in. "Michael—no!" I said sharply, loud enough for him to hear. He turned sharply toward me, but I also heard the horrific sound of the digimon turning to me too. I looked up and saw that Chiziru was keeping eye contact with Masa, trying to convince him to hide, but he wasn't listening. He was too scared. He was too young to be so scared.

"Who are you?" the digimon asked, I checked to see who he was talking to. It was Michael, who had his hands held lazily in the air to express how little harm he intended to bestow upon the villainous digimon.

Michael cleared his throat nervously, "I'm Michael," he said in a quiet voice, "I-I'm Willis' brother."

"Delightful," the digimon said maliciously, tossing Chiziru aside. She shrieked as she fell toward Masa who clambered toward her. Luckily the digimon had his sights set on Michael now and the two of them were able to hurry back into the pews to hide. "My name is Astamon, it's very nice to meet you, Michael. Tell me now, where your brother is."

"India," Michael said in a voice that said he wasn't quite sure, "I don't know. He's not here. Neither are Rei or Kiyoko."

Astamon looked frustrated, but as he rolled his shoulders back I could see that he was going to vent that feeling on Michael. I looked to Tatum and she locked eyes with me from under the bench. She was crying too and neither of us knew how to help. When I looked back to Astamon I saw his hand tighten around his gun. "Tatum!" I called. She screamed, reaching out and grabbing Michael's ankle. She pulled sharply, taking him out as Astamon fired a single shot toward him.

Many screams filled the room and for a moment I hadn't been sure if Michael had been hit. My heart didn't stop its immediate panic until I saw him roll over and duck under the nearest bench. His elbows were bleeding from the collision with the floor, but he was alive.

Astamon was furious, but his rage was cut short as Kamemon shouted out "Armored Arrow!" Astamon turned sharply only to be met by a face full of Kamemon's yellow arrow. Dad finally released my arm and pushed against the ground, reaching into his pocket to grab his digivice. " **Kamemon digivolve to... Shellmon**!" The massive pink shelled digimon appeared in the middle of the church aisle, pushing against the pews and even crushing some of them. "Aqua Blaster!" Shellmon roared sending an intense blast of water directly toward Astamon.

Dad looked to me for only the smallest of moments and I knew I had to move. I rolled to the side just in time for Astamon to come flying by, guided by the steady stream of water. I felt someone grab my arm and jumped, shocked for a moment, but when I saw it was Jou I relaxed. He had handed Renjiro off to Momoe and pulled sharply on my arm, dragging me into the aisle.

The water dispersed and silence encompassed the entire room. I had my back pressed against the back of the seats in front of me and Jou was crouching next to me. All I could see was my father, worming his way under the seats on a mission to meet up with his partner. I was so scared of what Astamon's reaction would be now that he was down with Takeru and our wedding party.

No sooner than I had thought it, had Astamon let out a cry of fury.

"Hey loser!" I heard a familiar voice call. It was Gostumon, I was sure. "This is for Chiziru—Rock Fist!" Several rocks were then hurled through the air. I lost track of them as they shot past me, but I knew at least one had hit the mark because Astamon cried out once more.

"Pumpkin Power!" Pumpkinmon bellowed, joining in on the fun. A massive pumpkin appeared mid air and landed near me, blocking Astamon from the other digimon. "Quick! Everyone digivolve!"

" **Bearmon digivolve to... Monzaemon!** "

There were several other lights flashing, and I saw Meiyomon shift from his rookie form to his taller, champion level as he and Chi leapt from their hiding places, leaving Fumiko Hida and Jenna Washington behind. Monmon pushed past me, jumping out to fight too as Monzaemon stepped over top of us and in a flash Monmon had shifted to Apemon.

Monzaemon was the first to make a counterstrike as Astamon began firing his gun again, sending a barrage of heart shaped bubbles into the air, catching each of the bullets before they could hit anything. Apemon then heaved the bone from his back over his head and threw it down the aisle.

"Hikari," Jou said in a whisper. He startled me and I turned back to him. He was alone now, everyone else had made their way down the line and were making their way through a nearby exit to the main room of the church. At the end of the row was Takeru, holding his hand out to me. I nodded and let Jou lead the way. He slipped past Takeru giving me a chance to throw my arms around his neck. He was breathing just as harshly as I was, but we didn't have time to comfort each other this time. We had to keep moving.

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

"POTATO SMASH!"

I could hear the fight going on in the other room and was worried. I knew I wasn't the only one that was afraid, but we had a lot of people to get out of the church safely. Takeru and Hikari had been afraid of upsetting anyone, and so they had invited _everyone_ they had ever met I swear. Catherine had chosen not to come, afraid of upsetting Hikari who she had apparently been sure was only being polite, and Willis didn't come, probably for a similar reason. These were things I had learned in the brief moment I'd had to reunite with my brother before his wedding occurred. It was still weird to think about.

Weirder still was that a murderous digimon had broke into that wedding and was trying to kill as all. Not the weirdest thing that had ever happened, but bizarre all the same.

Because of Takeru and Hikari's desperate desire to be kind to everyone, there were hundreds of bodies, flooding out of the church, and no one was moving in an orderly fashion. We needed them to go smoothly so they could get _out_ and save themselves. I was ushering people along, and stopping them from stomping on each other. Sora was at the other side of the doorway, caring for a wounded Otamamon while Jun screamed like a madwoman outside.

"OTAMAMON!" she shrieked, "He's not strong! He can't fight! Where is he? _OTAMAMON_!"

"JUN!" Daisuke roared loudly, "He's in here!" She relaxed and Shuu, her husband, appeared at her side, pushing through his three step-sisters to get to her. He took her hand and led her down the street. It was lucky there had been three different exits to the chamber-like room in the church because it was helping everyone find a safe escape. It also meant that there were three steady streams of people meeting by the exit, yelling in horror when they found they were not number one priority.

"Mimi!" Satoe Tachikawa called loudly, "Mimi where are you?"

"I'm fine, Mom!" Mimi shouted out from somewhere I couldn't see. "Just keep going!" Satoe looked horrified, but was being led by her husband who was not hesitating to get her to safety. It was then that Sora's parents appeared by her side. She was quick to tell them to leave but they were begging to stay to help.

Sora looked up sharply and handed Otamamon up to her mother, "Take him and go," she said flatly, giving her mother a mission to make sure she would go. Mushroomon was at her feet, too afraid to stay and fight. I wasn't about to ask him to go back in. He was only a child and if he died he wouldn't come back. It wouldn't be fair to ask him to risk his life while we all ran.

As it was, it didn't look like we would be winning either. We had a team, sure, but it wasn't particularly powerful. Monzaemon and Apemon made a pretty good team, I would imagine, but since they were fighting against the ultimate that was Astamon, I was still worried for them. Pumpkinmon was at the same level as Astamon but somehow it didn't seem like it would be a fair fight. Chisikimon and Meiyomon were in there helping, and if Meiyomon got the chance, he might be able to use his data streams to get him out of there. Shellmon was there, but his movement was restricted because of the small amount of room he had at his disposal and of course Jagamon was also an ultimate but was literally a potato.

It had been a long time since I'd been in a fight, and I was itching to get in there and help out, but without Gabumon I wouldn't be much use. I still felt rather frail and weakened from being outside of the normal gravity of Earth, but hey, I'd been to a world that Taichi never had been now, and he probably never would get there. So ha!

Michael appeared at my side suddenly, startling me. He had Jenna and Tatum with him and was trying to push them into the crowd of rushing people and digimon so they would be forced out of the building by the momentum, bringing them to safety. But neither were willing to go and were both looking rather determined actually. "Yamato," Michael said in a breathy voice, "What do we do?"

" _Me_?" I asked, looking immediately to Sora who I thought made much more sense to make the decisions, but she too was looking to me expectantly. I felt the sudden nervousness building up inside. I had never been the person people looked to in hopes of a plan. In fact I was probably the _last_ person anyone would ever have expected to think up something to do. I tried to understand, but I could only conclude that they had subconsciously grouped me with Taichi who had left nearly the same time and while I had come back, Taichi had not, but they must have somehow linked us if they thought I was capable of making tough decisions. "We get out."

"We're running away?" Michael questioned, seeming rather disheartened by the idea. What was he thinking then? That we would go in and fight, surely, but that wasn't a great plan. If Tatum hadn't saved his life mere _minutes_ ago he'd be dead right now. Running away was the best way to make sure we had no casualties, which was something I was definitely aiming for. I didn't care how cowardly it felt to run because I would rather have all my friends live through my brother's wedding.

"That's a good idea, Michael," Ken defended as he appeared next to Michael with Miyako who was holding Mai. Ken jerked his head to the open doorway and Miyako nodded, taking Mai with her "We have no way to fight, we should escape."

"What about those digimon inside?" Michael wanted to know, but Ken was already gone, following after Miyako and Mai, leaving the answering up to me.

I hesitated and looked to Sora, who was already staring back down the hall like she wanted to head back in to get them. "Sora," I said suddenly, catching sight of Mimi making her way down the stairs. "I need you and Mimi to get everyone somewhere safe." She looked like she was about to protest, easily understanding that I was doing exactly what she had just done to her mother, "Please," I added. She seemed to hear the honest plead in the way I had intended and she nodded, staring for a moment before doing as I asked, rushing after Mimi.

Michael looked to me again, like he was going to snap, but he didn't get the chance, as Koushiro popped up, "Where's Mimi?"

Michael glared to me but nodded his head when he caught on to what I was asking of him, "I'll take you." He grabbed Koushiro's arm, "Come on." Tatum was about to follow but when Monodramon grabbed her hand and pulled her back she looked startled.

Monodramon looked like he wanted to go back and fight, but Tatum was shaking her head fervently, "No, we can't," she looked to me, hating my choices and I flinched away, understanding why. It didn't matter. I didn't want to lose anyone. "We'll find a way to get the others out."

"Damn right," Jenna said, looking intently down the hallway. I had forgotten somehow that Chi was actually her boyfriend, and not just her partner—Kudamon, her true partner was hanging around her neck, looking just as worried as she was. "Chi's still in there."

I followed their gaze and caught sight of Momoe, Emiko and Renjiro making up the end of the crowd, near some of Hikari's work friends and Mantarou Inoue ushering his girlfriend away. It seemed clear that they had waited for Gotsumon, but had left when things grew heated. I was happy to see Emiko and Renjiro coming our way but as I stared to the open doorway where Jou appeared, staring back and hurrying some others along I realized I had yet to see Hikari or Takeru. I swallowed thickly and pushed past Jenna and Tatum, hurrying back toward the room, rushing against the current of those fleeing the worst wedding of all time.

I saw Jou reach out then, but I couldn't possibly make it to him in time. The people were too rough and panicked. I felt someone purposefully slam directly into me, sending me crashing into the nearby wall. It didn't matter. I wouldn't have made it anyway, but it still hurt every part of my body to know that it was Takeru and Hikari that were last in the room.

I got back to running and heard Jou yell out, "Takeru!"

Panic rose to a boiling point and I pushed myself harder than before, desperate to help them, but as Takeru appeared in the doorway my body fell numb with relief and I slowed my run, passing Momoe and eventually stopping all together, watching as he, Jou and Hikari finally made their way to safety.

But all at once, Hikari had caught sight of something and slammed the door shut, locking herself away from Takeru.

My heart stopped as Takeru cried out in total horror, and my legs began moving again, this time much less intently. My body was feeble again, fear and panic fighting for dominance until Takeru, after finding that the door wouldn't open, immediately shot off in a different direction, heading for the next entrance. Jou set off after him, but I grabbed his arm. "Jou!" I shouted, "Go back. Be with Momoe and your kids."

Jou stopped, looking back and seemed like he was racking his brain in the attempt to find a good counter argument, but realized that I was right and nodded his head finally. "Fine, good luck." I nodded but didn't wait around for any more motivation, rushing off after my brother. I had to protect him, and I had to protect Hikari while Taichi couldn't.

I saw Takeru running ahead, and he was moving faster than I was. I pushed myself harder to catch up. I couldn't let him into the room on his own. "Takeru!" I called out for him, but he ignored me. I expected that but it just scared me further. I couldn't have him be _shot_ on my first day free to roam Earth again.

I ran further, pushing against the ground as hard as I could, stretching my legs further, and I could see the distance between us closing, but Takeru of course made it first. I found myself scrambling to a stop, nearly sliding past the doorway, and by the time I had flung myself back into the room Takeru had already made it halfway across.

I took a brief second to take in what was left of the battle and saw Chi hovering over a wounded Meiyomon who appeared to have been shot. Jagamon was dragging Kamemon to the exit I had just come through, and Monmon was crying over Bearmon's unmoving form. My eyes widened at the sight of it, but I had to trust that nothing changed when the worlds sealed off. Surely digimon would still turn to data upon death, right?

I shook the thought off and hurried toward Takeru as he leapt over a bench, landing on Astamon's back to stop him from harming Hikari who was being held close to him as he questioned her.

"Takeru!" I shouted, moving as quickly as I could across the room. But I had not been fast enough. Takeru was thrown backward, and Astamon turned sharply toward him, holding his gun out, aiming it directly toward him.

Hikari shrieked in horror, but I couldn't stop running. Nothing else mattered aside from keeping Takeru safe—and then Astamon looked toward me sharply and barked out, "If you take one more step I will shoot this boy."

My feet obeyed, while my mind was unsure. They stopped abruptly and I nearly flung myself forward, but I caught my balance in time to stare toward Astamon completely horror stricken. Hikari was completely still, like she had chosen not to breathe in case Astamon decided that was too much struggle and chose to shoot Takeru. I couldn't stop breathing myself, my breath was fast and sharp and uneven. It was Takeru who somehow held himself together best of the three of us. He was on the floor, propping himself up by his elbows and looking toward his attacker, with a defiant look in his eyes.

I was so scared that he would do something stupid. I didn't know how he had changed in our year apart. Would he dare to fight back, even in a dire situation such as this?

Astamon gripped his gun more firmly and looked down to Takeru with a malicious sort of grin, "Boy, for your life, I would like you to trade me information." Takeru barked a bitter laugh and sat up straighter. "Don't move!" Astamon ordered, shoving his gun forward.

Takeru threw his hands up as if to say he would comply and then nodded his head, "What do you want to know?"

Astamon's smile returned, and he let his head fall back slightly, his silvery hair falling over his shoulder. "I would like you to give me exact locations for each of the Chosen Digidestined."

"That might take a while," Takeru admitted fiercely. I wanted him to look to me so I could mentally slap him—I was already doing so, but I wanted him to _know_ —because he was being far too disobedient and rash for someone who had a gun pointed to his head. Astamon snarled and Takeru nodded, "Yeah, okay, so there's this lovely girl called 'Get Real' and she lives on a street known as 'Now Way' in 'Hell I'm Going to Give Them Up.'"

Takeru looked mighty pleased with himself, but Astamon only grew more frustrated, and yet instead of firing a bullet toward Takeru he turned his attention to Hikari. "If he will not tell me, perhaps you will?" She looked startled and frightened to be in his direct view. "This boy is important to you, yes?"

"Of course," Hikari nodded, unwilling to lie.

"Then how would you feel if I shot him?" Hikari whimpered and took a step forward, to plead with Astamon, but he did not want her to move. "Stay back or I _will_!" Hikari cried out once more, but obeyed. "Tell me where the Digidestined are, or you will never see him alive again."

"D-don't, Hikari!" Takeru called out.

"Don't play Mr Hero, Takeru!" I shot loudly, catching his attention. "Don't die because of this!"

Astamon smiled to me, agreeing with my idea and turned back to Hikari who was unable to take her eyes away from Astamon. "So?" he prodded, "What's it going to be? Where are they?"

Hikari was still, completely unmoving under his gaze until finally she nodded her head. "O-okay, the Digidestined are—"

Suddenly something smashed against the back of Astamon's head. He gasped, falling forward, tripping over his own cloak. Hikari moved and grabbed his gun, ripping it from his hands, much to his surprise and as Astamon fell away he revealed his attacker. "I'm right here, asshole." Taichi was standing, ready for battle with a large heavy stick held tightly in both hands in the open doorway. I wasn't sure how he had gotten it open but it didn't matter.

Hikari was in shock, just like Takeru and I, but somehow she managed to prop the gun up and ready the shot, "Don't move or I'll shoot you," she said in a loud, determined voice. Takeru let out a laugh of relief and amusement as Hikari prepared to defend her and her friends wearing possibly the most princess-like wedding dress I had ever seen in my life.

Taichi took a moment to look my direction and he flashed a smile, apparently finding amusement in the shock clearly written all over my face. I nodded and turned to Chi, "Can you do something?"

Chi nodded, but when he stood he revealed a large blood stain all down his leg. As he moved toward Astamon he was limping and using his scythe, that appeared to be made of a praying mantis leg, as a form of balance. He reached Astamon and steadied himself before using the hilt of the scythe to knock into Astamon's legs, sending him to his knees. "Don't move," Chi said, channeling his inner Hikari apparently.

Moments later he had string coming from somewhere under the sleeve of his jacket and was using it to tie Astamon up. "It might not hold," Chi admitted sheepishly, looking to me apologetically. "But if someone keeps watch he won't get away."

"Good," Taichi said before I could, but honestly I didn't mind. How he had gotten here—I didn't know. But he was my leader, and I needed him to take control again. I wasn't built for a life in charge. "Iori, get Jou."

I finally took my eyes away from Taichi and saw that Iori, Kurayami and Kiyoko were standing around him. Iori nodded quickly and hurried back the way he had come in search of Jou. Good thing too because by the look of things, Chi, Meiyomon, Bearmon and Kamemon had all been shot. I couldn't help but feel like we'd let them down by fleeing the scene of the battle, but there was nothing _we_ , as humans, could do in a battle against someone like Astamon.

"T-T-Taichi?" Hikari stuttered, finally taking a moment to look at her brother.

"That's me," Taichi said, forcing a smile. Hikari didn't seem to notice how forced it was because she simply threw her arms around him, still holding the gun. He flinched as it smashed against the back of his head, but chose not to let her go.

"Why are you here?" it was sad to hear the lack of joy in her voice. She was scared. I was scared too. I was happy to see Taichi. I was always happy to see Taichi of course, but after living an entire year thinking I might never see him again, it felt wrong that he was here. Something had happened in the Digital World. Something wasn't right, and that's why he had come for us all.

"It's a long story," he admitted, turning sharply to Astamon as he tried to leap to his feet. Chi pushed him back sharply. "I thought we told you not to move." Taichi said, stepping away from Hikari. She grabbed his arm, like she thought he was going to disappear, but he gently pulled from her grip, moving to Astamon. Hikari watched his every step, as he made his way over to him, while I hurried to Takeru's side. I helped him to his feet, but he seemed fine overall. He was mostly shocked now, to see Taichi most likely. Taichi reached down, shoving his hand into Astamon's cloak and grabbing something. Astamon was struggling against his confines, but Taichi managed to pull out a familiar device. Maugrim had used it to locate the signals of our digivices at Jun's wedding.

Maugrim had given this to Astamon. That meant Gaia was involved. What was she up to, and why did she always strike at weddings?

Taichi didn't seem to be thinking the same as I was because he slammed the device into the ground where it shattered. He didn't think that was enough though and he brought his foot back, crashing it down onto the already broken machine. Astamon winced upon both strikes, thinking Gaia might be angry with him no doubt.

Takeru set off toward Hikari, to comfort her, though now that she had Taichi I was sure he wanted to make sure she had her space to be with him too, and I followed. "Taichi," Takeru said, "You need to tell us what happened." He looked worried, like the story wasn't a happy one.

"Where's Gabumon?" I asked in a weak voice.

Taichi's look of apology and sorrow acted like a jagged dagger piercing through my chest. What the _hell_ had gone on in the Digital World that had Taichi looking like he had just come from the set of a movie about the apocalypse and what happened to Gabumon? Where were the rest of the partner digimon? Where was _Rei_?

"I think we should get the others," Taichi said, "Like I said, it's a l—"

There was a thud and Kiyoko gasped out, catching all of our attention. We turned to see Kurayami laying on the floor. Hikari moved quickly to her side, thrusting the gun into Takeru's hands and she fell to her side, grabbing her lifeless hand. The moment their skin came in contact Hikari's face fell still, like she had never felt more relaxed. Her eyes were gently glazed over and yet she looked _happy_ , like she was seeing something amazing. It was Kurayami that really caught my attention though.

A hoarse, terrified voice came out of her mouth, like it was desperate to escape its confinements, but it didn't even sound like Kurayami. Taichi, Takeru, Kiyoko and I stared in horror as she propped herself up, looking to each of us in turn, like she needed our help. "G-Gaia!" she had said, using a voice that was not her own, "she's nearly here! She's coming for me! You all need to hurry to Sidhendor!"

Kiyoko took a nervous step back and Takeru looked up to me, scared, but then his eyes fell to Hikari once more. I couldn't take my own eyes away from Kurayami though. There was something familiar about that voice. "W-who is it?" I asked.

Taichi answered without a moment's hesitation, "It's Norn." He didn't even look away from Kurayami to speak. "Why Sidhendor?" Taichi asked, jumping right on board with the events. Again, _what_ had happened in the Digital World to make him so accustomed to scary possession like this?

"Gaia is trying to rule _all_. Her first target is Sidhendor, I'm sure of it. You have to go _now_. You have to warn them!" Taichi nodded in understanding. "Go _now_ you fools! Save them!"

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Mimi and Michael are heading back to a familiar place and hopefully things won't be quite as messy as they were during their last visit!


	49. Don't Rain On My Parade

**Y/N:** I like writing with Mimi when there are a lot of different people to play with. She's a social butterfly, and she's very protective too, so having more characters makes it a lot more fun—or just having Neo, but that's just because of how different they are.

 **U/N:** I always did love writing Michael, but I really enjoyed this one especially because with this arc we were finally able to open up with the fairies and show their deeper sides as well as their more developed personalities because there was no longer a reason to hold them back. I had fun using Summer in this one particularly.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 49: Don't Rain On My Parade**

 _ **Mimi Izumi:**_

"Do you think he's gone yet?" Jun asked, holding Otamamon close to her chest. Shuu was next to her, holding little Haruki, who was very confused and scared. We were outside now, and his mom wasn't here. Apparently, she'd gone outside at some point and hadn't come back yet. He was close to breaking down, because his dad was gone now too. I knew Daisuke had stayed behind with Michael to make sure that everyone had actually gotten out, while Sora and I led everyone to safety. It was hard to find somewhere that was actually safe though, because we didn't know if that digimon had come alone or not.

"I doubt it," Sora said, biting her lip. Yamato had stayed behind, and Hikari and Takeru were back there. I knew that Koushiro was somewhere too, and I hoped he was with Michael and Daisuke, because that would mean he was relatively safe—or at least not trying to fight Astamon, and that was all I could hope for. I didn't want there to be anymore fighting. I thought Taichi and our partners had been sealed away to prevent all of this.

But obviously, no solution was going to work one hundred percent.

"I should go help Ken, right?" Miyako asked, bouncing her screaming daughter on her hip. Mai was pulling on Miyako's hair, and sobbing openly. She was definitely feeding off of everyone else's emotions. And everyone else was hiding panic beneath a thin veil of calm. I wasn't doing as well as I could have been at keeping a level head. I shouldn't have been so scared. But I was, and it didn't help that my mom was clinging to my arm and petting my hair like I was a child—all while eyeing the actual children, filling her head with ideas. She didn't want to be a grandma, because that would make her old, but she wanted me to be a mother, so she would have grandchildren to spoil. That wasn't in my future currently, and if Astamon had his way, it might never come into being.

I wished Koushiro was here, where I could know he was safe. If I knew that, I'd be able to put Yoshie's worries to rest.

"You can't leave," Momoe hurriedly told her sister. Momoe had Renjiro in her arms, and was trying to keep Emiko calm too. It wasn't working very well, because Emiko needed attention, and I was her godfather, so I was perfectly capable of providing it. I scooped her into my arms, and she buried her face into my neck, crying because her daddy wasn't here. He was at the doorway, looking out into the streets, ready to race out and collect any stragglers that would need guidance to find us. He suddenly launched out of the building and Emiko cried, afraid he wasn't going to be coming back. I didn't want to lie to her, but I hoped he would be back. I needed him to be.

"We can't stay here though," Natsuni said, trying to keep her voice down, so that Kana didn't add to the noise and start crying too. She was small enough that she hadn't really realized that her dad wasn't here, or that anything scary was going on. Come to think of it, Iori hadn't been at the end of the aisle like he was supposed to be. And maybe Haruki had reason to worry about his mom, because Kurayami hadn't been in the procession that was meant to lead Hikari to the front of the church.

"Why not?" Sora demanded. We all looked around and it was obvious that Natsuni was right. We were in a grocery store. We had hundreds of people inside, and they were all doing their best to browse the aisles and pretend to be customers, just like I suggested, but they were all shaking and terrified. More than a few snuck out the back and raced down the streets, only for Mantarou, or Shin to chase them back. We couldn't afford to have any moving targets for Astamon to lock in on. We needed to stay hidden.

But we were also putting all of the employees in danger, and all of the _actual_ customers.

"She's right," Chiziru said stubbornly, agreeing with Sora. She refused to set Masa down, and he wasn't protesting. They were both extremely shaken by Astamon's threats. Her boyfriend had his arm around her, and he was holding Kunemon, who was doing his best to cheer up Masa. It wasn't working, but it was a valiant effort.

"No," Jenna said firmly. "We should be back there, fighting. Not the kids, but I should be anyway. Chi's back there. What if he gets hurt?"

"Or Michael," Tatum agreed, placing a hand on her swollen belly. She needed to keep safe, and Miyako seemed to make it her solemn duty to keep Tatum inside this grocery store, come hell or high water. Miyako knew exactly what dangers there were in being pregnant while facing off against enemies, and she wasn't going to risk Tatum's child for anything.

"If anyone's going to go," I said firmly. "It's me or Sora."

"Everyone else had kids," Sora agreed. Mom didn't seem to be thinking along the same lines, since she just clung tighter to me, and Dad reached out to hold my hand, keeping me where I was. I could break out of their hold if I tried, but they trusted me not to. I just didn't know if I could stay with them. I might be needed. I didn't want to fight, but if Hikari and Takeru who were supposed to be getting married, were in danger, or Michael, who was going to be a father, or Ken and Daisuke, who _were_ fathers...then I would need to do something to save them. And Koushiro, who was my husband, and I really wanted him to make it through to the other side of this mess.

"Jou's back," Eri, his step-sister called. Everyone perked up, to see who he found roaming the streets, and Momoe pushed Renjiro into Tatum's unsuspecting arms. She raced to Jou, who was helping Michael carry Bearmong into the store. The manager of the building wanted to call an ambulance, since Bearmon was obviously shot, but Jou wouldn't have any of it He'd patched what he could in the streets, and was only stopping inside to tell everyone that Takeru, Ken and Yamato were watching over Astamon, and we were all needed at the park—which happened to be located across the street—because it was a better place to talk than a crowded grocery store. Hikari came in behind Michael, Bearmon and Jou and called as loudly as she could to everyone that was hanging around.

"I'm so sorry for what happened. I didn't expect that, and I'm so sorry that any of you were in danger. I didn't want that. I was expecting a simple wedding, but that's not happening, at least not today. We've got a lot to do now, and it's best if everyone just heads home. I'm sorry for screwing up your day. I didn't mean to. It means a lot that so many of you wanted to share this day with Takeru and I, if it's any consolation. It means _so_ much."

"Mom," I said. "Go to my house, okay? I'll come see you later. I need to figure out what's going on."

"Don't," Mom begged. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"We're just talking," I told her, showing her that I was still carrying Emiko, and that I would never put her in danger. She seemed to think that was good enough, and finally let go of me. Dad gave my hand one final squeeze and let go too. "Get some of the other parents, like Yoshie and Masami, and Team Mom, or whoever, and get them together too. You can keep each other company, and you can keep each other safe. I trust you okay? Keep Oswald and Jezebel out of trouble too, okay?"

"Okay," she said, and now that she was a woman on a mission, she didn't seem so scared anymore. She walked over to Yoshie, dragging Dad behind her, and I knew that they would all be safe. Our parents had taken out Wisemon on their own before, so they should be fine.

I hoped they'd be fine, anyway.

"What's going on?" I asked Hikari, when Jou, Bearmon, Momoe and Michael started leading the way across the street. Sora was trying to convince Jun and Shuu to stay behind, by offering to take Haruki, but Jun needed to see that her brother was okay before she was willing to go. I couldn't fault her for it, and neither could Sora, so they got to come too. Chiziru on the other hand wouldn't have been persuaded to come no matter what anybody said. Mantarou and Iruka stayed with her, promising Miyako that they would be safe, and asking that Miyako look after Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon if they were still... alive. They had to be. I refused to believe any differently.

But their skepticism was enough to make Emiko start panicking about Monmon, and I hurried my pace, reaching out to grab Hikari's hand so that she wouldn't fall behind. She seemed to have a lot on her mind.

"He'll tell you," Hikari said. "He won't tell us anything until we're all here."

"Who?" I wondered aloud, but realized I wouldn't be getting any answer. She was too much in shock. She had Jou's suit jacket wrapped around her shoulders, and she was shivering. I squeezed her hand tightly, and we made our way to the group gathered in the park. I could see Koushiro, and I breathed a sigh of relief, before Jenna cried out, racing to Chi, who's leg was bleeding. Iori was there, which was comforting for everyone, but especially Natsuni, but he was sitting on the ground with Meiyomon's head on his lap, because Meiyomon too had been shot. Kurayami was petting a wounded Kamemon, and Daisuke was sitting with Jagamon, who was looking frantically for Shin, who had tagged along, and moved to his partner quickly. Miyako kept her word, and went straight to Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon, and Jun raced to Daisuke, while Shuu chose to bring Haruki to his mother. The little guy cried with joy when he jumped into her waiting hold. She was tearing up too, because he was just so precious, and she'd no doubt been terrified for his safety.

"Taichi?" Sora gasped. Hikari smiled, though she was still a little dazed, and I knew this was who she was talking about. I stood on my tiptoes to see him, and sure enough, Taichi was standing there. I couldn't understand why, but I figured I would find out soon. I went towards him and hugged him. It was awkward, since Emiko was still in my arms, but he didn't seem to care. He just looked shocked that I would hug him.

I grew suspicious, but I knew that whatever happened wasn't Taichi's fault. He did his best in everything. He didn't always succeed, but he always tried.

"Where's Biyomon, Taichi?" Sora asked, as she gently nudged me aside to hug him. He held her tighter than he had me, and once upon a time I might've been jealous of that, but I liked to think I'd grown up, and I didn't compare myself to Sora anymore. It was progress. Now, if had been _Jou_ , aka _my_ best friend then it would've been different, but Taichi and Sora had been friends forever, and I didn't even need to look at her face to know that she was crying—and whispering that he was stupid, because she always did that.

"Gone," Taichi said. "Gaia got her. Gaia got them all. I'd like to beat around the bush, and I'd like to have something better to tell you, but I don't. She took them. And I don't know if we can get them back."

"What are you talking about?" Michael asked, his voice pained at the very idea that Betamon was gone for good. I, myself, had gone numb at the thought of losing Palmon. But I wasn't _losing_ her, I'd already lost her. I didn't even get a chance to fight back against Gaia. She took her when I wasn't there to protect her. She was taken from me.

But it wasn't Taichi's fault. I wouldn't believe that, no matter _what_ happened. It didn't matter that Taichi was there, even when I wasn't. It didn't matter that he'd had the chance, because he'd said she had them _all_ , which meant she had Agumon too, and there was no way in hell that Taichi would stand aside and let Agumon be taken.

"All of them?" Hikari asked with a painful gasp. She clutched her chest, and Taichi pushed away from Sora—who willingly let him—and moved to Hikari.

"I did everything I could," Taichi said, pleading for us to believe him. "But we didn't know what she was doing. We didn't know she was _there_ until Palmon escaped and told us. She'd gotten four of them before we knew she was there. Maugrim stole a key, and sent it to her through a pond somehow."

"He lost it," Kiyoko supplied, alerting me to his presence. He'd been sitting on a bench looking at his computer screen, working something out. "Everything lost washes up on a beach in Witchenly. That's where she was trapped. He simply sent it to her. Neo said Maugrim did something like that before, with the key to Theta. I just found it before she could. Of course _Rei_ handed it over, but the principle is the same. Everything lost belongs in Witchenly. That's why Lalamon ended up there. She was lost."

"Okay," Taichi said. "But we didn't know that. Agumon tried to find it, but he didn't even tell me about it until it was gone completely. And then Labramon and Gatomon disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Kurayami and Hikari gasped.

"So many digimon died protecting those crests," Taichi said. My heart sank. Would he tell us who, or would it be kinder to let us stay oblivious? "Wizardmon, all the Crest Digimon, Andromon, MetallifeKuwagamon, Dorumon, _Centarumon_. They're gone and it's my fault. I wasn't quick enough. I didn't understand fast enough, I didn't have my brains with me." He looked to Koushiro. I felt proud that Koushiro was the brains of the operation, but at the same time, I knew Taichi was selling himself short. "It doesn't matter right now. We can't figure out how to fix it if we can't stop Gaia. We know where she's going to be now, thanks to Norn's quick thinking. But we need to decide now, who's going to go. I can't ask any of you to put your lives on hold to fix a mess I made. You all have important things to be doing. Hikari, you're supposed to be married!"

"I know," Hikari said firmly. "But it didn't feel right without you there, and now that I know Gatomon's in trouble, how could I even _think_ about getting married instead of helping her?"

"Okay," Taichi said. He nodded to himself, and he went to Jou, to see what the doctor had to say about the digimon. Kamemon was in shock more that Dorumon was killed, though based on Taichi's list I assumed that they were all recycled. It didn't make their deaths any less horrible, but there was a silver lining, and that's all I could hope for. Chi and Meiyomon were both distraught at the thought of losing all of their siblings, even if they had come back. Jenna hugged Chi closely.

I took Emiko, and made my way towards the bench Koushiro had decided to sit on, next to Kiyoko. Kiyoko was peeking up at Koushiro, hesitantly. I saw him take a deep breath, and just spit out the words he was anxious about.

"Koushiro," he said. "I want to find our family. I've done everything Hideto wanted for me, but I haven't done this. It's my biggest, most secret wish, and I don't know how to do it. I need to though. Will you help me?"

"I—" Koushiro said, before pausing. He shook his head quickly. "No. I don't want to know. They've never looked for me, and I don't need to find them. I have a family. I don't need that one."

I was appalled by Koushiro's quick dismissal. Obviously he missed the part about it being Kiyoko's deepest, most secret wish. I couldn't believe he was being so blatantly rude about it. Well, I actually _could_ and that was worse. Koushiro got back up, and walked over to Taichi, who had just gotten to his feet. Kiyoko wasn't bothering to hide his upset feelings, sending a wounded glare Koushiro's way. I set a squirming Emiko on the ground, and she ran towards Taichi too, though she was after her father, who was standing beside him, and I placed myself down beside Kiyoko.

He was stiff, and was very focused on the screen in front of him. He didn't want to seem weak anymore, because that was what his mission was for the year: to gain inner strength and confidence. But I could see he was crumbling. This was a very important matter to him. He wanted this a lot, and Koushiro was just crapping on his secret dream.

"He's probably really focussed on this Gaia thing," I told him, as an excuse. I didn't even pretend to have not heard it, because there was no point in that. He looked up to me, his eyes shining a little, betraying the hurt he was feeling, and my heart stung for him. I glared at my husband. I loved him to death, but he was a meanie sometimes. "He might change his mind."

"He won't. He's very angry," Kiyoko said softly, typing faster, and his eyes lit up when he succeeded in whatever he was doing. "I did it, Taichi."

"Excellent," Taichi said, clapping his hands. "Then we've got to go. I'm not asking everyone to come. I wouldn't mind some help, but I'm not asking you to."

"I'll watch the kids," Momoe offered.

"Me too," Natsuni said, looking down to her daughter.

"And obviously _I_ can't go," Tatum sighed, patting her stomach.

"Take however long you need to figure this out," Taichi offered. "I need to call Rei and let her and Neo know what's going on. Does anyone have a phone? And does that person have Neo's number."

"Take mine!" I offered excitedly, pulling it out and dialing Neo's number from memory and passing it off to Taichi. Kiyoko pressed two more keys, before a tear ripped into existence in the sky in front of him.

"You realize that's not good for the fabric of space and time, don't you?" Koushiro asked. Kiyoko gave him a hurt look, and turned away quickly.

"I'll meet you there, okay, Taichi?" Michael offered, before kissing Tatum, and then holding her tummy and smiling brightly. "I'm going to go on ahead."

"I'll go with you," Kiyoko said, hopping off the bench and taking care to not look at Koushiro at all. I sighed. I didn't like the idea of their relationship being broken because Koushiro couldn't understand how important this was. It didn't matter if Koushiro didn't want to know. He could at least lend a hand in some capacity, or point him in the right direction. If Koushiro wasn't willing to help him, I was. I was interested in where Koushiro came from. I loved Yoshie and Masami, and appreciated so much what they'd done for Koushiro. I never wanted anything to come in between them. I wouldn't even tell Koushiro anything, if he wasn't interested.

But I couldn't leave Kiyoko on his own.

"Me too," Iori announced surprising his wife and startling me out of my thoughts. He squeezed Natsuni's hand, and moved towards Michael and Kiyoko, and the three of them stepped through the gate. Taichi was talking with Rei, telling her what was going on, and how Norn had sent a message through Kurayami and told us that Gaia was trying to unite the worlds so that she could rule them all.

And wasn't that just the most horrifying thought I'd ever heard.

He hung up and was looking towards us all, and obviously realized he'd failed to mention _that_ little tidbit. I raised my eyebrow at him and crossed my arms.

"How is she going to get the worlds combined?" Hikari asked, confused.

"She's got the Digimentals and the Crests," Taichi said. "And the Keys too. She's got everything that we use to keep the worlds separated. I don't know her plans, but I know we've got to work fast to stop her."

"Then what are we waiting here for?" Sora asked.

"Yes, it would be best for the worlds if we did this as fast as possible, as there's a large gash in the fabric of reality," Koushiro said, eyeing the tear with distain. "If her goal is combining the worlds, then it would be prudent for us to _not_ help her along."

"Yeah," I said, looking at the gash with a new outlook. "We should probably hurry."

 _ **Michael Washington:**_

I felt safe here in Sidhendor, even after Norn's creepy warning. If I didn't feel as safe as I _did_ then I wouldn't have come. It may have been Tatum that was carrying our child but this wasn't ancient times and I wasn't fighting for honour—that was Miyako's job. My baby mattered and that meant _I_ mattered. I wasn't going to go out and get myself killed so other people would view me as strong. Strength was my crest and I was going to use it however I saw fit. I wanted to raise my child, because growing up with only one parent was hard for me, and I would never expect this child to do that. Others may call me cowardly, but I didn't feel that way. I felt like I was doing the right thing, and not in a guilty way.

Besides, how was Tatum going to have five more children if I was dead? Exactly. So I wasn't going to die here, and I wasn't going to die in whatever war was coming.

The problem with all of that was, of course, Betamon. He was my protector, my fighter, my _friend_. He was the source of my strength. Where was he? Taichi had been rather cryptic with his explanations, and I really didn't know everything that had gone on over the last fourteen months, but Betamon was 'taken' whatever that meant. I was holding onto hope because he hadn't said 'dead' but in the end Taichi's words meant nothing. Just because he hadn't said Betamon was dead didn't mean it wasn't true. When I met Tatum I told her I was an even six feet, and I _wasn't_ , and just by saying it didn't make it so. I wasn't that tall.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. I _needed_ Betamon.

"Hey," Iori said, eying me up, "Let's just keep moving, okay?" Oh Iori and his endless supply of support and assurance. At least I could tell he _felt_ bad and I knew he felt a similar way so I couldn't be upset with him. He had to mourn over his possibly dead partner in whatever way he needed to. So I nodded and he turned onward, following Kiyoko who was merely pretending to know where he was going.

He was acting it well, as he marched down the hallway, using his computer as a guide, but I caught sight of his blank screen as he turned a corner and I realized we were just walking in circles.

The light from the sun that didn't exist outside was pouring in through the holes in the wall that acted as windows. They were shaped like windows too, with a little point on top like they belonged in some cathedral or something, but there was no glass to close the gap. The light that came through stretched across the wide hall in groups of three, like their window counterparts. The walls were high and arched, made of a mixture of stone and marble and there were ridges and intricate carvings heading all the way up to where it appeared a balcony may look overhead. The ceiling was slanted, and even more complicated in design than the walls were, yet somehow they complimented the heavy and _loud_ chandeliers that hung at even intervals down the hall.

It was unfortunate really that we were so accustomed to ancient and beautiful things at this point in our lives because I would have liked to be more affected by the way the castle looked. I'd been here twice before, but once was during a ball where I'd been thrown out early because the queen—Morganna was angry with Tatum for yelling at her, and the second time I had been put under a sleeping curse and then thrust into a completely different world by Winter before I'd had a chance to really get a look at the palace.

My favourite part, from what I could see anyway, was that it was similar to the Temple itself. It appeared to have four distinctive wings, and when we arrived we had been thrown out of a tear in the fabric of reality we had been at a very obvious four way crossroad. There had been four archways that led down different paths. One was decorated with flowers, one with fire, one with snowflakes and one with autumn leaves. Of course I could only assume they were autumn leaves, because they weren't really coloured, but I had been hoping Kiyoko would choose that path. He didn't, of course, instead choosing the path of fire. I thought it was fitting, because we were about to go down in flames more than likely.

Kiyoko and Iori both stopped by a large mosaic mural of Summer sitting in a flowerbed and stared for a moment. I understood that they both had connections to Summer, but we were here on a mission, and if we _weren't_ , then I'd be off, searching for anything that could tell me more about my mother, who _I_ had a connection with. Kiyoko caught sight of me and I felt bad for the obvious stink eye I had been giving him and he jumped back into action, moving down the hallway.

"Kiyoko," Iori called, getting him to stop, but not turn back. "Do you have any idea where you're going?"

"Sure I do," Kiyoko piped up.

Iori looked to me skeptically and I shrugged my shoulders. "Well," Iori said, "We've passed this mural before when we walked down that hallway. I remember because I wanted to come look at it. Now we're here. You've led us in a circle."

Kiyoko looked back with a red face and shook his head, "I'm sure I'll find the way eventually."

"It's okay to admit to being lost," Iori assured him.

Kiyoko scratched his nose, breaking eye contact and then finally sighed, "Okay, I'm lost."

Iori nodded, because he obviously knew it had been so, and he turned to me, as I threw my head back in frustration. "Michael, you know this world best, why don't you lead the way?" I stared at him, trying to convey just how insane I thought he was, but he stared back, looking all too serious. "What?"

"You know this place as much as I do," I told him, "I've never been here before. Well I have, but all I remember is Morganna kissing me, and then guards threw me out." Kiyoko seemed amused by the tale, but the details would have to wait for another time, because Iori looked flustered now, looking down the way Kiyoko had been heading. "Look," I said, "We can go back to the rift, which should be around the corner to the right and then straight ahea—"

"How did you know that?" Iori asked, narrowing his eyes at me. I shrugged, I didn't really know. It was just a feeling. "You knew we were walking in circles, didn't you?"

I nodded, "We made three left turns."

"Okay, you're leading us," Iori decided, "You're the only one who knows what's going on. Take the lead, we'll follow you wherever you want to go."

I groaned, understanding that this left me with the power to do as I pleased. I _wanted_ to go down the autumn halls and look at everything there, and I wondered what the others might say if I did, but I knew it wasn't right. The worlds were in danger. "I have a better idea," I decided, moving to the open window. I looked down, over the edge and saw a beautiful field that stretched out forever. It was only a courtyard, and I could see the other end, but it was the biggest courtyard ever. "Iori come here," he looked startled, but did as was told. When he came near enough I grabbed his shirt and thrust him toward the window. "Summer I'll push him!" I yelled out loudly.

Iori was struggling against me but I wasn't _actually_ going to push him. Iori smacked my hand away and staggered back, away from the window. "You're insane."

"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Iori." All three of us turned to see Summer standing near the mural of herself. She looked much prettier in person, though she didn't look particularly happy. Her brown hair was behind her, and she was wearing a thin silver tiara now that she was back in her own world. Her dress was the same as always, and her wings shone brilliantly in the light from the sky. The green tint of her skin looked unusually grim but her eyes were at least smiling at the sight of Iori and Kiyoko. "Hello my Forgiving knight." Iori grinned and closed the distance between the two of them, throwing his arms around her. Summer held him close to her, but looked over the top of his shoulder to Kiyoko who weakly waved. Summer nodded her head politely to him as Iori pulled out of the hug. "What are you three doing here?"

"We need to talk to Winter," I told her before Iori took advantage of the time he had to interact with Summer. "She's still the queen, right?" Summer nodded, "Then you need to take us to her."

Iori looked bitter that his reunion had been cut short, but he was the most precisely moral person I had ever met and I knew that _he_ knew this was the right thing to be doing. Kiyoko looked relieved that we had found someone who actually knew their way around the castle. I hoped Iori would forgive me for the drastic measures it had taken to find her though.

Summer finally decided that she was going to take us to Winter, probably because each of us was showing her in our minds out serious it was. Her memory powers allowed her to see what we were thinking, but since none of us really knew the details of our arrival, I was sure that she didn't either. Nonetheless, she moved swiftly down the halls, easily finding her way. She moved back to the rift and she hesitated only a moment when she had seen it. I wondered if she was merely curious or if she'd had an inner battle with herself, trying to decide whether she should use the rift to get to Yume or not. When she looked over her shoulder to me and shook her head I figured she was still reading my mind, which was _rude_. I hoped she heard that and got out.

Just in case she didn't, I began singing loudly inside my head as we followed her down the hall until finally, after using the Winter wing for a brief time and then following along a separate path as the halls began to look more familiar, we came out into the ball room. This room, I could remember. The exit of the palace was at the end of the room and I could see the door. Well, the door would lead to a long hallway that would eventually lead into a courtyard and _then_ , we could get out of the castle, but at least I knew where we were now.

I saw that Winter had redecorated the place to her own liking though. Instead of the long red carpet that ran down the center of the room it was now a deep midnight blue, and the _massive_ chandelier that hung from the ceiling was no longer decorated with crystal hearts, but instead snowflakes. It all seemed fitting I thought. Summer was still moving though, her heels softly clicking on each marble step as she made her way down to the main floor. Iori was in the lead of the three of us, keeping up with Summer, but Kiyoko was still clicking away at his computer that was now off of standby mode.

"Anything unusual?" I wondered, hoping that he had not yet sensed Gaia.

He looked to me and shook his head, "No, they're not here yet." So he was waiting for the others to arrive, not Gaia. At least that was important information too.

When we finally made our way down to the floor of the ballroom I looked around more clearly. It was a beautiful room, and when Morganna had been Queen, she had not done the place justice. Winter's elegant approach to the decor was a much more subtle and classy attempt. It looked much better than I could have done too. As my eyes fell to the thrown at the end of the carpeted path I felt a familiar relief. I had almost been asked to sit for eternity in that chair. I didn't want to be a king, but if I had, would Tatum had come with me?

Would she have moved into a new world just to be with me? Would we be having a _baby_ right now?

Probably not.

I was so glad Iori and Miyako brought Winter into this world when they did. If they didn't, my life would have been ruined.

And as I thought of her, she seemed to know because she marched right into the room, looking annoyed. She had come out of a dark looking passage that was directly behind the shimmering silvery blue thrown. When the next figure emerged from the passage I understood why Winter seemed so annoyed. Spring was bouncing along behind her, seeming rather giddy about something. Her frilly dress—as usual made of pink, red, violet and black fabric in the worst way—was flopping around dramatically with each hop, and I could see that Spring was actually barefoot again. Her tight curls of hair were, completely un-ironically, springing along with her. Atop her head was a tiara identical to Summer's, but made of gold. I instantly had a vision of my mother wearing one of bronze.

I shook the thought away when Summer caught my eye and then hurried across the room to join the others who had already gathered there.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Winter asked, more shocked than angry I thought. The crown on her head was much more elaborate than her sister's and it was made of the same bluish silvery metal that her throne had been crafted from.

"Gaia is coming," Kiyoko said without hesitation. Spring, who had still been bouncing up until that point, stopped breathing entirely and stared to Kiyoko like he had just threatened to chop her leg off. "Norn told us. We don't really know what's going on, but she's going to try to take over the world. She already has the Digital World and Witchenly, and Earth is on its way into her control." Spring's eyes were already welling up with tears and I could all but see the gears spinning in Winter's mind.

"She has Norn too now, probably." Iori added.

If Heaven and the Dark Ocean could have no living ruler, and Time was an intangible world, and the Land of Dreams had no inhabitants, that left only the Digital World, Earth, Witchenly, Sidhendor and the In-Between to rule at all. If Gaia had three of those five, and was now on her way to ruling the other two—

Summer seemed to read my panic well and as she stared to me it began to sink into her own mind as well. "There's still Theta," she said in a broken sort of whisper, as if trying to ease my mind, but it hadn't done much good. Summer wasn't paying me any mind anymore though, and instead was thinking something up for herself. It appeared that she and Winter were not on the same train of thought though, or if they were, Summer hopped off before it reached the station because all at once she shot off, rushing back the way we had come.

I didn't hesitate to follow her, but I didn't say a word. She looked back to me only once, and seemed frustrated that she was being followed, but didn't slow down for a second. I followed her down the hallways, twisting and turning until we reached the rift once more. She headed straight down under the flaming archway again and I followed. She was going to somewhere in her own wing. Did fairies have bedrooms? Did fairies sleep?

Did fairies use the washroom?

Summer sent a glare over her shoulder to me and I shook my head, trying to think of anything _but_ that, and settled on a video I had seen of an elephant painting a picture of an elephant. It was so cute. I tried to focus on that, even though I was kind of frustrated with Summer for not explaining herself better, but finally she came to a stop, throwing open a beautiful wooden door.

I followed her inside to the coolest bedroom I'd ever seen. I was sure I would appreciate it more if I was much of a reader—though of course I had read Takeru's books—because there were shelves upon shelves of books. The door opened to an upper level of the bedroom though and Summer didn't hesitate to move down the stairs, holding her dress up in the front so she didn't trip. Down below I saw a regal looking fireplace with a comfortable armchair nearby. Her bed was the most ridiculously large thing I had ever seen and I'd been to the state pumpkin fair where everyone grew obnoxiously large vegetables. Summer moved to a bookshelf in the far corner and reached to the top row, pulling out a large book, that I assumed to be an atlas, just judging by the size, but it was much thicker than any atlas I'd ever used. The binding was golden and worn, but Summer didn't seem to mind.

As I made my way down the stairs after her, taking the steps two at a time, Summer slammed the book down on a round wooden table at the other end of the room. She threw the book open to the middle and began running her fingers down the pages, skimming the words. I stopped at the other end of the table and looked to the book, but Summer's hair had fallen over her shoulder as she bent over the book itself, reading. I could see a glimpse of the page when she pulled back to flip a few pages on, but the writing was in a language that certainly wasn't English.

Yet somehow I recognized it. "Did that just say something about a baker?"

Summer looked up, startled and she nodded, "Yes," she said, returning to the book that was laid out in front of her.

"So your evil mother is coming to kill us all and we're going to ask the local bakery for their bread recipe?" I asked sarcastically. Summer completely ignored me. That was kind of annoying, but I figured she had to have a _reason_ to be so invested in the book at hand. "Summer, what is this?" Again she ignored me, flipping through more pages. I took another look around the room, trying to feel less impatient and frustrated but it didn't work and when I turned back to Summer I asked, louder this time, "What is this book?"

Summer didn't seem to hear me, "This doesn't make sense," she muttered.

" _What_ doesn't make sense?" I snapped, "What are you reading, Summer?"

She looked up to me sharply, "it's nothing, Michael," she said before returning to the book, "Go back to the others."

"No!" I insisted, already feeling guilty for the anger inside me. "Why won't any of you _talk_ to me? I haven't seen you in a year and you don't even _care_! Aren't we supposed to be a family? I don't have a big family, Summer. You're part of my small family, Summer. Family doesn't keep secrets, so just—"

Summer set her hands gently on the table in front of her, but when she looked up to me her face showed anything but her usual gentle innocence, "It was your mother's, Michael." My heart fluttered at the thought of having something of hers so close to me, but as my eyes fell to it to see what she may have written about I saw only one thing before Summer snapped the book shut. It was a drawing of Gaia. "We must return to Winter now," Summer informed me.

"Wait," I told her, blocking her path, "Tell me more."

"Now isn't the time," Summer said, but at least she sounded apologetic.

"There will never be a time, so I need you to tell me," I told her, once again side stepping and blocking the wide staircase from her. She looked to me, annoyed and then kicked off the ground using her wings to fly over my head. I groaned and raced up the stairs after her, following her back into the hallway. "Summer, please just tell me what the book _is_."

She stopped and turned to me so quickly that I nearly crashed into her, "Michael I cannot do that," Summer told me, using her sweet voice again. I was about to ask why but she held up her hand, "She asked me to never tell you."

"W—who?"

"Your mother," Summer said, tears in her eyes. She batted her lashes, trying to fool the tears into disappearing, but they fell anyway and she turned her head sadly, "She never wanted you involved. I know you love her but I will not break my promise to her, because I loved her too."

Every part of my mind wanted to protest, and yet my heart was the one who spoke instead. "Okay," I told her, because even if I didn't want to understand, I did. "Okay, let's get to Winter."

Summer looked to me, feeling thankful and she nodded, wiping the tears from her beautiful green eyes. She turned on her heel and set off again, marching quickly back to the ball room. "We should get your friends first." Summer decided, taking a sharp detour past the gash in the air. I barely noticed when she set off down the autumn hallway, but I followed anyway. Summer didn't look to me once the entire time, but I didn't mind.

I let my eyes scan the walls, and see the designs that had to have been chosen by my mother. I saw the murals and the tapestries and the chandeliers. Every part of it was perfect and beautiful. The warm lights from outside complimented this part of the castle better than the others, but maybe I was just being biased. When we had suddenly slipped through a different hall, appearing in the Spring corridors I knew that Summer had only taken the trip through my mother's section for _my_ benefit.

 _Thank you_

Summer looked to me and nodded her head.

It was pretty cool that I could interact with her without talking. I wondered what all I could say that would annoy her, but I didn't have time to think because we had come across a group of familiar faces. Mimi was leading the way, looking all too relieved to see us. Taichi was with Hikari still and I could only imagine that Takeru was with Yamato somewhere, since they weren't here. It was too bad their wedding had to be a complete failure. Sora was standing near the back of the group with Koushiro and Jou, while Miyako, Daisuke and Kurayami nearly blocked them from view. Then, the only person that I was shocked to see, spoke.

"This place is amazing," Jenna said with a set of bright eyes shining in the natural light from a nearby window.

"Definitely," I agreed.

"Jenna, you should not be here," Summer advised, "It is not safe."

"Uh," Jenna said, pointing to the group of people she had brought with her, "What about all of them."

"It is different for you," Summer said, tilting her head as if she was unsure if Jenna knew what she was referring to.

"How?" Jenna asked bitterly.

Summer took a step back. Apparently she knew something about Jenna that she in fact did _not_ know about herself. Summer didn't have time to argue and instead motioned for us all to follow her as she led the way back to the throne room. Jenna and I were the closet in her wake, and I had a pretty good memory for where we were going, so somehow I just knew which way to turn before Summer had done so herself.

"How is Chi?" I asked Jenna as we turned another corner.

"He's at the hospital by now," Jenna shrugged, "Jou says he's okay, and Chi wanted me to have a chance to come to Sidhendor. I didn't want to leave him behind, but—"

"I'm glad you did," I told her honestly, "it's too amazing to miss out on and this might be our last chance." Jenna nodded, trying to smile, but failing. Her boyfriend was in the hospital after being shot, so I guess I could understand why. At least he was a digimon and would more than likely heal properly—not to mention he had only been shot in the leg. It was Meiyomon that I was really worried about. I would have taken him directly to the Digital World so that if he _did_ die, it wouldn't have had as much meaning, but if the others felt confident that he would live then I supposed it didn't really matter.

Finally we had made it back to the ball room—which I supposed was probably actually called a throne room and was not explicitly made for having elaborate festive dances—and we were all making our way down the steps.

Kiyoko was waiting for us at the bottom, and he had probably been about to go look for the others since he'd been watching for a shift in the fabric or time and space and all that jazz. He walked with us to where Iori was comforting a panicking Spring, but Winter was ignoring the two of them, with her fingers pressed against her temples in thought.

When we eventually met up with her she wasted no time in turning to us with a worried expression and saying, "She's here."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Iori and Jenna are up next to walk us through the dangers that they've jumped head first into. They may be a bit out of practice, but let's go see how they fare in the world of danger and adventure.


	50. Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

**Y/N:** I still love Iori. It doesn't seem to matter _what_ is happening with him, I just love to write as him—but I particularly enjoy when he interacts with the fairies, and he gets to do that this time around, so that's great.

 **U/N:** Jenna wasn't quite as fun as usual, mostly because now isn't really the time for humour or random spy missions, but Jenna's basic storyline that she's been on since 06 is now essentially over, but there was one last thing for her to do, so it was kind of fun exploring that part of her now.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 50: Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend**

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

"She's here."

"NO!" Spring cried out, falling to her knees and shaking like a leaf. She was crying already, and we hadn't even seen her mother yet. I tried to comfort her, but the tension in the air made it nearly impossible. She was so upset that she probably couldn't feel my hand on her shoulder, offering her my presence, since I knew she was lost in memories. Summer's pale green hands gently nudged mine aside, and she took over the duty of caring for her elder sister. I got to my feet and moved to Miyako's side, only a few feet away. She'd been drifting in my direction since she'd gotten here. Ken wasn't with her, and she needed some support. She was freaking out almost as badly as Spring was.

I couldn't help but wish she'd decided to stay behind. She was too stressed out to be able to handle what was happening. She was lost in the dream life that had been ripped away from us. We'd been at peace for the first time that I could even remember. But that peace was an illusion, a fabrication made up only of ignorance. While we were living the life we'd hoped for, Taichi and our partners were continuing the fight that we were always meant to be a part of.

And now I had brought a daughter into this world of hatred and terror. Did that mean I was a bad father already, even before Kana could say her first words?

Probably. But I didn't exactly have a role model to base myself off of. I had Jou, and my Grandpa. That was it. I didn't have a father for the majority of my life. I'd lost him to a bullet when I was only three years old. Was I now leaving Kana to face the same fate, if I continued the fight? Chances were actually pretty strongly in favour of that outcome. We had no partners, no Crests, nothing. How could we fight against Gaia, when we had nothing to fight with?

"Do you have an armory?" I demanded to Summer, wincing at my disrespect even as it came out of my mouth.

"It won't come to that," Summer insisted gently, using her voice to calm Spring, who had cried out with pain and worry at my declaration. "It _can't_ come to that. I won't let it."

"You aren't the one in control," Winter reminded her. Summer looked like she'd swallowed a lemon, and Winter rolled her eyes. "Not _me_. Mother's in control. She's always been in control. But she's not going to take this throne from me. I will not let her poison our people again. I can't allow it."

"You might not have a choice," Taichi said. His ominous voice carried throughout the room and gave me chills. He was right of course. If Gaia had birthed these three powerful fairies, reason stood that her power was immense and varied, since the girls were like night and day to one another. Winter was the cool to Summer's warmth, while Autumn was the melancholic opposite of Spring's vivacious life. They were opposites, and that was what made them so powerful when they could work as one unit. They could do anything, and beat anyone.

But they were not a complete set.

And so Gaia had them off balance without having to lift a single finger in a fight. It was horrible, and it was true, no matter how hurt Summer's look was. She really ought to know that my mind was rarely a happy place. It had been at its happiest during the last year, with one dark raincloud that refused to let me gain a sunny disposition: Armaillomon was away.

He might be a little further than I thought now, though, if what Taichi said was true. He was "gone" whatever that meant. I knew that Gaia had him in some capacity, and I didn't know if he still lived, but I was going to fight for him. I wouldn't give up, not for anything.

"For Kana," Summer corrected. I rolled my eyes and tried not to glare at her. I'd gotten used to the idea of my mind being my own again. I was glad to have her with me, because I had missed her more than I thought was possible. But I had finally gotten used to needing to _voice_ my thoughts, since she wasn't around to help me deal with them without actually speaking about my problems.

"I'd do anything for Kana," I agreed. "But I'd do anything for Armadillomon, and Natsuni, and Mom, and _you_ too."

"I know," Summer said, reaching out to hold my hand. "And I appreciate it. Just promise me that your daughter—who is beautiful—is above me, above everyone."

"Thanks," I said, mentally agreeing with her statement. My entire world had shifted the moment the doctors had placed Kana in my arms. I'd been afraid to hold her. She was so small, so fragile. I was afraid of breaking her by accident. But she looked up to me through those foggy, newborn eyes and everything changed for me. Everything was about _her_ before it was about me. She was my number one priority. She didn't know it yet. She didn't know a lot yet. She was still too little, but she would, one day, I hoped, understand just how much I loved her.

That was why I needed to be here to help stop Gaia from whatever scheme she wanted to put into play here. I couldn't follow Gaia's reasoning for anything. She wasn't very coherent in her processes. Why would she partially work to take over Earth, but leave it unconquered to slip into the In-Between to take over Norn's solitary world? There wasn't much there. It wasn't very difficult for her to win, because Norn was the only occupant, and Gaia was far stronger and older. She understood her abilities better than Norn did. Norn was still relatively new at her job, after all. Why couldn't she wait longer before going for that particular world? It didn't make sense. But on the other hand, saving Sidhendor for the last _did_ make sense, because she knew how solid her daughters could be as a defense.

"The _last_?" Summer whispered in horror.

"I don't know about the Land of Dreams," I realized. "I'm sorry. I forgot, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright," Summer decided, still looking shaken. "She may take it soon enough. I just wish Yume could..."

"He can't exist outside, can he?" I asked, knowing the answer before Summer even thought about shaking her head for a negative response. If he could, he would've been here with her. He was a man of dreams, and nothing more. I winced, knowing that Summer was glaring at me for discrediting him. But he was created by the power of dreams, and without the dreams, he wouldn't be able to exist. Summer looked mollified, and I tried to remind myself to be more careful about offending Summer with my own personal thoughts. She flushed, and I found it in me to smile, before looking back to the others.

Mimi was holding onto Koushiro's arm, while Sora and Jou conversed with him in frantic tones. They were obviously trying to come up with logical defense tactics, but they needn't have worried about it. Winter was unlikely to take any of their advice into consideration. She was a stubborn, solitary sort. It came from living in Dark Ocean for so long. Or perhaps it was her natural way, and the Dark Ocean only expanded upon what was already there. I didn't know. I'd never met her _before_. I'd never met any of them before their captivities. I'd freed Summer from Fanglongmon, and that was the beginning of a new chapter of my life. A chapter that included my non-biological aunt—and sudden all-consuming prophetic dreams that kept popping up when I least expected, and wanted, them.

"Dreams?" Summer asked looking shocked and worried. I might've explained them to her, if Winter hadn't started talking.

"I need the Digidestined to go protect the people," she declared. "Taichi, I need you with me. You've faced her most recently, you know most about her plans."

"I don't actually know all that much," he said, but she disregarded him.

"Jenna and Michael stay behind," she said, leaving no room for arguments, though Jenna looked horrified to be singled out like that. Michael was less angry, and that was probably due to his unborn child, and how he wanted to continue to live so that he could be there while it grew. I could empathize with that. I wanted to be with Kana as well.

"Iori too," Summer added.

"Why?" Winter asked, irritated that Summer was trying to give commands when _she_ was the queen now. Summer shook her head, and I didn't care one way or the other. I knew that this was where the fighting would take place, and while I was a little rusty, I knew I was one of the best options out of all the Digidestined to participate in such a fight.

Summer paled, and I realized she hadn't been thinking along that line at all. She looked to Jenna and hesitated, as though she wanted to send her somewhere else, and I wondered what was so special about Jenna at that moment, before realizing that was stupid. Michael and Jenna were their nephew and niece and that alone made them special. The fact that Jenna wasn't a Digidestined, and therefore didn't need to be a part of this was probably all that spurred Summer's determination to keep her safe, just like Kana was all it took for her to try to save me—even though that backfired in a big way.

"I don't want to leave Taichi," Hikari said boldly, clinging to her brother's hand. Taichi shook his head and turned to her. She was still dressed in a large white gown that really made her fit in around here. She looked like a princess. Her hair was a little messed up, from the fight with Astamon, and her makeup was a lost cause with all the crying she'd done upon reuniting with Taichi, but she still looked beautiful. The dress also made it impractical to have her stay with us. She couldn't move as freely as she wanted to, and I knew that Taichi was thinking the same thing—and also that Gaia would be coming _here_ , just as I realized, and he wanted Hikari safe. That was _his_ number one priority. It always had been.

"Hikari, these people need you," Taichi said, taking what was probably the only route to get Hikari to agree with him: guilt tripping. "You're the kind of person they'd listen to. You look like a princess, Hikari. They'll trust that. Princesses get what they want."

"That's so not true," Hikari said, biting her lip, and I knew she was going to agree to go. Daisuke moved to her side, and took her free hand. She begrudgingly let go of Taichi's and he looked thankfully at their pseudo-brother, and Mimi sighed, leading everyone towards the door.

"I'll bring you outside, but just know that these people are crazy," Mimi declared loudly. "One girl tried to have my head cut off once because I didn't want to marry her."

"I thought that was the spell?" Sora muttered from her place at the back of the well-dressed group. She didn't want to go either, but she was urging everyone forward all the same. There was no way they could fight in their formal attire. We'd come from a wedding. Kurayami, Sora and Mimi were wearing constricting bridesmaid dresses, and the guys were in suits. She knew, unlike Mimi, how much of a threat was coming right then, and wasn't about to dilly dally while Gaia was on her way towards us.

"Jenna," Summer said. "Stay with Spring, please? Yes, I think that would be best. Spring needs someone to distract her, and you've provided the _perfect_ distraction."

"Okay..." Jenna said slowly, coming over to Spring, who immediately clung to Jenna, and Jenna started patting her curls while her aunt sobbed about her grandmother. I was very glad that I wasn't related by blood to any of them. Their family tree was terrifying. Of course, choosing one of the lot was very different, but then, Summer had chosen me first.

"What's the plan?" Taichi wanted to know. While he spoke, I untied my tie, and took off my suit jacket, rolling up the sleeves of my button down underneath, and undoing the top three buttons. I needed it loose. I also removed my belt, holding it in my hands, contemplating if it was heavy enough to consider a weapon, or if I'd have to resort to hand-to-hand when the time came. Summer's hands found their way to my shoulders and she shook her head stubbornly.

It was really too bad that she couldn't change the world just by thinking about it, but she couldn't. Her mother was coming whether she wanted her to or not. Nothing she said or did could change that.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Winter admitted. "Who does she work with? If we know that, then maybe we'll be able to work out a plan."

"She's got Maugrim," Taichi said, as though it were obvious, and really, it was. He'd been working with her for longer than any of us had been alive—excepting, perhaps the fairies. Summer shook her head sharply again, and I realized just how long in the making Gaia's plans must've been if she'd had Maugrim as an ally for _that_ long.

"Astamon," Michael offered. "He tried to kill us all at a wedding. He almost killed me."

"He would have," Jenna said. "Tatum saved you."

"She's also got Bitoru doing her bidding," Taichi added, glancing apologetically towards Spring when he said it, and she cried louder. "In addition to them, she has the Crests, the Digimentals, our partners and the keys."

"But not Aesop?" Winter asked carefully.

"No," Taichi said firmly. "He's with us."

"Good," Winter said. "That's one small piece of fortune in this mess. How could she become so powerful? What's that? She's coming now." Winter closed her eyes and put one hand to her temple. She winced with what she saw, and the grounds of the castle started shaking. "You failed to mention her army."

"Which one?" Taichi asked wryly.

"She has more than one?" Jenna asked, horrified.

"Digimon," Winter said. "She has the digimon. You didn't say you lost _everything._ "

"We haven't," Taichi argued. "She only has a percentage of the population."

"And she's brought them _here_ ," Winter announced. "We need the guards. They won't stand a chance against Mother, but they can hold off the digimon. We will keep the Armadillomon away, we don't need to risk them falling under her spell."

"Can we revisit the idea of an armory?" I requested, only to be ignored again. Winter, instead of listening, walked towards an ornate cabinet that was built right into the wall of the throne room. It was nearest her throne, and when she opened it, I saw rows on rows of toy soldiers. Winter began murmuring to herself and a cool wind filled the room, circling around us. I could see snowflakes start appearing, and then the wind grew stronger as it carried the toy soldiers out of their cabinet prison and into the air.

The tiny wooden men grew in size until they were larger than I was, and much more solid. And then, right before my eyes, her magic sank into their wooden exteriors and they were losing their boxy form. Their clothes became cloth, deep blue jackets, with red pants. A white stripe ran down their pant legs and led further down, into their black boots that were now made of leather. A whimsical feather was stuck in the red hat band of their tall, black hats, and their skin was rosy and malleable, rather than wood. They still had rosy red circles on their cheeks, just as they had when they were wooden, but it suited their general design. I was unsure if these were real men now, or if they were still puppets, just animated to do Winter's bidding.

I didn't think now was the time to ask.

"Go, and defend your kingdom," Winter commanded. The soldiers formed perfect rows. Eight across, and I didn't know how many deep. They were holding an array of weaponry. Some had spears thrown over their shoulders, some had old muskets. There were a few that had police batons or maces as well. It was sporadic and varied, but it looked like a formidable force.

The army started marching upon her orders, and left the room, staying in perfect formation.

"Don't kill the digimon," Taichi said frantically. "They're being manipulated. They don't know what they're doing!"

"I must defend my people," Winter said apologetically.

"And I have to defend _mine_ ," Taichi growled. He made to go after the soldiers, but Winter moved quickly and stopped him.

"You've failed once already," she said cruelly. "Your methods do not work."

"We don't kill," Summer said loudly. "We made a vow. We don't kill. Not anymore. Not after Father."

"She's right," Spring said gently through her tears. "We made a solemn vow."

"This is different. This isn't about the pro—" Winter started, stopping suddenly when both Summer and Spring turned to look at a different Washington. "It's different."

"We're not him," Spring said firmly. "We are not _her_ either. We do things differently. We care and we love, and we keep the balance. That is all that is important. Without an influx of life, there is no need for an influx of death."

"Fine," Winter said, accepting Spring's advice much more readily than she had Summer's objections. She commanded for the soldiers to injure only and to avoid lethal methods, before she turned to Spring and Jenna. She hesitated, but seemed to make up her mind. "Spring, Jenna, you must go to the guards and rouse them. They must protect their kingdom readily."

"Of course," Spring said, taking hold of Jenna's hand.

"But you need us," Jenna protested. "We have to fight."

"You'll not be fighting, dear," Spring assured her, gently guiding her along towards the hallways. The chandelier in the middle of the room made a racket as it jingled. The ground was very unsteady, and now the sounds of battle added to the rumble of the enemy's marching.

"Will that be enough?" Taichi wondered.

"If not, I have the storms," Winter said, sounding unsure.

"They're unstable," Summer countered. "You can't control them. They're too much of a risk."

"I might need to take that risk," Winter said firmly. "Taichi, tell me more of our mother's actions in the Digital World."

"Iori, come," Summer ordered. I listened instinctually. She'd yet to truly steer me wrong. She wasn't staying in the room though, and I was skeptical about leaving, but followed all the same. She led me through the halls, stopping only long enough at corners to be sure that no one was coming. She guided me until we were back at the mosaic portrait of her, in the summer wing of the castle. She stopped outside of what I was sure was a bedroom, and I waited in the hall, no matter her protests. I didn't need to see her bedroom. That wasn't right.

As it turned out, however, it wasn't hers at all. Merlin walked out of the bedroom with Summer, both looking frantic. He had apparently moved back to his original chambers, feeling much more comfortable there now that Summer had returned home. Summer didn't look pleased to be here, truly, but he didn't seem to notice that part. Her heart was elsewhere, in the Land of Dreams. She sent me a scandalized look, but I refused to think any differently. She wanted to be with Yume, but the chance of never seeing her sisters again was a strong enough pull to make her chose Sidhendor when the worlds were being sealed off by Norn and Taichi.

"We must hurry," Summer said frantically, refusing to look my way, because I was _right_. "She may have already made it to the throne room."

"Lead on, then dear girl," Merlin insisted. "We must save the kingdom. All my work against Morganna will be in vain if we do not. The people have suffered enough for this peace I think."

"There's a long way to go before peace is achieved," I warned him. He looked at me like I couldn't possibly know what I was talking about because I was nothing more than a child—compared to him at least—and I glared coldly at him. My entire life had been given to the fight for peace. I'd almost died once, and I would have, had Gennai not given himself for me. I knew the risks, and I knew the danger. Gaia was the most dangerous of all. And it was _her_ that was here now, to steal the kingdom that he'd tried so hard to protect.

He'd tried in the worst way possible, almost unraveling the very kingdom he wanted to save, but he'd tried anyway.

When we got back to the throne room, Spring and Jenna were back. Spring was trying to stand in front Jenna, but she was having trouble staying on her feet. Gaia was standing at the main opening. She was confident and powerful. I was having trouble standing myself. Her power was overwhelming, and her confidence was intimidating. Jenna was trying to hold Spring up, but Spring was trying to protect her. It was a mess. Summer and I moved to the pair of them, and I took Spring from Jenna, only to see that Summer forced Jenna to stand behind _her_ , and had placed herself in such a spot that she was protecting all of us. Michael moved quickly, under Winter's orders to stand with his sister. He was just as awed by Gaia's power as I was.

Gaia stood with Maugrim on her right, and Bitoru on her left and had three orbs—one the brightest white, one the deepest black, and the third an amalgamation of so many colours I couldn't decide what colour it really was. She had a malicious smile in place, and started walking forward.

"Stop," Winter ordered.

Gaia didn't. She obviously didn't acknowledge Winter's place as ruler of this land. She couldn't, since she intended on ruling it herself. Her three orbs circled around her, always searching for ways to protect her. Maugrim's eyes scanned the room, and spent a little time lingering on Summer's protective stance, before he smiled to himself, upon catching sight of Taichi. He too moved forward. Taichi's face blanched and I watched him visually pull himself together. He was afraid of Maugrim. I hadn't seen Taichi this afraid in a long time. I made Michael take Spring, and moved behind Winter, until I was near Taichi, glad that I'd prepared myself for battle and wishing that Michael had followed my cue, because he would be the second line of defense for his sister and Spring, and Bitoru was headed their way.

"Spring," Bitoru called loudly. He was happy, and didn't seem to realize that his presence was unwanted. Spring howled with pained tears, and he paused, hesitating. "Spring, aren't you happy to see me?"

"Why would she be, you creep?" Michael asked with a sneer. He looked to Summer and thought hard. She could hear what I could not and shook her head. But Michael's mouth was a firm line, and she relented, moving to grab Jenna's arm.

"What are you doing?" Jenna demanded.

"STOP!" Winter yelled loudly.

"I'm taking you to safety," Summer announced. "I have to protect you."

"Why, because Michael said so?" Jenna complained.

"You don't yet know how important this is," Summer said sadly. "But we must away."

"What does that even mean?" Jenna asked, as Summer dragged her towards the door. Merlin moved slowly after them, and stopped himself in the middle of the doorway, leaving no room for anyone to follow the women.

"Bitoru," Gaia commanded. "Stop that racket."

Bitoru hesitated again, unsure exactly how to go about doing that, since it was Spring's wailing that was irritating her, and his mere presence was making it louder. Maugrim was getting closer to Taichi, and I was waiting in the wings until he was close enough for me to do anything. But I had to act sooner than anticipated, because a creeping vine caught my eye.

"Winter, look out!" I yelled, jumping off of the platform her throne was residing on. Winter reacted just as quickly, sending a blast of cold air at the vegetation, coating it in frost, leaving it immobile. Gaia glared at me, and I knew that I was now on her enemy list. She'd wanted to take the throne as quickly as possible and I'd foiled her attempt. I wasn't sorry. I took my belt and raced towards Taichi, who was now ducking down to avoid Maugrim's fist. I wound up a big swing, and swung the belt down on Maugrim's wrist. It wrapped around and got a firm grip, and then I moved behind him, catching his other arm, allowing for Taichi to get a good punch in before Maugrim was able to break my grasp.

I didn't expect the kick to the knee that Maugrim provided me with. I was rather blindsided and fell to the ground quickly. Taichi got a knee to the gut soon afterwards, followed by a solid punch to the side of his head. Taichi didn't even cry out, and I got the feeling he'd been in this situation before.

"Spring, listen to me," I heard Bitoru pleading. "I'm doing this for you. Let me help you. We can be together now. I'm doing everything I have to for your sake. Can't you understand that? Let me help you."

"She doesn't want your help, you jerk," Michael called. Bitoru called out and a quick glance alerted me that Michael had punched the guy in the nose. "You're working for the person she fears the most. Do you think she's going to want anything to do with you anymore? You're crazy."

"I'm just following my instinct," Bitoru said pleadingly. "I need to do this. I need to, or else I can't help you."

"Leave me alone!" Spring screamed. Michael helped her to her feet and moved her towards Merlin, who was quick to allow them to pass. I was glad Michael had gotten out of this. Winter passed by, blocking my view, and I missed seeing them disappear. It was just as well, since Maugrim grabbed me by the back of my neck and threw me into Taichi, leaving us to topple in a pile on the floor. Winter wasn't faring much better. She'd been tossed against the platform her throne resided on by the black orb, and new vines were holding her ornate, throne high above her head. The vines dropped it, and Winter didn't quite manage to roll out of the way in time. Gaia then sent small balls of white hot fire from her hands and they danced around Winter, getting closer every second. Sweat started rolling down Winter's face, and she hesitated. There was real fear in her eyes, but it was gone after a second. I could hardly believe it had ever been there at all. She sucked in a quick breath, and blew icy air at each ball of flame, extinguishing them one by one.

Bitoru was now trying to get passed Merlin, who refused to so much as sway an inch. Maugrim grunted disappointedly at the sight of Bitoru, who wasn't fighting at all, let alone well enough to please this war machine. I jumped onto Maugrim's back, launching myself there with one well timed leap, and I wrapped my hand around his chin, pulling sharply to the side. I didn't want to kill him, per se, but I didn't really want to leave him alive either. I was at a bit of an impasse. Taichi took that moment to send Maugrim toppling to the floor, which I thought was rather rude, seeing as I was now _under_ Maugrim. Taichi swore, and I figured that was the closest I was going to get to an apology, and squirmed, trying to break free of Maugrim's heavy frame. Maugrim flung his head back, bashing into mine, making my head crash against the floor. I felt the moment my skin broke open and groaned. This wasn't how I'd imagined this fight going. My nose wasn't bleeding for once though. That was a small comfort, having broken two times during my two months in the Dark Ocean. I wasn't particularly planning on breaking it again. Twice was enough.

"Enough!" Gaia screamed. She sent dozens of vines down from the ceiling, which I realized with horror, had been her backup plan. From where I lay on the ground, I could see that the entire domed ceiling was crawling with her vines, having crept up the walls when no one was able to pay attention. Winter was held, suspended in the air by these vines, and Gaia started a ring of fire surrounding her daughter. Winter started glowing a white-blue and Gaia laughed.

"You can control it then?" she said with derision. "You have learned to wield the power of the storm. Or are you really so desperate that you would destroy your entire kingdom to keep me from the throne?"

"I will do everything I can to prevent you from ruining Sidhendor," Winter said firmly.

"So you will ruin it _for_ me," Gaia said with a laugh. "How sweet of you, you're practically _giving_ me the kingdom. No one will want a queen that is so willing to destroy them just to spite her mother. Now give me the crown. You don't want your kingdom to fear you."

"I can't give you the crown," Winter cried out. "You'll ruin everything."

"So will you," Gaia said cruelly. "Do you _want_ that on your conscience? Do you want the people to fear and loath you once again? No. You do not. You want them to love and worship you. But they can't do that. They will never be able to. You are unlovable. You are cold and cruel, just like me. And you can never be anything else."

"That's not true!" I growled as loudly as I could, since Maugrim was still on top of me. I shoved him off, but he slammed me against the floor again, preventing me from speaking anymore by knocking all of the air from my lungs and making it impossible for me to get any more, all while disposing of Taichi with one swift kick to the abdomen. Taichi fell to the floor with a grunt.

"It _is_ true," Gaia said, casting a cold look my way that chilled me to the bones. The three orbs circled her. "You are the most like me of all my children. You could be great, at my side. But you spoiled my plans once too many. I can save the people from you."

"I won't let you," Winter said, but her eyes were shining, and I knew that Gaia was gaining headway in her manipulations.

"It's not a matter of _letting_ me," Gaia said, as the vines dropped Winter to the floor in the centre of the flames. The fire burned hotter, and the flames reached higher. Winter was on her knees, trying to fight her mother in her mind, so that she could continue to fight outside of it. But it was too late. The vines caught Winter's wrists and pulled her further to the ground so she was bowing, worshiping at her mother's feet as Gaia walked undeterred through the flames that caressed her skin like silk, rather than burn her. She stopped when her feet were directly under Winter's bowed head, which the vines moved further to the floor, so that Winter was close enough to kiss her mother's bare feet. She spat on them instead, and the vines tightened so much that she screamed out in pain. And Gaia reached down to grab the crown that graced Winter's head an tore it from her. A burst of light surrounded Winter as the crown was removed and Winter _screamed_ as the additional power was torn from her very veins. The power swirled through the air as Gaia placed the crown on her own head.

"All hail the _true_ queen," Gaia said pleased, as the power surged around her and was absorbed by her very skin. The three orbs glinted brighter, like they too had been improved by the power of the crown. She smiled a cold, chilling smile, and stepped away from her still screaming, daughter as she writhed about on the floor.

"All hail the queen," Maugrim agreed, getting to his feet, and kicking me for good measure. I almost didn't even care because I had taken the opportunity to _breathe_ again. He went to stand before Gaia and bowed down deeply. Bitoru followed suit when he found himself on the receiving end of a pair of glares.

"It feels good to be queen," Gaia said happily. "Now, fetch me Morganna."

"Who, me?" I asked when I realized where she was looking. "Not a chance."

"Maugrim," Gaia ordered simply, and Maugrim grabbed me and dragged me to my feet. Taichi tried to stand, but Maugrim kicked him down again. He shoved me in front of him and forced me through a door and down a hallway until we found a set of stairs. Fearing that he would literally shove me down them, I started descending without prompting, and he pushed me towards a closed cell, where a mere wisp of a woman sat waiting. She had a twisted smile on her face, and her long silver locks seemed to glow, as though she knew what had just occurred upstairs.

"Open it," Maugrim told me.

"You do it," I countered petulantly. If he thought I was going to willingly open Morganna's cage, then he thought wrong. I had done my best to put her in there. I hadn't accomplished very much, admittedly, since I was a golden statue for quite a lot of the fight, but I did what I could.

"He cannot," Morganna said in a mystical and horrible voice, like she'd been denied water for years. I knew that Summer and her sisters were better to their prisoners than that, however, because they had that vow to upkeep, which implied that they could not kill anyone. "Winter saw them coming, and acted accordingly."

"She did not ward the cage against humans, however," Maugrim provided. "So you will do it." I shook my head, still determined to keep her locked up. But then his orange gauntlets flashed into being, and one of the blades slowly extended. I could feel the tip of it against the back of my neck and I froze. I couldn't die here. Not for this. I had Kana to think about. I couldn't leave her to grow up without a father like I had. It had been miserable, and while I loved Mom and Grandpa, I _needed_ my dad. I wasn't going to deny Kana that chance. I couldn't. She was my number one priority. "Now."

I reached forward with a shaking hand, hating myself for what I was doing, but was unable to stop myself. I needed to do this for Kana. I needed to be there for her, and if doing this was the only way to make that happen then this was what I had to do. I could hate myself forever, and it wouldn't matter, so long as I was there for her. She was my everything. She was my world.

The door was unlocked, only magic held it closed. It moved easily under my touch. The hinges creaked as the door moved, and Morganna's smile got bigger with every passing second. The door was fully opened, and she got to her feet, stepping through the opening with such grace and poise that I could almost imagine her as royalty.

She was free.

 _ **Jenna Washington:**_

"Could you just _let_ go of me?" I snarled as fiercely as I could. Summer didn't even bother looking back to me, and instead just gripped my wrist tighter and continued her journey down the narrow halls. I had no idea where these led, but they were dark and kind of seemed more like a secret escape route than any of the other passages in the palace. I wasn't proud of how poorly I was doing at pulling myself away from Summer, but I was convinced that since she was a magical fairy lady she probably had some kind of hidden strength or something.

After another couple moments of rushing down the cave like passage, seeing only with a faint light coming from Summer's nearly translucent wings, I decided I would try again. I pulled sharply, and kept at it, pulling with all my might against her restraint until she finally pulled back, startling me into quitting.

"Summer!" I groaned, stumbling along after her. It was pretty impressive how well she worked in such formal attire. I was dressed up for a wedding right then, and my dress was restricting my movement far more than I would have liked. The heels wouldn't be nearly as big an issue if they weren't finding every crack in the cement floor we were using to run away from the others. "Summer _please_ —Michael is back there. Your sisters are back there too!"

"I'm well aware of who we are leaving behind," Summer told me, and I was pleased to hear that she didn't sound too happy about leaving them either. Her voice didn't come out as bitter as Winter's did. I didn't know the fairies well, but Summer would always have been my pick for favourite—until now of course. I figured I'd have to settle for Spring. "We mustn't think about them. I was asked to protect _you_."

"And I'm asking you to _stop_ ," I demanded. Summer did as I asked, which startled me and she looked back, but did not release my wrist. "Good, now let's return to the ot—"

"That isn't an option," Summer told me honestly. I wanted to complain, to try to reason with her, but it didn't look like it would help any. Summer was staring at me like she could read my mind. I knew she couldn't, not really. She could only look through my memories, and was probably looking through the ones of the moment, which was kind of like reading my mind, but not really. She was complicated. I just wanted to go back. She didn't seem to understand that Michael was more important to me than running away. What if something awful happened to him? "I apologize," Summer said, finally turning away again.

"Wait!" I shouted, pulling again, and making her stop. "Summer, wait." She looked over her shoulder and I knew I had only a couple seconds to convince her. "You knew my mother, right?" She nodded her head. "She wouldn't run away from this. She would defend her home, and her kingdom, and her people, and her son. She would fight against Gaia to the death. You know she would."

I had got her. Summer was lost in thought, thinking about what to do next, and I seized my chance. She had loosened her grip on my arm and I finally freed myself, pulling sharply with my arm. I turned on the spot and began running back the way we had come. I didn't care that Summer was calling for me to stop, and I barely listened, but something caught my attention and I nearly stopped.

" _You have the peace Jenna_!" and somehow that was supposed to make any sense to me. It didn't. But it still interested me, because I didn't know what it meant. I didn't care what I supposedly had or what Summer thought was best for me. I was alive and I was able to do whatever I wanted to because what I _wanted_ wasn't going to hurt anyone aside from maybe me. I wanted to save my brother because he could very well have been in danger.

"Jenna Washington, you need to stop _right_ this minute!" Summer was screaming after me as she came, but I noticed her footfalls had disappeared. Maybe she wasn't coming anymore—maybe she finally gave in and let me go because she understood that what I was doing was the right thing.

I was wrong of course. There were two hands that were suddenly hooking underneath my arms and I looked back to see Summer, flying now to catch up. She was a cheater. "Put me _down_!" I demanded the moment my feet left the ground.

Summer was already turning away, "I can't do that."

"You _can_ ," a voice that came from neither Summer or I said darkly. "And you _will_."

Summer hesitated in midflight and turned to face the speaker. I was shocked to find the woman standing there, because I didn't recognize her at all. Of course I wouldn't. I'd never seen Gaia before. Her hair was silvery and beautiful, but her skin was pale, sickly almost. She was wearing what looked to be _rags_ and her eyes were filled with the fury of a thousand angry demons. "Morganna?" Summer said, startled. So this wasn't Gaia at all? It was someone different. Someone known as Morganna.

Summer dropped me to the ground and my ankle nearly twisted because of my horrendous landing, but I caught myself on the wall, pushing myself back to my feet. Summer landed in front of me and held out her hands, summoning a beautiful ball of fire that lit the hall much better than her wings had been. The fire was sparkling like magic and I could barely take my eyes off of it.

"I wouldn't do that," Morgnna said, not fearing the flames at all. She lazily tossed her hair over her shoulder, and I watched as it fell. It reached nearly to her knees. It was so long—and pretty too. I didn't see why Summer wouldn't want to hurt her though. It was clear just by the ragged sight of the woman that she was not kind. Summer seemed to know that too.

"And why not?" Summer asked, as Morganna took a single step forward. Her feet were covered in cloth shoes, nearly slippers and she reminded me of someone who had just come from an insane asylum. Summer's fire lashed upward, sending a flare from the top, "Don't move."

Morganna's hands flew up in defeat. "You won't hurt me when you hear what I have to say." I stared at her, feeling my throat run dry. I had a feeling I knew exactly what she was about to say. "If I don't return in two minutes, Gaia will kill your sister," her eyes turned to me. "And your brother too." Okay so it wasn't _exactly_ what I had thought, but it was close enough.

I reacted instantly, stepping forward and gently pushing Summer aside, "Then let's go."

"Jenna," Summer said in a wavered voice. I snapped my eyes over to her because I knew she wanted to go back too, but was just trying to do as her queen commanded of her. She finally subsided, nodding her head and set off to lead the way. Morganna wasn't going to have that though and she reached out and grabbed Summer's wrist before doing the same to me. Morganna's skin was much drier and colder than Summer's had been, and her grip was less kind. She held tight, trying to cause pain, and I hated every second of it.

At least Summer had a reason to be pulling me—I was unwilling to go with her. Morganna was just being cruel because I had offered to come along. I wanted to save Michael too. I really didn't want her touching me though. She was horrible and bitter and was on the side of the people who were trying to kill my brother.

I saw the light coming up, but Morganna wasn't moving fast enough. Surely more than two minutes had passed. What if Michael was dead when we got there and it had all been for nothing? Would we be able to run if that was the case? Had Summer been right?

Summer caught my eye and tried to give me courage. I didn't need any courage though. I wasn't afraid. I was worried about Michael's life, but I was not _scared_ of Morganna or Gaia or whoever else was out there waiting for us. I wasn't going to back down, but running was maybe a good idea because I couldn't even pull my hand away from Summer and she _wasn't_ determined to kill me, so I didn't think I would be any use in a fight against Gaia.

Chi would though. He was stronger than any basic human, because he _wasn't_ a human. He was a digimon. He was a pretty gifted one at that. Sure, he had been shot but I knew he'd be okay because he was _Chi_. When was he _not_ okay? I wished he was here right now. We could have used his help since Taichi had lost all the digimon to Gaia. Not just _their_ digimon either. Apparently she had somehow tricked an army into doing her bidding. That scared me. What else was she capable of?

I didn't have time to think about Gaia anymore, or theorize about her in any case, because it was time to actually _meet_ her. Morganna shoved Summer forward and then me, twisting our arms behind us. I whined, trying not to cry out and show weakness, but I felt something twist in my shoulder and it didn't quite feel right. Morganna continued leading us along and as we moved past the throne something had caught my eye. A glint of light reflecting off of something metal. I turned to see the crown, shimmering in the beautiful light of the world, but it was no longer on Winter's head.

Winter was on the ground with Merlin, Iori and Taichi, all of them were held by vines that were restricting their movement entirely. I looked back to Gaia and saw a pile of similar vines hanging over the top of her new throne and knew that she was behind them all. She began stroking the vines with her dainty hand as she looked toward me. She caught my eye and instant burning hatred coursed through me.

This woman was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, and I'd never even met her before.

Her dark skin and eyes were beautiful, and her hair shimmered like Morganna's, but her beauty meant nothing because I could see the devil behind her smile.

Suddenly a panic crashed into me like a ton of bricks and my heart was suddenly slamming against its confines in my chest. My eyes were scanning the room. Where was Michael? I found a man with dark and wild hair standing by a large doorway, his hands politely folded in front of himself. He looked out of character and I'd never met _him_ either. He was all that was left though. Where was Spring? Where was Michael?

"Where is my sister?" Summer asked before I had a chance to start screaming my head off with wild empty threats that would surely be aimed at Gaia. Summer was also looking around the room.

Gaia leaned forward in her throne and swished her hands through the air to summon the vines to create a stool for her feet. She kicked them up and scoffed as she leaned back again. It was then that I noticed the three balls of light that surrounded her. They were all beautiful in different ways. The glowing white orb felt like purity and innocence all rolled into one beautiful little container. The black orb seemed to seep with darkness and I was instantly reminded a puppy somehow, like the orb had a big personality, but was loyal to Gaia now and would do as she said. The third and final orb was filled with the most genuine sorrow, and I felt tears burning behind my eyes at the sight of it. Whatever was in the multicoloured orb of sadness wanted _out_.

"There is no need to be upset," Gaia said. Her voice sounded much softer than I had expected it too and I was taken aback with the innocent batting of her eyes. She was _kind_. I knew it was untrue, but it was an instant response in my brain, like I wanted to love her and help her and do as she asked me to. It was twisted and I loathed the feeling. "She is still alive."

"And Michael?" I questioned, still feeling unsure and worried.

"Right here," I turned my head at the sound and tried to pull from Morganna's grip. Michael and Spring were being led by Maugrim, just as Morganna had the two of us. She held my arm tighter and lashed out with anger, kicking sharply toward my knee. I hadn't seen it coming and cried out in shock, falling to the floor.

"Get up," Morganna ordered, pulling me back to my feet. " _Move_!" she was pushing us again to where Merlin was tied to the floor—where he was _forced_ to bow before his new queen. I felt momentary freedom as Morganna released my arm, but a moment later both of my wrists had been attacked by Gaia's vines and they pulled me to the floor sharply. I gaped in surprise and tried to brace myself, but the pain still shot through my arms.

A moment later I heard Michael call out over Spring's incoherent sobs, and then Summer was beside me. We were all bowing now, because apparently we were forced to respect Gaia. I didn't know the woman well, but I didn't see me liking her very much.

It was no secret at this point that we had _lost_. I had no real emotional attachment to the world or the palace or the throne though. Probably because I hadn't had a chance to look around, but I felt this hole in my stomach that seemed to be growing and absorbing all of my happiness until I felt completely empty.

This was my mother's home. This was the land she had been born in and where she spent most of her life. This was the castle she was raised in, probably. I didn't really _know_ that, but I felt it had to be true. And now it was run—once again—by the most horrible woman who had ever lived. If that wasn't enough to make me want to curl up into a ball, then I could add the terrible obvious truth of my own imminent death to the list of things that made me upset. I needed to see Chi at least one more time.

That meant we had to get out of here. We obviously couldn't fight back, so we were going to have to escape, and the best way to do that was to cause a distraction.

I couldn't believe myself though. I was trying to think of a way to save us all but I could only focus on the hot tears that were falling from my eyes into a puddle on the floor. I was a baby! I couldn't be crying right now! There would be plenty of time for that back home when we escaped!

The others were our only hope now. I tried to remember who all was out there in the world, trying to save the people of the city around the palace. I knew Hikari was there in her wedding dress and that Jou and Mimi had gone out. Sora and Koushiro too. Both pairs would have been useful if we had their partners here so they could fuse to fight, but that obviously wasn't the case and so we were stuck with only humans as our allies. Miyako, Daisuke, Kiyoko and Kurayami were out there too. Kurayami would be able to help if she had her darkness—

I forced my head up, fighting against the restrains of the vines that were trying to keep me safely bound to the floor and out of Gaia's hair. I saw, next to Maugrim who had apparently already made his way over to his lover, the ball of darkness. That had to be Kuaryami's power. If Kurayami could get her darkness _back_...

Suddenly the vines tightened and forced me back to staring at the white marble floor and to my own puddle of tears.

"Morganna," Gaia said brightly. I could _hear_ Morganna perking up behind me and the reminder of her made my shoulder ache again. "Would you come here, Dear?" Morganna did not hesitate and began making her way around Summer and I and then off toward Gaia who was still quite far away. The throne was at the other end of the room, at the end of the deep blue carpet.

When Morganna was out of earshot I heard frantic whispers coming from my right. I tilted my head as best I could and saw Bitoru on his knees hovering over Spring's mass of hair. She was still shaking with tears. I could relate to that at least, still feeling the tears dripping from my own eyes. "Spring, you don't understand," Bitoru said as calmly as he could, "I would never hurt you or your friends. I promise you—"

"Bitoru, you little bastard," Winter snarled quietly from her place in the center of us all. She seemed to be held the tightest of us all, probably because she was the oldest—aside from Merlin really—and was probably the strongest. "If you say another word, I swear I'll rip you to pieces."

Bitoru looked startled, "I-I—" he stuttered.

"If you want forgiveness," Iori said sharply, "Start by untying us."

Bitoru looked like he couldn't possibly do anything of the sort, but when he turned to Gaia he seemed to think she was distracted enough. He extended his hand and summoned a slim knife that be began to use to hack away at the vines keeping Spring captive.

"BITORU!" Maugrim bellowed loudly. The knife in Bitoru's hand disappeared immediately and he turned to his father who sounded like he was still at the other end of the room, thankfully. "What are you doing?" Bitoru threw his hands in the air to show he was innocent and his father seemed pleased. Bitoru sent us all an apologetic look but I didn't believe it. He was a jerk because he was teaming up with Gaia. I didn't know any of these people because it really wasn't my job to fix their mess, but now that they were tampering with my mother's history, I was going to _make_ it my job. I just hired _myself_ to get rid of Gaia, Morganna, Maugrim and their little puppet, Bitoru.

Gaia then spoke, startling me, because for a moment I thought she might be able to read my mind, but her words didn't make sense if she could. "I would like for you all to watch this," she said sweetly. Then, all at once, we were sitting up with more vines creeping in from all angles to hold us tighter. We were now all facing Gaia and her team of evil dickheads.

Gaia was standing in front of her throne, facing Morganna to the side, with Maugim standing right behind her. His face was obscured by the orb of light energy that surely had to belong to Hikari if the darkness was Kurayami's, but I knew he would have an expression that was similar to the joy spread on Gaia and Morganna's faces. "I could not to this alone," Gaia admitted, reaching behind her to grab the multicoloured orb. She held it firmly in both hands and turned to Morganna as Taichi began to scream out incoherent words, thrashing about in his confines.

I caught only one phrase in all of his yelling. "Don't touch them!"

A panic was sent through my body like lightning as I realized what Gaia was holding. It was the _digimon_. I shuddered and watched helplessly as Gaia held the orb out to Morganna. "This is your specialty, my friend. All I ask is for your assistance once more."

Morganna had a sly smile creeping across her face for only a moment. It fell quickly and her hands dropped to her side. "What do I get in return?"

"Jenna," Summer hissed quietly, drawing my attention away from Morganna and the others. I turned to Summer to see her very serious expression. "Tell Winter to freeze the vines when I give the cue." I nodded and immediately passed the message on to Merlin who promised to do the same with Winter. That was all I could do.

When I turned back to Morganna and Gaia it seemed they had reached some kind of agreement, and then, without hesitating, Morganna thrust her hand into the center of the colourful orb and her hand completely vanished. I felt a sharp pain in my chest as I thought of Betamon, Terriermon and Lopmon. More silent tears made their way down my face.

What were they doing to them?

Morganna's hand was fiddling around inside the orb and then the orb began to glow brightly, and Morganna removed her hand sharply and quickly. The orb's light was so bright that I had to look away and close my eyes, but it did not last long. I looked back quickly and saw that in the place of the orb was an upside down pyramid instead, made of crystal or glass. All the colour was gone, but as the light from the windows hit the surface, it reflected like a prism, sending rays of colourful light all around the room.

Gaia's full attention was on her new toy and her joy was overwhelming. Summer seemed to realize this was our best chance because she barked out, "Winter," and suddenly I was screaming. Fire and ice were battling against the vines, working together to turn them to ash and dust, breaking apart and freeing us. " _Go_!" Summer insisted, grabbing my arm and turning for the nearest window.

I turned back, "Michael!" I shrieked, but I could see Spring take his hand as she ran the furthest distance toward us. Winter was dragging both Taichi and Iori toward us as Merlin chased along after her, moving much slower than she.

"Seize them!" Gaia ordered, and as one, Maugrim, Gaia and Bitoru all set off toward us, moving faster than we had been.

Suddenly Summer's arm was around my waist and she had kicked off, flying out the window without hesitation. I turned myself in her grip and watched as Winter flew out after us, still with Taichi and Iori, and then as Merlin reached the window I saw him turn back, and throw his hands in the air, casting a barrier that was easily shattered.

He managed to buy _just_ enough time for Spring and Michael to make it out the window, but he himself had been caught by Morganna who looked all too pleased to finally get her revenge on the man. "M-Merlin!" I shouted.

"I know," Summer said, and without looking I knew she was crying.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** So Gaia's basically just a crazy bitch I guess. Jou and TK are in just as much trouble these days. Find out what happens next on Deegimon (that was said in Davis' dub voice) Digital monsters!


	51. Run And Tell That

**U/N:** Uhhh I can't remember TK's chapter. Hold on. Oh right, got it. So Jou's chapter felt really dark to me, and not necessarily in tone, but maybe? It just felt heavy to write and I know that. It was stressful and frustrating, while TK's was a lot more fun actually. TK might not be in the same situations, but they were still just as tense though. It was maybe just easier.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 51: Run and Tell That**

 _ **Jou Kido:**_

"I don't really care," Mimi pouted, her arms crossed. We were doing as was asked of us, which was to get the people of Sidhendor out of the city and into a safer place. The problem with this was that none of us knew _anything_ about the world at all, let alone the specifics of where we were going. Mimi claimed to have some idea, but she was just as lost as the rest of us in the end.

We had split into two separate groups, sending Hikari away with Daisuke, Miyako, Kiyoko and Kurayami. That meant Koushiro, Sora, Mimi and I were somehow supposed to convince an entire half of the city to find safety. It was harder than it sounded though. I would have thought that being safe and sound was something people were actually _okay_ with, but most of them just looked to us in disbelief or scoffed or whined and cried and it was just obscene really.

I could see that they were confused, and I did understand why they might not believe us that danger was coming, but if they would just listen for a moment they would surely have understood.

"I _said_ ," Mimi snarled, "I don't _care_." She was complaining to some annoying woman who kept telling Mimi that her makeup was done improperly. "My makeup could be a clown's makeup and I wouldn't care! I just need you to look out of the town for a moment so you can see the _war_ that's going on out there!"

Koushiro rolled his eyes and took Mimi's hand gently, steering her away from the upsetting woman. Mimi tried to pull away, not finished with her attempt, but Koushiro continued guiding her along. Sora looked to me with a big dramatic sigh and I agreed. "This isn't working," she said, frustrated. "They don't see the danger."

"We could show them," I suggested, but Sora shook her head.

"By putting them in danger?" she asked, "Then we're no better than the enemies. We can't force them to want to save themselves."

Koushiro and Mimi had joined us at that point, "She's right," Koushiro said, still holding Mimi's hand tight. "The very fact that these people are brushing us off is enough motivation to let them make their own decisions. At least in my own point of view."

Mimi seemed to disagree, and had finally pulled her hand free of Koushiro. She turned back to the crowd and marched off again, ready to try to sway their opinions once more. Sora's eyes followed Mimi, but she herself stayed put. "If our job is to help these people find safety, maybe we should think of another way to protect them."

"Maybe we should try to understand _why_ we're protecting them," I said lowly. Both Koushiro and Sora had heard me, which was not my intention. They snapped their eyes over to me and I felt my face flush. I didn't really know what to say. It felt surreal and almost fake that we were here at all. Just over _one_ year had passed since we were supposedly 'forever' going to be apart from our partners. Though that seemed to be true still, as Taichi had _lost_ them somehow. I would never blame Taichi for this of course. I knew he would never let something happen to _any_ of the digimon intentionally. He would put up a fight and by the look of him, he _had_. I blamed Gaia of course, but it was still _wrong_ that we were here somehow. I had woken up that day with the intention to go to a wedding, and maybe head off to work for some late night revisions—not come save the world again.

This had happened so fast—I had never felt more like when I did during my first trip to the Digital World than I felt right then. It was like I hadn't gotten a say, and was just thrust into the world to protect. This time I wasn't going to be so afraid though. We needed to work together and work _fast._ We had to save this world, just as we had the others.

"What do you mean?" Sora prompted.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm just a little lost," I summed up for her. I then strode past her and began marching down the street, leaving Mimi behind. I heard Koushiro offer to stay behind with her, and Sora agree to follow me as if I needed supervision. I knew she was coming because splitting up only ever worked if you didn't go anywhere _alone_ , but it still felt like she was mothering me. Just another parallel to our first adventure.

When Sora had finally caught up to me—because I was walking quite quickly—she was looking around wildly for anyone to save. That was not my actual intention. I was on my way to the city gates. I had yet to actually take a look at the fighting. I wanted to know what we were protecting the people from. When we finally found some citizens, Sora wandered off toward them.

"Come with us," I shouted to them before Sora could reach them. The group of teenaged—by appearance at least, since I knew people in this world aged very slowly—girls looked up to us and shook their heads as if we were trying to kidnap them. Sora stopped in her tracks and looked back to me, flabbergasted that I had thought it would work. I paid her no mind. "Hey, could you please just come help us with something," I clarified. "We're new here and very lost."

The girls still seemed concerned, but one—the youngest it seemed—flashed a smile to me and nodded her head, Sora looked impressed but I wasn't too surprised. It didn't matter if anyone came, because I wasn't sure if the plan would work anyway. It _was_ useful to have the girl around though because she was able to lead us through the town quickly. Sora asked me twice, in whispered tones, what I was doing, but I didn't answer her. She would find out in a moment.

When finally we had found the main plaza of the town the girl stopped in her tracks. She had seen the war. Just as I needed her to. I looked over the top of her head and saw Winter's colourful toy soldiers whacking different digimon with a variety of weapons. There were also more realistic guards that may have actually _been_ real, unlike the soldiers. They were fighting for the side of Sidhendor, but I was not routing for them. I wanted both sides to simply _stop_.

The digimon that composed the opposing team were clearly decieved into thinking this was right. I could see several digimon that were typically dark and may simply enjoy the fight, like Dokugumon, Bakemon and Vilemon, but they weren't the only digimon in the army. I saw Frigimon and Monochromon as well. There were so many digimon out there who had to have been fooled by Gaia. From what I had heard, they wouldn't be the first ones, but hopefully they could be the last.

"W-what's going on?" The girl who we had brought along asked in a startled voice.

"The city is under attack," I told her easily, "you need to spread the news. You need to save your people." The girl was frozen in place, staring toward the fight. "If you don't you'll _all_ die." She looked up with wide eyes and nodded before running off to tell her friends. Hopefully the teenagers of this world could spread news as well as the ones on Earth.

When I turned away from watching the girl run away I found that Sora was giving me quite a dirty look. "Jou," she scolded, "Was it really necessary to scare her like that?"

"If it'll help save the people, I don't see why not," I reasoned. Sora still looked upset about it, and I didn't feel _great_ about frightening her, but it had to be done. "Besides," I said, "She has reason to be afraid." That seemed to at least get Sora to see my point and she nodded as we looked out toward the sea of warriors. "If we can't do any more to help we should get back to Taichi and the others."

"Right," Sora agreed, "it's no safer out here for us, and you've got a family to start thinking about."

I nodded, trying to smile but finding that I wasn't able to. I loved my family. I just wished that they didn't have to be roped into this war too. Sure, they weren't here, but that didn't mean they weren't connected. I was the father in the family and I was standing right in the middle of everything. They couldn't help but be connected to the heart of the battle and it was my fault. Renjiro was such a small baby still. He wasn't even a year old yet and he was in a war. I didn't want him to have to sacrifice anything. This was the reason I wanted to avoid any children. The war wasn't over. When we had been told it was, I thought we were safe, and I was happy to welcome Renjiro into the world, but the moment he was born I had a dark feeling, like I had killed the boy before he had even been named.

Along with the danger they were in came a great choice. If I were to be confronted with saving myself to keep them safe, or to save the world, what would I choose? As a father I was required to put my family first, but they _weren't_ first. Not in the spectrum that included the entire universe. They may be the center of _my_ universe, but not everyone's.

I was scared for them.

Sora had taken my hand, and pulled me from my thoughts. She was so good at making people feel better without saying a thing. She nodded, looking straight through my soul and I nodded before we both turned, startled, to the sound of a sharp cry behind us.

For a moment I had thought that someone was in danger, but when I found the source of the sound it was simply a little boy who was curled up behind a wooden counter in the market, crying about the war. Sora took off at a jog toward the boy, and I followed. We couldn't leave him here unprotected. When I caught up Sora had already sat on the ground next to the boy and held his shoulder softly. "It isn't safe here," she was saying. The boy didn't reply, and instead just continued sobbing. Eventually he turned to Sora and reached out, throwing his arms around her. "Can you come with us?"

The boy sobbed loudly and for a moment it didn't seem that we would be getting an answer out of him, but when he finally pulled away from Sora for a moment he looked up and shook his head. "I'm not af-fraid!" he choked out. Sora looked up, confused, but the boy continued. "These monsters have been f-fighting us for ma-many years."

I crouched down next to Sora and the boy and shook my head, "That's not true," I told him softly, "These digimon have only just been told to fight."

"D-d-digimon?" The boy breathed out, and when Sora nodded to him be shook his head. "I read about them in sch-sch-school! They were at w-war with us since the beginning of ev-everything!" Sora looked over to me, confused and I shrugged. I didn't know how true his words were, but I did know that more often than not, biased words found themselves into an education curriculum.

We also didn't have time to be worrying about the history of all the worlds. We needed to get this boy somewhere safe and then find Taichi because the people of this town were in charge of their own fate. We had done what we could, and now we had to worry about ourselves. I couldn't have any more friends die. I felt choked up as Gomamon flashed into my mind.

I tried to push him aside as I lifted the boy into my arms. Sora set off, leading the way back for me, and I followed her. The boy hung tightly to my neck and watched over my shoulder as the fight continued. Sora seemed to have a pretty good idea where she was going because she hesitated only once at an intersection and it had been because the group of teenage girls were fluttering about, warning people about the war and she wanted to know what they were saying. It seemed that they were having more luck than we had in terms of convincing them all that it _was_ in fact happening.

When Sora turned a final corner she let out a soft squeak of fear and was torn away from my sights. My heart jolted before it began beating faster and faster. Where had she gone? I looked ahead and saw a crowd of people all gathering in the palace courtyard. Their murmuring was loud, and it seemed that they were waiting for something.

"Jou," I turned sharply to the sound and saw Sora in a hidden doorway, standing with Koushiro and Mimi. I nodded and slipped in with them. The boy finally slid down my body and stepped back. "Do you know your way home?" Sora wondered. The boy nodded but didn't seem to be going anywhere and instead he simply clung to my leg tightly.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Mimi turned to me, hitting me in the face with her hair, "We were chased away," she sounded quite annoyed by the fact actually. "They hate us." I looked to Koushiro but he actually nodded, verifying Mimi's tale. "They don't believe the digimon will hurt us."

"You convinced them digimon were out there, then?" Sora wondered.

"Actually no," Koushiro said, "A woman validated our story and then took control of our words. For a brief moment I thought she was going to _help_ us, but—"

"I knew she wouldn't," Mimi snarled. "She's my _mother_."

"What?" Sora and I gasped.

Mimi shook her head, "When I was here before, this lady thought I was her daughter and she treated me nicely and made Michael do all the work. She was horrible. She twisted our words and told us all to wait for our queen."

"Well that's alright," Sora decided, poking her head outside to look to the crowd waiting outside the palace. "Winter will tell them what we did."

"Sure," Koushiro agreed, "but only if we get to her to tell her to do so."

So the people who were waiting outside the palace were looking for advice from Winter, but she wouldn't give them any because she had sent _us_ to do so. Our only real choice then was to make our way to the castle—unnoticed—and admit to Winter that we were failures and that we needed help in convincing the townspeople to get to safety. What worried me was that she had claimed Gaia was present. I hadn't seen her out in the battlefield, so where exactly was she then?

The others didn't seem worried though, as we followed the boy's instructions. He led us to his house and we handed him off to his worried and yet thankful mother. Then we followed Mimi who was obviously making the plan up as she went, but it was better than nothing, and since the rest of us didn't know the world either, it didn't matter who improvised. It just mattered that we got into the castle.

Mimi found a place where ivy and thick vines were hung down from the top of the wall and she acted like she knew it had been there all along. With a big smile she tugged on the vines, deciding they were strong enough to hold us and then she motioned for Sora to go ahead and climb. "Don't worry," she said, "It's safe." Sora glared to Mimi almost playfully, obviously understanding that Mimi had not ever attempted to climb the vines, but was brave enough to go first anyway.

We all watched her climb and when she reached the top—safely, thank goodness—she kept low so the crowd would not see her standing atop the palace wall. She waved us onward and the three of us looked to one another. None of us were particularly athletic, but I decided that Koushiro _obviously_ wasn't going to take the initiative to go next so I took one for the team and braced myself, climbing slowly.

One by one we made our way up, and then kept low as we crept along the wall until we found an arch that led to a garden. The wall was not far down, but closer to the ground than we were, so we slowly made our way down and hung off the arch's smaller wall and dropped the rest of the way to the ground.

"To the queen!" Mimi declared loudly.

Koushiro grabbed her hand, his face suddenly panicked and he ducked back, diving behind some bushes in the garden. Without thinking at all, I followed, nervous about what he had seen and a moment later Sora was crouched down with us all. "What was it?" she asked him.

"Gaia," his voice came out in barely a whisper and my heart stopped. I wanted to ask _where_ he'd seen her, but if she was close I didn't want to risk being heard. Koushiro pushed Sora gently out of his way and began crawling along the castle wall, keeping hidden in the garden behind the bushes that bore brightly coloured flowers. I tried to follow him, needing to escape, but Sora and Mimi were both just as desperate, so of course I urged them to go first. Mimi set off after her husband and then Sora thanked me silently, following in Mimi's wake. I took up the back of our hidden procession, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart.

In a way this all felt like a dream. Like some messed up crazy nightmare that I had concocted the night before Takeru and Hikari's wedding. There had to be some catch. This wasn't _really_ happening. It was all too sudden, too crazy and too dangerous. Yesterday my only dangers were whether Emiko would put my phone in the blender again, or if Renjiro would throw up on another of my shirts. This was a whole different life than the one I had been promised. It was like I had been deceived. Like the universe wanted me to see the life I _could_ have, but was never truly going to live. I wanted to end this war because I wanted to live a normal life with my children and my wife.

In the past, our adventures felt worthwhile, like we were really saving someone. But this time it felt like we had returned to do the same job again. How many times was the world going to need saving? Could we not pass the reigns onto someone more suitable? Surely there were smarter people than I was, or even more athletic. Sora and Koushiro were examples of that, so why had _I_ been forced to return to a fight that I couldn't win without Gomamon anyway? Was the universe even a factor or were we all coming back because we thought it fell in our hands?

This time it was not just us in charge. Everyone in _all_ the worlds was always at war now, so why did the Digidestined have to take control? I would never hesitate to come back to help, because I had promised that I would do my best to seek peace. It was just upsetting sometimes just how often my life was put in danger.

When Koushiro finally came to a stop, after crawling along the rounded palace wall, he fell to a sitting position and Mimi and Sora copied. I caught up and did the same, leaning over to Sora, "Shouldn't we be avoiding Gaia?"

"Shh!" Koushiro hissed, leaning forward to look through the bushes. Mimi looked startled, but Sora mimicked Koushiro, trying to see what had him so interested. Mimi and I shared a nervous look before doing the same.

The first thing my eyes saw was Gaia.

Koushiro had seen her and led us _toward_ her, instead of away from her. Had he done it on purpose? Judging by his curious eyes I knew the answer. He wanted to know more about what Gaia was doing here.

I retreated from the bushes to send a glare toward Koushiro, but Sora elbowed me for making too much noise in my movement. I realized she was right. It didn't matter why we were here—just that we _were_. Gaia was in front of us and she was ruthless. We had to keep calm and quiet. Slowly I flattened myself against the earth to get a better look at Gaia and the others. She was standing between two glowing orbs, one light and one dark that were each about the size of a bowling ball. Floating above her open hands was a prism it seemed.

I couldn't take my eyes away from it for a moment. There was something familiar about the way that it felt, but when I saw movement to my right my eyes shot toward Maugrim, tall and muscular. He made his way toward Gaia and the white haired lady. "They have gone," he said in a gruff voice.

Gaia looked up, startled and annoyed, "Fine," she sighed, "We'll get them later."

"Then what now?" Maugrim asked.

Gaia turned to the large gates that were closed tight. "I need my new subjects to be gathered," she said in such a warm voice. _New subjects_? My eyes found the shimmering crown on her head and my heart dropped from my chest. What happened to Winter? What had happened to Taichi, Iori and the others?

Maugrim took the white haired lady with him as they made their way down the beautiful path toward the gates to open them and allow access to the people. Gaia took her chance and turned to the castle doors to return to her throne, but there was someone in her way it seemed. I could not see who it was, but when he spoke I could identify him as Bitoru. "You told me you'd give me what I wanted when you finished your quest," I saw Gaia pout, but my eyes were drawn to Morganna who was being told to leave by Maugirm. She seemed annoyed that he didn't trust her, but began her trip back to Gaia anyway.

"My quest is not completed," Gaia told Bitoru.

"Yes it is," he snapped. "You've got the Digimentals, the Crests and the means to control all worlds." Gaia's smile spread at his words because it was _true_. Never had we faced a foe who had come so close to winning—so close that I wasn't sure the fight was even still happening. _Had_ she won? "You've used me enough. Give me what you promised." Gaia hummed and then shook her head, "It's for your _daughter_! Don't you care at _all_?"

Gaia looked appalled, "Of course I care, dear, but I am not yet finished with you." Gaia stopped talking when she heard Morganna creeping up on her. Morganna was so close to us all now that I could not see her entire form. My heart was beating even quicker now with the realization that our location could be found out at any moment.

"Aw," Morganna mocked, "poor baby feels betrayed." Bitoru came into view and snarled at Morganna.

"She's just using you too, you know," Bitoru snapped. "You've done all you're worthy of. Your ability to take hearts will serve no purpose in the end. You tricked Gaia once, and you think she'll forgive you? She doesn't trust you any more than I do—"

"There has been enough bickering, I think," Gaia said, sounding thoroughly frustrated. "Perhaps if you come with me Bitoru, we could straighten out your payment." He looked surprised, but wasn't sure he believed her. I didn't either, so I didn't blame him for being so skeptical. Gaia floated away with her light and buoyant walk, leaving Morganna behind.

I could practically feel the anger and frustration radiating from Morganna's flesh with her close proximity. It was as though Gaia had just proved Bitoru's point. She was not useful to open the door with Maugrim, nor was she able to come inside with Gaia. I heard her sigh heavily, and then Sora had grabbed my arm.

"We have to go," she mouthed. She pointed back the way we had come and I nodded, turning in place to leave. She didn't have to tell me twice. I knew Mimi and Koushiro were following, but never looked back to see for sure. I simply crawled back along the garden wall until we reached the arch again. We all clambered from the bushes but stayed behind the wall to keep Morganna from seeing. Sora and I lifted Mimi up onto the wall, and then Koushiro.

It was too high to climb alone so Koushiro and Mimi struggled endlessly—with me climbing with my feet—to pull me up to join them. I ushered Mimi aside, and she began climbing to the higher wall as Koushiro and I reached for Sora.

"Oh crap," Mimi gasped from above.

I released Sora's hand in surprise and she let out a startled scream as she fell, barely catching herself on the wall. I looked back to Mimi and saw her staring toward Morganna who was running down the garden trail toward us. Koushiro and I turned back to Sora sharply and reached back for her. Somehow our strength seemed to double in the adrenaline and we hurried toward Mimi who had moved one of the vines around to help us climb.

I made Koushiro and Sora go first, because it was only fair since I'd dropped her before, and then made up the end of the group. Morganna was incredibly fast and skilled at climbing. She was already making her way up the wall near the vines.

Mimi screamed when she saw her and set off down the vines.

"We don't have time to go one at a time," Koushiro informed us, but he hadn't need to. Sora and I were already grabbing the nearest vines to make our way down. He followed, but the moment he had taken his weight from the top of the wall, the vines snapped.

We had already been found, and so our screams were of no issue, but the collision with the ground silenced us all anyway.

I was choking on air, trying to catch my breath, but the wind had all been knocked out of me and I was sure the back of my head was bleeding. I couldn't waste time though. I staggered to my feet, ignoring the dark edges of my vision and I found that Mimi was up too, pulling Koushiro to his feet. Sora looked like she might be out cold, and I found myself checking her pulse instinctively.

"She's fine," I muttered, slapping her face.

"Is that standard procedure?" Koushiro asked.

"Right now," I told him, "I don't really care." He nodded and grabbed Sora's arm, moving away from Mimi. He and I worked together to lift her to her feet, which acted as a stimulant of some kind because she began to wake just in time for Mimi to scream again.

"She's coming!" I didn't bother looking back, and instead focused on following Mimi's footsteps. Again, none of us truly knew where we were going but we had to get out of there.

Mimi didn't run far though, and instead found a rather hollow tree. It was thin and I hadn't expected it to fit us all, but Mimi shoved Sora and Koushiro inside anyway, and as one, the two of us wedged ourselves in sideways.

The moment Morganna raced past us we knew we had to go, but we didn't feel particularly safe. Mimi had led us into a rather thick set of trees and there was no telling where exactly Morganna had gone, but obviously staying put wasn't the best option. If she spotted us, we'd be dead immediately.

So when a hand reached around the tree we all nearly lost ourselves in panic. I saw Mimi take a sharp intake of breath but I slid my hand high enough to cover her mouth to stop her. As the mysterious arm revealed itself more we found it had been Miyako. She was using the tree as balance because she, like most of the other girls, was wearing heels. She turned sharply when she heard us breathing and nearly screamed in response, but laughed when she saw it was only us.

"You guys!" she gasped, "Yo—" We all hissed at her to be quiet, and she was suddenly very serious, looking around. "What's going on?" she waved to someone with her hand, telling them to come to her and a moment later, as we struggled to free ourselves from the tree, Daisuke and Hikari joined us in the woods.

"Morganna is out here," Mimi explained. Miyako's face paled and she nodded.

"So then let's go," she said, sounding all too determined.

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

" _You need to go," I told Hikari softly, kissing her hand. She had tears in her eyes, and I felt like I'd been stabbed in the chest. She shook her head, unsure of what to do. "We'll be alright."_

" _But—"_

" _No," I cut her off, "Taichi is back. You need to be with him. I love you whether we're married or not. We'll have another wedding someday and hopefully it will go better next time." She grimaced as she looked around the mostly abandoned church. "I'm sorry the day didn't go as planned, but when has anything good ever followed a basic plan?"_

"This _wasn't good," she tried to reason. "Chiziru, Masa and Michael were almost killed. Chisikimon, Meiyomon and Bearmon were all wounded. We don't even know if they'll be okay yet—"_

" _This wasn't good," I agreed, "but maybe our next attempt will be better." Hikari nodded, and then looked back to Taichi who was waiting by the door. "Go," I urged her, "he's your brother. We don't know how long he'll be here this time, and you should make the most of your time with him."_

 _A ghost of a smile showed itself on her face as her eyes flicked to the side and she thought of who was waiting for her there. "I love you," Hikari said, moving forward to kiss me on the cheek._

" _I love you too," I assured her._

 _She turned to go, but stopped and looked back, "You be careful," she warned, turning her sights on Astamon who had no weapon._

" _I'll be fine," I promised. "I've got Yamato and Ken here too. We're alright. You be careful wherever you're going. And hey—save Patamon if you get the chance."_

" _Of course," she nodded, promising with ease. She cast me one last worried look and then finally turned to go meet her brother by the door. I watched her go with a joy and satisfaction building up in my chest. She deserved this. Maybe we hadn't had the most successful wedding, but if no one died, maybe this was even better. She got to see Taichi again, and maybe if he stuck around long enough he could actually attend our real wedding. Maybe he could replace Astamon as our secret special guest, and maybe we could actually get to the vows next time._

"Hey Takeru," Yamato said, startling me. I perked my head up and watched as he and Ken paced around Astamon, conversing until now, when they had apparently turned their attention to me. Their pacing did not stop though, as they moved in circles around him. "I'm sorry your wedding sucked."

I shrugged, "It's just a big expensive party," I said, secretly though I was kind of upset about it still. "We can have another."

"But having the first wedding go smoothly is always a good sign," Yamato said, turning to walk backward so he could still look to where I sat in the disrupted pews. "I mean, Ken and Miyako are still married and they did it on the first go."

"Barely," Ken scoffed.

I had a quick flashback to Ken's wedding and shuddered. So much had gone wrong for everyone. "Are you trying to give me a pep talk, or just make the wedding worse?" I asked Yamato dryly.

He threw his hands up. "That's not what I was trying to do," he seemed genuine. "I was just trying to say that I'm sorry things didn't quite go as planned." I nodded my head, thanking him for his words. "I'll help with the next one, and maybe it'll go better."

Ken rolled his eyes, "Not likely," Yamato looked offended. "It's nothing against you personally, just that we as a team have had pretty horrid luck at getting married."

Yamato seemed to agree, "Yeah, I heard about Mimi's, but no one will tell me what happened." Ken and I both shuddered.

"You don't want to know," I assured him.

It was then that a loud groan escaped Astamon's mouth. Ken and Yamato both sprung into action, readying their fists, and Ken even reached for the gun he had retrieved from the trunk of his car. I wasn't sure how legal it was that he carried around a gun, because I'd never looked into it myself, but I understood. Since he was eleven years old there had been monsters trying to kill him and his wife, and much more recently, their daughter. Keeping a firearm on hand seemed logical in my opinion. And that was why, at Astamon's groan, I had instinctively hoisted his massive machine gun up over my shoulder and prepared to shoot.

I had killed a digimon before—with a different digimon's weapon at that—but I didn't want to have to do it again. I was simply in charge of ensuring that if Astamon escaped he would not find his way back to his faithful killing machine and find a way to use it against us. It was a feeble plan at best, but it was something.

" _Are you sure you're okay to stay alone?" Iori had asked, looking to Yamato and Ken as they tied Astamon up with some rope they had stolen from a nearby tapestry._

 _I shrugged my shoulders, "We'll be fine," I tried to reason, but truly we had no way of knowing if we'd be safe here without any real backup. I patted the gun that I was leaning against—since it was so tall—and Iori eyed it up._

" _That's what I'm afraid of, actually," he told me, narrowing his eyes at the machine, "Astamon is stronger than you, what if he gets the gun?"_

" _His gun holds most of his power," I explained, "if he moves, I'll shoot him. He surely can't live through the attack any better than we could."_

 _Iori nodded but still wasn't so sure. He looked back to the doorway where Hikari and Taichi were readying to leave with Kurayami and Kiyoko. "I'll send Chi back here or something."_

" _Don't," I warned, shocking Iori. "He's already been shot. We don't want to risk putting his life on the line again. Besides, he should be with Meiymon." Iori's face turned rather pale as he thought of his brother. I had once kind of been his brother, but he had never really accepted me. Our parents had divorced, and while I was sad that the two of them were still so unhappy, Iori and I had repaired our friendship quite a lot. As it turned out he liked me a lot more as a friend than as a sibling. "I'm sure he'll be alright."_

" _Sure," Iori nodded, trying to find enough confidence in my words to convince himself they were true. When Taichi called for Iori to ask if he was coming or staying, he looked back to Astamon, nearly certain he wanted to stay behind. I shook my head and he caught my eye, nodding slowly. "I'm coming," he shouted back. And as he turned to Taichi he said, "I know you're not a liar, Takeru," I nodded, though he couldn't see me, "so don't let me find out that you lied to me. If he moves—"_

" _I'll shoot," I said flatly, "I promise."_

As it turned out Astamon's groan had been nothing more than audible frustration. He threw his head back in anger and while I still had the gun held at the ready, I loosened my grip, and let my heart slow itself. He was no danger to us. I wasn't sure why I was so prepared to attack. He wouldn't move knowing that I could kill him with the flick of a finger.

"Would you all _please_ just _stop_ talking?" Astamon cried out with a loud frustrated groan.

Ken jolted his gun forward and prepared to shoot again, but Astamon did not flinch at all, " _You_ stop talking," Ken ordered.

Astamon rolled his eyes, "If you're not going to cease this infernal dialogue about human rituals, could you _please_ kill me now?"

Ken and Yamato looked quickly to one another but each shook their head. "We're not murderers," Yamato told him.

"Then why am I still sitting here?" Astamon asked slyly, actually kicking his feet out to move to a standing position. I reacted quickly, remembering Iori's words, and pulled the trigger sharply. Yamato and Ken jumped back in fright as the podium exploded. The bullet had narrowly missed Astamon and as the chips of wood flew all around him he nodded his head slowly and fell back to his knees.

"Stay down," I ordered sharply and Astamon nodded his head again.

Yamato looked to me with amusement hidden behind his eyes, but I ignored him and kept the gun pointed to Astamon who finally seemed like he wasn't going to attempt another break out. "When did you get so ruthless, Takeru?"

I let my eyes flick to Yamato and then back to Astamon. "When he came in and tried to kill my fiancé." Yamato seemed to think that was a fairly reasonable answer. "Besides, you've been gone a whole year, Yamato. A lot has changed."

I looked back to him and tried to convey how little I actually resented him for leaving, despite how it sounded. "What _did_ change?"

"Well our lives advanced in the typical way you'd expect," Ken told him. "Aside from Neo of course."

"Right," Yamato said with a hidden laugh. "He's taking over the world."

"He's only the ambassador," Ken insisted, "he's not taking over anything—but he's hired Miyako and she's happy."

"Ambassador Rida left his strings attached to everyone he was using as puppets," I explained to them both, "Neo knows how to use them just as well. I'm not sure what his exact plan is, but he isn't _just_ an ambassador any more than Taichi is. That's their official title, but if we're being honest, I think we all know they're both doing a lot more than what is in their job description."

With Astamon finally resigning to keeping still, I rested the gun beside me, because it was far too heavy to keep up and ready for that long. I also didn't want to have to shoot it again. I had no idea how to shoot a gun. I was incredibly lucky that I hadn't hit Yamato or Ken with the shot. I had been _aiming_ for Astamon and I didn't hit him. I wondered if he knew that.

"That's true," Ken nodded along, "he has so much on his plate that he had to hire Miyako to take a load off of his shoulders. He's put her in charge of his main stance—digimon. If he doesn't have time for his ultimate goal, he must be really busy." Yamato tilted his head back as if to start thinking about what kinds of things Neo might be up to. "Surely he—"

I didn't get the chance to find out what Ken had been thinking because all at once, Astamon had taken action. He kicked out sharply to Yamato and turned to Ken before Yamato had even hid the ground, his knees buckling under him. Ken had his gun out and ready but before he could fire a shot, Astamon had hit Ken in the gut with his knee, forcing him to double over. Astamon then kicked sharply toward Ken's arm and his gun went flying toward the front of the church.

As I was fumbling to get the gun ready, Astamon stretched against the ropes that kept him confined and tore them to pieces with his brute strength and I swallowed thickly. My hands were shaking, and so was the massive gun. I couldn't shoot if I couldn't aim!

He was coming though. He wasn't running which made it _worse_. He didn't have faith in me to hit him, so he was taking his time, just to show how little he thought of me. I clamped my eyes shut and fired the gun. When I opened my eyes I found that it hadn't hit and I fired again.

I didn't know enough about guns to keep this up. Astamon saw my escape route before I found it myself and he was suddenly moving more quickly as I jumped to my feet. He threw himself in the center of the aisle, blocking my path, so I turned back to the front of the church. I had to get out with the gun so Astamon couldn't have it!

I ignored Ken and Yamato and set off at a run to the door nearest the stage of the church. Thankfully it was still open from everyone's desperate escape attempt, and I flung myself out, heaving the heavy gun over my shoulder and running. I glanced over my shoulder only once, and saw Astamon taking long strides in his chase to catch me.

I slammed into the door at the other end and reached for the knob, but it wouldn't open. It was jammed. I looked down the next hallway and saw an open door, but there was no way I'd be able to make it there before he caught me.

I turned back sharply and readied the gun to shoot at him, and began firing, but none of the bullets hit him. As he came closer I thought maybe I'd be able to get him—but I was just shaking too much in fear.

Then, as Astamon was reaching out to the gun he cried out in pain. I gasped in surprise, thinking I had managed to get him, but the gun was pointed to the wall. When a hand grabbed me, I saw that Ken was holding a gun in his other hand. He was pulling me sharply down the way he had obviously come and relief was seeping through my body.

Relief until I realized I had no weapon. I looked back sharply to Astamon who was cradling his bleeding wrist—where Ken had hit him—and saw him looking to the fallen gun. I had _dropped_ the gun. I had given our opponent his weapon back and now he was going to _kill_ us.

I could hardly see through the clouds of guilt and self loathing, but I knew we could find a way out of the mess if we put our minds together. Part of the issue with that plan was Yamato's missing person. Where the hell had he run off to? I wasn't about to get out of here to search for safety without my brother. Leaving him behind just wasn't an option—but neither was dying. I had promised Hikari that I would marry her, and I was going to. I couldn't break that promise just because a crazed humanoid monster was chasing me with his confusing gun that I couldn't really decide whether it was a rifle or a machine gun—or maybe both.

Ken grabbed my shoulder and pulled me sharply through a doorway and into the room we had been waiting in before, where Yamato was waiting at the side door. I felt relief pour through me again and I slipped from Ken's grip, darting around the seats instead of down the aisle. It probably didn't matter, but I didn't want to give Astamon an easy decision on who to follow, and I knew he'd be chasing us already, so we had to think things through properly.

Yamato grabbed my arm and shoved me through the door and then did the same with Ken before racing after us. This side door led straight to an exit of the church. I could see the large wooden doors, and knew we would reach them before Astamon arrived.

I was right of course, we had all slid to a stop in front of the doors and Yamato and I reached out for them, grabbing the handles ready to pull them open. But we didn't get much further than that, because Astamon's voice rang out clearly.

"I've long since lost any emotional attachment to those I kill," Astamon said, startling us all into turning to face him. Ken was in the front now and had his gun held at his side. I saw his fingers curl around the trigger nervously, but it would do no good. Astamon had his own gun ready to fire again. "My Lady Gaia lost faith in me when I failed to rid the world of your friends. Kiyoko. Rei. _Willis_. I will not have her lose faith in my again."

"You don't have to kill us," Ken tried to reason with Astamon.

Astamon looked sharply to Ken and then saw his gun and aimed his own firearm to him immediately, "Hands in the air." Ken did not hesitate, holding both hands up gently to show that he wasn't going to use the weapon. "Drop it." Ken _did_ hesitate this time, unsure if it was the right choice. "On the floor— _now_!" Astamon screamed.

Ken obeyed, holding the gun out and dropping it to the floor in front of us. "I'm sorry," Ken told him. "But it's true. You don't _have_ to be on Gaia's side." Astamon snarled, "She left you in Witchenly, didn't she?"

It was true. Iori had told us as such before they had left. Apparently Gaia was protecting him by leaving him there, but I thought it was a load of crap, honestly.

"She says she was protecting me," Astamon said, still sounding furious. "But I know better. She was _punishing_ me." Ken looked nervous suddenly with Astamon's newfound anger. Yamato grabbed my sleeve and stepped back, trying to push the door open. It didn't budge. It had to be pulled obviously. There were no exits in the hall between Astamon and us, so we had no real escape route. Ken talking Astamon out of killing us was our best option. "Punishing me for not killing the Digidestined..." Astamon was lost in thought for a moment and I thought that maybe Ken was getting through to him, but Astamon's fury reared its ugly head once more. His arms grew tense and he aimed his gun toward us once more. "Kiyoko sat by my cage once, and he spoke to me of Gaia's deceased husband. All I could think... all I could think was that if I moved quick enough I could grab the boy through the cage and I could kill him right there. I would surely have been executed, but Gaia would be proud."

"It isn't healthy to give yourself so completely to one person," Ken said, though his voice was thick now. "She's toxic."

"She is not," Astamon spat. "Now, I may have missed my chance with Kiyoko, but I will _not_ miss my chance with _you_. I will kill you, then I will find Rei and finish what I started, and then Kiyoko will finally feel my wrath. I will get my revenge on the boy—"

With a loud _whack_ , Astamon let out a wail and began firing his gun like a maniac, but he had spun in confusion and his bullets were _tearing_ through the wall of the church. Behind him stood Hideto with the fallen branch that Taichi had dropped earlier. "Not likely," Hideto growled, and with both hands he shoved Astamon down the stairs toward us. I looked up and thanked him. He nodded his head and set off the other way, giving us time to throw the doors open. Ken, Yamato and I raced out into the cool winter air and flew down the concrete steps but were suddenly at a loss of where to run next.

"Hey!" I turned to the sound of the voice and saw Neo with Rei in her wheelchair. Next to him was Mari and Evelen, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Rei. I set off toward them, sure that Yamato and Ken were following and practically tackled Neo out of the way, grabbing the back of Rei's wheelchair and spinning her quickly. " _Hey_!" Neo said again, this time much less enthusiastic. I didn't stop though, and I vaguely heard Yamato shut him up, and then they were all following.

A moment later I had half ridden and half pushed Rei's wheelchair between two cars and ducked down.

"What's going on?" Mari hissed.

"Is that Astamon?" Rei asked in a blank voice.

"Where?" Neo asked, sounding like he was ready to kill, but Yamato hissed at them all to be quiet again. Neo ignored him, "My car is this way." He slipped past Rei and I, taking the lead to where his sparkling white Toyoto Highlander sat. Astamon, as I could now see, was searching for us, but looked too confused to actually locate us. Neo opened the car door silently and motioned for Yamato to help him with Rei. He did and together they lifted her into the backseat as Ken folded up her chair and wedged it in behind Rei's seat. Evelen was already climbing into the front seat and Mari was shoving Yamato in after Rei before slamming the nearest seat down and climbing into the back.

"What about Hideto?" I asked sharply.

"What about me?" Hideto asked dryly, slipping past me. I was impressed by how easily he had escaped, but I wasn't about to question him. He leapt in after Mari and I hopped into the seat they had folded back. "You might wanna go now," Hideto said as he spotted Astamon.

I followed his eyes and saw that the digimon was staring toward us now. Neo did not hesitate to start the car and I reached for the sliding door, nearly falling out with the sudden movement. I managed to slam the door shut as Neo drove through the parking lot. The only exit was past Astamon though, and so he set off quickly—for a moment I thought he was going to be foolish enough to _hit_ the digimon, but instead he drove past, but not before Rei had rolled her window down and called out to him. "I'm still alive, Loser!"

Neo snorted but hit the gas and we sped off, and though he wasn't sure where we needed to go, I knew we were on our way to the others. We needed to let them know that Astamon was freed.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Now that Astamon was set free, what is Ken supposed to do about helping his friends, and with Koushiro trapped in Sidhendor with the others without any keys, crests or digimon, things could not possibly be worse.


	52. The Wizard And I

**Y/N:** I wrote the whole chapter this time around, and it was Ken and Koushiro. Surprisingly enough, I really enjoyed writing Ken's this time around. He was interacting with actual digidestined, instead of just his co-workers (or Jenna) and he _wasn't_ annoying me. I'm pretty sure I've been cured of my dislike for him. It's just too bad that the story's finished now (it's written anyway, not quite edited) and there's no more Ken chapters to write. Koushiro's still one of my favourites though, so nothing changed there. And it was nice to write as him without a drug addiction once again.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 52: The Wizard and I**

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

"Okay, take a left," Yamato called, looking to his digivice. "I think the others are going to be there."

"It doesn't look like a lot of people," Hideto commented, glancing at his own digivices which were still strapped to his wrists, even though he hadn't needed them for an entire year. I supposed he had more hope than the rest of us, since he was a part of the team that managed to break through Norn's barrier, and had known about that possibility the entire time.

I hadn't even considered it. I had thought it was a guaranteed forever this time, because it was Taichi that had declared it, and not Gennai. I was wrong. I was glad that my mourning for Wormmon wasn't necessarily necessary, but I was now more worried than before, because apparently Wormmon was gone.

"I don't know where they went," Yamato said with a sigh. "This really isn't what I was expecting when I got back from space. I wanted to relax and get used to Earth's gravity again, and I guess I wanted to watch my brother get married too, but mostly the relaxing thing."

"Gee, thanks," Takeru said sarcastically, before smiling. "I feel so loved."

"Can everyone just shut up?" Neo demanded, glancing in his rear view mirror. He winced and I turned around myself to see what was going on. Astamon was jumping over moving cars, sometimes landing on them with the full force of his movement, crushing the hood of the cars, or crashing the roof down on top of the unsuspecting drivers. I hoped none of them were killed in the process, but I knew it was unlikely. This was the most intense car chase I'd ever been in.

I hadn't actually gotten around to being in one yet on the job, and I was too responsible to be in one off duty, so this was the first one I'd really been in. But it was intense, and I wished I hadn't been forced to leave my gun behind.

Astamon ran along the top of a transport truck, and readied his gun on his shoulder. He aimed directly at our moving vehicle, and I let out a sharp command to simply _move_ , and Neo spun the wheel and we made a sharp left turn. Instead of following Yamato's further instructions to stay straight on this road, Neo took another sharp turn, this time a right. He wasn't about to lead Astamon directly to the others. I was thankful for that. While I too noticed that most of them were apparently missing according to the digivice, I really hoped that Miyako was there, and my daughter. If Miyako had left, then Mai would still be there, because Miyako wouldn't bring Mai into a dangerous situation. We were both very protective of her, after the whole Sigma situation.

There was a loud explosion, as Astamon's bullet flew past where we would have been, had Neo not taken such quick action. It took out the corner of the bottom floor of a building, and Rei shrieked as we waited to see if the building would fall without that vital support. Thankfully, it didn't. Unfortunately, Astamon was quick to fire again. Neo pressed on the gas, and the bullet slammed into the street just behind us, causing a crater to appear when the dust settled. But the dust provided us with a protective screen that even Astamon was unable to see through.

I spotted him above it, leaping high into the air. He latched on to a window washer's stand, and the man that was up there screamed, and tried to scramble away. Astamon looked at him, and purposefully snapped one of the cords holding the stand up, causing the man to panic even more. Astamon narrowed in on us, and snapped the final cord on the right side. The stand fell sharply, while Astamon leaped down towards us.

"Yes, hello, I would like to report an emergency," Mari said into her phone. I hadn't even noticed her dialing. "There's a man, a window washer. He's going to fall. He needs help immediately. Yes, just a second. I can see the street name..."

She continued to provide the necessary information to save that man. I just hoped he was able to hold on long enough for help to arrive, and wished more than anything that Wormmon was here with me. Stingmon could save him in a snap. Even Wormmon could, with his Sticky Net, and his ability to climb up any surface, even the ceiling. But he wasn't here, and we weren't going to be able to win this. We needed to avoid him.

But was it safe to leave him here without anyone to fight to defend the human world? I didn't really think so.

I heard the sirens of the emergency team Mari had called. I looked behind us again, and paused. Where was Astamon? When I couldn't find him anywhere, I asked "Where's Astamon?" hoping someone else could point me in the right direction at least.

"He's gone," Hideto said, not believing it, but having lost sight of him, just as I had. He plastered himself to the window, and I saw Mari do the same beside me. Takeru looked out his window, wherever he could see, and Yamato tried to find him too. But it was Evelen that found him.

"LOOK OUT!" she screamed. Neo swerved the vehicle, and my eyes moved quickly to the front window. Astamon flew down from the sky—most likely, he actually jumped—and landed in the centre of the street, holding his gun over his shoulder and taking direct aim at us. Neo drove around him, not taking his foot off of the gas and took the nearest corner and drove into the first underground parking lot that he spotted. We hoped that Astamon was still looking for us on the street itself and we clambered out of the vehicle.

"I'll get the chair," Yamato offered, while Neo and Rei worked together to get Rei out of the car. I felt really bad for being so impatient, because Rei couldn't help that she couldn't walk. But I was getting antsy. Astamon could find us at any moment. I wasn't sure _how_ , but I got the feeling he wasn't above threatening the general population just to draw us out. And it would work. I knew it would, and that worried me, because I wasn't ready to die without being able to fight back. I had no gun, and even if I did, mine wouldn't be able to compare to the one that Astamon was wielding. It was like a goldfish trying to fight a shark.

"Here," Yamato offered, helping Neo shift Rei from the vehicle to her chair and Neo grabbed the handles firmly. Rei wasn't used to wheeling herself along anymore. It would be faster for her to have assistance. "We've got to keep moving."

"Where are we?" Evelen asked.

"I think it's a grocery store," Hideto said with a shrug.

"I don't care _where_ it is," Mari said quickly. "Let's just get moving."

She took the lead, and I hovered near the back. I was the trained professional, and I felt like I _had_ to cover my friends' backs. Evelen stayed by Rei watching to make sure she stayed safe. I wondered just what the two of them went through when they were stuck in the Digital World, but I didn't think now was a particularly good time to ask. Yamato guarded Rei on her opposite side, while Hideto walked with Mari, eyes always alert. Takeru stayed nearest to me, but I didn't dare strike up a conversation. I didn't want to draw any attention our way. We piled into the nearest elevator, and it was a tight fit, with Rei's chair, but it didn't matter if we were comfortable. It just mattered that we were safe.

"They're close by," Hideto said, looking at his digivice on his wrist. "Do you think Kiyoko...?"

"He's got to be there," Mari said firmly. "He's fine. He _has_ to be."

The elevator opened, and we were suddenly in the midst of a grocery store. I saw my mother walking down an aisle with my dad following behind her, pushing a shopping cart. I excused myself, while Yamato and Takeru headed towards their own father, leaving the others standing awkwardly in the middle of the store looking frazzled and on guard.

"Mom?" I asked hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

"We were evacuated here, dear," she said softly, but pulled me into a tight hug. "I was invited by Satoe to have dinner at her daughter's house, but I couldn't come empty handed. Don't tell her I said so, but Satoe is a terrible cook you know."

"Mom," I said slowly. "Astamon is out there and looking for revenge against the Digidestined. Can you get everyone out of here?"

"The people won't listen to an old lady," she said softly.

"It's a good thing you're not old then, isn't it?" I countered, kissing her cheek quickly. "Dad, keep her safe. Keep as many people safe as you can. It's dangerous outside. Kimi's rounding up as many officers as she can to help evacuate the area. Get out as quick as you can."

"Will do, Son," Dad said, clasping his hand on my shoulder. "Get our granddaughter out too, okay?"

"I'm hoping she's already out," I said. It wasn't very believable though, and he didn't buy my words for a second. He squeezed my shoulder firmly before letting go.

"Miyako took her across the road, to the park," he informed me. "She might still be there."

"Thanks," I said grateful for the help. I rounded the others up, and relayed the news. Takeru and Yamato came back to us with the same information, and so we headed towards the nearest exit. We needed to alert the others to Astamon's escape before he managed to find them first.

The air was crisp and cold when we got outside, and other than the distant sounds of sirens there were no signs of Astamon or his attacks. It was almost peaceful. We could see very few people across the street. Natsuni held baby Kana, and was sitting on the ground next to the injured Meiyomon, stroking his head. Tatum sat nearby, with Chi, who was very worried about his brother—and also very protective of Tatum, and her pregnant belly. Momoe had Mai on a bench, beside her while she rocked Renjiro carefully. Jun was sitting next to her, holding Haruki, while Shuu and Otamamon were close by with Bearmon, who was also injured. Emiko was sitting next to her uncle Shuu, holding Monmon carefully on her lap, and singing gently to him, trying to make him feel better. Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon, who were both injured, but not quite as severely as Meiyomon or Chi, were guarding her, not planning on letting anything get to their partners' niece. I was pleased by the amount of protection Emiko had around her. She was my niece too.

But I wasn't so pleased by the general lack of protection surrounding them as a group. There were others there now, that hadn't been to the wedding. The first to catch my eye was Ryou, who looked battered and bruised and just generally unhappy. He was trying to keep happy, but it didn't seem to be working anymore. Aneko was patting his back, despite his efforts to not look like he needed it. Pal and Pul were flying around them, and Kotemon held his Kendo stick aloft. He whirled around to face us, ready to attack before he realized we weren't enemies.

"Aneko, what are you doing here?" Mari asked sharply, rushing to her sister's side.

"Ryou noticed a second group of digivices after you left. We came to see what was wrong," Aneko said simply. "We didn't have a phone to call you. We brought back up." She gestured to the small digimon surrounding her.

"Get home," Mari ordered, sounding as stern as she was able to, while looking over her shoulder, expecting Astamon at any moment. "Hurry."

"I want to help," Aneko protested. "Ryou gets to help."

"He's a Digidestined, it's different," Mari said softly. "We might need him."

"No," Jun said quickly. "You won't. He's dead on his feet. He's just going to slow you down. I'm thinking you're here to find the others, but they left through that portal thing over there."

"The Digital World?" I asked, hopeful, following her gaze. I didn't see anything just yet.

"No," Tatum corrected. "It's Sidhendor. Norn gave a warning, and they need to be there. I wasn't allowed to go." Ah, there it was. A glowing yellowish tear in the air. I wasn't quite sure how we were supposed to squeeze through it though.

"Lucky," Hideto muttered darkly. I knew he didn't really like Sidhendor, when he'd been forced to stay there, but I couldn't imagine it being worse than the Land of Dreams.

"I'm going too," Ryou said. "I've never been there."

"How old are you, Ryou?" Jun asked him, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Fourteen," he said. She didn't look very impressed. "I've been fourteen for a _really_ long time though."

"You're a kid, and you're hurt," she pointed out. "You don't need to go out there."

"But—" Ryou tried to protest.

"Without Cyberdramon, you'd just be in danger," Rei said softly. "Let them go do this. I'll be with you," then to the rest of us she added, "We'll be waiting for you when you get back."

"Go to the library," Mari suggested. "I want Aneko to be at home. I know she'll be safe there, and you've got children with you. You can't stay out here. Astamon's on a rampage."

"We'll figure something out," Tatum said confidently. "Now go help Michael, please? I'm afraid. I think something might've happened. They're taking so much longer than I thought."

"They were just supposed to deliver a warning," Shuu murmured. "But they've been gone a long time."

"We'll get them back," Hideto said, rolling his eyes. "They can't do anything without us."

"I cannot fathom how they survived before we came along," Neo agreed.

"We did just fine," Yamato said defensively.

"Guys, there's no time for that," Takeru said sharply. "Hikari's in there, Yamato. I need to find her. I can't marry her if she's dead. I really hope she's not dead."

"Me too," I whispered, already making my way towards the tear that would lead us to Sidhendor. I'd never been there before, but that was okay. It was a day of firsts for me. First car chase, first time to Sidhendor. I really hoped there weren't any horrible firsts waiting for me on the other side of that portal.

"It's really not stable," Tatum warned the others, as I stepped closer to it.

"It was not meant to be open this long," Neo replied, but I didn't hear anything more. I was passing through the worlds and ended up in a castle. It seemed strange that the walls and floor were vibrating like with the heavy thumping of a some kind of massive footsteps or more likely, a battle raging somewhere...but I couldn't see it. Why was there fighting already if they were just planning to warn the fairies?

I didn't like this at all.

Takeru and Yamato appeared behind me, before I started exploring, and I managed to make quite a dent in the distance of the hallway before Neo, Mari and Hideto followed behind them. I half expected Ryou or Evelen to show up, just because they actually knew what was going on, and were able to walk outside of the Digital World. But they didn't. I didn't mind too terribly much, because it meant there were more people protecting my daughter. They were going to escape just fine. I was going to find Miyako, and I was going to get her out of this alive, and for the sake of Tatum, I was going to find Michael too. If Iori, Daisuke, Kurayami and Jou could be found as well, for the other children, then that would be amazing.

Of course in a perfect world, we would all get out okay. I was just...being a bad friend I guess, since I was putting some ahead of others. They were all important, but I couldn't help that I was thinking like a father, instead of a friend. The kids needed their parents. I just wanted the kids to be happy—especially since we weren't ever going to get that chance. Just when we think we finally get to be happy, the rug is ripped out from under our feet and we're left to flounder around in uncharted waters until we could understand what was happening well enough to get a grip on matters.

There was always a part of me though, that knew we couldn't leave Gaia unresolved. We'd trapped her back in Witchenly—well, Hikari did that—but obviously that wasn't enough. We needed to defeat her. We'd learned that lesson when we left Fanglongmon undefeated after beating the sovereign. We couldn't just do things halfway and hope for the best. We needed to finish was we started. I didn't have to like it—and I really didn't—but we needed to do it for the good of the world, for our families, for our friends, for our children...for our digimon partners.

"Hideto, have you been here?" Mari asked. "I don't want to wander around pointlessly."

"I've been here, but only once really," Hideto admitted. "We were here for a ball. It was kind of horrible. Mimi would be the better bet, since she and Tatum found the Looking Glass with Merlin. They've at least been through the halls twice."

"That is entirely unhelpful," Neo said with a sigh.

"Just wander around," Yamato suggested, coming up behind me. "It can't be _that_ big of a place."

"You'd be surprised actually," a man said. I instantly reached for my gun on my belt. But, of course, I wasn't on duty, and I'd left my gun on the floor in the church—I really hoped someone mature found it an turned it in before something bad happened with it. The man was confusing. He looked quite young, with sparkling green eyes that swirled with the wisdom of the ages. But his hair was silvery, and his face was covered by a beard that reached down quite far. It was down to his waist, and his hair was just as long. The shimmering, silver strands seemed to be swaying in a non-existent breeze. He wore a blue cloth hat, and long robes that might've looked like a dress had they not looked so medieval.

"Merlin!" Hideto exclaimed. "You've got to help us. This guy is great guys. He helped when I cut down a beanstalk. Okay, Merlin, our friends are here somewhere, and we need your help to find them. I don't know what's going on exactly, but I think Gaia's coming. You need to get out of here."

"She's already arrived Hideto," Merlin said. His lips curled into a smile, but the smile lost all warmth and soon turned sinister. "She's asked for me to dispose of the Digidestined. I do hope you realize it's not personal."

"What?" Hideto asked, just before Merlin launched himself at Hideto. Hideto jumped back, and Merlin's hands started glowing with magic of some sort. He straightened his fingers and kept them stiff, and seemed to be trying to stab them right through Hideto's chest. He was actually trying to dispose of us.

"I thought you said he was friendly," I asked, sharply, moving in and punching the guy quickly on the chin. He staggered backwards, and I shoved Takeru and Mari ahead of me. Neo and Yamato moved of their own accord, and I was left to drag Hideto out of Merlin's sight myself. I waited just long enough for Merlin to stand up straight again before I punched him _harder_ in the chin again. He fell to the floor, disoriented, and I raced after the others.

"So, I hate to say I told you so," Hideto said. "But I _did_ tell you that Sidhendor sucked."

"Yeah, yeah," Mari said, sounding irritated. "Next time we'll listen to you. But you know this is like _one_ time that you've been right, as opposed to the dozens you've been wrong."

"Screw you, I'm not wrong that often," Hideto said in good humour.

"We're running for our lives," Yamato reminded them. "Maybe less chatter and more running?"

We raced through the halls, and kept making turns that I knew I should have kept better track of, in order to actually get _back_ to the portal, but I was too busy trying to keep a safe distance between us and Merlin, who I was pretty sure Miyako had talked about, and she also seemed to think he'd been an alright guy before. Maybe he was just having a bad day. But it was much more likely that Gaia had gotten to him before we could and had done something to him. I didn't know what it was, and I didn't know how to fix it.

After awhile, one of our turns led us to an open archway that appeared to be an exit to the castle, since we ended up outside. There were two people peeking around an arch, and when we got closer, we were able to identify that it was a man and a women: Kiyoko and Kurayami.

Hideto raced passed us all towards Kiyoko and caught him from behind. Kiyoko reacted accordingly and elbowed Hideto in the gut. Hideto let go, and held his stomach, and Kiyoko whirled around to deliver a second attack, only to have his eyes widen in horror when he saw that it was a friend and not a foe.

"I guess you're not happy to see me," Hideto said awkwardly. Kiyoko reached up and covered his mouth, while Kurayami finally looked away from whatever she'd been staring at in order to glare at him. I nodded to them. Obviously we needed to be quiet. Whatever was on the other side of this wall wasn't something they wanted to attract the attention of. I walked passed Kiyoko, who had been grabbed by Mari and looked into the arch way. I swallowed hard.

"Gaia," I whispered. Kurayami elbowed me and I blanched, realizing I said it aloud. Takeru silently laughed at me. I could feel it in the way his breath hit my neck. He was lurking behind me, wanting to know what was going on too. I touched Kurayami's arm lightly and looked to her, trying to ask where Miyako was, and at first I really didn't think she understood what I wanted, but eventually she shook her head and looked sad. I tried not to panic. Just because she didn't know where she was didn't mean she was hurt, or dead or anything. They probably just split up.

I wished I could convince myself of that.

"You promised to give me—" a man's voice said. I glanced back into the courtyard, only to realize I'd completely ignored Bitoru's existence due to Gaia's frightening one.

"I know what I promised," Gaia said coldly. "And I will deliver on that promise. I am not a cruel ruler. I reward those that deserve it. I am fair and just."

"Then _please_ give it to me," Bitoru pleaded.

Gaia was silent, and she had two orbs circling around her. She was holding a weird crystal that cast rainbows across the ground. One orb shone with the brightest, purest light, and the second was an inky black. When it rotated around Gaia and became the closest to us, Kurayami started walking forward as if in a trance. The black orb reached out spidery tendrils towards her, and she reached her fingers out, longing to touch them. But Takeru had followed her out there, and grabbed her, tugging her backwards. Gaia turned sharply and eyed the darkness that was trying to flow back to its true master, and glared at Kurayami.

"Bitoru," Gaia said. "You will have what you wish if you destroy these pesky Digidestined for me. You will not see it if you do not accomplish this simple task. Mark my words, you will be ruined if you cannot do as I ask."

"Yes, my lad— _queen_ ," Bitoru said, correcting himself when Gaia glared at him.

Gaia called the orbs back to her, and Kurayami reached out, stretching as far as she could, and the darkness was reaching back to her, but Gaia fled, taking the darkness with her. I imagined that she would have stayed to fight us herself if she hadn't thought she would lose her darkness. Kurayami let out a whimper and fell to her knees, crying for what was almost hers once more.

"I don't want to kill you," Bitoru said, wringing his hands together. "That would make Spring even angrier with me. I didn't think she _could_ get angry. I can't hurt you. But Gaia has what I need. You understand my dilemma, yes?"

"Don't kill us then," Takeru suggested. "Let us help you get what you want. We could do it."

"You don't understand," Bitoru said, shaking his head sadly. "She's carried it with her for a _long_ time. I need it. It's for Spring. I need to get it for Spring. She's the most important person to me. I need to make her happy. This could make her so happy. But killing you would not. She would never forgive me. I would never be able to earn her trust back if I killed any of you. She handpicked two of your numbers, so she has a deep attachment to your safety."

"Why not just lie?" Neo suggested ironically. He would never lie. But I supposed this suggestion was much more pleasing than actually being killed by Bitoru.

"You would have to hide," Bitoru warned. "You go away now. You stay away. Don't show your faces until the worlds are fused. I need what she has and if you spoil this ruse, if Gaia sees you, then she'll never give it to me." I couldn't believe that he had simply skimmed over the idea that the worlds were going to fuse. I looked to the others, but they seemed focused on Bitoru still. Despite this, my heart still felt a deep dread forming in the deepest corners.

"I don't really care if you get what you want," Yamato said with a shrug. "You're on the wrong side. But I'm pretty sure Spring would support this choice."

"You deserve this chance to make things right," I told him. "Sometimes, it only takes a second chance to truly do good in the world." Most of the people I stood with had been offered that second chance. I'd even been given a third, when I'd regressed to the Kaiser under Fanglongmon's influence.

"Let's get going," Kiyoko suggested. He reached forward tentatively, for Hideto's hand, and then decided holding hands was okay, even if they weren't dating anymore. Hideto looked like we'd won the war or something, he was so happy, but I didn't think Kiyoko noticed that. He was too busy looking towards his little laptop, trying to identify where the others were.

"Let's go find our friends," Takeru announced. We glanced back towards Bitoru, who was looking over his shoulder anxiously for Gaia, and waving his hands for us to hurry along. We did as he asked, because there were people we needed to find. I needed to know that Miyako was alright. And looking ahead of us towards a war zone with strange looking soldiers and guards and digimon all fighting one another to the death, I knew there was a possibility that Miyako _wasn't_ okay.

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

"Hurry up people, you're gonna die, show some self-preservation!" Mimi screamed over the din. There was a woman there standing across the narrow street from Mimi that was glaring at her. She didn't approve of Mimi acting so unladylike, and she also didn't approve of Mimi shouting untruths to the people. I couldn't understand where her logic came from, but it didn't matter. She was wrong, and Mimi was right. It was simple, really.

"They are causing chaos," the woman called, in a loud voice that was decidedly _not_ a scream—because yelling and screaming were two different things and yelling was far more ladylike in her opinion—that the people actually stopped to listen to. "They brought the monsters of legends. It is _them_ that is fighting our queen and country. They are trying to send us into a frenzy so that we will stop being loyal to our monarch. Do not fall prey to their idle threats. They don't want to save us. They want to rule us."

"Shut up _Mother_ ," Mimi snapped. "You're trying to get all of your neighbours and friends killed aren't you? Oh wait, you don't have any friends because you're the wicked step-mother and nobody _likes her_!"

"Mimi," I sighed. "Don't fall for her tricks."

"What are you talking about?" Mimi asked me. I gestured to the frightened townspeople that had been on our side, until they heard Mimi's outburst.

"We can't help it if they won't listen to what we say," Sora said with a sigh.

We'd given up trying, until Hikari made us go back to try again. She was stressed beyond belief, and was currently in the running for worst wedding ever—her only real competition remaining was Jou and Momoe, actually, since they had _two_ disasters for weddings—and no one wanted to upset her any further. The idea of leaving the town to fend for itself when we could at least be _trying_ to evacuate them, was too much for Hikari to take, and so, when Daisuke suggested we give it another go, and Hikari's eyes lit up, we all headed back for the town, hoping that Morganna wouldn't try to look for us here.

It had been very difficult to make our way _back_ to the village without Morganna spotting us, but we'd done it. I was quite impressed really, since Hikari's dress really didn't blend in well with the surroundings, and was therefore a giant target. Morganna, however hadn't spotted us. I wasn't going to question our good fortune. I didn't think we'd be getting any more good luck any time soon, and I didn't want to complain.

"Please," Hikari cried out. "Gaia is here, she wants to take over your home. She's a horrible woman, and she wants to dethrone Winter. Please just get yourselves to safety. Don't fall for her tricks! Don't let yourselves get hurt because of your inaction. We're trying to help you. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Did you hear?" the cruel step-mother said with glee. "Gaia returns to us. She was a kind and glorious queen. We have been long awaiting her triumphant return. She will bring us back to our glory days. She will make Sidhendor prosperous again! She can do so much more for us than Winter ever could. She's cold and bitter, and she'll bring us all to ruin. But _Gaia_ , she can do so much."

"That's treasonous talk," Daisuke warned her. "She's speaking against your queen in favour of the traitorous queen that was banished long ago."

"Remember how Gaia deceived you last time," Mimi said in a cautious tone. "She wasn't what she appeared. She led you all to believe she was kind but she only wanted power. She was using you all to get it. Don't let her win. Escape her now, while your lives belong to you. Don't let her rope you into her schemes. So long as you remain free, so does Sidhendor. Long live queen Winter! Let Sidhendor remain free."

"You're not even _of_ Sidhendor," the step-mother sneered. "You're of Pangaea, are you not? I heard your midnight mutterings with the wench and the others. You're from _Earth_. Pangaea has fallen. It's shattered, and you want us to follow your guidance? Sidhendor is in one piece still."

"Gaia was of Pangaea," another person recalled. "Are you working for her?"

"They can't be," a woman argued. "They're belittling her."

"But she really was kind," an older man reminisced.

"I don't know what's happening," Jou commented. "But I really don't think they're seeing things the way we were hoping them to. Can't they see the giant battle going on? Aren't they scared of the digimon? I would be. I _have_ been. Digimon can be terrifying."

"But nothing's more frightening than Gaia," Hikari added, while nodding.

"Sigma was pretty bad," Miyako muttered.

"Why can't any of you think for yourselves?" Mimi shouted out. She was whining. It wasn't good when she was whining. That meant she was giving up hope and was getting upset because things weren't going her way. I knew, because I got whined at a lot when I got caught up in my work back home.

"And listening to you is thinking for ourselves?" the step-mother asked with a snort—that was decidedly _not_ delicate or ladylike—and looked around to everyone. "They want us to obey their every command. We cannot allow that."

"Quiet," the older man told her. She shut her mouth, stunned that they were no longer eating out of her hand. But the older man looked towards the castle. I followed his sights, and found myself looking at a beautiful woman on a balcony. This beautiful woman was wearing a crown, but she was not the queen I expected, nor was she the queen the people had when they awoke that morning.

"Gaia," the step-mother said in awe.

"I am Gaia," Gaia called, using magic to project her voice across the entire town, over the loud battling taking place below. I could feel her words vibrating through my bones and echoing inside my head. "I have come home, my dear people. I am once again ready to sit on the throne and rule this land, bringing to you more power and more wealth than ever before. I will also be expanding our borders. For too long have we sat aside and let the other lands continue without a strong commander, without a strong queen. But no more. I will be that queen just as I am now yours."

There was not as much cheering as she'd obviously been expecting, as most of her previous subjects still remembered the aching of her last bitter betrayal and could no longer trust her. She hesitated for a single second before casting her voice over the land once more.

"You believe you have a choice," she said. "But you are wrong. I am your queen, and you will serve me. I have the power to destroy you without a second thought. Have care of how you treat me, have care of how you speak. I have eyes and ears at every corner. You will never know who to trust. Be loyal to me, and you will not encounter any a problem. Those that choose not to will be executed."

The cheering was much louder this time, as everyone looked from side to side, from neighbour to neighbour, already growing suspicious of who was a spy for Gaia. I knew that she hadn't been here long enough to actually have spies all over the kingdom yet, but the people hadn't been listening to us, and simply could not see it.

"I want you to prove your loyalty to me," she called when the cheering eventually died down. "I want you to bring me the Digidestined. I want them. They will suffer for their impertinence. They have dared to defy me, and they conspire against my life—against your queen's life. If you will not comply, then you are finished. "

There was a long silence, as they looked to her. They didn't really want her to be their queen, and if the Digidestined were trying to get rid of her, then they obviously didn't see a problem with keeping them around. Gaia clearly noticed this, as she summoned the dark orb, and held her hands high. The darkness struck out of the orb towards the nearest man, and stabbed him through the heart, before it picked him up into the air, and waved him around, sending his blood down to rain upon the other villagers as he screamed as death took him from this immortal land.

Mimi grabbed my arm but I could do no more than reach out to her as I stared in horror at Gaia.

"I want the Digidestined," Gaia said coldly. "And I don't care how many of you I need to kill until I get them."

"They won't hand us over," Mimi said sounding confident. "They're good people. We saved them from the curse. They owe us."

"I'm not sure everyone feels the same way," Miyako said, disagreeing with my wife. Mimi looked hurt that Miyako didn't believe in the people, but Miyako was proven right not long after she spoke.

"They are over here my queen!" the step-mother shouted. "They try to discredit you, but I wouldn't allow it. They want us to run, to flee your rule, but we should embrace it."

"SIEZE THEM!" Gaia snarled, when the woman chose to keep speaking instead of acting. We took that as our cue to leave, and we raced off, down the path, heading for the nearby woods.

Mimi finally felt comfortable enough to lead us, and had kicked off her heels, in order to gain speed as we ran from the mob of terrified villagers. Miyako threw her shoes back at them, and Hikari tripped. Daisuke and Sora grabbed her arms and dragged her back to her feet whenever she tripped over the many layers of her voluminous dress. Jou and I were at the rear. I wasn't sure whether it was because we wanted our friends—and in my case wife—to be safe more than we cared about ourselves, or whether we were simply horribly not athletic. I feared it was the latter.

The mob had sufficient motivation, and would not give up the chase. Mimi led us straight out of town and passed a farm house with an overrun garden and an old water pump and down a path into the forest. The main issue with that decision was that the mob could follow the path the same way that Mimi could. Mimi noticed that not long after we ran by an old cottage, and let out a whimper before charging off of the path into the woods themselves. She let out quiet pained noises as she ran along the broken sticks and rocks in her bare feet, and Miyako was having the same difficulties, but they were still quicker, even with their pain.

"After them!" the step-mother crowed behind us. Mimi took a sharp left, but Sora and Daisuke took Hikari to the right. Miyako followed Mimi as fast as she could, and since the mob was closest to Jou and I, we kept going straight, hoping to at least distract them from the others.

"This is the worst day," Jou commented as he tripped over a rock and caught himself of a low tree branch before he could smack his face against the ground. "I had high hopes, but it's not living up to my initial plans."

"I hadn't planned on running at all," I said, huffing and puffing. I was not athletic. Any athletic capabilities I'd gained from our strenuous search for Trust in the Land of Dreams were gone now. I'd lost them over the previous year. I'd spent a lot of time rehabilitating myself after my mishap with the amphetamines. That was the lowest point in my life, and I hadn't been thinking of much except getting over that habit—and getting married—for a really long time. Cardiovascular training wasn't even on my list of things to bother with.

I made a mental note to make sure it _was_ , because this was simply ridiculous.

Jou and I stumbled our way to the bottom of a ravine, and panicked for a moment or two as we realized we'd have to _climb_ the other side if we wanted to escape the mob that was still chasing after us. They were running down that hill faster than we'd managed, and I knew they'd be able to climb faster too. Jou and I shared a look and started running along the bottom of the ravine. There was a small stream at the bottom, which slowed us down, but it wasn't as big as it could have been.

"There are more of them!" Jou gasped, pointing ahead of us. It wasn't fair that they were trapping us. They could at least give us a fair chance at surviving. But had I been on their side of this altercation, then I would have been using similar tactics. There were only seven bodies ahead of us. They were too far away for us to identify them, but there were too many to be Mimi, Miyako, Daisuke, Sora and Hikari. They were most likely going to be hostile.

But seven was less than thirty—probably more, but it was a rough estimate and I wasn't going to take the time out of running for my life to get an accurate count—and we figured they were the safer of the two groups of hostile forces.

"Oh," I said when we got closer. They weren't hostile forces at all. It was Taichi, Iori and the others we'd left behind in the castle. Winter was washing her arms and face in the stream, and Taichi was pouring water over the back of Iori's head, washing away the blood that was flowing there. Taichi was soaked, which left me to deduce that he'd already washed himself. Jenna was leaning against Michael, with Spring on one side, and Summer on the other.

"Taichi!" Jou called. "Help!"

"What's going on?" Winter demanded, standing shakily in the middle of the stream. The mob was closing in on us. They really were faster, and I was getting a cramp in my side. It hurt like crazy. I didn't know how much longer I could run. I was running out of steam.

"Gaia," Jou gasped. "Kill Digidestined."

"That won't do," Spring said simply. She got to her feet and held her hands in the air. Vines and branches and grass all sprouted from the ground and started weaving together. Jou and I got tangled at first, but we manage to get free, and by the time we stopped running, when we reached Taichi, we turned to see that the ravine was now blocked off entirely by a tightly woven net of nature.

"You okay?" Taichi asked, looking over us both. "Where's Hikari?"

"Daisuke and Sora," I said, not having enough breath to form full sentences. "Mimi with Miyako."

"They will be able to break through," Spring said.

"Then I suggest we aren't here when they do," Winter decided. She grabbed my hand and Taichi's and flew into the air. I let out a startled scream that was swallowed up by the rushing wind that surrounded us. Jenna and Michael flew alongside us with Summer, while Spring flew beneath us with Jou and Iori.

"Where will we go?" Summer asked her eldest sister.

"I'm not sure yet," Winter said. But before any of them could brainstorm a location, the sound of my wife's scream filled the air, and I instinctively tried to move in her direction, which was a terrible decision while flying through the air. My sudden movement made Winter let go of me. I slipped out of her grasp and fell towards the ground. It was a horrible experience but it was blessedly short, as Winter swooped down for me, and headed towards the sound of Mimi's screams.

We landed on the ground, and Winter let go of Taichi and I, while she moved towards an enormous wolf that was looming over my wife. Mimi was holding her hand up in front of her face, scratching at the wolf's chin. Suddenly, I realized that Mimi wasn't in danger at all, and had simply been frightened, but Winter hadn't noticed yet evidently as she was holding her hands in front of her, summoning some ice magic that she intended to shoot at the beast. Miyako jumped in front of it though. Her feet, like Mimi's, were torn and bloody, but she stood her ground.

"He's not hurting her," Miyako declared.

"He's not," Mimi agreed. "I thought he would, since he chased me every day while I was here, but he's not so bad. You were just under the spell too, weren't you boy? Yeah. I thought so. What a sweetheart."

"Mimi, we can't take a wolf home," I warned her. She sighed longingly but agreed. We already had Jezebel and Oswald. We didn't need any more pets.

"He's wild," she said. "He deserves to stay that way, if that's what he wants." The wolf licked Mimi's entire face, and I hoped she'd wash it off before trying to kiss me. I didn't want to know what wolf slobber tasted like.

"Okay, so we just need to find Hikari, Sora and Daisuke," Taichi said looking around. But he quickly shook his head. "Kurayami and Kiyoko are missing too."

"Right," Michael said pointedly. He had been ready to correct Taichi, before Taichi figured it out. "How do we find them?"

"We don't," Winter said. "I do."

She closed her eyes, and her eyelids fluttered as she looked through the eyes of all the people in the woods around us. She frowned and her brows pinched together. She was anxious, nervous, _afraid._ But her fear melted quickly as it made way for new emotions that fit the new view she was seeing through someone else's eyes.

"Morganna is in these woods," Winter said ominously. "She nears your friends. We must away, quickly. We cannot let her catch them unaware, and at this point, that's what will happen."

"We can't carry them all," Summer said.

"Grey Wind can carry us, right boy?" Mimi asked the wolf, having named it already. I sighed but remembered that she'd agreed to let him stay wild, and knew that this was the compromise she'd decided upon. It was better than her trying to sneak a giant wolf through the back door and hoping I wouldn't notice.

The wolf was eager to help, and so the fairies picked up their cargo—aka us—and flew low to the ground so that "Grey Wind" could keep up, and see where to go. We flew along quickly and silently, other than Grey Wind's footsteps, but even those made very little sound. The fairies stopped only once, and that was when we caught sight of Morganna wandering in the distance. But the moment her back was turned, the fairies flew quick as lightning—not quite, but as close as they were able—passed her, and towards our friends.

They weren't alone, like we expected them to be. There were others with them. But they weren't hostile—well, some of them were, but they weren't being hostile at that particular moment. Takeru was standing with Hikari, holding her close and whispering in her ear. Sora was lingering near Yamato, but neither was saying a word. Daisuke was holding Kurayami's hand, as he talked with Ken. Neo, Mari and Hideto were with Kiyoko. They all looked rather solemn.

"What happened to Astamon?" Iori asked, looking to Takeru with confusion.

"He got away," Takeru said bitterly. "I missed him. I shot the wall."

"That's okay," Hikari insisted.

"Except he's terrorizing the town," Yamato pointed out. "We were supposed to be keeping everyone safe from him, and instead, we made it worse."

"And Merlin tried to kill us!" Hideto said in outrage. "What's with that? Since when did he work for Gaia?"

"Since Gaia had Morganna take his heart," Summer said softly.

"We can't win this," Taichi said angrily. "We came here to save your world, and instead we could do nothing as it fell."

"The fault does not lie with you alone," Winter said. "I was queen. I was meant to die protecting my kingdom. But my mother stole my crown and scolded me as though I were a mere child. She didn't even try to defeat me."

"Maugrim did the same to me, in the Digital World," Taichi admitted. "I think they want us alive. They want us to see them achieve their goals. They want to rub their triumph in our faces and they want us to watch while they destroy everything we hold dear. They want me to see them kill all of the other Digidestined just like they made me watch the final partners be absorbed. I couldn't save them. And I still can't. They know that. They're trying to humiliate us."

"And then they will allow death to come to us," Winter sighed.

"If we could be that lucky," Taichi said.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Tatum is up next with one of her final chapters, and while I'm pretty sure it's not exactly the most action packed chapter, it's kind of a good break from what's been going on. Daisuke is coming along for the ride too, and he's about to hear a pretty exciting tale!


	53. No One Is Alone

**Y/N:** Daisuke is great. He's not too serious all the time, but he _can_ be, and he's just really easy to write. This particular part was written in less than an hour (and I even had to rewrite the first two pages or so, because I hadn't known how Tatum's piece ended at the time, and _still_ finished way faster than any other chapter I've written in literal _years_ ). I just really liked writing this one, I don't know why, but it just kind of wrote itself. I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it.

 **U/N:** Tatum is a fun character for me too. I just like everyone from the American side, really. Tatum felt really sad in a way though because she's usually like... Sora meets Izzy—intelligent, caring and desperate to get into the fight, but she just can't do that here and it was kind of frustrating for me, and I think for her too...

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 53: No One Is Alone**

 _ **Tatum Jefferson:**_

I had attempted to keep a brave face while the others were still around because we couldn't keep them from going off to help the others, but that didn't mean I _actually_ felt brave. For most of my life I had never found myself to be afraid of anything at all. When the boys on the playground chased the girls with worms dangling off of a stick all the others would scream, but I never did. I would take those worms and chase those boys right back. When the worlds had fused, I didn't back down—I did whatever I could to reunite with my partner and find Michael, and since that day I had been constantly facing trial after trial alongside the Digidestined to do all I could to assist in saving the world.

I could remember my first day in the Digital World too.

 _I wanted to cry, because I felt like I should, but somehow it didn't feel right. I didn't have any reason to be sad, because all that had happened was the computer ate me. I could get out obviously. I just had to find the right way to do so._

 _I needed to find someone else—_ anyone _else, but everywhere I looked there was no one around, like they'd all gone off somewhere. I felt like I'd been taken away for an alien experiment, and while that was_ fine _, it wasn't exactly desirable._

 _And then I came across some big monsters. They were Monochromon, but I didn't know it at the time. I watched them for a while, not feeling too out of place somehow, and then when I noticed that one of them was hurt I slid down the little gravelly hill and waded through the knee deep water toward the creature. There were only three, but none of them saw me._

 _I reached down to where the thorn was wedged into the nearest monster's foot and I pulled it out with ease. The creature roared in surprise and in pain and rounded on me. Before I knew it, three giant monsters were chasing me, and then all at once I had been pulled sharply aside where I fell behind a bush, my heart beating like a drum of war. Then, after a moment had passed I began laughing, looking to my saviour._

 _He had been watching the creatures and documenting their behavior in a book. How cool!_

" _I'm Tatum," I said brightly. The creature said nothing, but shook my hand. "Cool, you can't talk, that's okay, I'll talk for you."_

And the rest, as they say, was history.

It was that day that I had experienced my first _real_ scare, but I got through it no problem. I had continued to do that in every instance I felt fear. When Michael's father's plane was going down, I called to Aidramon and he saved me! When Fanglongmon was trying to take over the world I stood by Michael's side and together we rode Airdamon into battle and with Meiyomon's help we had saved the day! When Yggdrasil was sending his drones out to destroy all the worlds I kept a level head—even after Lalamon's death—and tricked those drones into following me through the Looking Glass. I wasn't afraid because I knew I could do it.

But things were different now, because I _didn't_ know I could do anything. It was different because jumping from a broken airship onto a dragon was all fine and dandy when you were by yourself. But I wasn't by myself anymore. I was _pregnant_. I had wanted this for so long, and I was ecstatic. Three months time and I would be giving birth to a lovely baby girl. Michael didn't want to know what gender the baby was, but I wasn't into the secrecy or surprise ordeal.

It was a girl, and I knew her name too. Michael thought we were going to have six kids and name them after the character roster in the Sound of Music, and I didn't like the idea. But there was one name that stuck out to me.

 _Louisa_

I loved the name, and Michael would have his Sound of Music reference. It was the best of both worlds.

The main issue being that Louisa was hindering me in this war. Of course the war had just called to me an hour or two ago, but that didn't mean it wasn't a real war. The war was old and worn. It was a war that had lasted for _many_ years. It was the very _same_ war that caused the Digital World to call to me in the first place. It was the same war that had been started in the ancient history of Sidhendor. I knew this because I still had all of Sigma's notes on my bookshelf, summed up in my own perfect little field guide.

The war had begun _long_ ago, and we were still fighting the tail end of it. Somehow seventeen years ago, when I had first been taken to the Digital World, I had thought that life was easy. I had thought that I was simply being whisked away to a land of adventure because the universe had seen how desperate I felt after each book I completed. I was in dire need of a spark in my life, and I had been granted that with Monodramon. But things changed when I found my passion in history. Over time the Crests, the Gods, Yggdrasil, the Worlds—they all opened up to me, and each step of the way I was sure we had found the root of the cause, but that had never been the case.

The one world none of us had ever explored before last year was where the key was held. Not the literally key of course, but the information we needed. All points led back to Sidhendor, I was _sure_ of it. I needed Michael and Koushiro to come back with answers. We _needed_ those answers to end the war.

It may not have been obvious to anyone else, but it was obvious to _me_.

We had all been handpicked to take part in this war because the universe had faith in us. It was time to finally _end_ this war and bring about peace. It was time to save my baby before she was forced into a world that was filled with danger and mayhem.

I needed Louisa to be at peace. I needed my baby to be _safe_.

"Hey, Tay," Momoe said, prodding me with her finger, "You in there?" I realized I had been staring to the rift that led to Sidhendor for far too long, and ripped my eyes away, turning to Momoe who still held baby Renjiro in her arms. He was finally asleep and Momoe was afraid to disturb him. "If you're not going to use your phone anymore, can you take Renjiro, and I'll take over?"

I shook my head and pulled my phone back up to my face. Momoe was right. I had to help in whatever way I could. We had to spread word! We were calling those who were at the wedding and telling them to be on the lookout for Astamon. They were spreading the news now themselves, but it seemed that many had already wandered away from the grocery store safety zone and were on their way home.

Chiziru was among them I found out when I had called her first, upon Momoe's insistence. Chiziru nearly had a panic attack—and she was _driving_. Luckily Mantarou and Iruka were in the car with her and were able to calm her enough to take the wheel and get home safely. Momoe made sure I talked to them all the way back. We couldn't have Astamon finding them without us knowing, right?

Jun had handled her mother first, and was now on the phone with Yuuko Yagami, while Shuu had called Shin instinctively and asked him to spread the word to Isao, Aimi and her daughters before calling up Sora's father, Haruhiko. I knew the two were close, otherwise I would have chosen him next myself. I worked with him too after all.

Instead I began dialling Hiroaki Ishida's number. I thought maybe Rei had already talked to him, but just in case I needed him to know what was going on. As the phone rang I looked toward Rei and Evelen and saw that they too were interested in the tear in the sky. Evelen had tried to use it several times but the rift simply would not let her through. I saw frustration and pain on her face, but I had no time to comfort her. Besides, Rei was already there.

"Hello?" Hiroaki questioned through the phone, sounding genuinely confused.

"Hello, this is Tatum Jefferson," I told him as professionally as I could. "I'm only calling to inform you of a rampaging digimon."

"Yamato told me, yes," Hiroaki said quickly. I heard a honking horn and a tire squealing and thought for a moment he had jumped into an action movie, "Sorry, could you hold on?"

"O-of course," I stammered, looking to Momoe worriedly. She mouthed 'What's wrong?' but all I could do was shrug my shoulders as I waited for Hiroaki to return.

There was a loud crash through the phone and my heart beat quicker. A moment later I heard a woman's voice shout, "Look out!" I recognized the voice as Natsuko, his ex wife and knew they were in danger. She was a journalist, he worked in media. They were Yamato and Takeru's parents. I just _knew_ they had gone after Astamon.

"Mr Ishida!" I shouted into the phone, startling Renjiro into waking and beginning to cry. Momoe didn't mind, as she cuddled the baby in her arms. Mai looked quite worried too, but Haruki took her hand and while it was adorable, I didn't have time to focus on it. "Hello?" I asked sharply through the phone.

"Hey," It was Natusko. "Who is this?"

" _Where are you_?" I countered, ignoring her question.

"Downtown," she said, and I could just tell she was shrugging as if it were no big deal, but it _was_. "We've spotted Astamon. He's looking for something."

" _You!_ " I hissed into the phone, "Get out of there."

"Oh, alright," Natsuko groaned, hanging up the phone.

I stared blankly to the device, and then to Natsuni who was staring to me with a slightly open mouth. Hiroaki had only recently divorced her husband's mother, and now he was driving after the murderous digimon. I looked back to the rift and remembered the argument we had just after the others had left.

" _We have to go," Momoe said, collecting children, "It isn't safe."_

" _We can't leave a portal to a different world unattended," Evelen pointed out, "It's just sitting here in the sky! We have to stay until Neo and the others return."_

Evelen was right, though I could now see she had argued for a selfish reason. She wanted to get back. I didn't know much about the ordeal, but I didn't mind, because overall she _was_ right. We could not let a portal to a different world sit happily alone in a park. Children played in parks. It was good we had children because if we didn't people would be staring at us.

Of course I _was_ being sarcastic.

Chi was with Natsuni—still shot in the leg—and cradling his brother who Jou assured us would be fine, even though he had been hit. Bearmon and Monmon, also wounded, were being hugged by Emiko who was being protected still by Gostumon and Pumpkinmon while Ryou paced back and forth, looking around for any signs of danger. We pretty much _screamed_ 'out of place' even with our children, but that was okay. I didn't mind being stared at. Being Michael's girlfriend meant I was in the magazines a lot.

"Can someone call my Dad?" Ryou asked, "and Uncle Tadao? I don't have a phone and I'm worried."

Jun nodded and immediately told Yuuko that she would call her back before handing her phone to Ryou, "Do you know the number?"

He nodded, "I think so," and he wandered off to dial the number, but Rei and Evelen let out a startled yell when the shimmering portal began to glow. For a quick and _painful_ moment I had thought that it was shutting and leaving the others trapped inside, but I was wrong.

They weren't trapped inside because I could see them coming _back_.

The crowd was immediately more crowded as _twenty-two_ newcomers joined us. Taichi was holding Hikari who seemed to have twisted her ankle, but she didn't mind being so close to her brother again. Daisuke and Miyako pulled away from the group immediately to greet their children who were calling out to them, and Iori rushed to Mieyomon's side, stroking Kana's face as he sat down. Emiko screamed out for her father and he slipped past Sora and Mimi, hurrying toward her. Yamato and Takeru were standing, nearly blocked out, by Michael's three fairy aunts, as they sparkled in the winter light. Winter looked particularly beautiful, and I could see why. Her dress, skin and hair fit the weather perfectly. It was too bad it was so cold though because the children were getting cranky. Koushiro and Ken were off to the side with Neo who caught sight of Rei and quickly moved to her side before seeing Evelen who looked to him, still feeling guilty for what 'she had done'. I didn't know what it was, but Neo didn't seem as accusatory as I thought he might. Mari, Hideto and Kiyoko all looked relatively alright, and they stood with their respective fairies, looking nervous about it—or perhaps uncomfortable would describe their faces more—probably because the fairies had ultimately deemed them to be unworthy.

And of course, hurrying to my side was Michael and Jenna.

"What are you all still doing here?" Taichi wanted to know.

"We didn't want to leave the gate unattended," Rei explained, reaching out to him. He grabbed her hand gently and nodded, understanding. "But you're right, we should get out of here now that you're back."

"Kiyoko," Taichi ordered, "Can you close the gate?"

"Never tried," Kiyoko admitted, but he pulled his computer out all the same, and Koushiro was off to help him with it.

"Are you okay?" Michael asked gently, taking my hand. "Is the baby okay?"

"Fine," I nodded, and Jenna seemed pleased for a moment, but her face screwed up like she thought she was going to be sick. I didn't back away because vomit didn't scare me, and instead ensured her hair was pulled back, but she caught hold of herself and shook her head in disgust. She seemed alright. "How did it go?" I nervously asked, looking to Winter who, last time I'd seen her, had been wearing a crown on her head that simply was not present any longer.

"Not well," it was Kurayami who had answered. She broke free from the crowd, her arms crossed. "We need to go see Norn, _now_."

"I'd like to get to the Digital World actually," Shuu admitted, "I wouldn't mind seeing Meramon."

"And Goblimon's still there too, right?" Natsuni asked and she looked embarrassed. "I want to see him too."

"Goblimon's at the library actually, with Pal, Pul and Kotemon," Rei said, sounding apologetic for not mentioning it before.

"I still want to see Meramon," Shuu said.

"And you will," Taichi assured them, "But Kurayami is right. Norn was in danger the last we saw her. We need to check on her." That didn't sound good at _all_. Norn was the replacement for Yggdrasil. She watched over the connections of all the worlds.

"That's going to be a problem," Neo said, filling in for Kiyoko, "We can only move to the worlds closest to this. That means Sidhendor, or the Digital World."

"But the In-Between is connected to all worlds," Kurayami tried to reason.

"Yes," Neo agreed calmly, "But it's also the furthest from each world. The passage is _long_ and the portals we create are imbalanced at best. We cannot risk a further trip."

"I'll risk it," Kurayami said boldly.

"Kura," Daisuke muttered, catching her attention. He was holding Haruki in his arms and her eyes fell to him. She sank backwards, frustrated and sad that she couldn't get to Norn yet. Taichi rounded on Neo to talk strategy because Neo seemed to understand what was going on better than the rest of us somehow—because this had been his plan after all. Usually I wouldn't have supported a rash plan such as this, but I hadn't found out about it until too late, and it had been perfect timing it seemed. Taichi was back to save us from Gaia. He could too, I had faith in him.

I watched as Ken stepped away from the group, dialing a number on his phone. He held it to his ear, but decided he couldn't hear and wandered toward Momoe and I since we were among the quietest of the group. Even Michael was currently quiet, but Jenna had left to Chi's side already. "Kimi?" Ken asked loudly when the phone stopped ringing. He had it on speaker apparently. "I need you to send someone out to look for a digimon. He's dangerous and we need protection for the people."

"Ken," Kimi—apparently she was a co-worker of his—said, without so much as a hello, or good afternoon, or anything pleasant. "What's going on? There are new rules all over the place to protect the digimon, and now you're telling me to unleash a team to get rid of one."

"Not get rid of him," Ken said quickly. "You won't be able to. But he's destroying everything trying to get to us. I have Ambassador Saiba with me right now. I'm pretty sure he's on board with that decision."

"I am," Neo said sharply, turning to Ken for a moment, smirking proudly at the sound of his official title. I supposed it was still new enough at that point that he was still impressed with himself. Or maybe he was just enjoying Rei's joy and excitement over his new position. It didn't really matter. Kimi was talking again.

"Ken, I get that you're a big shot around here now," she said, and it was true I imagined. He'd gotten a pretty impressive promotion during the silent year. I figured that was a good name for it. The 'Silent Year' where we all thought we might find peace only to have it ripped out from under us for hopefully the last time. Now, Ken wasn't the chief or anything, but he was pretty close. "But the chief's going to need more than that."

"Oh my god," Mari gasped from where she sat with Aneko now, looking to her phone. "Did no one tell Willis?" I ignored her in favour of Kimi and Ken.

"Well, people might be dying right now, and it's your civic duty to protect them," Ken said quickly, I could see his guilt for taking a superior tone of voice but if it helped, I saw no reason to feel guilty. "Keep them safe. Evacuate if necessary. Just do it now."

"Sir, yes sir," Kimi said quickly. And just before hanging up, she paused and pleaded softly, "Don't get hurt, okay?"

"I'm going to call him!" Mari said loudly.

"I'll try my best," Ken assured Kimi. She hung up in time for Willis to pick up Mari's call.

"Willis!" Mari exclaimed. "Hey, listen, you need to get to Japan like _right_ now. Tell me when you're here. We're going to the Digital World and the worlds are ending. What? I thought you were in India? Well I don't _care_ what you're doing! The homeless people will still be homeless when you get back, but not if we don't save the world. Okay. Good. I'll be here." She hung up the phone as Kiyoko and Koushiro seemed to be finishing up what they were doing. "Willis is in Taiwan," Mari was explaining. That was good, he was close then. It wouldn't be too long before he returned. My eyes fell to Kiyoko though who had come back to the rest of us with his tiny computer held in his hands.

He cleared his throat and both Neo and Taichi stopped talking to turn to him. "I have closed the gate," he said. I looked and saw it was gone. How I hadn't noticed it, I wasn't sure. "Now we're wondering where we go from here."

Taichi looked to Winter, completely oblivious to all the eyes laid on him. When he finally looked around he seemed startled. "Look, I'm just a guy who keeps making mistakes. How about we let the rightful Queen of the World make a decision for once?"

Winter looked rather pleased with Taichi's praise and she nodded her head, composing herself well. "Isn't it obvious?" She said. "Sidhendor is gone, so we go to the building that was made in honour of our castle. Your Temple of course."

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

"When do we go?" I asked, when the reality of the situation had sunk in for everyone. We lost. Sidhendor joined the Digital World as one of the casualties in the fight against Gaia. She was winning this fight. We didn't have a leg to stand on. And we didn't understand anything that was going on at all. I couldn't understand where Veemon got to. I didn't understand what Gaia was doing, or how she was going to do it. I was caught off guard. I wasn't prepared for this.

But none of us were, really.

"I can get us to the Digital World," Kiyoko said confidently.

"Just as long as you close the gate afterwards," Koushiro said. "It's unstable. If we leave it open, it might start fusing the worlds. We don't want to actually _help_ Gaia with her plans. For all we know she hasn't gotten to that point yet. She might not be able to fuse them yet."

"I hope not," Takeru said, nodding his head. "That would give us time to figure out a plan?"

"What plan?" Tachi asked loudly. "There is no plan! We don't have any partners to fight with us, we don't have any Digimentals to defend. There are no Crests, there aren't any keys. I don't know what to do. I don't know what Gaia wants, but she's going to kill us all. And she'll make me watch, and I can't do that. I can't. I can't see Hikari, or Sora, or _anyone_...I can't."

"Let's just get to the Temple, Taichi," Hikari said, patting her brother's shoulder. She hugged his arm tightly. "You won't have to watch us die. I won't let her kill us. We'll stop her, because we have to. We'll talk more in the Temple, not now though. I don't know who might be watching."

"Astamon could have friends," Jou agreed.

"I need my son," Kurayami said. "I want Haruki. I need to know he's still okay."

"Jun can watch him," I reminded her, and she relaxed only momentarily. The worry built back up with little effort and I knew we didn't have long before she'd decide to stay with him. But I was selfish. I needed her with me. Taichi urged Kiyoko to open a gate to the Digital World, and he did so, opening a portal that lead directly into the courtyard of the Temple.

"Daisuke," Jun said, shaking her head. "Shouldn't I go with you?"

"No," I said. "I need you to get Haruki away from here. We need someone to watch over him, and I trust you."

"I'm going with you," Natsuni decided. Momoe nodded quickly. Both of them looked to their children, and felt they needed to stay behind. In the end, Shuu had decided to stay behind, so long as we looked for Meramon, and Jun, Momoe and Natsuni were going to stay with the children. Mai, Kana, Haruki, Renjiro and Emiko were going to go to Mari's library to stay safe, with Aneko. Goblimon, Pal, Pul and Kotemon were already waiting there, and Otamamon would go with them too, along with Gatsumon and Pumpkinmon for added protection. Bearmon and Monmon too, would protect the kids the best they could. Only Chi, Meiyomon, Tatum, Rei and Evelen would join us on our journey to the Digital World. Once goodbyes—and plenty of kisses for the infants—were finished as well as we could manage, we were ready to go.

We all stepped through, being careful yet hurrying, so that no one could catch us unawares. Once all of our numbers were through, Kiyoko was instructed to close the gate by both Koushiro and Taichi. Kiyoko glared at Koushiro, but did it anyway. I didn't know what was going on there, but I couldn't find it in me to care. I wanted them to get along enough to keep this fight between us and Gaia, not between each other. Other than that, they were free to do whatever they wanted. They were intelligent. They could see things the same way I saw them. It wasn't that hard.

"What now?" Mari asked. She bit her lip and put a hand on her stomach, trying to ease the queasy nerves that had her worrying about her little sister the same way that I was worrying about my son. I trusted Jun. I knew she and Shuu and Otamamon and all the others would keep them safe. I knew that. I just wanted to have that proof that he was okay—especially after hearing news that Astamon was still running wild in the streets back home.

"Now we get answers," Michael said, taking Tatum's hand and looking to his aunts. They looked away from him quickly. Summer looked guilty and apologetic, but Spring simply looked worried over Winter's health. Winter fell to the ground, exhausted after having all of her queenly power ripped from her. The fight was too much for her. I felt bad for her. But I could do nothing to help her.

The courtyard was deserted. There were stalls left empty, there were trinkets sprinkled across the grass. And in the corner, I could see Veemon's noodle cart, turned on its side. My eyes stung with tears, and I walked over to it. I forced it back upright, and I dusted it off. Everything was damaged. It was destroyed and abandoned. I wiped my face, stubbornly trying to stay emotionally stable. Veemon wouldn't want me to give up. He'd want me to keep fighting even if he wasn't here to help me. He believed in this fight, and he believed in me.

"I miss them," Kurayami said, spooking me. I wiped my face again, and turned to her. She was crying softly too, not bothered by the tears as I was. "I hoped they were together when whatever happened...happened. But Taichi said Labramon was the first. I don't know what to do. I can't even ask Norn. I'm scared for her Daisuke. I'm scared for more than just her though. Gaia has my darkness. If she wins because of my power...I gave it to her, Daisuke! I was foolish and I let her trick me. She fooled me into giving up the darkness, the only thing that was protecting our son. It was keeping Zeta's curse from affecting me. If Gaia doesn't kill him, I will."

"Don't talk like that," I said sharply. I didn't know what to think. I was afraid that she was right, but I didn't _want_ to believe in that curse. I didn't want to believe in any curses. But I knew they were real. I knew there was very little I would be able to do. We needed to get that darkness back. It wasn't her Crest. It was something she'd had in addition to it, something that made her special, and safe. The same could be said for Hikari's light. I was waiting, holding my breath, expecting a call any day that Hikari had succumbed once more to the sickness that plagued her when she had no access to the Digital World. But the call hadn't come yet. She was safe for now, anyway, since we were in the Digital World.

It used to be beautiful and magnificent. But now it was dull and empty. The once lively Temple—the very same Temple that had still been recovering from the virus attack—was _again_ broken and empty. The repairs had been finished the last I saw it. The fight against Sigma had caused a lot of destruction, but it had been fixed. I'd seen it. It pained me to see everything was ruined again.

"Look at their smiling faces," Kurayami murmured, tracing her finger against a carving of a fairy in the stone wall. The intricate, deteriorating leaves that surrounded the smiling face told me that this was Autumn. This was Michael's mother. She looked so young and happy and alive. And now she, like the courtyard was dead and gone.

"We need to save Norn," Kurayami said, still tracing the image. "But we can't, and it's not fair. She saved us all against Yggdrasil, and now we're leaving her to Gaia's mercy. Gaia doesn't _have_ mercy. Are we dooming her to die?"

"No," I said. "Norn has powers that we don't understand."

"But she doesn't understand them either, Daisuke," she reminded me. "She's too new at her position. She hasn't figured everything out yet. How are we supposed to help her if we can't help ourselves?"

"We'll figure something out," I promised, but it sounded hollow to my own ears. She appreciated the thought behind it, but didn't believe me anymore than I believed it myself.

"We can't keep Haruki safe either," she said in a broken whisper. "We can't keep him with us. We're walking targets. I can't let Haruki be involved in that. But I can't trust anyone to keep him safe properly. I know I _should_. I know that Jun and Shuu, or your mother, or even my father _could_ keep him safe. But I can't bring myself to accept the decision that someone else will have to care for him. He's still so young, Daisuke. But he's old enough now to know what's going on."

"He's old enough to miss us, if the worst happens," I said, nodding. "I know. I don't want to put him through that. But if that's what it takes to keep _him_ alive, then... I don't know what to do either, Kura. I don't know. I'd ask Veemon to help me figure it out, but he's gone too."

"At least we're all in the same boat," she said, glancing over at our friends, who were all trying to gather their bearings. Michael was still looking at his aunts, looking to each one for a minute or two before shifting to the next. He didn't seem to be loosening their tongues at all. Tatum was trying to distract him, but it wasn't working. Surely they knew that keeping secrets at a time like this was the worst thing they could do. We learned that as a group just five years ago because our secrets led to Sora's demise and the fairies were like a _lot_ older than us. Jou was looking over Meiyomon and Chi, who Jenna was hovering over, just to make sure they were still okay.

"The war has started, and we're in the middle of it," I muttered. "How did that happen? How did we miss so much in such a short time?"

"I made a bad decision," Taichi said. I turned to him sharply. I hadn't even noticed his approach. The last I'd seen, he'd been with Rei, quickly filling her in on what she'd missed while we were in Sidhendor. Evelen was hovering near them, listening in. Neo, who was next to her made corrections whenever he felt Taichi needed them. I figured Taichi had left Neo to tell the story, and had been struck with an idea that led him to me. "I made a bad choice. I thought we could protect everything and everyone by hiding them away separately, but I didn't take Bitoru into account. I didn't know they could find them. By then it was too late. They had too many of us, we were outmatched. They took down Gennai's clones so easily. They tore through the Crest digimon like they were nothing. They took out the Olympos XII. I didn't think anyone could do that. They had ancient power. They have it, I guess. They're still alive. She couldn't kill them, but they didn't stand a chance at defeating her anyway. I can't lead this Daisuke."

"You have to," I insisted. "You're the leader that everyone looks to in a time of crisis. You're the one the digimon expect to help them. Gennai chose _you_."

"But I keep messing up. I can't play around when their lives are in danger. It's not a game. Gaia might think it is, but it's not. It's real life, and I'm in way over my head," he admitted. "I can't do this without Agumon."

"I can't help without Veemon," I protested.

"They listened to you in the Coliseum," he argued.

"No, because I fail when I try to lead alone," I said. "I can't be in charge. Half of our friends still look to you anyway, and where would that lead us?"

"You'd be working together," Kurayami said, finally looking away from the carving of Autumn. She tried to smile towards Hikari, who was walking to us now, but the smile fell flat. She wasn't happy. There was not a lot to be happy about. Hikari stood next to Taichi, her hand entwining with his without a thought. It was instinctual to her. She was spending as much time with her brother as she could. I felt my heart twinge as I thought of Jun, and how she had my son, and I wished I was with her instead of in this horror scene. I didn't want to see the desolate courtyard anymore. I wanted to be in our tiny apartment with my family around me. I didn't want to waste any time.

"You guys work well together," Hikari commented, having heard our argument from afar. "Sometimes you do. But when you get that harmony, you make extraordinary things happen. You can work together, Taichi, Daisuke. You're my brothers. Together you can save us all."

"No pressure," I muttered, feeling like the weight of all the worlds was now piled up on my shoulders. And I supposed it literally was. If Taichi was asking me to help him lead this fight, then I was half responsible for the outcome. If we failed, it was on me. On the slim chance that we won though, that would be on me too. It was a small chance, but that didn't sound nearly as bad as helping to destroy every world in the known universe.

"You won't be fighting alone," Kurayami said firmly, reaching up to my face and cupping my cheeks in her hands. "You'll be leading us, but we'll all be at your side every step of the way. We win together, or we lose together. We'll always be _together_."

"She's right," Hikari said with a watery smile, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she looked up to her big brother. "Don't try to block us out again. You know that doesn't work. And you can't lock me up to protect me either. I'm an adult, Taichi, and you're going to need all of us."

"Seriously?" Michael's loud, incredulous cry rang out over the courtyard. "Not telling me is one thing, but outright ignoring me is just _rude_. We need to know what's going on. You don't have to tell me anything more than that. I already know you won't. But we can't beat what we don't understand!"

"Oh," Hikari gasped. One hand flew to her stomach, and the other to her temple. Her eyes fluttered, and she looked queasy. Maybe I was too soon in assuming the sickness wouldn't come back.

"Hikari!" Taichi shouted, catching her just before she fell. Her knees gave out and she slumped in his arms. Takeru ran towards us, leaving Yamato behind midsentence. Hikari got back to her feet, before he got there and waved off his anxious hands.

"I'm fine," she said. "I felt something. Something's nearby."

"Is it Gaia?" Kurayami asked, touching her own stomach in confusion. She hadn't felt it. Hikari shook her head, and Kurayami relaxed.

"Not Gaia," Hikari said. "But it is familiar. I've felt it once before. It was a long time ago, when I first came to the Digital World, maybe...yeah. I think that's when it was. My memory is a little hazy, but I think we learned about the history of the crests and our partners."

"You took us back in time!" Mimi said, remembering. "That's why I thought you could do it again. I wasn't crazy you know."

"It's back," Hikari said, stepping away from Takeru and Taichi. "I need to get to it."

"No," Taichi pleaded.

"Please don't go," Takeru said. But Hikari waved off their concerns. Whatever it was felt friendly to her. I didn't want her to go anywhere, but before we could even get around to suggesting that she take someone with her, she walked to an archway decorated with the same engraved leaves as Autumn's picture and put her hand against it, peering outside with furrowed brows.

"Did you see that?" Michael asked his aunts. "Do you know what _that_ is? Or can you not tell me that either?"

"Michael, you don't understand," Summer pleaded.

"Summer, leave him be," Winter said coldly. "He won't ever understand. There's no use repeating yourself."

"We need to know about Gaia," Michael said, glaring colder than I'd ever seen him look towards his eldest aunt. "We need to know what you know. Tell us how to defeat her. Keeping this information to yourself isn't just annoying, it's actually _helping_ Gaia. Tell us what you know so that the worlds don't crumble at her feet!"

A warm light started shining from the archway, and dry warmth filled the air, causing the depressing and broken courtyard to feel alive once more. The light whirled past Hikari and floated through our friends, circling around Michael before heading towards the fairies. Spring tried to reach out to touch it, but it fled back to Hikari and flew directly at her chest. Hikari glowed brightly for a second, eyes closing and knees wobbling, before she straightened up with regal posture and stepped towards us, looking even more like a princess in her outrageous wedding dress than she had before. Her skin glowed with the same warmth as the light had, and she smiled for a quick moment before her lips settled in a hard line.

"It's time now, to share all we know," Hikari said, but the voice that came out was not her own. Summer's hand flew to her mouth, and Spring's eyes welled up. Winter got to her feet and took a hesitant step towards Hikari, pausing when she limped, and looked furious with her own failings. Michael cried out, stepping to Hikari, and he reached his hand out to Jenna who was staring at Hikari strangely, like she wasn't seeing Hikari at all.

And in that moment, I realized that none of them really were seeing Hikari.

"Is that...?" Jenna asked, looking to Michael quickly, so confused and yet so hopeful.

"Mom," Michael said, tears falling down his face. "That's Mom, Jenna. I told you that you looked like her."

"I do, don't I?" Jenna said, allowing her own tears to fall, as she reached for her brother. Hikari, though I supposed she was Autumn temporarily, smiled warmly at her children and held her fingers to her lips before holding them out to her kids. They smiled and laughed and cried all at the same time. And I couldn't help but feel the emotions as they did. This was a momentous moment for them. They got to see their mother again, after she'd died.

"Autumn?" Taichi asked, hesitantly. "Hikari thought maybe you took control of her once, long ago..."

"Yes," Autumn said, through Hikari's mouth. "She was open to me, and I was very grateful. It was information you needed to know. And now, once again, I needed to borrow her. There is much you do not know about my mother. There is much you need to know, to understand her, and to understand my sisters and our role in all of this. The time has come to share that with you. You are ready now, to know. Michael, I am sorry for forbidding my sisters from speaking of me. I didn't mean for it to hurt you. I wanted to keep you safe. I can see now that it was impossible. I couldn't see that then, which is quite a feat in itself."

"I don't understand," Michael admitted.

"You will, sweetheart," Autumn assured him. She looked to Spring, and nodded to her. Spring smiled and waved her hand, causing four trees to shoot from the ground. They grew crooked at first, and then sideways, providing a perfect seat, before they grew up towards the sky, high above the courtyard's walls. Autumn sat in the lively tree at the end of the row, and the moment she did, the leaves turned, changed from the warm greens into oranges, yellows and reds. A few fell and scattered at her feet. Summer sat next to Autumn, and the tree grew round, red apples. Then Spring sat, beside Summer, and blossoms sprung into being, while the leaves grew smaller. They became the fresh leaves of spring, tiny buds and small leaves. Winter sat last, looking relieved to be off of her feet, yet still sitting straight and regal. The leaves shriveled and fell to the ground. The bark grew cold and dark, while frost spread from Winter's body to coat each branch and twig.

"I must move quickly. I do not wish to overstay my welcome," Autumn said, glancing to Michael with longing, through Hikari's eyes, which was actually pretty strange to see, but I knew he was actually seeing his mother, and that it wasn't strange at all for him.

"You won't hurt her, will you?" Kiyoko asked quietly, looking anxious on Hikari's behalf. He knew what it was to be possessed. Kurayami looked worried as well, after her long imprisonment as Fanglongmon's puppet. But Autumn was quick to assure their worries were unneeded.

"I am not my father," Autumn said firmly. "Hikari will feel no traces of my presence when this is over. There will be nothing to harm her."

"Good," Mari said, shivering. Miyako reached towards her, rubbing her arm—her _scars_ —while doing so. Sigma had affected a great number of us, and so had Fanglongmon, really. Ken looked uneasy, and I didn't feel all that great either. But it was Kurayami I was most worried about. She looked very relieved to see that Autumn was a kinder possessor, but really, there was no reason to feel any differently. Why would Michael's mother knowingly hurt one of us? It just didn't make sense. There was nothing to fear.

"Can you tell us about Gaia?" I asked, prompting her. She looked to me.

"This story starts long ago," she warned, but I nodded encouragingly. She seemed to understand that she needed to tell the story though and that she did not have much time, so she jumped right in. "Gaia had a sister, once. Her sister ruled over half of Pangaea, while Gaia ruled the remaining half. They were not sisters, the way my sister and I are. They were created, rather than born. They had no parents. They simply were. There was no bond, and without that bond Gaia grew corrupt. She grew jealous of her sister's land, and wanted it for herself. Gaia was selfish and power hungry, and wouldn't stand to have only _half_ of the land when its entirety was within reach. There was no death in those days, and so it was beyond her knowledge to kill her. But she did have a friend...no...an _acquaintance_ whose natural magic allowed for her to steal her sister's heart, leaving her body nothing but a shell."

"Morganna," Jenna guessed.

"Yes," Autumn said, smiling to her daughter. "Morganna can steal a heart and leave its owner sentient, or she can steal all the vitality along with it. Gaia's sister was nothing without her heart, because Gaia wished it to be so. Gaia could not keep the heart, for it could be discovered and she cared not for a trophy of her victory. She took the heart, and she broke it in two. Her guilt inspired her to plant those halves, one on each side of their land, which Gaia now claimed entirely for herself. She ignored the heart piece she'd planted on what was once her sister's side of the kingdom, not bothering herself with it, as the travel was tedious. But the piece she'd planted on her side, she nurtured and cared for diligently and dutifully.

"That heart grew into a boy, and one day a man. This man became Yggdrasil. The second seed was filled only with darkness and negative energy. She knew though that it needed to be planted, for she understood the need for balance. She knew if she planted the positive energy, the negative would need growth as well, though she was not foolish enough to nurture the seed.

"Sigma was the first baby, but he was not born, per se. He was torn from Yggdrasil, and was left to Morganna and Merlin to be raised, as Yggdrasil could not. Morganna informed Gaia of his creation, and she was intrigued. She wanted to know more of him, to understand.

"Since Yggdrasil's first child was born out of his loyalty, he lost that loyalty. He gave it to his son and Gaia took advantage of this, asking that Yggdrasil end the wars that his son created. Gaia suggested that he take the wild magic away, as it was fueling the flames of the war. The war was built entirely upon Sigma's loyalty to his country. He knew nothing else. He was, above all, loyal because that was all he was created from. Yggdrasil accepted her council, and when her plan worked, Yggdrasil agreed that she could marry his son. She did.

"Sigma was impressed by Gaia, and he immediately fell in love. The nation, however felt differently. Sigma's loyalty had spread from his land to include Gaia as well, and he would never be swayed, but Gaia had no ties to their land, and the people were uneasy about her being in charge. She made her rounds though, and any subject that met her, fell in love just as easily as Sigma had. They simply could not accept her as their queen, and she could not accept that she did not hold the power of a second kingdom. She wanted to be rooted to the history of the world, and she felt at that time that she could be tossed aside far too easily. She asked Yggdrasil and Theta to grant her the power of birth. They accepted her proposal."

"And then winter came," Winter interrupted.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** A cold chill sets in the air as Michael finally gets his wish. He's about to learn more than he ever could have hoped about his family tree, and it's not the happiest of tales.


	54. Seasons Of Love

**Y/N:** I'd gotten a chance to write as Summer once before, in one of the Alias III one-shots, because Kiyoko was far too young to narrate it himself, but this was a whole new ballgame. We knew nothing about Summer back then, and now she's a fully fleshed out character, and I also got a go at writing as Spring this time around as well. She too has come a long way from when Daisuke met her in _his_ one-shot. I hope you like them, and enjoy exploring both their minds and their story.

 **U/N:** Hardest chapter to write ever. Oh my god. We separated the fairies in the way that felt the most natural, so of course I got the bitter stick in the mud and the one we've never explored before. It was still fun though in a way. It was a world building exercise, and while we knew a lot about the fairies and their religions and lore and even the way their powers and weapons work, you didn't. And now you do! Well, you know part of it!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 54: Seasons of Love**

 _ **Winter Drasil:**_

My birth brought cold air through the kingdom of Sidhendor for I had been born of wicked intent. My mother had used my birth to fight a war because she was too cowardly to fight on her own. But she was intelligent and creative. She and her lover, Maugrim, had conceived the idea of birth and had manipulated Theta into granting her child power that would be used to fight their wars.

I was born with cold skin and an even colder heart. Or perhaps I had grown that way due to the less than conventional way of my upbringing.

My mother had cast me aside at birth, unwilling to care for something that craved attention and love. She had no time for this, and she spent her days ruling her kingdom and forcing her way into the lives of her subjects in order to manipulate them to doing her bidding. Instead I had been raised by a different woman, one my mother trusted well because she was always on her side. It was Morganna.

I spent many years in Morganna's wing of the castle. She of course was devastated that my mother chose to decorate it in honour of me. I found it to be rather pleasant because it was the only proof I had that my mother loved me or even knew that I existed. Unfortunately I later discovered that she had been accused of being unkind and uncaring toward her daughter, by Theta of course, and so she did what she could to prove her wrong. It still pleased me to know that the castle was made with me in mind.

Morganna taught me everything she knew about her own magic, and taught me courage and what it was to be unafraid of things that most would be frightened of. Morganna showed me how she manipulated the heart of an individual by ripping the heart from a deer. The deer fell quickly to insanity and its mind became twisted, so when she returned the heart the animal could never be the same. Morganna found this to be enjoyable to watch, and I found it to be disgusting. She never stopped though, and I grew accustomed to her ruthlessness. She taught me her own powers because she did not know how to teach me my own, and I was thankful that I was left to experiment on my own accord because I did not want to harm the animals of the kingdom in order to learn.

When I closed my eyes at night I could see through the eyes of others, and I often enjoyed looking through the eyes of my mother who I had never seen in person, at least not up close. I watched as she paced the halls, or looked down to her kingdom, and I could feel traces of her joy that the kingdom was hers, but never the true emotion. I was enamored by this feeling because I had never experienced something quite like it. Never had I felt a joy as pure and truthful as the one my mother felt when she looked to her subjects in the nighttime. Looking through her eyes was the most enjoyable parts of my day, and the way she looked upon the snowy landscape filled me with my own form of excitement.

Looking through the eyes of the others in the palace was not my only gift. Theta had granted me the power of war. That was what the castle said anyway. The word was spread wide and fast, and while I did not believe that the woman I had read about—Theta—would give me such a violent ability, I slowly found myself to believe the words I had heard and began experimenting.

Before long, Morganna had discovered my secret and she was thrilled to be part of something so cruel. I hated her for that, but I loved her because she was all I knew. When nights grew too long she would be with me, stroking my hair while I slept to comfort me. I never knew how Morganna truly felt for me, but I had hoped she cared for me. If she did not, then no one ever would, and I would be completely alone. I longed for more, but I had Morganna, and for me that would have to be enough.

It was as she was stroking my hair one night, calming me from my dreams that I grew skeptical though. "Winter, dear," Morganna said softly into my ear. I could see nothing in my room for it was one of the long nights where the moon was wiped away by the darkness. "Your dreams are nothing but weakness. Your fear has been fabricated into something more and you mustn't allow yourself to feel afraid."

"I can't help when I'm afraid," I tried to explain, letting my eyes scan through the darkness in case someone was waiting there for me.

"You can," Morganna said coolly, "You can stop being afraid if _you_ are what others fear."

"Do you fear me?" I asked her warily.

"Of course not, my Dear," Morganna scoffed. "You are nothing to be afraid of. Not yet, at least." There was a long silence where I was left to wonder what she meant. Could I possibly become as frightening as Morganna? That was what she wanted of me, yes? She wanted me to become more like her so that those around me would not dare lay a finger on me. She wanted me to be strong like her, and to do that I had to frighten others. I had to _be_ the demons waiting in the darkness, and not _fear_ them. "One day you'll be like me."

I was skeptical because Morganna did not love herself. If she wanted me to be like her, surely she could not also love _me_. I often found Morganna's eyes filled with tears when she thought I was unable to see her. She would never know because I was nowhere to be found. Under the cozy covers of my bed with my eyes shut, I would watch Morganna cry by herself, longing for something she could never have. I never thought I would discover what it was that she wanted so badly, because she never would talk about it. She would never talk about herself at all.

If I were to ask, she would simply say, "Have you been practicing your powers, my dear?" and turn the conversation to me. She wanted me to grow strong and big because she, like everyone else, wanted me to fight the war that they could not win. I knew nothing of the war, and so I thought I might finally use my power for good.

On the night of the council meeting I excused myself from the dinner the servants prepared for me, where I would eat alone, like each other council night, and I crept into my room once again where I closed my eyes and watched through the eyes of my mentor, Morganna.

The council room was vast and beautiful, far more detailed than any other room in the palace. I had never seen the room, nor did I know where it was. I knew only that it lay in my mother and father's section of the castle and I was not permitted to ever set foot in their corridors. Morganna, who was used to the room, took no time examining the beautiful columns or the low hanging violet tapestries, and instead turned to the round golden table where the rest of the council members sat. My heart fluttered at the sight of my father. Very seldom would I ever see him, even looking through my mother's eyes. He was reclusive and hid away from others, running the kingdom in his own ways.

When I had gotten over the sight of my father it appeared that Morganna had not. I still felt distant traces of excitement and longing. I finally found the attachments. I knew that Morganna's longing had always been for my father. She wanted _him_. He would never want _her_.

Father stood and, like the powerful man he was, commanded attention with a single look. The council—composed of a friendly man who was rather portly, a man with a long graying beard, Morganna and a woman I had never met before—all turned to my father and he began to speak.

"The war is nearing its peak," he said sharply, and at the sound of his voice Morganna's heart picked up speed. "We have no weapons to fight against the army of Witchenly, and Pangaea is useless."

"That is untrue," the woman I did not recognize said quickly with the softest and kindest voice I had ever heard. "Pangaea is true, just and powerful. Perhaps you are using them incorrectly."

"If you had it your way," Father snapped harshly, and the sound of his voice startled me with the immense contrast between it and the woman's, "we would not be fighting at all, Mother." My own heart fluttered in a much different way than it had at the sight of my father. This was my _grandmother_! Theta was a part of the council, and while I had never been told as such, it did make sense, though I wondered why my mother was uninvited. Theta was beautiful, and clean. She looked as though she belonged in the wilderness as a queen of the peaceful nation. I knew she lived in Neverland, but I had never left our castle, and I would never know of the land that sought only peace.

Theta nodded her head. "War is _meaningless_ , son," she said softly. "Please reconsider. It is not too late to pull your forces out of their borders."

Father snarled at Theta. "We are being threatened by _their_ forces, Mother." Theta did not seem to believe him, and his fists were immediately slamming down onto the table in front of him. The portly man who sat next to him jumped, startled. "Witchenly is attempting to overthrow our government. Gaia told me so, she has a spy inside their walls." Theta pursed her lips, but said nothing more, allowing her son to continue. I knew then that she was afraid of him turning on her. She loved him so, and would never speak down upon his wife because she was afraid a time would come to pick between the two and he would not pick her. I felt for her, but I did not know her.

"The digimon are peaceful by nature," the portly man said softly.

"Are you questioning my _wife_ , Aesop?" Father smashed his hands against the table again.

"Not at all," Aesop said without fear. "I simply wonder what happened to shift their intent. Perhaps something darker than we realize is afoot."

"Surely not," Merlin said, shaking his head, "Theta would know if anything had gone amiss." All eyes turned to Theta once more.

"I know of nothing," she said. But she was lying. I knew she was lying, and I knew something dark was out there. If only I knew what it was. "If you must fight the digimon," Theta added, "Please reconsider your attack on Neverland. They have laid down their weapons. My land wants only peace, and to have nothing to do with your wars." Father rolled his eyes at her. "Witchenly came to our borders in Neverland to ask for our assistance—"

"You _traitor_!" Father screamed.

Theta held her hand up sharply, "Silence," she scolded her son, "We told them _no_ , just as we told _you_. We have removed ourselves from the war indefinitely."

"If that's true," Father said, lost in thought for a moment, "Then our troops could focus entirely upon Witchenly. We could capture them all and keep them concealed."

"But then what do we do with their land?" Morganna asked. She startled me, and I pulled away from her eyes, thinking I had been spotted, but when I realized it had only been Morganna I quickly resumed my post, watching through her. My heart stopped dead at the sight of Father staring directly into Morganna's eyes. The way she enjoyed the look was disturbing to me, but it had been the first time I had truly seen his eyes. They were wild and filled with many things, and I could not stop staring.

"We do _nothing_ with their land," Father explained. "I do not want their kingdom. I want my own. And we will work together to rid the world of any that stand in the way of me ruling my home."

"They are not in the way of you ruling," Theta tried to explain, but Father was not listening. "Sigma," she said, "Darling, you cannot simply remove them from existence. We do not function as such. We work only in life and peace."

"The vile creatures that inhabit Witchenly are not seeking _peace_ , Mother," Father was angry now. "Those creatures— _Digimon_ —they want only destruction. Pangaea fears them, and we loathe them. No heart in the kingdom holds a place for these monsters, and they are not living in _peace_ if they want my land." He thought for a moment. "If we cannot rid the world of them, we shall enslave them. We will give them to the land of Pangaea and they will conquer their fears. They will look down upon the creatures and use them as slaves."

"To prepare Pangaea for any future wars," Morganna said, nodding her head, "They will grow as warriors and their hearts will toughen. Their hatred will guide them." Father looked to Morganna and smiled. She knew how he thought, and he loved that about her. The council did not last much longer, but when it had ended, Morganna stayed put. Father was confused, and when he asked her why she had stayed, she responded with a simple, "Gaia would never know."

Father's face grew furious and rage poured from his skin, seeping through the air, "Morganna, I told you _no_. I love my wife. We are faithful to one another. What good would it do to fight against the traits my mother holds dear. You know as well as I that breaking them might cause an imbalance."

I felt the pain in her heart like a dagger through the chest. "But I _love_ you," Morganna said as tears poured from her eyes. "I have done _everything_ you've asked of me! I have raised your daughter!"

"She is not my daughter," Father said, which made _me_ hurt, just like Morganna. "I wanted no children. My kingdom is fine without her, and she is worthless. She has not helped our war."

"The enslave _her_!" Morganna cried out, clutching her chest. I saw wisps of her beautiful dark hair fall across her face as she lunged forward. "If you do not want her, then do not force me to care for her! She is everything against what I stand for. I stand for you and I, Sigma. I love you, and Gaia is not a part of my perfect world! Rid of her _and_ the girl! I care for neither! She is _useless_ —"

" _Enough_!"

I pulled myself out of Morganna's eyes and felt tears form in my own. I could not believe what I was hearing. I was unloved by the only person I had ever known. I was nothing if not loved.

It was that night that I stormed out of my bed chambers and ran through the halls, crying. I was not allowed out of bed this late at night, but no one was going to stop me. I flung myself around the corners, running in my bare feet until I found the courtyard. I leapt through the doorway and landed harshly on the cold hard ground. The earth was tight and rough under the layer of snow. I had heard tell that the world once was green, but upon my birth the snow had fallen and stayed.

That meant it was my fault.

I balled my fists up and slammed them into the ground, not flinching at the pain. I was unloved. I needed to prove I was of great value. I had to prove I could do as was intended. I could end the war. I stood shakily in the cool night breeze and caught sight of a small rabbit hopping through the snow, foraging for food.

I narrowed my sights and let the sadness and anger escape my body. With a flick of my wrist I had shot cold air streaming directly toward the creature. I felt guilty immediately, but thankfully the creature had seen me coming and had darted away, letting the energy hit the wall of the courtyard. I watched in awe as my power spread a thin layer of ice across the entire wall. I shot again, this time to the ground and was amazed to find the snow was flattening and hardening until it too had become ice.

I ignored the bitter feeling in my feet as the cold nipped away at them and began to slide around on the surface. I had created ice. I had created this winter. I had used my power!

"That was very impressive," I turned quickly to see Maugrim. He was my father's best guard, and I had only ever seen him from afar. It was not hard to recognize him though. His jaw was square and his shoulders were wide. He was the embodiment of strength really. He was standing in the doorway I had come through and had his massive arms crossed over his chest.

"Thank you," I said politely, feeling rather embarrassed about having been seen. I was not supposed to be out and he was a tough man. I did not want to be punished.

"Can you do it again?" he asked. I didn't know, so I tested it out. I shot another blast off toward the wall but it dissipated before it got there. "That was not good," he told me. He was right of course. "You should get to bed before someone else sees you."

I nodded, and rushed off, thanking him on my way past. Perhaps he could be the person in the world who cared for me. Perhaps he would not hate me like the others.

I was wrong of course. The next morning I had been woken early by Maugrim himself. He had cleared my new routine schedule with my mother and father and now Morganna was not needed in my life. I missed her every day, but Maugrim was just as good. He hated me as much as Morganna did, but he did not hide it. I appreciated that from him.

Maugrim's schedule consisted mostly of teaching me to use my power more successfully, and when it did not work, he instilled me with fear or rage so that I could channel that into my performance. He seemed proud whenever I could freeze something, and when I could not, he would use a weapon he had that made me feel numb. I hated it, and so I worked harder to do better. It became harder and harder to do because every time I failed he would increase the voltage of his weapon. "I have ten notches," he told me simply, "for every time you do well, I will turn it down, and for every time you fail, it will go back up."

I had never gone above a three, and it hurt _a lot_. Maugrim was bitter and rash, and when he was not in my presence, forcing me to use my powers as aggressively as I could, he would leave to run his army, sending information across to his troops that were in the far away land of Witchenly. When he left he would advise me to read the books he left behind. They told of Witchenly's cruelty. The citizens of the country were vile and ruthless. They had only hate and destruction on their mind. Where Morganna was teaching me to fear _nothing_ , Maugrim chose to teach me to fear the digimon. They were bad. We were good.

One day I heard a beautiful voice outside my bedroom and I could not help but to listen. The woman seemed so sweet and kind and her voice worked its way through my veins, leaving only happiness in its wake. When the door finally opened I turned to see who was coming in. It was Maugrim, but he was not alone today. He looked to the book in my lap, pleased that I was reading as he had requested, and soon a familiar woman came through the door too.

"Mother?" I asked, in shock. She smiled to me and I cast my book aside and rushed to her side.

"Do not touch me, Child," she warned. I stopped in my tracks, but had learned to not feel hurt by words of hatred. I nodded briskly and turned to Maugrim who had obviously come for more training. He did not speak though, Mother did. "Child," she said to me in her angelic voice, "We have pulled our troops from Witchenly."

"The war is over?" I asked, feeling hopeful but not particularly optimistic.

Mother shook her head, "No," she told me, "but it will be. Time has come for you to use your powers to aid our cause. You can finish the war _now_ if you so choose."

I shook my head, "I-I'm not ready!"

"You will be," Mother assured me. Her smile seemed so sweet and as I stared back to her I found myself unable to withhold my own smile.

It did not last long.

A moment later I was screaming with pain. My vision was turning dark and I could not breathe. The pain was starting in my side and spreading through my whole body like a wave. It felt as though the pain would never end, like all I had ever known was this feeling. Then, all at once, it had vanished and I'd fallen to the floor, gasping desperately for breath.

I reached to the others, begging for help, but I saw the black device in Maugrim's hand. _He_ had caused me pain. The device was set to _ten_. When I resumed staring into Maugrim's cold eyes he smiled. "If you do not freeze Witchenly _now_ , I will hit you with this again."

I staggered backward, "P-p-please! N-no!" Maugrim jabbed forward with the device and I rolled aside to avoid him. He was pointing to the window and I nodded, tears streaming down my face. I rushed to the window with him following along. He was _happy_ about the pain he caused me. He always had been. With one quick look to my mother I saw that she was urging Maugrim on with her eyes. She wanted this too. No one was on my side.

So I would have to convert to theirs if I wanted to not be alone.

I turned out the window and saw the peaceful day as snow fell in clumps of flakes that lightly dusted the surface of the world. I prepared my hands and tried to channel the anger and pain I had been caused. I tried to picture all that Witchenly had done wrong and soon the tips of my fingers were glowing a soft blue. I felt triumphant and I cast the spell out into the world, but the ice hit a nearby tower and dissipated.

"Again," Maugrim snapped, jabbing me in the side with his device. I screamed, backing away, and using the window for support. He pulled away and I turned to the window. I had to try harder. I cast my spell again, this time the tower was partially covered in a thin layer of ice. "Again," Maugrim ordered. He jabbed me once more with his weapon and I felt the tears cascading down my face. I thrust my magic out the window and the entire tower became a pillar of ice. " _Again_!" Maugrim came at me once more, but I couldn't take it and I backed away.

"Stop this," Mother insisted. I turned to her and saw something in her eyes. Was she sad? Sad that this was not working, or sad that I was in pain? Maugrim seized his opportunity and hit me again. I was sobbing as I threw my hands out the window again, flexing every muscle in my body. I felt a weak surge of energy fly once again to the same tower, cracking the ice I had buried it in. Maugrim stabbed forward, but Mother had stopped him. " _Stop_!"

Then, he turned the device on her and all at once she began to scream. Her knees buckled underneath her as her eyes rolled back into her head. "Do it now, or I won't ever stop."

I looked to my mother and felt love blossoming and growing. I had to protect her! I turned to the window and prepared myself, using the sounds of her pain filled screams to channel my power. Slowly my entire body lit up, glowing softly with the blue energy and I found myself enjoying the feeling. It was cool and powerful and the way it flowed through my body was exhilarating. The power was growing though, and soon I could not control it. I had to rid myself of the energy. I let out a shriek as the pain sliced through me. It was far worse than what Maugrim had done to me, but it left much quicker. I watched as a deep rumble filled the air.

The energy I cast aside whisked through the air all around like a wave of pure destruction. Ice and snow was left in its wake, and it did not stop at the tower. The wave of energy only picked up speed as it went along and I watched in both horror and amazement as my power froze the land.

I turned to Maugrim and he was staring out the window in shock, but when I checked my mother I found my eyes stuck on the device Maugrim kept in his thick, strong hands. It was set at _one_. Mother was never in any real pain. She had tricked me into thinking she cared for me, when their plan all along was to use my feelings against me.

"Good," Maugrim said when he caught my eye. He was leaving the room a moment later with Mother playing up her injury by using him as a guide. Maugrim stopped in the doorway and looked back, "Do not cry. Crying is weakness."

And as he left I wiped my eyes. That was the last day I had ever cried. That was not to say that my time following that event was not rough and troubling. I was pained by the news that the world had fully frozen over. Witchenly was no more. _I_ had done that, and while I did not know if anyone knew of this, I knew what I had done. I was a monster, just as Morganna wanted me to be.

Merely a week later, after spending all of my time alone aside from the maiden that made my bed and warmed it with hot stones I decided it was time to know what was going to become of me now that I had fulfilled my purpose. Was I to be given _another_ duty? Or was I officially worthless now?

I closed my eyes and located Maugrim, seeking through his eyes. I saw my mother, and I felt a feeling that I recognized. The way Morganna felt for my father, Maugrim felt for her. The two were hidden away in the snowy gardens outside, and she planted a kiss upon his cheek.

I quickly pulled from his eyes, afraid for what I had seen. My father's best soldier—his _friend_ —was betraying him by treating the queen as his own lover. If Father ever found out, then he would never forgive either. Love was worthless, I learned that day. Morganna loved Sigma and he despised her. Sigma loved his _wife_ who had betrayed him, and his friend did the same. Love was nothing but hurt and I did not have room in my life for anymore hurt or pain.

I forced Maugrim and my Mother from my mind, realizing there was nothing I needed from the two of them and found my Father's cruel eyes to gaze through. He was speaking to Morganna, and for a moment I had thought that perhaps they would be betraying my mother as well, but it was not the case. Father was speaking to Morganna in a quiet voice. "The girl needs protection now."

"I do not care," Morganna said in a voice that was just as soft. "Sigma, I told you before, I do not care for her."

"Maugrim refuses to protect her any further," Father said, gently patting Morganna's back. "He has used her for what he needed and now she is alone. He does not have time, for he is protecting my wife. We both agreed that she needed more watch. She is the _Queen_. You must resume your post, watching over Winter. You watched me well when I was young and I know you will do the same for her." Morganna seemed unsure. "With Witchenly gone I must try to resurrect Sidhendor to what it once was. I do not have time to raise the girl. Raise her for _me_."

Morganna was contemplating for a moment, and then finally nodded her head. "You owe me."

I pulled away then, disgusted once more by what I saw. They had been handing me off like a nuisance. I was nothing more than a bother, something they needed to take care of that was getting in the way of their duties. With that in mind, I allowed Morganna to act as though she cared. When she came back to me, claiming that she had been told to stay away for a while, I knew better. When she stroked my hair and whispered stories to me in the night, I knew she was thinking of how to get rid of me. When she helped me practice my spells I could see hatred in her eyes, and I imagined her wanting my powers to backfire. None of this mattered, because I knew better. I was a step ahead, and always would be.

And some days I could see Morganna glaring at my mother and feeling hatred, and others I could see her staring not to my father, but to his _crown_. She wanted revenge and she wanted the power. I would do everything I could to ensure that Morganna was never crowned the ruler of this land.

In days when I was not lost in other's eyes I was brought by Maugrim into a dark room where he would use his weapon to force me into melting the ice. It did not take long for him to learn that it was not something I was capable of, and so the torturing stopped soon after.

In any case, spending my days vicariously through others eyes grew tiring, but proved to be intriguing in the end for one day I had heard the news. "Sigma," Mother said softly, "the war is won, and you wish for the ice to melt."

"As I have said, yes," Father nodded. "Must we find a way to rid the world of Winter for the ice to melt along with her?"

"I do not think it will be necessary," Mother told him. Father looked up, intrigued. "Spring will come soon."

 _ **Spring Drasil:**_

When mother realized that the snow could not melt on its own—and all the magic in the kingdom was useless against it—she went to Yggdrasil once more. She begged and pleaded, saying that in order to truly reach peace, we must be rid of the snow. She played on his tender heartedness that he reserved only for his grandchild, and assured him that the kingdom was set to rise against Winter, and that surely he wanted to save her, _for Sigma_. Yggdrasil felt deeply for his family, and as such, he agreed to grant her wish. He and Theta—though she did not feel at ease by the idea—gave mother a second child.

I was born soon after, and spring had finally come. My birth brought new life to the world as a whole. The storms stopped flying, the sun shone, but the snow and the ice remained. The people rejoiced at this small fortune, and were quite busy with their own children, for the gift my birth gave to the land was life itself, while Winter had brought war and destruction.

Life in the kingdom was thriving, though I had never had the chance to see it. I lived in a wing of the castle built entirely for me, and it was rare for me to see anyone other than my mentor: Aesop. He was a kind, round man, who was jolly and showered me with love and affection. I could think of no one better, and for a long time I remained unaware that I even possessed a mother or father. I thought Aesop was the only person, other than the servants in the whole wide world.

He played games with me, and let me be a child. He revelled in the idea of having a child to care for, and often told me stories of his past, and how he met his own son Maugrim. I was shocked to find that Maugrim wasn't _born_ to him. I was flabbergasted when I found that birth existed for the populace only after I came into the world. My father, was the first baby, and my sister was the first birth. But my birth was special in stronger ways, according to Aesop. I had a good childhood with him, but it wasn't until I was being taught to be a proper lady—with all the sewing and the polite talk and proper posture, which did not interest me in the slightest—that I learned I even had a sister.

I heard the whispers from the maids as they tried to force me into proper lady's attire. They were whispering about the princess, which I thought was quite rude, since I was right in front of them. I told them so, and they flushed, embarrassed, but were quick to correct me. They weren't talking of me, they were speaking of the _other_ princess.

After that moment, I lived for nothing more than finding my sister. And find her I did. Disregarding Aesop's boundaries, I followed the hallways deep into the castle, finding a second wing decorated with snow and ice. This, I knew, was for my sister. This was her fortress of solitude, where she was taught endlessly by another member of my father's council. I wondered if her mentor was as kind and joyful as my own, but I assumed she was, since I didn't know anything other than kindness.

The halls were icy cold, and bitterly bit at my bare toes. I hopped along quickly, trying to preserve my ten round appendages, and hurriedly looked through any door I passed, trying to locate someone that I was _sure_ I would recognize on sight, though I'd never seen her before.

Winter was throwing spells at snowmen when I found her. She whirled around and nearly froze me too, but stopped herself just in time. She stared at me a long time, and I raced to her, burying my face against her and hugging her tightly, all while doing a little dance to save my toes.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded in a cold voice. I was rather shocked by the acidity of it. I'd never heard such ascorbic words in my life. Aesop had always been gentle with me. Winter resented me, and I did not know why. I couldn't understand how she could despise me, despite not having ever met me. And I declared that I would do everything in my power to get her affections—for I knew nothing else.

I came to her each day when the sun reached its highest peak and I would use the nurturing magic that was coursing through my veins to grow pretty flower arrangements for her, to decorate the gloomy home she'd made for herself. She wasn't as appreciative as I thought she ought to be, but I still had heart. I knew that if I tried hard enough, she would grow to care for me, just as the vines I planted grew over the walls of her sanctuary. When the sun didn't shine through the clouds, and the cold grew too unbearable for me, I would build a fire in the corner of her training grounds and I would grow fresh vegetables with my magic and make soup for us to share, so we could stay warm and toasty inside. When the sun did shine over our heads, I would make salads with leafy greens and berries and nuts, all picked from plants I'd grown. Each day, I would come back to find that the ice had wilted the plants of the previous day, and my heart ached at the sight of such unnecessary destruction.

Winter was especially mean some days, and wouldn't look at me. Offering good food on these days was ill advised, because she would not even look at me. Once though, I was very cold while watching her practice, and thought to make some soup anyway. But blue magic flew into the centre of my fire, and froze the very flames mid-dance.

"Leave, now," Winter ordered with crisp, clear diction. I pouted, knowing that for Aesop, that was enough to sway his decision. It was not so with Winter. She pointed to the exit, and when I did not move quickly enough, she threw her blue magic at me, nearly freezing my poor toes to the stone floor. I raced away, afraid that she would throw more ice my way.

She was so mean, and unfair, and my feelings were deeply hurt. She did not appreciate my nurturing tendencies, and would not accept my unfaltering love. I couldn't understand it, nor could I bear it. I needed Aesop. I needed to speak with him, so that I could understand. The pain in my chest at being so vehemently disliked by my only sister was so intense for me. I could barely breathe for the strength of it. I needed Aesop _now_ —but he was attending the council, and I was not to be present at those. I was unwanted there, due to my unintelligence and my general lack of involvement outside of the castle. That was what Aesop told me.

He lied—though he did it to protect me, I'm sure.

I raced along quickly through the halls, trying to find the right door. I did find it. But I did not go inside. The voices coming from the room were louder than I'd ever heard, and far more frightening than even Winter when she was in her foulest of moods.

"How dare you allow her to grant life to the nations when it was not her gift to give?"

"Mother," a man called firmly. "It was not my choice. I was unaware that she was planning to do so. I didn't even want _one_ child; I have no use for two!"

This man could only be my father. He was the only one that had a child that granted life to the nations, after all. It hurt sharply that this woman thought I was a nuisance, and father had no use for me. I had thought he was simply quite busy, and had given me to Aesop for protection and nurturing. I was wrong. Aesop had lied about that as well.

"She's taking this too far," the first person said, a woman whose voice was soft, even in her anger. "She did not ask for mine or my husband's consent for this gift. She is messing with powers that are not for her to wield."

"I am confused about how your gifts come about," another woman asked, this one sounded colder, less gentle hearted. I was tempted to peek through the door, but I knew that I could not alert them of my presence. I did not want them to turn their ire towards me. I was still deeply pained by the words of my sister, and now the words of my father as well. I would not be able to hold up against the entire council yelling at me.

"Yggdrasil and I are able to take traits and imprints of Gaia and Sigma's very being, and mix those ingredients together, which we then used to impregnate Gaia. Gaia, then, allows the baby to take shape, and she gifts it with powers. She was granted this decision, because we wanted the births to be blessed. She gave Winter two gifts, clairvoyance and ice, while only granting ice to the nations. She was given the option which to share with the world while Winter was gestating within her body. And with Spring, she again gave two gifts, life and empathy, but she gave _both_ to the world, when she was not meant to," the woman, my grandmother, I suppose, explained. "Both traits are beautiful, but she has not kept the balance as it should be kept. I worry what will happen to the world."

"I love her, Mother," my father said. I knew he spoke of my mother, but I closed my eyes, and pretended he meant me anyway. "She may not have told me of her plans, but I support them. She has made the people happy. They were going to cause an uprising if something was not done about the endless winter the first child brought with her. The birth distracts them from their anguish and anger, while the empathy allows for sympathy for the child. She could not choose one or the other. If you were in her position and it was _me_ on the chopping block, you would have done the same, Mother. It was to protect her child."

"The child she does not care for?" my grandmother asked, sounding rather skeptical.

"Gaia cares for her children, she loves them. She is kind and generous, and has the gentlest heart in the kingdom Mother," Father said with a snarl. "She is all that is good in this world, and I will be loyal to _her_ forever. Have care how you speak of her. Do not slander her name. I am hers completely, and _she_ will always have my trust."

"You would follow her to the ends of the world?" my grandmother asked hesitantly, as though he was choosing my mother over his own mother.

"Forever," Father assured her.

"Then it cannot be helped," my grandmother said sadly. "But remind her whose power she is dealing with. I will not take kindly if she repeats this mistake."

I left then, not wanting to hear anymore. I wanted Aesop to make me feel better, but instead, I learned that my father never wanted me, and that my grandmother thought of me as a mistake. My mother 'loved' me, but had never shown it—or even her face—and Winter despised my very being. It was not a good day for me.

Later, though I could not be sure how much later, I had my first visitor to my wing of the castle. I was still a young girl, still avoiding my propriety lessons because I could not find it in me to care about them. But I would never miss a lesson with Aesop, and it was during one of those lessons that my guest came.

"You must feel the life energy within each leaf, within each blade of grass," Aesop was telling me. He always told me the same thing. There was already little else he could teach me about the nature of my power, since he did not possess it himself.

"Tell me more about the flowers," I begged him, producing a patch of grass without prompting. He looked impressed by the grass and pretended not to have heard my pleas. I fell to my knees and unleashed the full potential of my eyes. A smile was tugging at the corner of his lips, but he was putting forth a valiant effort. He was toying with me. "Aesop...?"

"Okay," he relented. I cheered and danced in a circle, so excited. He scooped me up, mid dance, and put me on his lap. "A long time ago, before your sister was born, the entire world was covered with vegetation. It is gone now, buried beneath the snow, but I have hope yet that the snow will leave us, and the greens will push through the dirt once more."

"But what about the flowers?" I asked, eagerly.

"Oh, they were magnificent, my little flower," he said, losing himself into memories of times long past. "The colours were so bright, and the shapes they came in...they were all so beautiful. But it was more than just the look of them, Spring. They filled the air with such vivid fragrances. I have yet to find its equal. I miss the floral scents, Spring. I miss them. I miss the view of my garden, plump with vegetables. I miss the feeling of the dirt on my hands."

"Do you really think the snow will leave us?" I said, hesitantly.

"I must think that," Aesop said fervently. "If I do not, then I will lose hope. I cannot afford to do that, youngling. I need to keep hope for the future, for without hope, I have nothing. My entire life was dedicated to the growth and tending of plants. I grew my own food, and made my own way in life."

"But Winter made that go away," I said with a sigh.

"No," Aesop said, surprising me. "I needed to give up my way of life long before that. My son...he came here and I needed to watch over him."

"Was he little, like me?" I asked, curious.

"No," he said with a sad smile. "Only you, your sister and your father have ever been small, like you."

"Your son?" I asked, still confused.

"I took him in when he appeared, my dear, and I watched over him a long time before he was called in to join the army," Aesop told me. "And when he was accepted, I worried from afar, not enjoying the idea of my son fighting an endless war. But he thrived in it, and rose through the ranks. And when he joined your father, as his general, I knew that I could not stay away any longer. He needed guidance."

"Wow," I gasped. "He knows my father?"

"And your mother," Aesop said with a slight twitch of his lips. He didn't look pleased by it, but I didn't care. This was the most I had learned about my parents in a long time—other than the monumental discovery that they existed in the first place—and I gobbled up every word, committing it to memory.

"Do _you_ know my mother?" I asked. I didn't want to learn more about my father just yet, because I was still sore from the revelation that he didn't want me at all. But my mother was something that thrilled me still. I had never set eyes upon her. I didn't know what she looked like, or how her voice sounded. I wouldn't be able to pick her out of a crowd—I'd never even _seen_ a crowd. But I longed to know her. I dreamed about meeting her, but the dreams weren't enough. They were unfinished, and foggy. I had no knowledge that could fuel my fantasies.

"We've met," Aesop murmured, though he did not sound as happy as I would've expected. The maids always whispered happily about my mother. His distance and hesitance seemed strange to me. I needed to hear more. "She is kind and gentle with her people. But I do wish she would spend time with you and your sister."

"She's busy," I said, trying not to feel sad about it.

"But she has been blessed with two beautiful daughters that need their mother," he sighed. "But you might be just as well without her."

"What do you mean?" I asked, but he didn't have a chance to answer me. The door to my lesson room opened wide, slamming into the wall behind it. A large man was there, growling. He stormed over towards Aesop and I, and Aesop set me down quickly, just in time. The man grabbed Aesop by his collar and pulled him to his feet, shoving him back until he slammed into the wall. I raced after them, frightened for my mentor's safety.

"Speak to Theta, immediately," the man ordered Aesop. Aesop was confused. He didn't understand what was going on. I didn't either. I tugged on the man's pants, trying to pull him away from Aesop. He shook me off and I toppled to the floor, losing my balance.

"You leave him alone, Mister!" I told him in my best princess voice. "Let him down _this instant_."

"Theta," the man said, sneering her name, "has declared the war over. She's threatened to remove the ability of birth from the world if anyone was to disobey her orders. She's gone mad! Gaia gave the gift, and now she's threatening to remove it, all at the cost of the war!"

"It's my fault," I realized.

"No, Spring, it's not your fault," Aesop insisted. "You did not give the gift."

"You would blame the queen?" the man asked lowly. "That is treasonous talk."

"No," Aesop sighed. "I do not blame anyone."

"I could talk to Theta," I said, saying the name carefully. I didn't know the name, but I was sure I'd heard it somewhere. I placed this Theta as my grandmother based on her obvious dislike for the gift that mother had given at my birth. "I could tell her to blame _me_ instead of mother."

"You'll do no such thing," Aesop said firmly.

"But I could help," I insisted.

"Theta will not speak to, or have anything to do, with Sigma's children," the man said solemnly.

"Maugrim, don't scare the child," Aesop scolded. "It isn't because Theta does not like you. But it could be dangerous. She is unsure of the power your mother has given you, and she fears for the safety of the world, should she fall victim of them. But Maugrim, I don't think it is a bad thing that Theta is calling off the war."

"We need to EARN peace, not enforce it as law," Maugrim snarled. "By ordering peace into existence, she is ruining all that we have strived towards. She's imposing a false sense of safety to the people. We need to fight for peace, or else it is worthless."

"Maugrim," Aesop said slowly. "We will talk later, my son, but not now. I must finish with Spring's lessons. Do not act rashly. Keep your wits about you, and don't stew in your anger."

Maugrim left, but the lesson was not as fun as it had been before his arrival. It was a long while after that before I could forget his interruption and get on with my lessons. The snow never melted, the ice never faded. Life continued, cold always, and endlessly repetitive. The people grew restless. They found that infants took a long time to raise and could not bear the cold. My lessons continued regardless of the murmurings that filled the streets.

I continued to visit my sister, and was continually shunned. I left her warm foods, each time I left, and always had a kind word to say, hoping that some day, she might warm up to me. I was still quite young then, Winter was entering her teenage period of life, while I was still small.

Aesop kept a closer eye on me during that time, fearing that the people would riot and come after me, for the gift my birth had given them was no longer enough to placate them. It took some time for the mood to affect me. I remained oblivious a long while, but eventually, I grew restless at Aesop's confinement, no longer able to visit my sister, as Aesop refused to allow me my independence.

I snuck out, while he was reading over my penmanship, grimacing at my poor handwriting—poorer than usual, as I needed it for a distraction—and I raced through the halls, revelling in my freedom, singing and dancing and enjoying life. But I heard loud pleas that put a halt to my joy. I slowed and hid behind a pillar, peering into the courtyard where a beautiful woman was on her knees, crying at the feet of another woman. This woman was trying to hold her resolve, but she was wavering.

"The people revolt," the woman on the ground cried. Her long dark hair shimmered and fell around her while she rested on her knees in the ice and snow. "I fear for my children. Theta, I cannot keep the people happy unless the snow is gone."

"I cannot remove the snow," the other woman said. She was my grandmother, and she was glowing softly, dressed all in white. She was magnificent. "Gaia, it was your doing. The ruin of the land, the ice, the perpetual unhappiness, that was your doing."

"I know," Gaia—my mother!—cried. "I did not see the repercussions in time. I cannot fix this alone. I could if I had...no, but I cannot ask that of you. You've done enough."

"Ask me what?" Theta asked, curious.

"No," Gaia said. "I can't. You've granted me two children, and I've seen the mess I could make. I cannot ask for another."

"Do you really think a third child could refresh the land?" Theta asked softly.

"I went about it the wrong way with Spring. I thought granting life would also bring life back to the land, but I did not take into account the snow and ice. I thought life would be enough to be rid of it, but I was wrong. There is something that is necessary before that can happen," Gaia said. "To counter the cold, I must bring forth _heat_ not life."

"You're not wrong," Theta agreed.

"Would you let me repair the mistakes that I've made?" Gaia pleaded. "Would you allow me to save my people, all the people in the world, in the name of peace?"

"One last child," Theta decided, "only to bring the world full circle, and bring it back into the light."

"Thank you," Gaia said.

I left soon after, afraid that they would see me. I was confused. Mother didn't come to see me, and I knew she didn't see Winter either. She didn't have time for the children she _had_ , and while I knew she was the queen, and therefore had duties, I couldn't help but feel cheated. She was having a third child, and this child would fix what Winter's birth had caused, and what my birth refused to repair.

I had been a mistake, and I determined then and there that I would master my gifts and bring cheer to the people, so that no one would look down on me for my failings. I had failed my country, though I'd never been given a chance. I needed to rectify that, and I also needed to watch over my younger sibling, so that they would never feel isolated or lonely, as I had. I could do that much, and maybe, that would be enough.

Not long after that, another princess was announced, and Winter and I were called in to greet her. Gaia walked in with the child, after giving birth, still exhausted from the ordeal. She declared that this small, pale green infant was our sister, and she handed her aside, relishing in the power that this child was sure to bring to us.

I walked to Merlin, when Mother and Father and Maugrim had left, so that I might gaze upon my younger sister. I looked to him, and smiled. "Does she have a name?"

"I shall call her Summer," Merlin said, his eyes tight as he looked off after our parents. They hadn't stuck around long enough to even name my sister. She was meant to be the savior the world needed, and instead of nurturing her, they abandoned her, nameless with a council member. That was the true moment that my childlike admiration of my parents began to tarnish. The fears and hurt they'd caused me mattered little in the light of this.

 _ **Summer Drasil:**_

I grew in a time when my parents were renowned heroes for thawing the land and releasing everyone from the great ice age, though they had little to do with the warmth that came. I knew, from a very young age, that the light shone so brightly, so warmly because of my birth. I allowed my parents to take the credit though, for I never asked for glory. I was simply happy to be of assistance. Spring doted on me, hand and foot, and always encouraged me to voice my opinions and to share my inner thoughts. She taught me the love of a mother, though she was not much older than me, in the grand scheme of life. A fairy's growth was slower than you are used to, but it was all we'd ever known.

Merlin loved me as well, providing a father's touch, despite his lack of blood relation. It mattered little to me though, for I loved him back just as fiercely and deeply as I possibly could. I longed for nothing. The light kept me warm, my sister kept me entertained and taught me how to be a lady—though she never cared for the lessons herself. Between the two of them, my world was full. We did not need any servants or maids, as Spring liked to do as much work as she could on her own, and taught me to care for and feed myself as well. We washed our own clothes in the hot morning, and we picked our own vegetables and made our own meals. We lived on nothing but what we could provide for ourselves, and Merlin was with us every step of the way.

I needn't leave my wing of the castle, and rarely even bothered. The suns and dancing flames that lined the walls were beautiful, and the books that Merlin brought to me were enough to keep me entertained. I read about the history of our world, I read of the great separation when the wild magic was cast aside. I read stories of warriors and of love and magic. I travelled the worlds through the pages of those books, and I could not have been happier...except for the bitterness my eldest sister sent my way.

Winter did not care for me—in fact, she despised my very existence. It was not a secret. Merlin and Spring never cared to keep it from me. They assured me that it was not _me_ that was an issue, but I couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong with me. There was something about me that Winter inherently didn't like. I couldn't understand what it was, but I also could not speak to Winter to learn what it was. She would not speak to me at all. Each time we met—only a handful of times—she would curl her upper lip and turn away from me. She would ignore me, and talk to the others as though I wasn't there. She was not kind to them either, but she acknowledged them, which was more than I could boast.

But Merlin more than made up for Winter's dismissals. He was there even when Spring had lessons of her own and needed to leave. He was at my side as often as he could be, dedicating to me all the time he could spare. He loved to read with me, or have me read to him—when I had finally taught myself, too impatient to wait for him to keep reading to me. He taught me all he knew in a large variety of subjects. He was dedicated to knowledge, and he shared it with me eagerly. He taught me history, and geography. He taught without bias, wanting me to form my own opinions, which was often confusing at times, as I did not want to insult anyone with my words. But he reveled in this knowledge, and was thrilled whenever I exceeded his expectations, or studied without prompting.

I learned to live for those moments of excitement. I dedicated myself into prompting those excited outbursts, I did everything I could to please him, for he pleased me. He taught me and loved me, and it was the least I could do, after he'd given up his freedom to raise the child of another.

There was more than knowledge that pleased Merlin though. He encouraged me always to explore my gifts. I learned to control the raging fires within me, though I was too afraid to let them come loose. I'd heard from Merlin of my eldest sister's storms, and was afraid that perhaps I could burn as bright as the light from the sky, and would destroy everything this world held dear. But it wasn't the fire that caught his attention the most. It was my innate ability to weave memories that brought his excitement over the edge. He was always asking me questions about _how_ I did it. He would play games, trying to hide his thoughts, and I would need to dig through his memories to find them. He would hide presents, and they would be my reward if I could find the memory of him hiding them.

It was great fun, but it was also taxing.

Having the power of fire and of thought at my fingertips was daunting. I didn't like to feel like I had so much power. I could do anything I wanted, if I put my mind to it, but I refused to think like that. I refused to allow my mind to explore the options. I needed to be good. I only existed to bring an end to the ice and snow. I was not wanted for any other purpose, and unless my parents expressly asked me to do anything, I would not use my powers for any true reason. Games were different. They were fun, not dangerous.

I was afraid of the power I wielded.

Spring had told me early on of our grandmother's fears. We were never to meet her, and we could never speak to her. I longed to have that connection, but knew that she was frightened by the powers our mother had gifted upon us, and if _she_ was scared, I knew I had good reason to be.

Merlin kept me informed of the army's activities. They were not able to fight, for there was a peace treaty in place, put there by my grandmother. My father was placated, because the world was at peace, and those in Witchenly had been defeated by Winter's storm. But he was wary that now that the snow was gone, that the digimon would begin the fight anew, and that he would be unable to defend his land against them, for fear of betraying his mother's treaty.

That didn't stop him from exploring the once icy tundra that Witchenly had been reduced to. He sent Maugrim with the best of his army, in order to discover the digimon's intentions. They searched high and low to find any signs of life, and they found them. They found the digimon. Their kingdom wasn't all lost. There were eleven Olympians who ruled the land, but the kingdom had lost much. My father was called for at once, and my sisters and I were arranged to send him off. He did not look our way even once, but for the first time, I saw my father's face—and I stood near my mother and her body guard, Maugrim, who was to be left behind to protect her in father's absence.

She did not look my way either. She didn't even give Spring or Winter a cursory glance. My parents treated us like we did not exist and while I could have begrudged them that, I knew that they were busy, and that we were each born with a purpose, and for no other reason. Unlike the children spreading throughout the land, we were not born out of love, but out of power.

Months later, when word finally reached home of my father's dealings with the head of the Olympos, Merlin spared no details in his recounting. He, as he always did, told me everything without hesitation or delay.

"The digimon have lost most of their infrastructure," he told me. "Your father was hoping to use that to his advantage. Jupitermon, the head of the Olympos, is cross with your father, and he blames Sigma for the downfall of his once prosperous land. It does not help your father's case that the people of Pangaea have stolen digimon away from their homes and enslaved them to do their bidding."

"That's horrible," I murmured, upset for the poor digimon whose will had been taken from them. They were forced to do work for the people that claimed them. I was sure there were some out there that were happy with their position, but I didn't think they were very numerous.

"It is," Merlin agreed. "But it also saved them from the suffering and the perpetual storm that Winter unleashed upon their nation. These digimon had warm housing, food on the table. They were far better off than those that were left behind. The ones that evaded capture were left in that thunderous wasteland, scrounging for food, and falling weak with starvation."

"And father has gone to capture those that remain?" I asked, outraged and scandalized that my father would stoop so low. I thought he was a good king, but if he was willing to strip digimon of the basic rights and freedoms of the world, then he could not be as good as I'd thought.

"No," Merlin said, putting my worries at rest. "He has gone to work out a treaty with Jupitermon. The digimon need housing, and the ground is thawed enough now for gardens to be planted. Your father has brought an army that is reviving their land, at your mother's request."

"They truly strive for peace then," I said with a contented sigh. There had been times in the history books when I'd read a story and thought perhaps that wasn't what they wanted at all.

"I'm not sure they do," Merlin admitted, quietly. He looked to the door, and hastily leaned towards me so that he could speak in a whisper. "Your mother and Maugrim have been persuading your father towards aligning with the wild lands and in doing so, they will be able to conquer Neverland."

"But father wouldn't do as they said," I said firmly. And I believed it. "He is loyal only to Sidhendor."

"Not only to Sidhendor, my dear," Merlin said sadly. "He is loyal to your mother, and she longs for more land. She feels that we need it in order to obtain peace. Maugrim is convinced that we must fight for the peace we desire."

"But we are at peace now," I protested passionately. "We have peace. There is no need for more fighting. There is a treaty!"

"And they are dismissing it," a cold voice said behind me. I turned to see Winter. She was tall and beautiful, with her pale blue skin and sparkling eyes. She was cold and bitter, but she was my sister, and I longed to make our relationship work. But it would prove nearly impossible to accomplish.

"They can't do that," I insisted. "Grandmother said she would remove birth from the land."

"She won't be able to," Winter said, not looking at me. She was looking to Merlin, and Merlin alone. She held a heavy book in her hand and was obviously here to return it to him. "She was not the one to put it there, and only the caster can remove magic. Everyone with a brain knows that. It's an empty threat, but father is determined to keep his relationship with his mother, because she is the world itself. If the world is not happy with him, then he will be doomed to a life of misery and misfortune."

"Grandmother wouldn't do that," I said, for I knew she held a kind and pure heart. She was everything good in the world—because she _was_ the world—and everyone adored her. There was a reason everyone cared for her, and loved her unconditionally. She wasn't wicked. She did all she could to keep the balance and to keep the peace. She was _good_.

"She would, if it meant peace would come of it," Winter said flatly. "Here's the book Morganna borrowed."

"I lent her no book," Merlin said, sounding confused.

"I know," Winter said. "But she has one regardless. Funny, isn't it? You should guard your belongings better. You never know who might come to take a peek."

"That sounds ominous," Spring said. Her voice came from behind Winter. She was bubbly and happy, and smiling as her coiled curls bounced with every step. "Did you come to visit Summer, Winter? Oh that's so sweet of you. I was worried you'd never get over that silly feud."

"There is no feud, and we are not friends," Winter said, turning sharply and placing the heavy book on a table. "I have work to do. I don't have time to babysit the wonder child."

"I'm not a wonder child," I insisted. "I'm just a girl."

"The girl that 'saved' the world," Winter said bitterly. "I could have done it. I could have fixed what I had done. I just needed time. Mother refused to give that time to me."

"I didn't ask to be born," I said, softly.

"I didn't ask for you either," Winter said coldly.

"Winter, you take that back right now!" Spring growled. "She's your sister, and you're going to have to get over yourself. She's not to blame. You couldn't have done it anyway. Ice can't make ice go away, you need fire for that, and you know it. You're blaming her for your own downfalls."

"I'm leaving," Winter said moodily.

"Not while I'm talking to you," Spring said. Winter left anyway, and Spring looked to me apologetically, before she followed Winter out, scolding her like our mother never would all the while.

I felt gutted. Not only was my father not as determined as I'd thought to keep his mother's treaty, but my sister resented me for my very birth. She resented me because of the power that mother bestowed upon me, and because of the wonderment that followed me wherever I went because of it. She was such a bully, and so mean. I couldn't stand being in the room, and I fled.

I ran through the hallways of my wing of the castle, and soon, the dancing flames and suns stopped surrounding me. I was no longer in my small world within the castle. I was somewhere else entirely. Racing through the halls, I ran into the first open door that I found and was astonished by the furnishings in the room. The tapestries were gorgeous and told tales of times long passed. I put my hand against one of the sturdy columns and marveled at the smoothness of it. It was made of marble. The floor glimmered under the ever burning candle chandelier. It was so beautiful. I could hardly believe something so ostentatious was within the same castle as my comparatively modest living quarters.

"How _dare_ you?"

I turned sharply, ready to explain myself, but found that the words had not been directed towards me at all. The voice was coming from the hallway, and it sounded distinctly angry. It was a woman, and for a moment, I thought it was perhaps Winter, so I dropped to my knees and crawled under the large round table in the centre of the room, realizing only then that this must be where the council took place. I curled up in a ball, centering myself under the table so that Winter couldn't see me.

But it wasn't Winter at all.

"Gaia, I didn't expect it to happen," a man said, trying to comfort the angry woman that I now knew was my mother, and not my sister. I was still frightened though, and could not bring myself to come out from under the table.

"You didn't expect it to happen," Mother repeated slowly, growing angrier with each word. "What did you expect to happen? You...how dare you betray me like that?"

"It is the perfect cover," the man said, placating her. "No one could ever suspect us now."

"You had a child with someone else," Mother said, sounding hurt. I wondered if my father was back, but knew that he couldn't be. I didn't know who this man was.

"I did not mean for it to happen," the man assured her.

"But you betrayed me all the same," Mother said.

"I find it hard to believe myself," another woman said. There was an audible gasp from Mother as she discovered this woman. "Why is it any concern to you that Maugrim has a child? You should be glad that he has a life of his own. You are meant to be loyal to my son. How is it that you could be so deceitful to a man whose loyalty lies with you alone?"

The woman was hurt, and from her words, I was able to deduce that this was my grandmother. I crawled over to the edge of the table, knowing that it was safe, now that she was here. She would keep them from getting angrier. She was peaceful, and kind.

"You love another," Grandmother said, sounding like her heart was weeping for her son.

"It is none of your concern, Theta," Mother said.

"Summer, dear, come out from under the table," Grandmother ordered. I did so, because I was caught, and raced to her side. She did not touch me, but I did not mind.

"Who's she?" Mother asked. My heart broke a little bit, but I tried to remain strong in the face of such cruelty. "I've never seen this one before."

"I'm your daughter," I said simply.

"Summer?" Mother asked, confused. "I don't know that name."

"You did not give me a name," I said, trying not to weep in front of everyone, but it was hard. She was so cruel to me and she did not know it. "You left me with Merlin, when I born, and instructed him to keep me. He gave me my name."

"Oh," Mother said. Grandmother looked furious, and I edged away from them all.

"Summer, you must leave now," Grandmother said. I knew that she had not left room for questioning in her tone, and I raced out of the room quickly, crying the whole way. I needed to ask a maid for directions back to my wing of the castle, and once I was home, I flung myself at Merlin, and sobbed uncontrollably for a whole hour.

It was only once the hour was over, and my crying had settled into weeping that Merlin supposed I was calm enough to speak to. He asked what was wrong, and I explained everything using my child intuition to guess at what was really happening. I explained how Mother loved another man that wasn't Father, and how she did not know who I was. I didn't know what to do, but Merlin's instructions were simple enough for me to follow.

"Speak not of this to anyone," he said. "Your father's loyalty is to your mother, and to Sidhendor—nothing else. It would destroy your father to find that she is unfaithful. We cannot hurt him. It would be dangerous."

I agreed, and did not speak of it to anyone. I voiced my concerns about Grandmother, but Merlin was quick to assure me that she would not want to hurt Father either, and would keep the truth to herself if only to save him the pain.

Time went on, and Spring visited me as often as ever before. She was not alone now, however. Aesop, her mentor, came with her every time, bringing with him a small baby that Spring and I cooed and giggled over. He was so strange to us, because he was a boy. His name was Bitoru, and Aesop was raising him in place of his son, Maugrim. I knew that this baby was the one that upset Mother. I could not look at him though, and see anything other than joy, even though he was the catalyst that drove me to discovering Mother's lack of love for Father. It was not his fault, just as it was not my fault that I was able to undo Winter's ice age. Whenever Spring asked of Bitoru's mother, Aesop would become quiet.

"The baby was not born of love," Aesop would say, eventually, and that would need to be enough. With our childish minds, we could not understand what his words meant, but we _did_ know what it was to be unloved by a mother, and it simply caused us to bond with Bitoru even more.

Every once in awhile, Winter would come out of her seclusion to visit with Spring, and while she was here, in my home in the castle, she would torment me. She could not be too hurtful while in Spring's presence, and would simply use her ice creatively, causing me to crash to the ground painfully—leaving Spring to think that I was clumsy.

I never told Spring of Winter's actions, because I did not want to give Winter any more reason to hate me. So I brushed off the pain, and got to my feet, forcing a bright smile on my face, and assured everyone that I was alright. Winter enjoyed the moments when I fell far more than the ones where I got to my feet and pretended nothing had happened.

Once, though, when I was scrubbing the floors in the hall—because there was no need for a maid to do what I could do on my own—Winter was attempting to irritate me, and we heard voices. I stopped scrubbing, and Winter stopped freezing my wet scrub brush to the stone floor. I looked to her, worried, and she perked up, listening with her eyes closed and her fingers against her temple. I rapidly searched through her recent memories so that I too could watch what she was seeing.

We were in Mother's mind. She was looking to that brute Maugrim that was betraying his best friend, and our father by being alone with Mother.

"We cannot risk having her know," Mother was saying. Maugrim was listening patiently while he gently stroked her arm. Mother enjoyed the attention, and allowed him to kiss her neck. I felt very intrusive, being in her head at that moment, but Winter was continuing to watch, and so I stayed, despite my youth. "It's dangerous. But how can we rid the world of Theta?"

"If one daughter could bring life to the land, then perhaps another could take that life away," Maugrim suggested between kisses.

"She would not grant me another child now, not with what she knows about us," Mother said, sighing to herself.

"She would not grant you anything, no," Maugrim agreed. "But she would give the world to her _son_ if he were to ask for it."

After that, Winter stopped paying attention and raced off. I didn't know what to do, or what was going on, since I was far too young to comprehend any of it, and I got back to scrubbing, hoping that Winter could figure it out, and that Grandmother would be safe.

 _ **Autumn Drasil:**_

Because I was born with death in mind, those who knew me well always feared me. Of course, only those who knew of my _power_ had any reason to be afraid, for just like Summer had been born as the opposite to Winter, I had been birthed to oppose Spring. Unfortunately—or fortunately—my power was unknown and unused for quite some time.

I didn't ever remember much of my early years, but there was one memory that always stuck with me. It was of Theta, my grandmother, leaning over my bed and stroking my head gently with a kind smile. "I am sorry it had to come to this, Child." That was all she said, and that was my entire memory. It wasn't much, but I was fond of how warm and soft everything felt, like there wasn't a single care in the world outside of my bedroom.

I grew up mostly in that room, because Theta provided me with everything I needed, but when I began to walk I proved to be more than Theta had bargained for. I was always getting into things I shouldn't have been touching, and Theta would always scold me. Because she never seemed too upset by me having my fun, I never felt the need to stop, even if she told me to.

I was a happy child, but there was always something tugging at the back of my mind or weighing down on my insides. I felt that something was wrong with me, or with the world. I didn't know which, but it was a long life to live with unanswered questions, so I would always ask Theta at every chance I could get. Theta was gifted in the arts of giving a rather detailed answer about something you did not ask. She was _so_ good in fact, that I often walked away feeling fulfilled before discovering—sometimes _days_ later—that I hadn't received an answer at all!

But of course I understood that she could not give me all of the answers, and I did not _want_ that. I wanted to find them for myself out in the _real_ world. I wasn't anything like Summer who was so busy burying her nose into a book, or Spring who simply adored life itself. I wanted _answers_ , and once I found a starting place, I wanted to go find the truth.

Instead, since I was still so young, Theta kept me in line, sending me off to all my lessons where I was dubbed 'clumsiest in all the land' which wasn't too far off probably. I was pretty embarrassed at first, standing next to Summer and Winter—and sometimes Spring whenever she chose to join us—who were both so regal and poised. I never quite lived up to their perfect legacy, but after some time passed I decided I didn't need to. My clumsiness was kind of funny—or at least Spring thought it was—so I chose to embrace my entirely un-princess-like behaviour and continue learning whatever else the castle begged of me.

When I was old enough to be trusted alone in the castle I spent my time in the hallways of the wing that had been designed for me. I didn't like how simple and boring everything was and I chose to decorate it to suit the way I felt. I wanted oranges and yellows and browns. I wanted glass and porcelain to be laid together to make pretty murals. I wanted the hallway to represent _me_ , and whenever Theta came to see me she always smiled because I was doing a good job—that's probably why she was smiling anyway. I don't know.

I learned pretty early on that Theta was dangerous. Spring and Summer told me so, but neither knew why, only that Merlin and Aesop both told them that spending time with Theta would be dangerous to them. I thought they were wrong because Theta was the kindest and gentlest person I had ever met, but of course I was just a little kid, so what did I know?

When I _asked_ Theta, she simple laughed lightly and turned to me, "I am not dangerous to you," she had said, "Perhaps your sisters, but not you." I felt relieved as she looked around to the mess I had made, "It seems to me that _I_ should be worried of _you_." I laughed sheepishly and we spent the night cleaning my room. Theta wasn't dangerous. She couldn't be.

Whenever I had a question about who I was meant to be in the future, she would not answer me, but whenever I asked her facts, she seemed pleased to give them—providing she _knew_.

"Who is Grandfather?" I asked.

"My husband," Theta told me kindly, brushing her hair gently behind her ears, "Yggdrasil."

"I would like to meet him," I told her.

"One day," Theta promised.

Whenever I asked to leave the castle she told me I would have to wait until I was older, and that wasn't something I was excited about. Getting older seemed to take _too_ long, but _everything_ exciting was to happen when I grew up.

"How come Winter has wings now?" I asked, feeling rather annoyed.

"She's older than you," Theta said, though she seemed unsure. "She proved herself and her powers and she was granted wings."

"Like Daddy," I reasoned, and while _I_ thought it was a good comparison, Theta did _not_.

She turned to me and shook her head fiercely. "Your father is not the same as you and your sisters. My son is in a dark spell of his life. Those wings he bears on his back are _not_ gifted, but stolen."

"From who?" I asked, frightened. I tried to imagine who he could have stolen wings from, but I didn't know anyone aside from him and Winter who _had_ them!

Theta looked upset, and for a moment I thought she was just going to get angry about me talking about her son again. But he was my _Dad_ , it was important to me! I hadn't seen him much, but so often he would show up and pat my head and then leave. Winter told me it was because he had to prove to Theta that Mom did not manipulate him. He had asked for me—begged even—and Theta had given me to him, but she still thought Mom was in charge, but Dad didn't want her to think that. For whatever reason he came I was grateful. Winter, Spring and Summer rarely saw Father, and I had to be happy with what I did see of him, otherwise that wouldn't be fair to the others.

"Your father used that boy to create his wings," Theta told me, "That young boy in the castle."

"Bitoru?" I questioned, turning my nose up at the idea. That boy was so weird and silly. He spent all of his time with Spring though, so I didn't see him often. It seemed strange that a boy so young would be able to do something so grand as to help my father steal wings from the world, but really I didn't know him well. Maybe his power was giving wings.

Everyone had a power, even me. I just didn't know what it was.

Theta was kind and genuine to me at every moment, but she never lied to me. The questions that came to my mind were all a result of the _reason_ Theta was here, and the reason was because _I_ was a danger to the world. It seemed so natural to me, and though I promised Theta to never talk about it with anyone other than her, I sometimes felt myself slipping. It just seemed so natural and normal that I was a hazard that it barely seemed like news to me, but Theta assured me that only the two of us should know the truth.

The truth, essentially, was that I posed a threat to the fabric of space and time, and the peril I was sure to cause could cause the entire planet to cease to exist. Together, Theta and I thought of the two separate worlds that lived harmoniously with our own. There was the land of Dark—according to legends, this world would draw you in with temptations and trap you there—and the land of Light—and according to the same legends, this world pushed you away, asking for you to stay safely out of reach—and they were keeping the balance of the world we lived in. Theta never quite gave me an exact answer for if there were _other_ worlds, so I liked to theorize that there _was_. The worlds in my head mattered not for our next plan of action though, but only the lands of Light and Dark.

These two separate worlds would be opened just enough to accept others in, should their existence in this world fail, and they would be sorted by the imbalance in each of their hearts. That imbalance stuff was all Theta's idea of course—but I came up with the two other worlds idea!

"You are brilliant my dear," Theta said, smiling me from across the table, "where ever did you think of such a clever solution?"

I beamed up to her, "Well I had a dream about the shadow people," I told her. Her smile fell to a curious look and my own smile took a blow as well. "A-and they came from the land of Dark..." Theta told me to never talk of those shadow people again, and I didn't know why but I didn't mind. They frightened me, and besides, they played no real role in my life, so why did it matter if I talked about them?

Whether I wanted to know what they were or not didn't matter because I didn't think I'd ever _get_ to know anyway. Theta was away again—because she had to go spend time with Grandfather too, though I was never allowed to—and I was whisked away by the castle workers and brought out to join Mr Aesop and Spring as they learned about light and how it came to be in our world.

I was bored of course, because I didn't really care. Light came from the sky—duh. Everyone knew that, so why was I learning that? It just wasn't fun. And when the lesson moved on to Spring's powers of life I was in amazement at the way she allowed flowers to bloom right before my eyes.

It was so cool, and it was so unfair. Spring's powers were so useful and she had worked on them very hard, but I wasn't allowed to use any. I was pouting of course, and Aesop saw that. He patted my shoulder and said, "I haven't got a very useful power myself," I looked up to him, hoping that he could make me feel better, "I chose to stop using it when I realized what I was doing. My power is the same as my son's. _War_." That wasn't the same as me because he chose to not use his powers and I just wasn't allowed. That was hardly fair. So my pouting continued all the way to the dinner table that night. I sat across from Spring along the long ends of the table while Winter and Summer sat on the short ends, practically on opposite sides of the room from each other.

They just didn't seem to like each other very much.

"So," Spring said that night, breaking the silence of the dinner table. It was rarely the case that someone spoke anymore, but it was always welcome. "Why aren't you training _your_ power?"

Her eyes fell on me and I saw that but I turned to Winter, pretending I didn't notice. I wasn't very quick on my feet, and I never had been. I was still quite young and I had never learned how to lie well. Winter stared blankly to me, expecting me to answer though and since Summer could essentially read my mind, I knew I would have to answer honestly. "I'm not allowed," I told them all simply, hoping the answer would suffice.

There was a silence that followed my words and then Summer leaned forward, intrigued and I flinched, hoping she wasn't reading my mind. I kept trying to think of like an elephant or something to just lure her away from my memories of Theta talking to me, but it was too late. "You don't know what your power is, do you?"

I didn't answer for a moment, but when it seemed the conversation was going nowhere I said, "No."

"You have the gift of foresight," Winter told me, startling all of us. Even on those rare occasions that the dinner table was _not_ entirely silent, Winter never chose to speak. We all stared toward her, but she didn't seem to notice. She was staring to her food looking rather bored. "You can see the future."

It was from that moment on that my major dilemma took shape. I wanted desperately to look into the future and to learn how to use my power to help, but I also knew that obeying Theta was more important than any silly childish need.

It was too bad that I had three lovely sisters who _also_ thought I should be using the power then, because no matter how easy it was to weigh my own wishes and compare them to Theta's, the scales were tipped too far with three more inquisitional minds. Summer especially was interested in the idea. Several years passed with Summer begging me to try my power, and in my mind I was screaming at her to pull me aside and help me figure it out, but my heart was reeling me in a different direction entirely.

I kept a clear head though, and on days that I thought I wouldn't be able to resist, I stayed in my room, locking the door and promising myself to not leave. As I grew Theta spent more and more time elsewhere and while that was hard for me, I knew it made _her_ happy. She had been a perfect mentor to me, teaching me what I needed to know, and showing me the ins and outs of our world—or more specifically our castle—and the least I could do for her was let her go home. Sure I got lonely all alone, but Spring was the most caring person ever and she was always there to give me a hug if I needed it.

"It's so hard," I told her one night, crying softly into her shoulder. "My mind keeps flicking toward the power. I can _feel_ it, but Theta thinks that it will be dangerous. I can't use it."

"My power is not dangerous," Spring said in a soft voice, rubbing my shoulder. "I create life and it is beautiful—I think so anyway. And of course I have empathy too. It means I can feel what you feel."

I sat up suddenly and looked to her quickly, "Can you feel my power?" Spring shrugged. "Tell me if it's dangerous!" I wiped the tears from my eyes with a smile, but Spring seemed nervous. She took my hand though and tried to feel around.

After a minute or so she came up empty, shrugging. "I don't know, Autumn." I felt myself sinking into the floor where we sat, but Spring still looked confident and pure. "Even if I could feel your power, I would not be able to make the decision for you."

"You do it for Summer and Winter," I pointed out.

Spring thought for a moment and decided it was a different situation all together. "It doesn't matter," she told me. "Aesop always tells me and Bitoru to make our own decisions. Sometimes we make the wrong ones, but we can't learn if we don't try. It takes you screwing up to know how to _not_ live. You have to try and fail on your own, Autumn."

Her advice really hit me hard because it was like adding a million pound weight to the scales. It was clear now what I had to do. The fuzzy and warm feeling in the corner of my mind was inviting and I had to give in to my temptations and experiment, but surely I could not do it alone. I waited until Theta was leaving again, planning to spend another month or so with her husband, and I slipped away to join my sisters after kissing Theta's cheeks and saying goodbye.

Summer was surprised to see me barge into Merlin's library, but he wasn't upset when I dragged her out in search of Winter. When we found her, she tried to pull away from me, but I wouldn't let go. She sent a quick glare to Summer, but the glare was met with one just as annoying. And then, when I had found Spring, sitting on a thick woolen blanket out in the cozy courtyard I joined her, dragging my sisters behind me.

When we all sat down I began explaining myself to them. "I'm going to use my powers today." Each of them showed varied amounts of surprise and interest in their eyes, but I ignored them. "I don't want to do it alone, and I need you all here with me. If it's dangerous, we can't have me messing everything up, right?" Spring nodded, but Summer was already busy pulling out a massive book from her bag. She then pulled out a quill and readied herself, looking to me intently.

" _What_ are you doing?" Winter asked, annoyed.

"I'm going to write it down," Summer told her warmly which only made Winter more annoyed.

I nodded to Summer and then readied myself. It was time to practice for the first time. I could just tell it was going to be very exciting. Maybe I would find a way to end the war! Maybe Father would finally be proud of us girls and the kingdom could be happy—maybe I would be allowed to leave this place finally!

I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling that I had spent so long shoving into a corner and then all at once I let it in.

My mind was filled with a golden light and I could see wisps of smoke, but not much else. I was disappointed at first, but I saw a blurred shape through the mist.

" _What do you see?"_ Summer's voice was so distant now, but I could hear it like she was whispering into my ear. I couldn't answer her though because I didn't know. _"Autumn, what is it?"_

I waited a moment as the shape finally took form, "Oh!" I exclaimed, "It's the baker! He is making bread!" And it was! I could see his funny little hat and his hairy arms. His fingers looked burned and his wife was humming nearby. Together they were making bread for the morning. I was seeing the future!

" _Fascinating,"_ Summer said, and she sounded genuine. _"What else?"_

I hummed and looked past the baker and into the streets, There was a boy there, with his mother. She was angry with him for destroying something. "A boy," I said slowly to the others, "He broke something in a shop and his mother is slipping away with him, hoping to not pay for the item."

" _Wow,"_ Summer said in a happy tone.

" _This is foolish."_ Winter's harsh tones brought me straight from my mind and my eyes opened immediately. I saw glimpses of the golden mist through my eyes, but the light from above washed it away and soon my eyes grew used to the real world settings. My sisters were all still seated around us. Winter's arms were folded bitterly in her lap and while she sat on her knees, her black dress wrinkling against the ground, she looked rather poised and angry. That wasn't too uncommon though. "You're seeing nothing of importance," Winter said, annoyed. "I can see that just now, if I look."

"You can't though," Summer said, the book slipping from her lap, "What Autumn is seeing hasn't happened yet." Winter sneered at Summer like she already knew that, but still pouted.

Spring leaned forward and slid closer and closer until she was right in the middle of the blanket, kneeling down over the book. Her spiralled hair fell in a giant mass, covering Summer's words from my view. I grabbed a handful of Spring's hair and pulled it back, watching as the stray hairs bounced when they fell from my grip. I grinned at the sight, but pressed closer to read with Spring. I was an adolescent now, so bouncing hair was no longer amusing. That's what my lessons told me anyway.

Summer spun the book around for easier access and continued her conversation with Winter, "So I can see the past, through other's memories and you can see the present. We have all three time frames with us."

"What can _she_ do?" Winter asked, pointing to Spring who poked her head up excitedly.

"I can feel what those events did," Spring responded gently, patting her head, which made Winter snap at her, swatting with her hands. When Spring looked to me she saw clearly that I was not exactly happy about the visions I had seen. "Hey," she said kindly, "no vision is too small." She rubbed my shoulder again to comfort me.

"Yeah," Winter agreed, "Aside from these ones."

"Bite me," I snapped at her, which caused all three of my sisters to turn their heads on me instantly and I just stared back at Winter. Surely she knew I wasn't afraid of her like everyone else was, didn't she? I had yet to see any _reason_ to be afraid. She was kind of bitter and kind of annoying, but she was my sister. I wasn't scared of that.

Summer backed away, but Spring composed herself to protect me, while Winter stretched her fingers out in front of her, cracking the bones. Then, a smile spread on her face and she was gone a moment later, kicking off the ground and using her frosty wings to carry her away. Summer and Spring both turned to me and a smile grew on their faces too as we began to laugh.

I loved my sisters very much, which was why it was so easy to tell them every vision I saw. Whenever Theta was gone I would spend one day with Summer and whomever else wished to join. Winter rarely showed up, but Spring was often there and even sometimes brought her friend Bitoru. He was so silly. Seeing the visions was exhausting and I had no real way to know how much energy any vision would take. Sometimes, if it was long, I would wake up the next day with no recollection of ever leaving the vision. I passed out of course. Sometimes it was a simple image of a flower blooming and I could go on for hours with small visions that popped into my head.

It was so easy to talk them and I loved that they cared and listened to me. I knew I had gotten off easy in terms of growing up, but I wanted to be there for the three of them _now_ , because we could _be_ a family! We could still be happy together.

One day, when Spring had returned from her flight—because she too had grown wings now, made of beautiful rose coloured petals—where she checked up on my visions like she always did, she begged me to try once more. My previous vision had been so simple that I didn't mind trying once more.

I closed my eyes and immediately let the golden haze set in.

I was looking to something I didn't recognize but that wasn't unusual for my visions. This time though, I saw spirals and twists, like a passage, but it was moving quickly— _too_ quickly. I was falling! No, it wasn't me... there were children. Seven.

As things began to speed up I saw monsters that looked familiar. I saw the creatures from Witchenly were working with these children, and another joined them, but her face was blurred. I could not see her. I focused harder on her, but as I did I felt the image slipping.

Who was this girl?

" _Autumn!"_ I was pulled safely from my mind by the sound of Summer's voice. I found that I was gasping wildly for breath like I had simply stopped breathing and I was laying with my face flat on the table in front of me. I slowly brought myself back together and looked up, my eyelids feeling heavy, to the group that was around me. We were in Merlin's study and he was here now, looking worriedly toward me, but he was at his desk across the room. Winter, Spring and Summer all sat around the table with me, worry written all over their faces. "What did you see?" Summer asked, preparing to write.

I told her about the adventure I had seen and slowly she began documenting the story. Winter was even interested in what I was telling her, and I felt proud that for once my visions had made a sizeable impact on her. When Summer—who was thankfully very fast at writing—finished documenting my words I looked down to the table in thought. "There were symbols," I told her, keeping my voice in a whisper so Merlin would not hear.

"That does not matter," Winter brushed it off, "You say these children can power up the monsters from Witchenly—they will turn on us with their new power." Spring reached out to Winter to calm her, but her face was triumphant, "We must tell Father—we must kill these children—"

" _No_!" I insisted loudly, jumping to my feet and startling even Winter. "They are _important_. They are the saviours. We need them to live. They must defeat the ultimate darkness—the opposite to Yggdrasil."

Summer and Spring rounded on each other in shock, but Winter slowly lowered herself into her seat once more. "What are you talking about?" Merlin asked, pulling himself to his feet and looking toward us through his glasses. I didn't answer and instead grabbed Summer's book, sliding it toward me. I began sketching images that I had seen in my head, two, six, ten—there were so many. They were colourful and warm. "Where did you learn of these?" Merlin asked, staring down to the book over my shoulder. "Did Theta already explain—?"

"No," I interrupted, "I saw them in my _head_ , and you can't tell Theta."

Merlin nodded and knelt closer, seeming rather interested in the book of my visions. "I shall not tell her," he promised, "I would advise you to do the same." Of course I listened to him because telling Theta would only upset her and I couldn't do that to her. I cared very much for Theta and she was so afraid of my abilities, and though they posed no danger that I could see, I did not want to upset her. It was unfortunate then that Merlin refused to expand on what the symbols meant. I was left to theorize in my own time, or with Summer because neither of our mentors would be of much use. Winter was uninterested and Spring was too interested in the designs to think of what they might mean.

When Theta next appeared in the castle I felt rather guilty and I spent all of my time in my room with her. Not once did I leave to see my sisters—at least not until the very last night before Theta was to leave once more.

We were eating dinner together when I felt a tickle in the back of my mind. It was my power, begging me to look. I couldn't do that—not while Theta was around. She was telling me of her time in Neverland, where her and her husband helped the natives rebuild after a small hurricane. Everyone there was thriving better than ever. I wondered then if Theta knew of Father's plan to strike. I passed that thought away because war was not my strong suit, but it only left me more vulnerable to the tickle in the back of my mind.

"I hope you don't mind, Autumn," Theta said as she ate her vegetables that she had cooked for us. "I know I'm gone often, but if you wish for me to stay I will."

"No," I told her as kindly as I could while my mind was elsewhere, "please, do whatever makes you feel most comfortable. Tell Grandfather that I say 'hello' will you?"

Theta smiled gently and nodded, I was relieved to see her smile, "You make me quite happy, Autumn. When my son asked for you I was skeptical, but you are quite a good child. The peace you have kept inside you is admirable, and I wish to someday show the rest of the world how simple it could be to live in harmony." I felt a strike of guilt hit me upside the head, and it knocked some of the golden mist into my vision, but I tried to ignore it. "I do love Neverland, and someday soon I hope to take a true stance against the war— _again_ , I mean—your father is quite the boy, you see. He is always trying something new."

A flash of my father flew in my face and I felt my body tense up, forcing the vision back as Theta smiled and continued speaking of him. "I hope that one day he rules properly—"

It was enough to send my mind spinning through time. The golden haze flashed in front of me and I saw my father, standing proud with his council overlooking the city. His crown was on his head but his face looked sad. He stepped forward and cleared his throat. _"Theta is gone,"_ he said, _"my mother is dead."_

I pulled out of my vision immediately and looked up to Theta who was staring to me with wide eyes filled with worry. I looked apologetically her way and she immediately knew what had happened. "Autumn," she said in a voice that did not sound angry, but perhaps disappointed. "What did you do?"

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered, "It just came over me. I couldn't stop it! I saw a vision with my power." Theta looked sad now, that I had broken her trust, and I couldn't help but feel _terrible_ about it. I would have felt worse if I lied, which I would have done if the vision had been of anything else. "Theta, please," I said as she got to her feet, prepared to leave the room. "I saw something bad—"

"I do not care what you saw, Autumn," Theta declared loudly.

I ignored her, "You're going to die!"

Theta stopped in her tracks and turned back to me, furious it seemed until she let out a strangled sob. I gasped, feeling awful for telling her in such a terrible way, but she quickly turned from me, storming out the door. I followed her quickly, chasing her down the hallway. I called out to her but she did not stop no matter how much I pleaded.

She stopped momentarily in front of a big beautiful door, but only to throw it open and she stormed inside. I followed quickly and caught sight of a wonderful chamber that seemed too dark for the beauty that it held inside. My eyes however fell to a familiar group of council members and I saw my father looking up to Theta with concern in his eyes.

"Mother," Father said, "I thought you were in Neverland—"

"Silence," Theta ordered. Her voice was stern now and I had never heard it like that before. "Morganna, Aesop, Merlin—please leave." I looked to the three council members and watched as they each turned confused glances on each other and then did as Theta asked. Aesop closed the door behind the three of them and Theta turned back to her son. "This girl used her powers and danger awaits the worlds. We must find a way to seal her gift." So Theta was worried about the fate of the worlds, she wasn't upset about her own death at all!

"That sounds rather hard to believe," Theta and I both turned toward the darkness where a beautiful woman that I knew to be my mother stood. I'd never seen her before then, and the way she looked to me showed how very little she cared for her daughter. "How are the worlds in peril?"

"Do the specifics matter?" I spoke up which surprised all three in the room. Was I supposed to be scared and back down? "If whatever I saw poses a threat to the world as a whole, then Theta is right! Get rid of me!"

"No," Theta said gently, turning to me with a kind voice, "Not _you,_ Dear, just your power. I would never rid the world of you. Your inner peace is stronger than most, and it would not do to upset the balance in my own heart by getting rid of you. Besides, I love you and cannot live without you." I felt my heart flutter excitedly at her words, but it felt childish, so I turned my attention back to my parents. "The worlds are in danger."

"No," I promised her, trying to ease her worry. "My sisters each have two powers—I don't think seeing the future is the bad power you spoke of. I feel _that_ too, it's dark and it's in my head but I won't use it, I promise. All I saw was a vision of the future—it could be very far from now too! I don't know how to judge when they'll happen! Maybe we can stop it—"

"What did you see?" Mother snapped, cutting across my words.

"I saw Father tell the kingdom that Theta was dead," I told them. I saw a smile form on Mother's face, but Father reacted differently. I had no time to prepare myself as he lunged toward me, spreading his big bat-like wings and he crashed into me, throwing me across the room where he pinned me to the wall. My head smashed painfully against the stone and I cried out in pain.

I saw Theta coming and I saw my Mother watching with amusement. She was the reason my sisters had gone through such terrible lives up until this point and I hated her for that. I hated her more than I had hated anything ever. I gasped for breath under the force of my father pressing against my throat, but I still did not fear or despise him as I did my Mother. There was a kindness buried in him that Mother did not have.

"How _dare_ you speak of my mother in such ways," Father snapped, pressing harder against my throat. Theta took his arm and tried to pull him away. "I would never _kill_ my mother!" I hadn't said that he _would_! "Only _you_ can kill, Autumn! You were born to cause death! You will kill her! It's your fault and I will not let you live long enough to perform such terrible acts!"

"Sigma, _stop_ this!" Theta shouted loudly, tugging at her son's arms. "Sigma! Darling, you must understand that she is not the danger! You must _stop_ this! You must fight for peace and goodness!"

"I _will_ ," Sigma snarled, "By taking away the force of death! We all know she must die! We all know she must leave this world and move to the next!"

"Sigma— _stop_!" Theta snapped. It was good that I focused on their words because it took much of the pain from my mind, but the anger stayed. He thrust his elbow back sharply and hit her in the face. She cried out in shock and blood pooled from her nose, and that was when I started to struggle. If he thought I was dangerous and that killing me would save the world in some way then _so be it_ , but if he was going to hit _Theta_ , then I had a problem.

I began swinging my feet around, aiming for Father, but he saw them coming and slammed his hand harder to my throat. "Don't touch me, Scum!"

"Fa—a—ather!" I choked out, desperate for him to stop. I felt the darkness up in the back of my head, and tried to force it back no matter how tempting it was to use it.

"Sigma," Theta said, getting to her feet, "If you harm this girl I will force the wars to come to an end." Sigma loosened his grip on my neck and my feet fell to the ground where I began taking in as much air as I could. The rage inside me was still burning and I wanted desperately to use that darkness. "I will take your wife from you, and I will end the war. I will take away your crown and give it to somebody worthy. You are my son, you are capable of many things, and peace is one of them." Father looked frustrated now, but it seemed that he was going to take his arm away. "Son, I love you, and I know you are a good man. Prove me to be correct."

Father nodded, but his eyes flicked up to Mother who looked furious now too, and then all at once, his hand was back, this time with even more force. I slammed back once more against the stone wall, and I couldn't stop myself this time.

" _Get off of me_!" I shrieked as a wave of pure dark energy fired from my chest—my _heart_.

Father released me, flying across the room, and Theta was gone too. Mother was nearly knocked off of her feet, but she held tightly to a column and she looked to her fallen husband, worried. I was worried too. I knew I had done wrong. I had felt the life drain from one of them. They were gone. _Dead_. I felt my lips quivering as I watched the two lifeless bodies. I was nearly ready to faint as my breath came back in chopped bits of air.

Then, he moved.

My heart dropped as I stared to my fallen Grandmother. I had seen a vision of my _own_ wrongdoings. I watched as Mother hurried to Father's side and I turned, running away. I could not stay to meet my fate. I had to find a way out of the castle finally.

Instead I found myself in Spring's chamber, tears pouring down my eyes. Summer was here as well, and when she heard my pleas for her to get Winter she agreed and left quickly. Spring held me as I sobbed into her chest, feeling an ache pull at the emptiness in my heart. I had fallen victim to the dark energy Theta had feared and I had _killed_ her, my mentor—Grandmother! I could barely take in enough breath as I sobbed, but Spring was there to comfort me, and by the time the others were back I had composed myself enough to tell them.

"I-I killed her." Each of them was shocked, but I had no time to waste, "I must leave now, and I'm so sorry. I shall write to you. I love you all." I reached out for Winter to let her know that I loved _her_ too, and then I stood up, backing toward the door.

"What are you talking about?" Winter wanted to know.

"What happened, tell us what you did?" Summer begged.

"Are you going to be alright?" Spring questioned.

I couldn't answer them though. I had to leave. I had used my dark power. I had caused the very first death. I had killed Theta. I had doomed the world.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Part two of this obnoxious chapter that was supposed to be one chapter is up next!


	55. Seasons Of Love B

**Y/N:** This was ridiculously difficult for me. I wanted each of the two fairies to have their own personalities, but even writing them between last chapter and this one was hard for me to keep them consistent. I hope Spring and Summer aren't too different, but I suppose you'll be the judges of that. Let me know?

 **U/N:** So here's the second half of the last chapter. Winter and Spring switched places, so the seasonal thing kind of failed this time, but it's still the same story anyway. It was originally supposed to be one chapter but it kind of got waaayyyy too long, so we cut it in half.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 4: Reunion**

 **Chapter 45: Seasons of Love B**

 _ **Spring Drasil:**_

The years passed slower after Autumn's departure. They felt slower, in any case. She had been the one person that was able to unite us as sisters, and without her, we fell apart. Summer and Winter were unable to be in the room at the same time. I could only referee so much, trying to make them get along before I realized there was no use trying. They wanted to be miserable. They were taking out their pain of losing Grandmother and Autumn on each other.

I spent my time with Aesop and Bitoru, growing stronger each day. I dedicated myself to my powers and to bettering myself. I knew the world we lived in was fast becoming unstable. I could feel it in each person I passed. Father, though I saw him only a handful of times, from a distance, was torturing himself with his mother's death. He blamed himself, and though I wished to be sympathetic, it really _was_ his fault. He had tried to hurt Autumn and Grandmother had tried to stop him. We had snuck Summer as close as we could to Father—since Mother was so very unpleasant—and she'd read the memories of the event from his mind.

That was _before_ we all started avoiding each other, though that was not my wish. It was only Autumn's letters—if they could even be called as much—that kept us in contact with each other. She would not dare send to only one of us. She took turns, most likely in her own way to keep us all together. But her efforts were in vain. We gathered only long enough to read her messages, before going off on our own.

 _I saw two children today. They have their father's eyes and they are beautiful—the most beautiful children I've ever seen in my entire life. I think they might be mine..._

Her messages were often very brief, as though she was afraid to send anything longer. She might've had cause to be frightened, if Father had been around, but he was often gone for long stretches of time, leaving his trusty guard Maugrim to defend his queen. We were more frightened than not, having Mother have free reign over the castle, since Summer had been very specific about Mother's actions while Grandmother died—and having heard Maugrim and Mother talking about wanting to be rid of Grandmother, Winter was determined to agree that Mother was vile, despite her natural instincts to be forever against Summer's instincts.

 _There were two children, both male. They were so young, and they were by themselves. They had digimon, but they were fighting another digimon. They looked so scared...why were they alone?_

Aesop tried to keep Bitoru and I away from the dealings of the council, but his efforts were for naught. I was no longer an innocent and oblivious child. I knew there were dark happenings in our world. I could feel his feelings as he felt them. I knew he was heartbroken by Maugrim, and feared for him. Bitoru longed for a connection with his father, and I felt quite guilty to be glad that his dreams did not come to fruition. I was growing rather fond of him, and I knew that he would be likely to jump at any chance to work with his father, and I would lose him. It was selfish of me, but I cared too much for him to want him to be tainted by the darkness surrounding our home.

Mother was rather quiet after Grandmother died. She was happy, viciously so, and during the funeral she led the procession dressed from head to toe in black saying that she felt dark and hopeless, and missed her mother-in-law so deeply that she could not help but express her feelings with her clothing. She had the entire population convinced, and Father too, but she could not convince her daughters. She had gifted us with powers that prevented us from believing in her. I could feel that she was jubilant, rather than melancholic, Summer could read her recent thoughts and knew she was nearly dancing with her excitement and new found freedom, and Winter had seen through Mother's eyes a conversation between her and Maugrim, where they were caught—unknowingly—sharing a celebration over her death, while Father was busy grieving the loss of his mother, secluded in his own chambers.

 _Today I saw a young boy with two digimon. It felt off somehow. It felt, to me, like there was meant to be two children to match the digimon. I don't know where the other child is. I fear for it._

It took time before Father came out of hiding, and when he did, he left Sidhendor for the wild lands, where he solidified the alliance he was working on with the digimon and started storming Neverland. He could not handle the grief he was feeling and needed an outlet. The peace of Neverland reminded him too strongly of his mother, and his actions were rash, not nearly as carefully thought out as usual. He wanted revenge and Autumn was gone, he could not pass the guilt off on her as he wanted to. He was blind to his wife's manipulations, or he might've turned the guilt to her, where it belonged. She and Maugrim had the run of the castle while he was gone, and Mother was enjoying herself immensely. Grandmother was no longer present to take watch of her actions, and she did not need to "visit" her children any longer to prove that she'd wanted us.

Maugrim was biting at the bit though, he wanted to be fighting for his peace, just as Father was, but Mother would not let him go. She was determined that the pair of them could rule Sidhendor together, in addition to her own home kingdom of Pangaea. So long as Father was busy fighting the wars, she held the power she'd always dreamed of having.

 _There were three new symbols today. They reminded me of the others, but there was something different about them. They weren't good, they were tainted somehow. I don't understand. I'm trying to find more, but the visions don't want to cooperate._

While Father was fighting his wars, Summer gained her wings. They were two full green leaves, and they were magnificent. I wished Autumn was there to see it, but the years passed by and she never came home. The wars continued raging, and Mother continued to rule in Father's absence. I was growing more fearful of her with each passing month. She was going mad with power, and I felt each and every step she took towards madness. Her thirst for power was growing ever stronger. Soon, the two lands ceased to please her. She started craving more.

She sent word to Father, warning him of a ploy of the digimon that would ruin him. The digimon were supposedly planning on turning on the Sidhendorians, and Father would need to keep his wits about him. I could not be sure that Mother was lying, for she felt so passionately about this topic, and she did not feel any guilt when she lied. I could not discern her motivations. I could not know for certain that the digimon were really planning to turn on Father. But my lessons over the years had told me that the digimon were cruel and horrid monsters that wanted nothing more than to destroy all others in the world so that they could complete a worldwide takeover.

 _The baker is making bread again. I don't understand. Why am I only able to see such simple, mundane visions now? I need to learn more of the symbols. I fear for those children. I do not understand. They fight alongside the digimon, but they do not live alongside them. I cannot understand how that is possible. How could they not know of Witchenly if it is only a continent away?_

Witchenly was outraged at Father's betrayal of their alliance. Father's forces were able to keep the digimon out of Sidhendor, and away from our castle. But Pangaea was not free from the Witchenly attacks. While the Sidhendor army fought upon Witchenly soil, Pangaea was fighting a war of its own against the Witchenly forces. They took advantage of Father's severe loyalty to Sidhendor—and Sidhendor alone—to try and free the digimon that were enslaved in Pangaea. But the fighting seemed like it would never stop.

Once Grandmother was killed, death seemed to be everywhere. Letters poured in from Father and his generals of soldiers that had lost their lives in the fight against the 'backstabbing' digimon. My heart broke each time a letter was delivered to our door. I took it upon myself, since Mother had no interest, to deliver each letter to the nearest friend or family member of each soldier. I held their mothers when they cried, I comforted their widowed wives. I tried to ease the pain of the children they left behind. My heart grew heavier with each letter, wishing beyond hope that a letter would soon come that announced the end of the fighting.

Witchenly's attacks grew stronger against Pangaea, and their very leaders, the Olympos council were rumoured to be among the army that was fighting against the humans that lived there. The death toll was rising and my heart could not bear so much pain. I was an emotional being on my own, but I could feel everyone else's grief, and it was becoming too much for me to bear.

 _I saw a digimon today. It was mine, I think. It was large, almost human shaped, but not quite. I think those in Pangaea call it a gorilla. It was white, and it was kind. I think I saw one for each of you as well. I cannot be sure. I'll continue looking._

Mother was busy working on plans to expand her kingdom, though Father had no desire for more land. She declared Neverland ours, because we'd conquered it when the army struck, and now she was greedily expecting Witchenly to become another part of our kingdom as well. We could do nothing to stop her desires, but her wishes might not have come into fruition. We received a letter that stated Father was coming home. He wanted to watch the castle, fearing a direct assault from the Olympos VI. He was worried. He did not trust them, for Mother had told him not to. And they were closer to Sidhendor than he was, now that they were in Pangaea. He was afraid that they would try to sneak upon Sidhendor while he was distracted.

Winter, Summer and I knew that Mother was not pleased with Father's return. She was quite happy ruling without him at her side. She had Maugrim, the man she _wanted_ and that was all she needed. But Father was the king, and without him, she would no longer be queen. She tried to prepare the castle for his return, and tried to make everything seem like she'd been waiting for his return, rather than dreading it.

"Father will be home within the month," I announced to Bitoru, after returning from delivering another notice of death. This time I'd seen a young woman, who had a toddler and another child on the way. She was heartbroken and had fainted under the immense strength of her pain. I caught her in time for the baby not to be harmed, but the soldiers that were dying were younger and younger with each letter. Father had been enlisting all able bodied men. Most of those that lived before I was born had been killed already, and Father was relying on the new births now. They grew faster than we did, and they died so much easier. The death toll continued to rise.

"That's good, isn't it?" Bitoru asked, lounging on my bed. It would be scandalous, if anyone were to have seen it. But no one was there, and he was just trying to find comfort. I did not have a lot of comfortable furniture. It was a tactic Aesop was using to try and correct my posture. It wasn't working. I simply created new seats out of oversized flowers or shrubs instead.

"Perhaps," I said. "But it might be worse with him here."

"Why won't you tell me your fears?" he asked, as he always did.

"If you are oblivious, you cannot be blamed," I told him, just as I did daily. He sighed, but accepted my decision. He could not fight against me. My sisters and I had grown wise during Autumn's absence. No longer did our worlds revolve around our mentors and ourselves. We were older, and we could understand what was happening around us. We understood that the wars were endless, and pointless. We knew they could never achieve proper peace. We also knew that Mother was fueling them in her mad quest for power.

"Another letter arrived, while you were gone," Bitoru told me. He was hesitant at handing it over, and I knew it was because he did not like when I left him alone. I appreciated his emotions. They were pure and strong. I really liked them—and him. But the letter left me feeling hollow at the sight of it. I opened it, to determine who I was meant to go to see, and found my sister's handwriting staring up at me. I sighed with relief and allowed a smile to find my face.

"I must get my sisters," I told him. "Autumn has sent word."

Strictly speaking, Bitoru was not meant to know of Autumn's letters. It was dangerous for him, but he'd opened a letter once, thinking it was from the army and he'd discovered mine and my sisters' continued correspondences with her. After he discovered this, Sumer offered to remove the memory, but I refused to allow it. Summer had not had experience doing that, and I did not want to risk Bitoru's mind. I liked him too much to allow him to fall victim of memory loss. What if Summer messed up and everything that made him _Bitoru_ was taken away with the memory? I couldn't risk that. He was too important to me, and to Aesop—who was clinging to Bitoru the way he wished he could do to his son, wanting to ensure that no mistakes were made this time around, since even Aesop, without the mind powers that my sisters and I possessed, could see that he was falling further and further away from peace and was being swallowed by Mother's madness.

I ordered two maids that were cleaning the hallways to collect my sisters and waited anxiously for their arrival, trying my best to ignore the temptation the letter was providing. I could not read it without Summer and Winter. It would not be fair of me, but it was so much longer than her usual missives, and I was afraid something had happened. The last letter she'd sent had been extremely short, and had been months upon months ago. _I saw something that I must come to terms with. I cannot share it. Not now, not ever._ We had yet to hear whether she _had_ come to terms with this mysterious vision or not. I hoped it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be.

"Where is the letter?" Winter demanded the moment she burst into my room. Summer followed at a less frantic pace, and closed the door carefully behind her, leaving us blocked off from the outside world. Rather than argue with Winter, I handed the letter to her. She opened it and began reading aloud.

" _I visited Grandfather for the first time today. I should not have waited so long. He is in terrible shape. He is lost in his sadness, he could not function with it. I arrived in time to witness the birth of Father's new sister, Zeta. She is comprised of Grandfather's sorrow, the way Father is his loyalty. Grandfather can no longer feel sorrow, and I fear that my arrival is ill timed. If I had come sooner I could have perhaps assisted him with his grief, before he took such drastic measures. He cannot continue to rip pieces of him off. Grandmother praised him for his balance when they met, but now he is tempting fate, and risking imbalance._

" _I apologized to him, for my actions which caused his immense sorrow, but he understood—though he was not there—that I had never meant to harm Grandmother. He knows that it was not my intention, though he..."_

"What does that pause mean?" Summer interrupted, fretting over Autumn's safety.

"She doesn't say," Winter said, glaring at Summer for daring to interrupt her. "She does not wish for us to know, and until we can meet again, we will not be able to wrestle the answers from her. Questions, at this time, serve no real use."

"I'm worried," Summer said defensively.

"She can take care of herself," Winter said firmly.

"Continue reading," I ordered, looking sternly at the pair of them. They sighed, but they listened to my instruction which was all I could hope for.

" _Grandfather has decided to retreat into the world's core. That is where Grandmother is now. He explained to me that I only killed her physical form, and that even I couldn't destroy all that remains of her life force. I was unaware that she was the very world we live on. She kept many secrets from me. I wished for Grandfather to explain the symbols to me, but he fled quickly, not wanting to share what Grandmother did not want shared. He has left Zeta behind. I am going to care for her, as best I can. I do hope that I can bring some light into her bleak world, but she is made of sorrow, and I fear nothing will ever make her happy."_

"Is that it?" Bitoru asked.

"Shut up," Winter told him. He did so quickly. Summer was much more accepting of Bitoru's presence when the letters were read than Winter was. I didn't think he minded her harsh words so long as she did not try to harm him.

Winter's eyes glazed over, and Summer quickly sat up straighter, looking directly to Winter. Winter was seeing something. She kept a near constant guard on Mother's activities, fearing that she would put something into play in order to catch us unawares.

"Mother is planning to go to Grandfather," Summer explained to Bitoru and I, for we could not see what they were seeing. "She wants him to make her keys to access the other worlds."

"The light and the dark?" I asked, fearfully. "But she cannot get to them. She'll overthrow the balance. Grandmother wanted balance in order to achieve peace."

"She wants them," Winter said. "But she wants the wild magic more. She wants to access it, hoping that it will be enough to fuel her quest for ultimate power."

"But Autumn has said that Grandfather is grieving," I said sadly. "We cannot allow Mother to interrupt that delicate process."

"No, what Autumn said is that Grandfather can no longer feel loyalty or sorrow," Winter corrected sharply. "He cannot be loyal to anyone, and no action can sadden him. He's becoming the perfect tool for Mother to manipulate."

"He always was," Summer said, shaking her head. "Mother was the one that sent the wild magic away, and she used Grandfather to do it. Merlin told me."

"We must stop her," Winter declared.

And together—without Bitoru, for I did not want to risk his safety—we went to Mother. She was not pleased to see us, and beg and plead though we did, she refused to understand our point of view. The mere mention of Grandmother was enough to solidify her against us. We knew then that she did not care for balance. She left us there, and we knew then that none of us had any attachment to her. Whatever lingering strands of love that might've tied me to her were severed, and I could not find anything redeeming in her.

Time passed again, and Father's return was drawing near. Mother's quest to find Yggdrasil went exactly as she planned, and she returned with the keys that she had requested. We waited, half afraid, and half angry, for her to make her move, but she never did. Father was on his way, and still she did nothing. I was frightened for his safety. He was not a good father, but he did not deserve the fate that Mother was potentially planning for him.

We were all called upon when Father returned. We needed to dress as princesses, and attend the king's welcome party as good princesses would. We had to behave properly, and stand properly. It was irritating and annoying, and a waste of time. We were so worried about the fate of Father—and subsequently the entire world, since Father was now the only one standing in Mother's way—that it was difficult to put up the pretenses we were meant to.

But before Father made his grand return, Mother pulled us aside. We were on our guard at once, because she had never willingly sought any of us out—except for Winter, and that ended with the freezing of Witchenly. We were frightened, thinking that perhaps Mother was going to be rid of us first, before she attempted to overthrow Father.

And that was her plan. It just wasn't as filled with death and destruction as we thought it was going to be. She smiled gently at each of us, trying to convince us that she wasn't horrible and manipulative, and bent on world domination.

"I have _seen_ something beautiful and amazing in your future, my daughters," she told us. Until that moment, we had not thought that perhaps Mother held the same powers within her that we did. At that point in time, we grew more fearful of her than ever before. "We must keep it a secret, just between us girls. Your Father might not approve of your grand futures. But you are destined to rule other worlds. You will watch over them. The eldest will watch the land of darkness, the next, the land of the light, and the last the land of wild magic."

We were not sure if she was trying to be mystical, or if she did not know which of us corresponded with which age. We did not have much faith in her position as our mother. And I did not have much confidence that this prophecy was true. I did not _want_ to be the ruler of the land of light while my sister was doomed to eternal darkness, and while my other sister might be torn apart by the wild magic. My sisters seemed to share similar opinions, but Mother did not give us a moment to contemplate our decisions.

"Here are the keys to your kingdoms, my daughters," she said.

"Thank you, Mother," Winter said in her most controlled voice. Summer was shaking and could not speak. I tried for a smile, and got a grimace instead.

"Use them," Mother urged.

"We would like to await Father's return, as has been requested of us," Winter said. "He is the king, and his orders must be followed to the letter."

"I am queen," Mother hissed, getting frustrated with us.

"I understand," Winter told her. "But the king is of higher importance, and therefore, Father has the final say. We will not use the keys unless we are ready."

"Get out of my sight!" Mother snapped, not liking the sound of the truth. She was only the foreign queen. Her daughters were by blood from both lands, and her husband was born to take this thrown, but she was not in the position of power. Giving birth to us allowed the people to appreciate her and respect her, but it would not make her their sole ruler. If Father were to die in the wars against the digimon, then Winter, or Summer, or even _I_ would inherit the throne, because we were born of Sidhendor. This simple fact was clearly driving Mother mad with envy. She needed to be rid of her competition, and how fortuitous for her that there were three worlds separate of our own.

The only hope she had now, was that Winter was telling her the truth, and that we would use the keys when we were finished greeting Father.

He came home, and the pomp and circumstance was enormous for the king had returned. We danced and ate and pretended to be jolly, all while avoiding our Mother's path—and our Father's sight. He only wanted us there for posterity. He had no love for us, and as I'd learned long ago, had no say in our creation. We were Mother's obligations, not his.

"We must see Autumn," Summer murmured, once we'd politely excused ourselves from the festivities, feigning tiredness. "She will know if this prophecy rings true."

"I would just rather follow our Mother's wishes," Winter said with a heavy sigh. "It's not agreeable, but we would finally be free of them."

"You can go to your land of darkness if you want," Summer told her. "But I'm going to Autumn. I must find Merlin. I must say goodbye. There is a chance that I may end up in a land of wild magic soon, and I must not miss my chance for a proper farewell."

"I have to find Bitoru," I gasped, and raced off. I knew we would all meet in the dead of night by the castle gates, despite what Winter said. We all missed Autumn very much, and her correspondences were growing fewer. I was quite worried.

"Bitoru!" I called loudly when I crashed into my rooms. Mother despised Bitoru more than she despised her daughters, and so he was not permitted to attend public functions—while we were forced to. "Bitoru, I must say goodbye."

"Why?" he asked immediately, bounding towards me. "Did you figure it out? I didn't want you to. I wanted to tell you myself. Obviously it would be a bad idea _now_ , since you seem so upset, but I can't help how I feel."

"What?" I asked, closing my eyes and reaching out with my mind, feeling his emotions along with him. Hesitation, anxiousness and fear...but underneath them all a beacon of love shone brighter than any I'd ever seen before, and it was directed towards me. "You love me?"

"I do, yeah," he said awkwardly.

"Keep that in mind," I told him. "It's not as hopeless as you seem to think. But Mother has a scheme and I must go to Autumn. Take care of yourself, and keep out of your Father's business. Stick with Aesop and you should be safe. Promise me that you won't fall for Mother's tricks."

"I promise," he said, confused. "When will you be back?"

"Soon, hopefully," I said anxiously. "Maybe never though. Just know that I care for you too, but we can't talk now. We'll discuss this more thoroughly when I return."

And with that, I raced out of my chambers, feeling like I was as light as a cloud. He loved me. I knew what pure love felt like—and now I knew I'd felt it before, from Father for Mother, and from Maugrim for Mother. I was almost certain I'd felt it from Mother too, for Maugrim, but I couldn't be sure, since I saw them together so infrequently, and she had a much better grasp of her emotions than either men. But the love from Bitoru was so much purer, and shone so much brighter. It was beautiful, not tainted, and it was _mine_.

We fled in the dark of night and chartered the nearest boat to Pangaea, where Winter _saw_ Autumn. It was a long journey, and we were looking over our shoulders endlessly. Not only was it possible that Mother was sending guards after us, but it was possible to be caught by a digimon to be used as a bartering tool in this war. And Father would need to comply with them to keep his kingdom happy. They would not appreciate him forsaking the final three princesses—they weren't happy when Autumn was forced to flee. Because of this we wore cloaks to conceal our wings. There was a way to remove them from sight but none of us were gifted enough with our magic to have learned this yet.

No soldiers or guards or digimon found us, though there were some narrow escapes, because of Winter's power. She was vital to our survival outside of the palace. We did not have as much time as I might've liked to explore the world and discover its wonders, like I'd always dreamed of doing the moment I was free from our castle prison. But that was alright, so long as we saw Autumn at the end of it. I was tired of Winter and Summer's endless arguments.

And we did find Autumn. She was near a forest's edge, and she was departing from a young girl. She was not the infant I'd come to expect, but then I did not know how fast Father had grown, and this was his sister. She wasn't nearly full grown ether. She was walking away from Autumn, arms wrapped around herself tightly and her head bowed to the ground.

"Be okay," Autumn pleaded to her, though she could no longer hear. "Please, be okay."

"Isn't she a little young?" I asked, gently.

"Yes," Autumn agreed. "But there is nothing to be done for her. I've seen her future, and it is not a happy one. Nothing will make it any better. No action of mine has swayed the course even an inch. Her life is a cursed one. She was born only out of misery."

"Autumn," Winter began, when we could no longer see little Zeta. "We have need of you."

"You've received my message then," she said gravely. "Did you stop it? Was she terribly mad at you?"

"What are you talking about?" Summer wanted to know.

"Mother is going to kill Father. I _saw_ it happen. I asked you to stop it," Autumn said.

"We received no such message," Summer said solemnly.

"We came because Mother gave us a prophecy," I told my youngest sister. "She wants us to be sent away to other worlds to rule there. Is that a real prophecy?"

"It could be," Autumn said. "I've never seen it, but that doesn't mean anything. Mother has the gift as well. She has all our gifts. It was something Grandmother tried not to be bitter about. She could have seen a true vision."

"Or she wants us out of the way," Winter said firmly.

We had no choice but to go and see for ourselves. We made our way back to our home, much faster now that we knew how to travel better. We arrived once again, in the dark of the night, but we did not manage to get inside unnoticed. Mother was standing alone in the middle of the gate, looking at us with fury.

"Why would you spread lies about me killing my husband?" Mother asked, staring directly _through_ Autumn with her vile gaze.

"I didn't," Autumn insisted. "I saw a vision, and needed to be cautious."

"I saw a vision too," Mother said. "A vision of the country hating you for what you plan to do to your father."

"What do we plan to do?" Winter asked, nearly rolling her eyes.

"GUARDS!" Mother screamed. "The princesses have tried to commit treason. Lock them in the dungeons. The king must be safe from them."

Guards sprung out from seemingly nowhere and grabbed us. We tried to fight them, but Autumn told us there was no point, and Summer reminded us that fighting would make us look guilty, so we stopped. We let them guide us away. Bitoru was looking down at us from a balcony, and I longed to speak with him, but I could not. I was shoved roughly into a cell, and we sat there, to await the night. We were quiet, and did not speak with one another. There was nothing to say. We had done nothing wrong. We would have been confused at what was going on, if we had not known how cruel and manipulative our mother could be.

When morning came, Autumn warned us that a guard was approaching. Winter was quick to assure us that Mother had sent him to collect _me_ , because she and Maugrim agreed that I was the weakest princess, and the most likely to break in my quest to keep the peace in the family. I was not sure whether I ought to be pleased, or offended by their description of me.

The guard took me not to the throne room, as I expected, but to Mother's private chambers, where she had Maugrim waiting with her. I scowled at them. They thought that _we_ were committing treason when they were sneaking around under father's nose. It was despicable. It was horrendous. I tried to keep that anger about me, so that I could use it as a wall of defense.

"What are you planning?" Mother demanded.

"You're the one with a plan," I said, defensively. "We were just seeking council about whether to follow your request and leave the world or not."

"No," Mother said sharply. "You're trying to lure me into a false sense of security. You want me weak and unprepared, but you can't have me like that. I won't let you. Graul, you'll protect me."

"Of course, my queen," he said. She preened at the moniker and turned to glare more sharply at me.

"You see? You'd have to defeat your father's highest ranking guard to get to me," Mother said, almost madly. "You thought you could take me out, and take the kingdoms for yourself, but you're wrong."

"We've never even _once_ thought of killing you," I told her, shocked that _that_ was where her mind had gone first. "We want nothing but peace and love from you. But you won't give it to us. We've done everything you wanted us to. Winter stopped the war with a storm, I brought birth to the land, Summer freed us from eternal ice, and Autumn killed Grandmother. What else do you want from us? What more can we do so that you will love us, instead of fear us?"

"Be gone," Mother ordered. A sharp cry was all it took for the guard to come back in the room and grab me again. He was dragging me away, but I was crying and pleading for our safety still. We had done nothing wrong! We weren't traitors. _She_ was!

But no one would believe me.

The guard dropped to the ground, with a knife stuck in the back of his knee. The knife disappeared and appeared again in Bitoru's outstretched hand. I looked to him shocked, and he grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the guard.

"Save my sisters," I pleaded to him. He paused, not wanting to let go of my hand, but I needed to go to Mother. I needed to stop her. I didn't know how. My powers were not suited to war, as my sisters were, but I needed to do something.

I got back to Mother's private rooms and Mother and Maugrim were talking. I don't remember what about. The last thing I properly remember, is Mother turning to me and rage filling her face. Then I cried and screamed, in sadness and in pain and I stumbled away, trying to escape. But couldn't see or think properly. I was so disoriented.

And then the world went black.

 _ **Winter Drasil:**_

"He is not coming," I told Summer flatly.

"You mustn't have such a negative disposition ," she responded, "You do not know that he will not come."

"I do," I said sharply, "After Spring asked him to come he was on his way, but chased down by his father who asked him to stay behind. He was frightened, surely, and he obeyed his father."

"He may come _later_ ," Summer argued, "You don't know—"

"I _do_." I was done repeating myself. If Summer wanted to believe that rescue was on its way then she could do so. I knew better and would not waste my last threads of life on a delusion. We were going to be _killed_ by our mother, and I wasn't sure I even cared. The three of us were in a prison cell now, down in the basements of the palace that were hardly ever used. Summer was on the opposite side of the room drowning in her ridiculous gown with her green skin that looked rather dull through the darkness, and her hair was cast over one shoulder. She was beautiful, despite the circumstances. I hoped I looked the same.

I turned to Autumn when she growled, but I saw that she was simply annoyed with a skeletal form that had caught onto her dress. She moved quickly away from it, having not noticed it before and stood near Summer, her arms crossed. "There must be a way to escape without Bitoru," Autumn tried to reason, "Surely one of us could use our powers to open the gates."

It was a worthy suggestion and so I began firing my ice against the metal gate while Summer used her fire. Our other gifts were of no use, but these could work if we tried enough—or so we thought. As it turned out, Mother had crafted the cells in such a way that no magic could break through. It soon became useless to try, though Summer continued to do so, blowing her flames toward the gate in a desperate attempt to escape.

"You are wasting your energy," I told her, and of course my voice sounded rather harsh, but it was not my fault she was acting like an idiot. "We should prepare for the worst and try to escape when we are summoned."

Summer rounded on me and pointed her slender finger my way, "I won't give up like you want me to. We must escape this hold and save Spring."

"And defeat Mother," I agreed, "But we will not escape by force, like you are trying to accomplish."

Summer snarled which I was surprised by. Usually she was entirely reserved and polite but this side of her was not unwelcome. She did not get a chance to yell at me, like she so obviously wanted, because Autumn then spoke. "Why don't we stop arguing," she offered. "We can think better as a group. We shall find logic within our mess of fear and panic and ultimately find a perfect approach to take down our Mother."

"Are we really going to kill her?" Summer asked in a weak voice.

"I never said to kill her," Autumn corrected, moving quickly to Summer's side. "I will never take another life."

I rolled my eyes. My sisters were weak. Mother needed to be stopped and they were too innocent or stupid to see the truth for what it was. As the eldest sister I had known this world the longest and I now truly knew that it had been secretly run by our Mother for far too long. She was now on a direct path to total takeover and it was time to take her down, and if my sisters would not help me, then I would do it myself. "We're going to kill her," I assured the two of them, "Whether you help or not."

"And then what?" Summer asked sharply, "We kill Father too and crown me queen? I cannot rule!"

I stared blankly to her, " _You_ would not be required to," I told her in a cool whisper, "I am the eldest, and so the crown—if Father were to meet an untimely demise—would be passed to me." Summer looked awkward and embarrassed before she began nodding her head.

"Sure, right," she agreed.

"What are you not telling me?" I snapped.

Summer looked to Autumn for support but Autumn was just as interested as I was. I wondered then if Autumn had seen the future—did she _know_ who would rule the kingdom in the future? "Merlin said... and well, I just mean that—you're too much like Father. Merlin and many of the people of the country wish for a different take. Merlin thinks that I should take the crown."

"I don't give a _damn_ what Merlin thinks," I roared angrily, "You are too soft, Summer!" I was on my feet a moment later, closing the distance between us, "Your emotions cloud your judgement and you have no strength to do what must be done. If you think for a moment that saving Spring, right now, is more important than saving our country from an unfit ruler, then that just shows how truly inept you are. You are ignorant and foolish, your childish and innocent ways would be well suited for a gardener or perhaps a librarian, but _certainly_ not a ruler of a country."

Autumn stepped between us quickly, pushing us apart. I felt a twinge of guilt for the sadness in Summer's eyes but I did not let it fester, simply choosing to get rid of it entirely. I did not care for her emotions because I knew I was right. Our country was bigger in the scheme of life than our sister who, ironically, was created to bring life to the land. She had, however, already accomplished her duties as had Summer, Autumn and I too. Our accomplishments were awful, but what our mother had requested and now our roles in the world were finished. Any of us could die and nothing significant would change. And _no_ , someone feeling sad about a death was not a significant change, no matter what Summer thought.

"Why don't we all rule together," Autumn suggested calmly.

"There is only one crown," Summer told her, actually speaking some honest truths for once. I would have expressed my agreement that working together to rule was an awful idea, but there were sudden footsteps coming our way and we all turned quickly to the sound as a man clad in armour carried a crumpled form of a woman our way.

"Stand back," he warned us, and when we did not he extended a long electrical rod that was an enhanced version of the weapon Maugrim had used on me so many years ago. We were all numbed as he brought in the form of the woman and a moment later he was gone, locking us up again.

"Sp-Spring!" Summer stuttered, and when I finally looked up I saw that she was right. The girl—our _sister_ —was lying in a heap on the ground breathing heavily, but was unconscious. Something was wrong, but we did not know what.

For hours we sat in silence, watching as Spring's breathing began harsh, and then calm again, until finally she awoke. The immediate response to consciousness was tears. Spring was crying and she backed herself into a corner, ripping her dress along the way where she finally found comfort in herself, hugging her legs close to her chest. And she sobbed for days, but after the first night she allowed Summer to look closer. Something was missing from her mind and Summer could not discover what had happened at all, and could not fix the wound in her head. Spring was broken and it seemed irreparable. We could not waste all of our energy in saving her, no matter how disheartening this was.

The days passed, and while we could use our powers to see through the gates they were still blurred. No accurate readings could be made and when I looked through my mother's eyes I saw only darkness as if she knew that I was there, trying to look.

And then one morning we were woken by the same man with his electrical weapon and he and his team of faceless soldiers brought us outside. We were tied together with chains and led through the town to the gallows.

We were going to be hanged.

Mother was going to win, and have her entire family killed and the entire world did not realize that she was manipulating them into loving her. She was _forcing_ them to accept her as their queen but they were too dimwitted to know of her plans.

"You have two minutes," the nearest guard said. Two minutes for _what_? I found out mere seconds later when Aesop appeared, embracing Spring who was still shaking in her pain. He began to cry alongside her and embraced her firmly, apologizing for not being there to stop what had happened to her. Merlin was next assuring Summer that he believed her that we were innocent but there was nothing to be done. Summer knew that of course and simply hugged him, thanking him for being her mentor.

And then Morganna arrived, spitting in my face. I reacted sharply and reached out for her throat. The chains restricted me, to Morganna's enjoyment, and a moment later I felt a sharp pain in my side from the electricity.

And then we were on our way to the hanging ropes. It was time. I was resigned to the idea that we were to die already because there was nothing around to stay alive for. I did not mind passing on, but what I did mind was the name that would be left behind in my wake. I was bitter, perhaps mean, but I was not a murderer. Not yet. I had not attempted to kill my parent, and if I had, it certainly wouldn't have been Father.

I used my power to focus on Mother's eyes, but again, she was keeping herself blinded. I felt a rope being placed around my neck, and I heard Spring's sobs next to me. Autumn and Summer were as silent as I was and we would embrace death together. Better than watching Mother rule in any case.

Then, a flash of light crossed through my mind. Mother's excitement stalled her powers and I could see my father's face turn dark. Mother's hands were wrapped tightly around his throat.

"STOP!" I bellowed loudly, and every eye in the square—because of course there was a crowd to watch us die—turned on me. The guard with the electrical rod neared me but I did not flinch, "Listen closely! Mother is attempting to kill our father _right_ now! She is strangling him as we spe—"

" _Silence_!" the guard snapped, stabbing my side with the rod.

"Do not harm them yet!" Aesop shouted, pushing through the guards and pointing directly to the man with the weapon. I saw, in the place Aesop had been before, that Bitoru was crying, staring up to his friend who could possibly never think the same way again. "I will check in on the king, and if Winter's words ring true, then you will not hurt these girls."

"You have no control here," the guard argued, "The queen ordered us to hang the princesses."

"I am on the High Council," Aesop snapped, "The queen has less say than I." The guards seemed to realize this and they all backed away from us. "Merlin," Aesop ordered, "Stand guard of these girls and kill any who lay's a finger on them. I shall return swiftly."

We waited in total silence until Aesop returned. It took hours, and during the time, Morganna attempted to order the guards to kill us anyway, being part of the council as well, but Merlin quickly shut her up. I was jealous that he got a chance to silence her with magic, but no matter who had the honour, it was nice to see. When Aesop finally _did_ return, he was walking with Father down the path toward the four of us. He smiled to Spring but she could not smile back.

"Release my daughters," Father said loudly, "bring them to the Council Hall. We shall have a private family meeting." He then turned to Morganna, "Merlin, bring her. Aesop, come with me."

The ropes and chains were removed from the four of us, and while we were worried and confused at what Father wanted, we were not ungrateful. He had saved our lives, which was perhaps the only kind thing he had ever done for any of us. Summer surely knew more of what was about to happen than the rest of us simply because she could use Father's memories to guide her, but she said nothing as he led us along.

When we entered the Council Hall we were not alone. Mother was tied up, on her knees in her elegant gown. Her hair was tied up in complicated braids and she looked furious, but she did not direct it to father, she aimed it at Summer which was both amusing and disgusting. Mother was not the only form in the room however, because Maugrim was also there, standing rigid and straight with his arms folded behind his back. I would have been worried that he would help her escape, but there was a third unrecognizable figure in the room.

He was made of blue crystal with a rather large helmet shaped crystal protecting him. His face was blank and emotionless, and when Autumn gasped, "Grandfather!" I knew this was the legendary Yggdrasil. This was the man who we had feared and loved since birth for no particular reason.

When the council settled into their seats, leaving Theta's open, Father instructed the four of us to line up with our mother. As the eldest I stood by her and felt her negativity radiating from her. Spring was still upset, and the closer she came to Mother, the more fear came from her strangled cries.

"Would you kindly _shut_ up?" Father begged of Spring who could not obey. Summer took hold of her and held her close for comfort. "We are here to discuss what to do with my family." So we were the subjects of the court session. We had a chance to survive, though I did not know how big that chance was. "I would like you all to stay unbiased and remain fair to each member." Then he turned on Mother, "burn that bitch at the stake."

So much for unbiased.

"You _can't_!" Mother shrieked, "It was not my _fault_!" I nearly smiled at the thought of her desperation. How was she to spin this in her favour? "Summer implanted memories in my head! She turned me against you and I had little control of myself."

"Father," Summer argued, "I do not know how."

Father nodded to Summer, immediately taking her side. "It was _Morganna_!" Mother cried out, changing her story, "She took my heart and is using it to control my actions."

"Surely we could test that?" I asked, motioning to Morganna who proudly stood and made her way to Gaia to check to see if her heart was in tact

She fell to her knees in front of her and Mother was trying to communicate with her eyes, but Morganna was not listening. She reached directly into Mother's chest and pulled out a still beating heart that glowed in the faint light from above. "Crush that," Father ordered.

"It would be an honour," Morganna said, looking with a sense of excitement to her friend who she was about to kill. I was disgusted once more. Morganna was in love with my father and she was _happy_ to have a chance to get him for herself even if it meant killing her friend.

"Enough of this," Yggdrasil bellowed from behind us all. I looked back sharply and saw that even though his voice came out rather aggressively and angry, his face was still void of all emotion. "Son, you will not murder to achieve your revenge."

"Then what do you suggest?" Father asked, stifling his own angry feelings and leaning back into his massive golden chair. "Banishment?" Father scoffed at his own suggestion but as the word came out it was clear that his mind was made up. He changed his tune quickly and a smile formed on his face. "Yes," he said, "We will banish her. We will send her to the wild lands with the creatures. They hate her as much as I. She will carry on her life _there_ , if she can twist her story well enough to gain sympathy." I had no doubts that she would be able to. She was quite the master manipulator. The question though, was whether the digimon would allow her a chance to speak. "You will then cast the land from this realm as you did with the Somnus Isles. You will hide the world away from ours and it will _never_ see the light of day again."

"Son—" Yggdrasil tried to argue.

"If you do not take this away," Father snarled, "Then I will never stop the war! I will continue to fight and destroy this world."

"I do not want _war_ ," Yggdrasil cried out.

"Then take it away," Father snapped.

"Father," Autumn said, daring to speak up. Father turned his attention to her, "The Olympos VI are still on Pangaea, and they will not be able to return in time."

"I do not care," Father said snappishly, "I will let the newly leaderless nation decide what to do with my treacherous wife." He then looked to his own Father and said, "Take her away now. And since Pangaea was brought up, take that away too. I cannot have the Olympians coming to me when they hear news of their fallen empire."

I turned back to Yggdrasil and saw him bow his head. "Yes, Son."

I watched as Mother screamed, clawing at the floors and the arms of the guards who dragged her away and while it was sad for her, I could not have been more pleased with the outcome. With one final look to Maugrim though, she _smiled_. It was disgusting. It was disturbing. It was _wrong_. And it was _dangerous_.

"And now my daughters," Father said in a voice just as angry. I was worried now that he would hold just as much anger for _us_ , but I was wrong. "Autumn, you are forgiven for killing my mother, for I know now that your destiny was chosen _for_ you by the wicked woman who attempted to take my life today. Spring, _please_ stop crying, you're very annoying. Summer, my dear Summer, _who_ are you?" Summer cleared her throat, but said nothing, and he turned his eyes on me, "And my eldest daughter, Winter."

"Father," I said, bowing my head with respect.

"Yes," Father said, "You shall take the empty chair in our council for warning Aesop of my imminent demise. You may take my mother's place, and you will be promoted in the council to a higher rank."

I felt a bubble of happiness rise up inside me and I turned my eyes to Summer as a smile formed on my face. She did not reciprocate the gesture, but she would not hold it over my head forever. Being placed on the council did not mean I was promoted to Queen, and I would not receive the crown until Father died, and there was no way of knowing if that would ever happen. Well, there _was_. But over the next few days, Autumn assured me that she could not control her visions. So, there was no way of knowing.

During those days I did not see my sister's once, but Aesop and Merlin assured me they were alive and well. I spent every minute in the council room with my new tiara. It was thin and useless, but it was made of the same metal as Father's crown. Summer was gifted a frail silver tiara and Spring had one that was similar but gold. Autumn's was bronze and for once we felt united and in a place of importance in our kingdom. We were not held back and forced into hiding in the palace where we spent most of our childhood, but instead the kingdom knew our names, and knew our faces and knew our place.

Morganna seemed to think that because I was now respected by my father, that she was forgiven and that it reflected on her that _I_ had been the daughter chosen to take Theta's place. I ensured Father that Morganna was useless and taught me nothing, but he still looked highly upon her and Morganna relished in his praise. She also looked to me as if I loved her now, but surely she knew that I despised her. And I despised that she seemed to believe that since she raised me and that my father was her beloved Sigma, that I was close enough to a child between the two of them.

I watched through Summer's eyes often and grew more and more desolate as my despair grew and fermented into something worse. I _feared_ for Spring. The eldest of my sisters was in a state where it seemed she would never heal again. Bitoru often spent time in the chamber with the three girls, and it was _he_ that Summer had talked to that night.

" _I do not think Winter is warm enough to have say about what happens to our country,"_ Summer had told him and I immediately backed out of her mind. She did not think I was suitable to be on the council because I was not enough like _her_. Well I knew that _she_ too would be a terrible addition to the council. When Father brought up the monetary issues with our kingdom, my suggestion to bring in taxes was what saved the day. Summer would never charge the civilians to save the kingdom as a whole. She was too kind, and she was too detached from the reality of the situation.

I did not like that Summer found herself to be _better_ than I. We both had our strengths and our weaknesses and her resentment was hindering me from achieving my full potential. I told Autumn this when I finally got a chance to see her. She assured me that Summer did _not_ think herself better than I, but I did not believe her.

"She _does_ ," I said, sure that I was right. "Summer is _right_ in many ways. Perhaps her kindness _would_ benefit the country but that does not mean my decisions are tactless and rash."

Autumn was always there to comfort me and I loved that about her. Spring would comfort me when the days were longer and the world was harsher, but now that her mind had snapped it seemed that was unlikely to happen again. I wished Summer luck in mastering her gift of manipulating memories. I wanted to see Spring _whole_ again.

I didn't think I would ever get the chance to see Spring at _all_ because I was always brought back to the Council Hall moments after I was set free, and often times it was just the four of us, with Father missing. This time though, he staggered into the room after the lot of us, during our rundown of the current events.

When I turned to him I was immediately hit with a wall of stench. The room began to smell of alcohol and judging by the way Father was moving into the room I was confident that I could figure out _why_. He was drunk because he was depressed. His best friend—his _wife_ —had betrayed him and with his Father unable to feel sorrow or empathize with his son, Father was left to wallow in his own pity.

"I 'ave decided what teh do," Father said in slurred words, stopping by the golden table and slamming his hands down onto the table, "I am unable teh... sleep, 'cause my wife... she broke my heart, and I need it teh goway. To go _away_." He clarified. He looked to Morganna who swelled under the gaze even in his drunken state. Her hazy vision was clouded by love and again I found myself disgusted. "Mor—Morganna! Take my _heart_!"

"Sir," Aesop objected sharply, getting to his feet, "You are drunk, perhaps the decision should be made at a later date."

"Don't talk down to _me_ , Farm Boy!" Father shouted loudly, startling Aesop into sitting down. "I have thought this through for days! Tell 'im Merlin!"

Merlin cleared his throat, and when he moved his hand away he was grimacing. "It is true, I'm afraid. I have been trying to talk him out it, but he seemed so determined. We cannot appose our king. He is our ruler, and we need to obey." Father looked pleased with Merlin's words and he turned to Morganna, who now seemed concerned about whether the idea was a smart one. At least she had a _shred_ of consciousness.

"Morganna," Father said to her, "I am here to give _you_ my _heart_ ," he was speaking more clearly now. "Please take good care of it." Morganna nodded a moment later, and Father threw his arms aside. Morganna acted quickly and reached directly into his chest and used her only gift to pull Father's heart from his chest.

I left the meeting immediately following that and returned to Spring's chambers were Autumn and Summer were waiting with her. "We must alert Yggdrasil," I told them, "Father has given his heart to Morganna."

Autumn sent the message to Yggdrasil and in merely a week's time he appeared in the palace before the council, and forced Morganna to hand the heart to him. She was upset but could not deny Yggdrasil his wishes. She handed over the box and Yggdrasil thanked me for getting the news to him. Morganna grew angry with me for forcing the heart of her beloved man out of her grips, but Father did not care who had the heart, as long as he himself was not responsible for its well being. "I am leaving this world now," Yggdrasil told us. "I have created one of _peace_ and calmness out of Theta's remains. I will take this heart there, but I will not stay to guard it. I will not live in that world for I do not deserve the beauty it holds. I am not worthy _. No one_ is worthy."

"How will we reach you?" Merlin asked.

"Call to me," Yggdrasil said, "I will always watch over all."

It was then that two members of the council began to crumble. Morganna's mind resembled Spring's broken one more and more each day as her heart led her through her depression. She did not seem willing to come up for air and it was horrible to see—even if I despised her—a woman who was so broken by love. Father was falling too, and that was where most of my fear and focus fell. His heartlessness stopped him from being a good leader, and his loyalty wavered without the heart that fed that part of him—the part he was _created_ from. He was not a strict ruler anymore, but a cruel, heartless tyrant.

Summer did not stop for a moment to complain at every chance because she was like that. She found positives, sure, but she could not find any for Father anymore. I could still see threads of hope in his life, and if we could return his heart to his chest then surely we could be content and live a life fueled by the peace that Yggdrasil sought.

But we never looked for this new world and I never told my sisters of its existence because it did not matter. Yggdrasil wanted this world to be untouched and I could do that for him.

Then, when Autumn and I were walking separately from the others who were still in Summer's rooms, my sister fell to the stone floor. It was clear to me that she was having a vision and so I pulled her into my arms and carried her to Summer's chamber, practically throwing her onto the bed near Spring.

"What is _this_?" Summer asked, jumping back and pulling Spring to her feet to make more room for Autumn. Spring fell into her arms and Summer helped her to a nearby chair.

"She is having a vision," I told them.

Summer fled from Spring's side and retrieved her book of prophecies before flopping it down on the desk. "Talk to her," she advised.

I hesitated and looked to Spring who looked ready to sob again. It was left to me then I supposed. I sat down on the bed and reached out to Autumn's head, brushing her hair back with my gloved hand. "Autumn," I said softly, "Talk to me." I felt quite uncomfortable talking to her, because it seemed likely that she needed medical attention, or that was what it looked like anyway. It just felt quite wrong to be speaking to her as normally as I had been asked to do. "What are you seeing?"

" _Bad_ ," Autumn breathed weakly. "There are _nine_."

"Nine _what_?" Summer asked loudly.

I shot her a glare and she apologized with her eyes. "What is there nine of?" I asked her.

"Evil," Autumn said, her eyelids fluttering. I could see her eyes shooting back and forth underneath them and her hands balled up the fabric around her as her muscles became tight. "Nine evils. One for each world."

"Nine worlds?" I asked, looking to Summer who was scribbling away in her book and served no use to me in solving the riddle. I knew of seven if I included the world Yggdrasil had newly created, though my sisters did not know of its existence.

"These evils must be destroyed by those who most accurately bear the traits that Theta found most appealing," Autumn continued, ignoring my question.

"The symbols," I jumped at the sound of a man's voice. I hadn't noticed him there before, but it was Merlin and he was watching from the other side of the room with wide eyes. "The symbols from before, they are the traits. Theta called them Crests." He then moved quickly toward the bed, "Autumn," he said gently, "tell me more, _who_ are these Evils?"

Autumn's eyes flew open and she sat straight up. "I don't know," she said in a shaky voice, "I could not see them clearly—most of them."

"Most?" Spring prodded in a weak voice.

"I saw one," Autumn admitted. "It was our _Father_. He will be one of the Greatest Evils."

During the next few weeks Merlin, Summer, Autumn and I spent all of our free time theorizing the Evils in the visions. We thought of the worlds and tried to list them all. Merlin had understood that Yggdrasil's world of peace was not to be spoken of _ever_ , and so we did not mention it once. Spring joined us when she could, but most days she spent with Bitoru who tried to take Summer's job in finding the solution to Spring's tears.

We spoke late at night about killing father, for Merlin surely would not approve of the idea, but Autumn's visions had never proven to be false and we knew that Father _would_ become one of the greatest evils in all the realm. I knew it was probably because he had no heart, but we could not approach Yggdrasil and ask him to give it to us, because he would not betray his son over the four women he had very little to do with.

And when the day finally came, Spring ensured that Merlin, Morganna and Aesop were deep in their sleep by using a sleeping powder that she created from the mushrooms in the field—with Bitoru's help of course—and Summer filled Father's wine with a fast acting poison that would render him paralysed. Autumn closed the palace gates and ensured that the workers were all out of the way of our plan. Summer and Spring stayed back then, as Autumn and I crept into the room. Autumn kept watch of the door as I made my way to our father.

"I care for you," I told him as he looked up to me with wide and fearful eyes. "You are my Father and I respect you as a leader. But as a leader myself, I know that hard decisions must be made." He could not respond, but it did not make this any easier. "You are to be the greatest evil in our land, and I cannot allow you to run our kingdom to the ground." I took one last look into his eyes and took the knife to his throat. "I am sorry, Father."

 _ **Summer Drasil:**_

I felt exposed and vulnerable as I held Spring close to me. We were once again before the council, only this time we were the ones on trial, rather than our mother. I remembered the big spectacle mother made of herself as she was dragged towards the nearest harbour to be shipped to Witchenly, and I hoped to hold myself with much more dignity at the very least.

" _Maugrim! Maugrim don't let them do this to me. I'm a kind and generous ruler. Tell them!"_

" _Quiet, wench," Father snapped, kicking at her._

" _Maugrim, please, help me! I love you. I have always loved you. Don't leave me to suffer this fate alone. I can't bear to part from you."_

" _I am loyal to Sigma," was Maugrim's only response._

It was horrible to behold it, and my heart went out to my mother in that moment, though I knew that she was simply trying to garner sympathy from the adoring public—most of whom were very confused and outraged at the treatment of their queen. It was not until Witchenly was banished from our world that they were lifted from the spell she had placed on them.

Maugrim retained his prestigious position, for being strong enough to resist Mother's temptation magic, and to stay loyal to his king. I could see how Father could covet that loyalty when his own wife had betrayed him in the worst possible way. But now, Father's word could count for nothing, and Maugrim was standing among the council members.

Merlin was distraught, unsure of what to do or say. Aesop was openly weeping over the loss of the king, and defending Spring, for she had been with Bitoru during the time of the event, and that meant she was innocent.

She wasn't.

None of us were.

I could hardly believe that I had allowed Winter to convince me that killing our father was the best option. Somehow, her logic led me to believe that interrupting Grandfather in order to ask for Father's heart was far more troublesome than actually killing Father would be. I felt like scum for having committed such a terrible act. My actions made it so Father could not fight back. I had poisoned him, just as Mother had not long ago. I was no better than her. I was wretched, and I wanted whatever punishment that was given to me.

I didn't deserve anything better, no matter how important it was that we freed the world from Father. He was to become one of the greatest evils that any of the worlds could ever know. It was vital to save the world—and more importantly, save the children of Autumn's visions from having to do the act themselves.

The entire castle was filled with a fluster the morning after Winter killed Father. Fingers were pointed at us immediately, because Mother had filled their heads with the possibility. It was true, so we did not try to deny it. We had done a terrible deed for the good of the many, just as Winter was always preaching that we needed to.

And I felt horrid about it.

No amount of logic could put a damper on the raging in my heart. I was not a good person anymore. No amount of good could clean the stain that Father's death had placed there. I was a monster, just as Mother had been, and just as Father had become.

"They must _burn_ for what they've done!" Morganna lamented. I winced at the harshness in her voice, and the futility of her sentence. I could not burn, just as ice could not harm Winter. Burning would be a pointless attempt to kill me.

"They are children still," Merlin insisted. "They have good reason for what they've done."

"Are you suggesting that you were aware of their actions?" Morganna was quick to accuse.

"I was not, but I am privy to one of Autumn's prophecies that might have led to this outcome," Merlin said sagely. "I should have caught on earlier, perhaps I could have saved them from this terrible fate."

"Who cares about _them_?" Morganna wailed. "They've killed the king. I want to see them punished!"

"Perhaps now, we can see that the queen's actions weren't as unjust as everyone claimed them to be?" Maugrim said. "She too had the power of prophecy. She too saw irreparable damage caused by Sigma, it is likely that she saw this event coming into play—and in fact she arrested them _before_ the act occurred for this very reason. She warned us they would kill the king, and you disregarded her warnings."

"Yes, we did," Merlin said, glaring towards Maugrim. "She tried to kill the king herself, of course we disregarded anything she had to say."

"And now, you can see that she tried to kill him only to save her children from that very same fate," Maugrim said simply. "Prophecies always come to pass, Gaia told me as much. Fate will always find a way."

"You seem far more loyal to the wench now, than when she was on her knees, pleading for your assistance," Morganna said coldly, still drowning in misery with the pain of losing Father in the most permanent of ways.

"Graul, my son," Aesop said, shaking his head. "It is too late to look to Gaia for answers. I know that what you two shared was love, but it matters little. She is no longer a concern to us."

"She will _always_ be a concern to me," Maugrim snapped. "And you allowed her to be tossed aside like trash because the king's feelings were hurt. She warned us that her daughters would kill him, and here we are, with a dead king, and four princesses caught red handed. I want to see some punishment."

"Conspiring with the banished queen," Morganna said with a hum. "I'll give you a punishment alright. You will be banished from this world. No, don't look too excited, you won't be meeting with your precious queen. You will be sent to her home world, where you can catch glimpses of her in everything you see, so that you will be tortured by what could have been, and always know that she is out of your reach."

"Just like the king is now out of yours," Maugrim dared to comment. Morganna's eyes flashed. She lunged at Maugrim, and Aesop defended his son by catching her around the middle and shoving her back.

"You can take that damn son of yours with you," Morganna growled. "Neither of you are any use to us now."

"You can't!" Spring cried out. "Bitoru did nothing wrong."

"I did," Bitoru argued quickly. "But Spring didn't. I'm the one that poisoned all of you. I kept you away from the evil deed, and then I kept Spring away in order to provide myself with an alibi."

"Bitoru, don't," Aesop pleaded.

"You had something to do with this too, didn't you, Aesop," Morganna asked suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes at him and started poking him in the chest. "You thought you could get away with it, but you can't. I won't let you. You'll be banished too. You'll all be banished."

"Morganna," Merlin interrupted, loudly. "You cannot banish a fellow council member. It comes down to a vote, and you alone are not enough to overrule Aesop and I."

"Graul and Bitoru will be banished," Morganna said dangerously. "I will have that revenge."

"I will not let them go alone, Merlin," Aesop said sadly. "I will not lose my family if I need not."

"But you won't be able to return," Merlin pleaded. "Morganna, please, rethink your decision. Perhaps we could punish them in another way. They do need punishment, but perhaps banishment is too harsh."

"I will settle for nothing less," Morganna declared.

"The girls then, allow them simple banishment as well," Merlin begged.

"They killed the king. They killed _Sigma_ ," Morganna cried.

"He never loved you," Winter said coldly. "He never would have. He saw you as an ally at most, and as the woman that raise him. He saw nothing to love when he looked at you. It was your magic that started his downfall. It was _you_ that contorted him into a great evil. Why should we be punished because of your delusions? We saved the world, you merely tried to destroy it."

"I'm not the one on trial," Morganna said coolly. "I raised you. And you would betray me like this."

"You didn't _raise_ me," Winter said, frostily. "I had to do that myself."

"Enough," Merlin said, yelling. His voice echoed off the walls, and everyone turned to him. "The girls will go into the cells, until such a time that we can decide what to do with them. Maugrim, Bitoru...Aesop... We will contact Yggdrasil and you will leave this world. That is the council's final say."

"You can't—" Morganna started, angry that he would dare to take control of the situation when she was so obviously trying to use the fact that she'd raised Father to settle into a ruling position.

"I raised him too," Merlin said, following the same train of thought as I was. "And the daughter _I_ raised was not found with a bloody knife, so you'll forgive me if I disregard your madness and use logic in its place. Thank you. The council has spoken. Guards, I will take the girls myself. Morganna, call for Yggdrasil. Aesop, if she tries to separate you, use your power as a council member to overrule her. She's gone mad. She's not capable of making decisions anymore."

"Merlin, you belittle me!" Morganna raged. The guards moved to contain her, and bring her to her rooms where she could hopefully get control of herself once again, and start to move past the pain of losing her greatest love—Father.

"Bitoru!" Spring cried, trying to pull away from me and get to him. He looked at her, sadly. He'd tried to protect her and was being punished for it, but it hadn't saved her at all. She reached out for him, but a guard held her back. "Bitoru!"

"Stop crying," Morganna snapped, as the guards wrestled her out of the room. "Tears never achieved anything. He was cursed the moment he was born. He'll never find a happy ending, Gaia ensured that. No children begotten by her lover could get anything resembling happiness. It never would have worked for you."

"Just as Father would never work for you," Winter snapped cruelly, in defense of our sister. Morganna recoiled and the guards were able to get her out of the room. Maugrim was not struggling. He was resigned to his fate, but Winter's memory flashed in my mind of Mother smiling at him before leaving the council hall, before her big showy declaration of love at the docks. It didn't mean much to me, but I feared her, even still, though she was in Witchenly now.

"Council will resume in three days time," Merlin announced loudly. "We will discuss where to banish you girls then." Merlin then led us through the halls—but not towards the prison cells. He led us to the courtyard, on the opposite side of the castle to Morganna's chambers. "Girls, I have given you three days. We cannot count on any more. Morganna wants revenge, and I alone am no match for her. The council has dwindled. I can try to keep her from the throne, but that is all I can manage."

"I understand," I told him. Spring was a sobbing mess, having just lost Bitoru and Aesop in one swift motion, and I could not understand that feeling, but I was losing Merlin now, too, and I was afraid I would understand soon enough.

"I love you, Summer," Merlin told me. I started crying right then, not able to control myself. "You are a wonderful woman, and I am so proud of who you have become. I just wish you might've confided in me of your traitorous plans. I could have done the deed in your stead. I could have saved you from this fate, if you had only trusted in me."

"I couldn't do that to you," I told him firmly. "I have made my bed, and now I must lie in it."

"I fear that Morganna will separate you," Merlin told us. "She will not want the four of you in one place. She would deem it irresponsible, since you all have so much power. You will need to use these three days I have bought for you to discover a plan that will allow you to communicate with one another, and with home. I will not allow Morganna to keep you from your home. You are the rightful heirs, not her, not me. We cannot go without a ruler forever."

"We'll find a way," Winter told him firmly. He nodded, and then he made a hasty escape, only after reminding us that there were only _three_ days.

I could not imagine being separated from my sisters. We'd lost Autumn temporarily once, when she was running from Father, and I could not bear it again—even Winter, who was my exact opposite, and whom I rarely got along with. My sisters did not want the separation either, so we got to work—each in our own way. It was Autumn that realized what we needed, and assured that Winter and I needed to work in harmony to create it. We fought bitterly though. I could not work with Winter who was cruel and heartless, and Winter would not work with a soft hearted optimist either. We wasted two of our three days with this pointless fighting, and it was Spring that finally got us to stop.

"I lost Bitoru and Aesop, don't make me lose you too," she pleaded, making us think. We could not waste any more time. We had so little of it as it was. But we could not get alone. We were fire and ice, warm and cold, pessimism and optimism. We were opposites in every way, which was why it was _me_ that had to take that first step.

"Winter, I don't know what you think of me"—a blatant lie and we both knew it, since my powers provided me with exactly that sort of information—"but I do _not_ think of myself as a god, or anything like that. I'm not perfect, I don't think I'm all knowing, or all powerful. And I don't think you're useless. You are so talented, I wish you knew how much I appreciate you."

"I suppose I'm jealous of the easy upbringing you were provided with, since I had to fight for everything, and was alone, and unloved for most of my childhood," Winter said, which felt like she was stabbing me in the heart. I'd never once tried to see it from her point of view. I might be bitter too, if I'd had three little sisters that were all loved unconditionally, while I'd been given to the one council member that had no love to give in her heart. "I suppose the things I've been forced to do, have fuelled my bitterness."

It took more than just a few simple words, but we did eventually overcome our differences and create the Looking Glass so that we would be able to travel back home, whenever we wished to. It was simple, and it was underhanded, but it was what we needed.

Once again we were brought before the council, and once again Morganna was mad with grief and trying to have us executed. Merlin told her once sharply that we were being banished and that there was no more time for discussion. Just as Morganna was preparing to persuade—or force—Merlin to see things from her point of view, the doors were opened, and Grandfather came into the hall.

"I have completed the keys for the new worlds," he announced, looking from Winter, to Spring, to me, and then he let his eyes rest on Autumn. "I cannot allow you to go unpunished, so there is no use asking. You killed my son. You killed my very loyalty, and for that a price must be paid."

"And we will gladly do so, Grandfather," Autumn said, holding her hand out for the keys. He gave them to her, which I thought was odd, since we were meant to be banished, and he was giving us easy access to the other worlds. It was hardly a punishment at all, now that we had access to Sidhendor whenever we wished to come, thanks to the Looking Glass.

I said my goodbyes to Merlin, and Morganna sneered at us all—but did not push for execution again, since Grandfather had made his decree. Even Father had been ranked under Yggdrasil's power.

We walked through a gate to Pangaea of our own volition. Morganna was fuming, because we held ourselves with as much grace and poise as we could, and she didn't want us to have that dignity. When we got to Pangaea, we learned that much had been changed. The continent was shattered, forming seven new continents in its place. The people called it Earth, and they had no recollection anymore of a time when Sidhendor existed alongside it. It was confusing, and mind boggling to see how many changes had taken place. The most confusing, was that the digimon didn't exist among them. Winter could not use her clairvoyance to find the Olympos VI.

Travelling was much harder than we imagined, because Winter and I did not blend as well as our sisters. Our green and blue skin was a marvel, and we could only travel in the dead of night, so as not to raise suspicion. We used our magic to change our ball gowns to clothing of the times, and to hide our wings. Only Autumn did not have that necessity. Her wings had not yet arrived. I was worried they may never, but she did not seem to mind. She was able to walk freely without the irritating itch of hidden wings, and I'm afraid I was rather jealous of that fact.

Time passed, and we travelled far and wide. We explored throughout the continents and we explored the decades as they passed. A time came, eventually, though, when we felt a disturbance. We could feel another world, far closer than it had any right to be. We were confused, and concerned, and we followed the energy it projected, and we used our magic, combining all four sets of power, in order to find access to this world. We needed to know that it wasn't a danger to Earth, or to the other worlds. We had dedicated ourselves to finding the peace that Grandmother wanted before her demise.

This new world was modeled much the same as the world we'd just left behind. Even the mountains were in the same locations as they were on Earth. It was very confusing. But the world was filled with living creatures—creatures we'd once been told were horrors and monsters. The digimon were here, instead of on Earth like we'd thought they'd be. This world was different. It held no connection to Theta, our Grandmother, which was unlike the other worlds. We were unsure of it. Would this world prove to be stable? We had no source of reference. We knew nothing, and rather than spend an eternity fearing for the worst, we set out to find someone that did.

It took a long time, but eventually, we stumbled upon a Temple—or what _would_ be a temple. Digimon were working side by side to build a great fortress, and rather than allowing them to break their backs while we watched, we all joined forces with them, to build it faster. When we questioned the locals they informed us that they had simply found this castle here and had chosen to rebuild it in the places it had fallen.

"But who once lived here?" I asked, as my sisters and I heaved a large stone up to the wall several digimon were working together to repair.

"No idea," a Goblimon told us with a big dopey smile. "No one knows, but the place is ours now. We're going to make good use of it."

The Temple was built after a long string of weeks of hard work, but eventually, it was finished—and we each added our own special touch to make it feel like home.

The man that was in charge came to us, once the work was finished and introduced himself as Gennai. We asked him about the world, and he explained to the best of his ability the world that we were standing in.

"This is a peace offering made by my human counterpart to alleviate the injustices that the digimon faced during their time on Earth. The humans did not appreciate them, and cast them into oblivion. A D'Arcmon was left behind, and she went on to find a human, and together they had a child. That child, was my human self. He made this world when his mother, D'Arcmon, was taken into the void, and he wanted the best for her. He cannot travel between the worlds, and made me to take his place here. I am his digital counterpart, meant to keep the balance between the worlds, and keep them from shifting towards chaos."

We were fascinated. His human counterpart had created an entire world, for the sake of his mother. We could not understand the level of love that would take, but I found it beautiful nonetheless. He went on to tell us that the ancient digimon were dead, and that they had become spirits, powering artefacts that were dormant for the time being. There was a great darkness lurking in the world, and the three holy digimon were doing their best to keep the balance, though it was a mighty task to put onto just three digimon.

Together, my sisters and I stayed in the Digital World, living in this Temple in the wings designed after ourselves. The summer wing was so very reminiscent of my childhood home that at times I was able to forget that we were not welcome there. More than once, I rose in the morning, forgetting where I was, and walked out of my rooms to find Merlin, before the reality crashed back down on me. It was painful, and it felt like I was losing my mentor—my _father_ really—and my home, over and over again. We stayed with Gennai, and asked him to tell us all he could about this world.

Autumn met a digimon, a Gorillamon, and fell in love. This was her partner. This was the digimon she'd seen in her vision, and she was overjoyed to find him. She assured us that we would find partners too, but we were hesitant. Would the digimon even _want_ to be our partners? We were of Sidhendor. We were of the land that sentenced them to hell on Earth. We were the reason they were banished not only once—from our home world—but twice—when those of Earth threw them aside.

But when we met our partners, nothing could be further from the truth. Drimojimon was my partner, and while we were quite different, we worked well together. He was fun, but wise, and had explored a great majority of the Digital World's underground. We made maps together for fun, and had such joyous conversations. Winter's partner, Mojimon, was found in the icy north, where he had a permanent residence. Winter would wander off to spend long stretches of time with him whenever Spring, Autumn and I proved to be of annoyance. Spring's partner, Elecmon was everything she needed. He was responsible for the care of all new born digimon, and Spring was very motherly. Her mind may not have been in one piece, but she seemed most like herself when she was spending time with Elecmon in Primary Village, cooing over the infants, and telling them made up stories.

Life was good, for us.

But that could not last.

Gennai was telling us of his quest for balance, when Autumn fell from her chair, convulsing on the ground while she was trapped in yet another vision. Winter was quick to get her to her rooms, and we all followed, afraid for whatever Autumn might have to tell us. It was nearly an hour before she woke from her trance. I no longer had my book of prophecy, and could not record her words. I wished that I had it. This prophecy was terrifying, and important.

"It didn't work," Autumn said, her teeth chattering as she shook from head to toe. "I saw them again. I saw the great evils. Father is still among them. We haven't stopped anything. We _brought_ the prophecy into being. We're the reason he's so powerful. We _made_ him."

"Nonsense," Winter said, trying to sound aloof and cold, as always, but there was a short tremor in her voice. "We stopped the prophecy. We saved the children. That's all there is to it."

"A prophecy cannot be stopped," Autumn moaned. Spring curled up next to her, trying to warm her after her ordeal. "Father's spirit...it's out there. _That's_ the great evil. We made that. We made _him_."

"Can we stop him?" I asked, knowing the answer, before she said it, for I could see the vision inside my own mind now, as I sorted through her memory. We could not.

"The Holy digimon will fall," Autumn said, groaning. "The balance will be put off."

"What can I do to help?" Gennai asked. "We must keep the balance. It is imperative. It is my duty to keep it. I cannot fail in this."

" _We_ cannot do anything," Autumn said slowly.

"That's not good," Spring said.

It was an understatement. We had ruined the lives of children. How could we have done that? It was impossible, it was cruel, for fate to toy us so. My heart bled with grief, and our time in the Digital World lost much of its luster. We were not living in a time where we might create peace. We were living a life where we'd already _destroyed_ that peace.

There was only one hope that Autumn had to offer us. "A dragon, a large digimon, will have the power to keep the peace. He will have his four sovereign. When he arrives, peace will be in full effect." But this dragon did not come. I saw him clearly in her mind. I could almost _feel_ his presence. But he never came.

"Maybe he doesn't exist yet," Spring suggested. "Maybe _that_ is the reason we were brought here."

It was as good of a suggestion as anything, and so we worked together, using our powers in much the same way as we had created the Looking Glass, or made our journey to the Digital World in the first place. The dragon we'd made lay dormant within the world, until such a time that he would be needed. Autumn was distraught upon seeing the digimon we'd created. I recoiled at the memory of her vision, but I saw why she was so upset.

"We did it again," I said, to our sisters, when they were curious. "Fanglongmon, our dragon, he is one of them. He is a great evil."

"We cannot do this again," Winter declared. "We cannot stop the prophecy, I understand that, but we will not cause any more problems. I refuse."

"We can't leave him unguarded," Gennai decided. "I will watch over him."

"It doesn't matter," Autumn announced. "It literally does not matter. Nothing we do will change the future. What is meant to be will be, and no force will be able to alter the path."

 _ **Autumn Drasil:**_

My sisters did not take the news well that they had inadvertently created not _one_ but _two_ of the nine Great Evils I had seen in my visions. It was unfortunate then that I was not particularly gifted with the arts of fortune telling. I could see the darkness in several visions, I knew it was there commanding its nine greatest evils, but I could not accurately see _any_ of them. I knew now that the shape on the far left had been Fanglongmon, a great and terrible golden beast with the power from the four seasons. We had unleashed him into the worlds. I was thankful that I had not seen his destiny any further because I did not want to know what kinds of dangers or horrors we had caused for those children. I also knew that the shape that I had _feared_ was my father, _was_ in fact him. He was now living among the world of the dead, looking for an escape.

Each of my sisters seemed at a loss of what to say or what to do. We were living in a world where we did not belong in a castle—that they called a temple for some reason—that had our faces carved into the wall. Gennai was kind and loving and sweet, but he was still a simple man who had no reason to be so accommodating to four women who fell into his world by pure coincidence. We had to leave soon, surely, because we could not be welcome in this land.

I did not yet want to leave though. I had one last thing to take care of. A simple curiosity that needed satisfying.

I had yet to produce wings on my back—and who knew if I ever would, really, since there were only three people who had organically grown them _ever_ and they were my sisters—and so I had to walk, but with Gorillamon, the walk was not so long. He was my friend and it was wonderful to have him. In this world, for moments that were brief, I could forget the troubles of my life. Gorillamon was a _friend_. I had never had a friend before, and here, my parents were both gone and we could travel as we pleased. We were _safe_.

Gorillamon and I passed by our Looking Glass, and he jumped in, thinking I was going to the runes that we had visited so often. My sisters and I carved underneath the water about Theta and what we knew of her. My sisters did not know why, but they assisted me anyway. They probably thought I was still mourning the loss of my mentor, and my grandmother, but that was not why. I felt Theta in this world. Surely they could too.

Gorillamon was embarrassed and now he was wet too, but I simply laughed with him and he laughed back, hugging me tightly and sharing his wetness with me. After a short time we found ourselves where I had been heading. There was a small cave standing in the middle of a forest clearing.

That was where I felt Theta most powerfully. She was here somewhere, but _how_ was she inside this tiny ruined building if she was dead? That did not seem possible to me. I did not hesitate to find out though because the creepy ruins seemed rather inviting. Gorillamon was shuddering behind me like the scaredy-cat that he was, but he came along anyway. It was just too perfect that we'd arrived in the dead of the night too. I was excited and running on pure adrenaline as I crept through the mouth of the cave. I could see nothing until Gorillamon lit up the cannon on his arm for some light. The faint purple glow bounced across the walls and we were apparently in a sort of tunnel.

When the tunnel opened up into a large round room my eyes were immediately caught by the markings on the wall. I moved quickly toward them, running my hand along the carvings. Before I could begin reading my mind had been yanked away from the present.

" _Do you know what this is, Mimi?"_

" _No, I don't know how to understand this junk."_

" _It's talking about the origins of our Crests! For instance, did you know..."_

My mind settled back into my own head and I shuddered. Those voices had seemed so friendly and normal when I had been in their time with them, watching their interactions but now that I was back in the dark cave their voices only echoed distantly in my head. A boy and a girl... I had seen them before. They were two of those chosen to bear the Crests. And _this_ was apparently an entire cave dedicated to learning about those Crests.

But if this world was newly created by Gennai's human counterpart, then how did these ruins exist?

I continued down the wall, skimming the words—because it was boring, but I would definitely come back to them later and read it straight through—using the light from Gorillamon to guide me. As I came to a symbol that resembled a flower of sorts my mind had been tugged away once more.

" _Originally there were five Digidestined, correct?" it was the same boy from before._

 _But then the girl who replied was different this time. "So we've been told."_

" _And here is proof." The boy said. "It says here..."_

There were other's chosen _before_ this group. And they called themselves Digidestined. That was cute. Whatever they had learned here seemed not to be written yet. All I could see were symbols and meanings. Someone would come later and engrave their names in the wall, those that were chosen to bear and _create_ the Crests. From what I could tell, Theta found traits she adored in humans and she had created small objects—Digimentals—to express those. Then, later than I was currently living, five—or six, I was confused—children would make their own embodiments of those traits, and those would be Crests. The Crests were meant to give power to the beholder by expressing those beautiful attributes. And those bearers were the people Theta wanted to protect the world.

"This is very interesting suddenly," I said to Gorillamon who was still shaking in place. I realized that it was time to leave then, because it just wasn't fair to my friend. We had to find a safe place to sleep so we could come back later. "Come on, let's leave." I didn't have to tell Gorillamon twice. He immediately turned back to the entrance but there was someone standing there now. I shrieked and Gorillamon fired a blast directly toward the figure who reached out and caught the blast, squeezing it until it no longer existed. " _Gorillamon_!" I gasped, rushing to his side. "That's no way to treat company."

" _You_ are the company," the voice said. "This is my home. I am protecting it for Theta."

"You know Theta?" I asked weakly into the darkness. Gorillamon was too nervous to light the cave up again and I could see nothing.

"Of course," the figure said. "She was born here and she summoned me from the ashes to keep her company." I was shocked to find this out, but I said nothing. "Theta lived before she was born. She was the _world_. And when she took human shape she was in a world of nothing but balance. These ruins were here though. They are where she took shape."

"So you're her partner?" I wondered quietly.

"I am."

"Who are you?" I asked, elbowing Gorillamon and he reacted by lighting up his cannon arm again. It was a man dressed mostly in black but there was a white cape around his shoulders. His red hair stood up at odd angles. "I've seen you," I told him quietly. "In a vision. You are meant to go see Theta." I spent the next while speaking to Gankoomon—that was his name—and Gorillamon eased up in his fear because we were no longer alone. I wasn't lying to Gankoomon either. The world that Yggdrasil had created—the very one that Winter was hiding from us—was where I had seen Gankoomon. I offered to help him find his way there, but he assured me he could do it himself.

"And so you're sure you saw me there?" Gankoomon wondered. I nodded. "Then of course I will one day make my way there."

We left him soon after, but we were not done talking for the night. Gorillamon had one question to ask. "You see the future of everyone else," he noted. "But what do you see for yourself?"

I had gotten the same vision several times through the years. I was of my funeral. I _knew_ I was going to die, but I did not recognize most of the faces _at_ the funeral. I did not know who loved me in that time. I had seen my own death too, but I did not understand it. I did not answer Gorillamon's question and he was okay with that, but seemed worried.

That night, because I'd been thinking of it, I dreamed of the vision of my death.

 _Standing tall and proud, my arms outstretched, I could feel my life draining from me, but it was not by force. I was doing so willingly. Gorillamon was near me, watching in tears. I was giving my life to something better._

 _But the dream shifted suddenly and I was standing in Gankoomon's cave. I ran my fingers down the wall, just as I had before, but this time my vision was of three children. I saw my sisters and they each selected these children from the depths of the world and they were hoping they would save them. They were meant to pick a child. And so was I. I could see it now. I saw her, and her beautiful face. I saw her short hair and her little whistle. I saw her. But I saw her shadow too. And each of my sister's choices had a shadow. A different child. A dark version of them, but darkness did not always mean_ bad _and when I looked to these shadows I was not frightened of their wrongdoings, I was_ sad _for their tortured souls._

When I returned to my sisters the next day I told them of this vision. I told them that they must each pick a child from the worlds, but their reaction was not as I expected it to be.

"I cannot," Winter told me flatly. "I must leave this world now. I plan to watch over father in the land of the Dark. I will not allow his spirit to escape. You do not believe we can change fate, but we have twice made mistakes that I will not stand by. I must try to put an end to this."

"And you will," I promised, "By picking a beautiful little girl to save the world."

"Little girl?" Winter asked, sounding annoyed. "I will not put the faith of the world in some child's hand."

"What of Spring and I?" Summer wondered, "Who do we choose?"

"That is up to you both," I said, nodding my head and closing my eyes, trying to capture a vision of the children they were to choose. I could not see them clearly. I did not know who they were. I only saw the child of Light and her counterpart in the child of Darkness. Spring and Summer both agreed to begin looking, but from afar. Spring did not want to spend much time on Earth looking for a child, instead choosing to hide away from Bitoru until her mind could be truly fixed.

Summer, Spring and I talked late into the night about Winter's decision, but eventually decided that it was up to her what to do with her life, and we sent her away. Summer too wanted to leave, and so before Winter was sent off she and Summer created one last Looking Glass, and I accompanied Summer to a land of Dreams. The Somnus Isles. The land of the wild magic.

Merlin had always spoken of the magic and Summer could do nothing but read of its wonders, and now here she was, able to look at it from her own perspective. We wandered around a bit until a cloud of black sand burst into the air, sparkling beautifully. But it was dangerous, and Summer stopped me from touching it.

"Good thought," a man's voice said. We both started and turned around. "You're right," the voice said, but I still could not find the source. "It is quite dangerous. You're a smart one, aren't you?" Finally a man descended from above, his golden attire sparkling in the light surrounding us.

"Some would say that," Summer agreed. "Others might disagree. Everything is a matter of perspective."

"Ah," the man said. "Well in this world, perspective is everything, isn't it?" He produced a flower out of thin air and handed it directly to Summer who blushed suddenly and looked to me, flustered. I grinned back at her as the man bowed gracefully. "The name is Yume."

"They call me Summer," Summer said shyly.

"Beautiful," Yume said breathlessly.

I left Summer then, because I knew I could see her at any time by using the Looking Glass. It was maybe not the best form of transportation because we had to soak ourselves with water in order to go anywhere—well I did. Winter and Summer had both used them much more gracefully.

 _Summer stepped into the Looking Glass, her feet resting on the surface and Winter did the same as the water left the small pond and formed a protective sphere around the two of them, and then all at once, they were gone and the water was back in place._

 _Spring and I looked to each other and shrugged, stepping out to the water to do the same but we both fell past the surface and underneath the water, before being dragged through a tight tunnel where we were finally thrown from the water at Summer and Winter's feet._

" _I think you did that wrong," Winter noted._

" _Oh, shut up," I groaned as Spring rolled around laughing._

When I returned to the Digital World, Spring had run off, and Gennai could not find her. I had seen Spring later in my visions and I knew she would live and be alright. She needed time by herself to heal her wounds. I would not invade her space. But that did not mean I was done my work.

Gennai needed to be taken somewhere as well. I accompanied him to the land of the In-Between and introduced him to grandfather. They were interested in one another—both having created entire worlds—and they became friends quickly. Gennai did not stay with Yggdrasil though, and instead chose to return to his home in the Digital World.

To make things easier for him, I gave him every key that Yggdrasil had produced. He thanked me and together we made our way back to our rooms. It was _there_ that I fell to the floor with a sharp and painful vision grinding through the front of my mind. I saw a man with pure evil in his eyes and children. Eight children. Eight digimon.

Apoaclymon.

"What did you see?" Gennai asked as I came to the present once more. I was laying in his bed and he was waiting over me. How long had I been in that vision?

"I saw Apocalymon," I told him. "I saw evil in him. The children must defeat him to find peace."

"He is a Great Evil then?" Gennai wondered.

"Perhaps," I agreed.

I did not wait long to leave the Digital World as well. It was not the same without my sisters, and although Gennai and Gorillamon were wonderful, I knew I could return at any moment by use of the Looking Glass.

"Why are you leaving?" Gorillamon asked.

"Because of Winter," I admitted, much to Gorillamon's surprise. "She's right. We can't give up hope that the prophecies can be thwarted. I will not allow some of these to come to fruition. I will dedicate my life to stopping them in any way that I can."

And so I was on Earth in a foreign land called America. Life in this world was different from its Digital counterpart. Everyone here was always busy and walking in similar fashions. They either followed a bell that signalled learning, or they marched single file out of shopping malls. They were all in unison, but in such disarray. And each of them had a _job_. It was wonderful because there was a working class. _I_ was a working class.

I wandered around, looking for work, but no one would hire me. I had no previous experience and I was wearing a rather elaborate and foreign dress. I needed to fit in better, and so I tried to make my way back to the mall. But, being me, I got lost.

I found a long winding path that led to a fountain and then to a larger house, and thought I might want to go to whoever lived there and ask for directions, but I was sure they would be rich and possibly not even home. As I walked past though I saw a flash of a blonde boy who lived there later in life. He was my son's brother.

But not _my_ son.

I would not die. I could not allow myself to let this vision come true. I stormed down the road, seeing flashes of a blonde girl full of the same darkness as the shadows in my vision. She was being chased by a horrible boy. I felt tears in my eyes because I hated all that I was seeing and then finally I came across a wonderful house. It looked quaint, but nice.

I knocked on the front door and gasped at the sight of the most beautiful man in all the worlds. He smiled to me in a way that made my insides clench together. "Hello," he said, looking down to my dress. I felt embarrassed and I blushed. "Hello? Can I help you?"

"Oh!" I forced out, "I-I was wondering if you could help me find my way back to the town of America? I seem to have gotten lost."

The man stared blankly, and blinked a few times as he thought over my words. "What's in this America place that's so important?" He asked with a smirk.

"A job," I told him. "I'm very lost and I need a job before sundown or I may never find a place to live and sleep."

"Well," he told me, "I have a guest house." He was being too generous already. I could not stay in a house that was meant for his guests. Really, all I needed was to be pointed toward America, but he was still grinning in a way that made it hard for me to say no. I nodded, agreeing to his offer. "And hey, my gardener just died, why don't you take her place."

"Your gardener did not die," I rolled my eyes, and as I did I noticed something. "You don't even _have_ a garden."

The man took a turn at blushing which I was happy to see. "Okay," he realized his mistake, "Well why don't you make me one? I'll pay you. It can be your job."

"I'm a wonderful gardener," I told him. And I was lying.

Over the next little while I began gardening for him, but every plant I purchased for the land simply wilted and died only days later. I wondered if it was my power or if I was simply a terrible gardener. Either way, a change needed to happen or I would lose my new career. Michael—the man I had met—merely laughed at each failed attempt. "Your house was built over a buried nuclear explosive," I told him once, "that's obviously the problem." And he replied by saying, "That's totally understandable." But he didn't believe me.

Did he even care that I was the worst gardener in the world? Did he care that I often kept him up late with stories about my life or that I used his cooking ingredients to show him some interesting things I'd learned over the year? Did he care that I needed so much help in buying clothing suitable for this world? Did he care that more than once I had fallen asleep on his couch? And if he _did_ , then why had he used the blanket his mother had made him to cover me and warm me during the night? Did he care that I made fun of his people and the funny language they spoke? Though his response to that had been "you're speaking it too" and I hadn't even remembered learning it.

Did he care that I told him of my powers? That I killed my grandmother by accident. Did he care when I told him I could see visions? I didn't think he did.

"So what do you see in my future," he asked me.

"Oh it doesn't work like that," I told him, looking up at his beautiful face. "I did have a vision of _my_ future once, and I had two children."

"Two, huh?" Michael asked me. "I've always wanted two kids. A boy and then a girl."

I looked up, knowing that was the vision I'd had for myself, and as I stared to him I remembered something else about that vision. "They had their father's eyes," I remembered, my face turning red.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked, taking my hand into his own and setting his drink on the table in front of him. I pulled my hand away and got to my feet. I needed to leave. He jumped up and raced after me, stopping me in my tracks. "Have I done something wrong?" I shook my head. "Then what is it?"

"My children," I told him softly, "They have _your_ eyes."

He reacted instantly by bringing me closer and kissing me. It was not long after that when I learned I was pregnant. Pregnant with a baby. A _baby_. I didn't think I was ready, but Michael was sure excited. He picked the name too, and I thought it was suitable. Michael Jr. A second Michael, and since I loved the first so much I knew I'd love the second just as much.

I did leave both of them for a brief time when Gennai needed my help. Together we spoke to Ophanimon, Seraphimon and Cherubimon, the three holy digimon, and we together we prepared the passage for the five—or six—original Digidestined to make their way into this world.

Gennai was foolish to think they would be able to fully seal Apocalymon before he came into being, just like I was foolish for thinking I could stop my own death. Neither were possible.

And then it was time for me to find my child of Light. Her mother was giving birth and I hated what I had to do, but it was necessary because I was not going to thrust the child into this. Her mother would choose for her. That was the only way I could think that the prophecy could be altered. Yuuko Yagami chose light for her daughter, as was expected and life continued on the path I had seen for it.

Gennai was interested in my methods of giving them a choice, but could not do the same. Yggdrasil was assisting him in picking the Digidestined I had seen in my visions. I saw that he was unsure and was debating between two brothers for the Crest of Kindness. "Perhaps giving them that choice would make your life easier," I suggested. He was unsure, but decided to simply send the digivice when the time came. I knew that little Ken would win over, but Gennai's decisions had been simple.

"And what of these?" he asked, showing me two files. One was labelled 'Koushiro Izumi' and the other 'Tatum Jefferson' and they were in competition for the Crest of Knowledge. "Koushiro is _perfect_ , but I do not want to harm him. I am unsure that he is ready. Tatum will surely prove to be the more accurate choice, right?"

A flash of this Tatum filled my head. I saw her with a boy. _Michael_. My _son_. And I saw them with two children of their own. I shook my head. "You must choose Koushiro. You must never involve Tatum in this war, and you must keep Michael, my son, safely out of reach as well. This is dangerous and we must stop them from their involvement."

"I will try," Gennai said, looking back to Tatum's file. Koushiro was the right choice. I had heard him in Gankoomon's cave. I had _seen_ him in action. I knew he was the correct choice for Knowledge. I had seen the bearer for each individual Crest. All aside from Strength. The odds were, because there were _so_ many children in the world, that Michael was safe from that role. I was praying and wishing and hoping for it to be true.

And not long after that I had found the bearer for Darkness. She was born, and just like with the child of Light, I gave this girl a chance. Her mother, like I knew she would, chose Darkness, and this girl's life was set. But there was something wrong about her. Something I was unsure about, but again, I could do nothing to deter her from her path.

My sisters all returned to me with their choices and I knew they had chosen _wrong_. I had already had my suspicions that it would happen of course, but it was still upsetting to see. The choice Winter had made flashed in my mind and I saw that night clearly again. The night that the boy chased her and I felt tears in my eyes. The poor girl.

"You must choose again," I said, seeing a flash of a small boy on the streets all alone. "You must choose correctly this time." And the final member of their team was a boy who was surrounded his whole life, but always _felt_ alone. I knew why these three had been chosen. Winter chose a girl who had been turned cold, just like her. Summer chose the most innocent mind she could find and Spring chose one who was as thoughtful and observant as she once was. "Try one more time, please."

My sisters all set off to do just that but I could not leave these children's lives the way I saw them. It was unfair. It was _wrong_. And I thought of only one thing I could do. I went to Yggdrasil and after some gentle persuasion—and some help from Gennai—Yggdrasil split the Crests of Honour, Forgiveness and Humility. Three darker versions of their Crests were formed. Honour was what it meant to do the right thing for the greater good, while Tenacity was to do the same, but for your own good. Humility was knowing there was room to grow while Pride was seeing the growth you had made. Forgiveness was what you wanted from others and for others, while Desire was what you wanted for yourself.

These Crests were made specifically for these three wounded children. I would not let them continue on the path they had made. This may be the only time I could change destiny, but I managed. Their Crests kept them safer than they were meant to be. They would have to fight harder than most others to keep a firm footing, but I had faith in them.

"And what of Darkness," Yggdrasil wanted to know. I was confused. "You split three of four. Would you like me to split light and create Darkness?"

I saw a flash of the Crest and saw how it could protect the child I had _already_ chosen. I did not know the Crest did not yet exist. The Crest would keep the sorrow that had been passed from Zeta from harming the girl. I agreed and Yggdrasil did as was asked.

Years later I met up with my sisters once more and they wanted to know what to do about the partners of their chosen children. Spring was rubbing my pregnant belly, for I was expecting a second child, and humming softly.

"The correct three you have chosen," I told them, "You will find their partners around the world with a boy known as Ryou. They must be held in the Digimentals or they will never be safe from the harshness of time. Their races will soon be extinct."

"And where are these Digimentals?" Summer asked.

"They have been brought to this world by Yggdrasil," I explained. "This was always intended to be the land of balance, and the Digimentals do just that. Theta can keep the balance herself, but her power—her full power—is inside those objects." Summer nodded, probably already thinking about where she might find them.

"And these dark children?" Winter wondered. "They do not have partners?"

"You will make them," I told them all. "There is pain in their hearts. Enough to take shape. You will fill the void the world has left for them and create a partner based on their needs. It might save their lives."

And that was when I told my sisters goodbye. It was tearful, but they did not know why. Summer, I knew, could read in my mind, sorting through my memories and soon she too was sobbing. She explained to the others and we sat together on the forest floor holding one another close. It was not right that we had to say goodbye, but I had no loopholes to fix _this_ path. I could change the lives of the four dark children, but could not do the same for myself.

What I did know, was that I had the true everlasting peace growing inside me.

When Jenna was born, she was not alive. And I had seen that coming. I knew the story well. I had many years to understand this truth. She had grown well inside of me, taking my life bit by bit—as I chose to give it to her. I did not blame my perfect daughter, for it was my own decision. I knew well that it was what the world needed. I could feel Theta's warm embrace from the moment Jenna had been conceived. She held me and helped me through it all.

Jenna's death did not last long, for I continued to feed my life to her as she grew, but it came time for me to leave this world. It was time for me to give all my remaining energy to Jenna and allow her to fully live on her own. She needed that—the _world_ needed that. The world needed her much more than it needed me.

I was disgusted in myself for ever wanting to stop myself from doing this. If I had always known it was for Jenna then I would never have wanted to, just as I then knew it was important to let go.

I spent one of my last night's with my husband because I knew I would regret my decision if I had not. He was kind and he understood, but he was not happy, especially with how the world was currently being invaded by digimon searching for my child of light. I knew the future and knew she would succeed in her path to safety. Then I spent a day with Gorillamon because he was my best friend. He too understood. It was Michael I had most trouble saying goodbye to, because I could not _say_ to him that I was leaving.

But I had to say goodbye.

We sat in a small canoe in the Looking Glass—one that was for some reason much larger than the ones in other worlds—and I talked to him. He feared his safety from the beasts from the Digital World. I assured him they were harmless and to prove my point, I summoned a Seadramon through the Looking Glass. Michael was in awe, but still frightened. I told him to not be afraid and he listened. Then we sat together, watching the sun go down. He fell asleep in my arms and I sat with him, crying for a long time.

It felt like years.

But it was not, because the next day was my day with Jenna in which I sat with her in her room, promising her that she was allowed to be whatever or whoever she wanted to be and that if she wanted to wear that orange wig to preschool then her teacher was going to have to be okay with it. Jenna was perfect—just like my husband and my son. Just like my partner, and my sisters and even Gennai. I had found a nice, perfect life and now it was time to let go. I kissed Jenna's head and joined those who were protecting the city from the Bakemon.

I fought them off, but soon felt myself slipping. It was time to go, and Gorillamon was so upset that I was leaving him. "Not now," he begged. "Please stay just a little longer."

"You must return to the Looking Glass. Go now. You will be safe in the Digital World." I was speaking quickly and I saw the tears in his eyes. His arms were flailing about because he wanted nothing more than for me to stay with him but I couldn't and he knew that. "It is time for me to embrace my destiny and die, Gorillamon. I was born of death, and this is what I am meant to do."

All at once I felt the wings spread from my back in a burst of tingling magic. I smiled back at them. I had finally mastered and understood my powers. What a perfect way to say goodbye.

But it was _not_ the end. I felt my body losing life at a rapid pace when I heard the cry. "Mom!" I turned sharply to see Michael staring in horror. I was frightened for him. He was only a boy. I never wanted him involved in any of this. He could not be part of the prophecy.

"Michael!" I shouted. "Go home! Stay safe!"

"Mommy?" He was scared too and I saw tears in his eyes. I started to cry too.

"Michael I love you," I said and I began to fall. I felt Gorillamon try to catch me, but it was too late. I had given all of my life to my daughter to keep _her_ from _my_ fate. I was dead.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Jumping out of storytelling mode next time, Michael gets to react finally to what he's been waiting so long to hear, and Koushiro has some pretty logical questions for the ladies behind their newest revelation.


	56. Strangers Like Me

**Y/N:** I wrote Koushiro, but I did it before we'd even begun writing the fairies' parts. He's reacting to their story though, in a way. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

 **U/N:** So Michael was jumping back to his ridiculous behaviour in this chapter which was nice for me because he's just so relaxing to write in comparison to so many other characters. He wasn't as crazy as when Marshall kidnapped him, but he wasn't so annoyingly angsty or uptight this time, so that was fun anyway!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 56: Strangers Like Me**

 _ **Michael Washington:**_

I didn't even know what to say.

Even if I did, I was sure I couldn't.

My body was twisted inside and I wanted to curl up and just cry. I had known some of what I had just heard, but I didn't know _that_. Everything sounded different when it came from the source and suddenly everything made more sense too. That darkness that was born of the same seed as Yggdrasil was probably still out there and Gennai's warning didn't quite hit me like this one did. My mother and her sisters had done wrong—but they had done so much good too. So much that wasn't in the story they told.

But Mom didn't want me to know any of this. I had pushed and begged and pleaded for the tale and now I had it. I had the story of my mother's life and I didn't know what to do with it.

Jenna was next to me, holding my hand tightly and Tatum was on my other side with her mouth hanging slightly open. From what I had gathered she saw Hikari where I saw my mother, and that was a little weird but I wasn't about to let that hinder the way I felt while I stared toward the woman that I had thought I'd never see again.

I already knew she was watching over us because she had shown up three years ago to help me with Jenna—she had been tainted by the darkness and we couldn't have that. She came to save her daughter, which was a little unfair because I had been in danger a lot and she'd never saved me... I was suddenly wishing I had my answers, but felt sad when I didn't think I could get them.

Wait.

I could just go ask...

That was weird.

I slowly got to my feet and felt Jenna try to pull me back, but I wasn't about to sit down and wait around for her to leave again. I pulled free from Jenna and began wandering out of the group of people and made my way toward the four beautiful women sitting on their tree-like chairs.

Jenna was following me a second later and I turned back to Tatum who nodded encouragingly, not wanting to invade, but I held my hand out to her. I wanted Mom to meet her. Tatum blushed and had Monodramon help her to her feet before making her way toward us with the baby. I mean, she couldn't leave the baby—at least I was pretty sure she couldn't.

Apparently we weren't the only ones who wanted to know more about the story, because I heard some questions being shouted behind the three of us.

"What happened to Spring?" Daisuke wanted to know.

"What about Gaia?" Taichi wondered. "What weaknesses does she have?"

"If Gaia created your powers, that means she has them too, right?" Rei asked. "How do we fight someone who has the power of death?"

"Gaia plans to combine all worlds," Koushiro said, "so how do we stop her before that comes into fruition?"

"What happened to Zeta when you set her free?" Kurayami asked.

"Can you stop a prophecy from coming true?" Iori asked loudly.

Winter leaned forward in her chair and then straightened her back and cleared her throat, "I don't know. I don't know. I don' know. I don't know. I don't know. No, Iori, you cannot." Well those were some pretty crappy answers, I was hoping Mom had some better ones waiting for me when I asked. "I'm sorry," Winter sounded annoyed and when I looked around I saw that the others were all glaring at her for not knowing any of the answers.

I finally stopped in front of my mother and looked into her beautiful round eyes and a smile played on my face. Her golden hair was falling down over one shoulder and her yellowish skin was glowing in the light from above. She was beautiful. She looked like Jenna, but if Jenna were sparkling and magical. Or had wings. Which she didn't, so Mom was cooler.

"Winter, calm yourself," Summer was saying, catching my attention. Winter scowled and Summer decided to answer their questions with a little more effort. "Spring's mind was tampered with. Her memories are unlinked now and there is a broken piece that I cannot mend. We must repair her conscience if we ever intend to fully understand what Mother did to her."

"So," Winter said bitterly, "essentially we do not know."

Summer ignored her. "Mother has any weaknesses that any other human would possess," she said. "Aside from age of course, since she is immortal in that sense."

I nearly jumped when a warm hand took my own, and I turned to my mother who was smiling at me still. I smiled back as Jenna and Tatum crowded around us. I didn't care what the others were talking about at that point, because I just needed this moment to look into my mother's eyes. It was hardly fair that I was given this choice when others—Willis, Jou, Kurayami, Ken, Koushiro and Iori for example—would never see their fallen family members again. Then again, Willis had gotten this chance before when he used the key to Heaven.

"Hey Mom," I said stupidly.

"Hello, Michael," Mom said with a giddy smile. She looked to Jenna and reached out for her too, tears forming in her eyes. "My baby," Jenna laughed which I was surprised at. Whenever I called her a baby she got upset. Then Mom turned to Tatum.

"Hello," Tatum said nervously, holding her hand out. "My name is Tatum—but you know that obviously... you didn't think I needed the Crest—"

"It would have ruined your life," Mom said sadly. "You would have been unhappy in the end and I did not want that for you. Now you are happy, are you not?" Tatum looked up to me from the corner of her eyes and smiled. "I am happy for you, Tatum. And I am pleased that you and my son are expecting a baby."

"Gaia is nearly unstoppable," Summer's voice caught my interest once more and I looked over to her. "I am sorry to say but unless you find enough brute force before her plan takes shape you will not find a way to stop her from combining the worlds. She is in the lead of this race." Well that was the understatement of the year. Gaia wasn't just in the lead, she was ten miles ahead and drinking some tea because she knew she had no way of losing. "Zeta however, I do know a bit about." I turned my full attention on her, too involved now to not listen. Kurayami and Zeta were linked and since Kura was my fusion partner I just felt like I needed to know where the connection may have come from. "Zeta fell subject to the curse, as was expected and when she... when her life was ended... her darkness—the sorrow itself—made its way to a new world. She was Yggdrasil's child and he did not send her to the land of Light or Dark, but to the land of thought, and her darkness fought against the peace of that world where their eventual war brought them to shape themselves into living beings."

"Akumu!" Takeru gasped.

I didn't know who Akumu was. I would have to learn later though because I wasn't interested really. I mean I _was_ , but I would find out later when my mother wasn't around to distract me. I turned back to her as she finished talking with Tatum.

"Mom," I said, taking advantage of the silence to ask some of the questions I needed to know the answer to. "Why did you come back when Jenna was tainted, but not when I was? Why did you only come back once?"

Mom looked wounded suddenly and I felt bad for making her feel that way. "Michael, you must understand." Her voice was soft, like she was ashamed, but maybe not apologetic. "Jenna holds the peace, and you hold your strength. Kura was there to help you—"

"And I was there to help Jenna," I pointed out.

"I know," she said softly. "I needed to ensure she was freed."

"I understand," I said. I wasn't sure if I was lying or not but I didn't want to argue with her. I would rather resent her later and move on in time than spend my last chance to talk to her by arguing about something stupid.

"Are you upset?" Jenna asked. For a moment I thought she was talking to me, but I saw she was still looking to Mom. "That dad remarried?"

Mom shook her head. "Of course not." She smiled. "Your father and his wife are very happy. I am happy _for_ them. I always knew I would be taken from him, and it was selfish of me to get involved. It would be unfair if I resented him for finding more love."

I thought that was a pretty good answer and I was happy that everyone was able to find a comfortable place to be happy in all of this mess. "So you died," I said quickly, receiving a sharp elbow in the side from Jenna.

"That's rude," she hissed, and then her face turned red. "Probably—I don't know!"

"It's quite alright," Mom laughed.

Her laugh was perfect. It was so warm and inviting and it was hard to speak after it, like she had just wowed everyone and whatever I had to say was going to pale in comparison. "I saw you die... I thought it was a monster attack, but it wasn't really, right?" Mom nodded, confirming what I was saying. "Your wings... I saw them too. I didn't understand at first, but I do now." I was just rambling now, and I was scared to ask the question I wanted to, but I didn't know how much time I had left. "W-why didn't you want your sisters to tell me anything?"

I noticed Summer look toward us, since she was the closest, but when she saw me flick my eyes toward her she diverted her eyes. _I'm not mad_. I tried to send the message to Summer in my mind. I hoped she was listening. _I'm not mad. I understand._ I swallowed thickly and Summer looked over to me for a moment, nodding her head. I smiled to her and she smiled back before turning to the others once more.

"Michael," Mom said in her soft voice. "I killed my grandmother, I tried to stop myself from falling in love with your father even when I knew the two of you were the outcome, I am the reason death exists in your life, and I wanted nothing more than for you to _not_ bear a Crest." With the words flying out of her mouth in that way it felt like a battering ram slamming into my stomach. "I did not want my sisters to tell you these things, because I did not want to hurt you. You have proven to me that you were ready to know, and Jenna too. You're both stronger than I had expected, but I still do wish you did not have to live the life you have been given. It is not fair."

"I love my life," Jenna and I said together.

"Chi is the coolest thing," Jenna continued.

"I love Tatum," I added.

"Having Kudamon as a partner couldn't be better."

"Betamon is my best friend."

"I love the adventure, even if I don't get to be a legendary hero," Jenna winked to me.

"I _do_ get to be some legendary hero and that's really awesome," I smiled back to her.

"My life is amazing," Jenna and I said together. "And it's because of _you_ , Mom." Mom's hand covered her mouth a moment later and the tears in her eyes began to fall, trickling down her cheeks. She looked speechless which I was worried about because I wanted for her to keep talking. I needed to know more.

"So what about the Great Evils?" Miyako asked loudly. "We defeated them—aren't we supposed to be living in peace?"

Winter looked embarrassed toward Summer who cleared her throat. "You have not defeated them."

"But Winter told us who they were," Miyako objected. "She made me write them down and everything."

"Winter says a lot of things," Summer admitted, and Winter looked annoyed. "There is no way to predict who the greatest evil of any individual world might be." I felt a rather large pit in my stomach at the thought of that. What if we hadn't defeated _any_? What if they were much stronger and more intense than we had ever seen?

"But there are ways to make assumptions," Spring offered, probably understanding that a panic rose up in all of us. "Right Summer?"

"Absolutely," Summer nodded. "I would guess that my parents could be two of the nine Great Evils, but perhaps that is a little biased. I think they are evil, but perhaps their darkness is nothing compared to others." Summer paused. "Well, I do believe Fanglongmon was one."

"He was certainly was evil," Kurayami said in a defeated sort of voice as she remembered the hold Fanglongmon had on her.

"He was," Summer agreed. "Millenniummon is the most obvious to me. The peaceful nation of Neverland has never had another evil rise from its depths. I do believe he is the prophesized darkness."

I felt a hand grab my arm and I turned to Jenna who looked like she was going to hurl again. "Are you okay?" I asked and she nodded, but threw a hand up to her head like a sudden headache had struck. I looked to Mom and even she looked concerned. She reached out to Jenna who fell into her arms, but seemed fine a moment later. I figured that she wanted Mom to comfort her more than me anyway. I turned to Summer then, and pointed out, "Kura and I defeated the Shadow King which was basically Satan, and Mom was involved so that seems suspicious to me."

Summer nodded, sending a smile my way. "It is likely that he was indeed the Great Evil of the Dark Ocean. He had possessed Kura's mother and Dragomon and strung quite a few of you along in your darkest days. He was cruel and evil, so I believe that he could very well be the evil you are looking for." She sighed. "However, even if those were all correct, there are still four unanswered riddles. Who could be the greatest evil for Earth, or the Land of Light? What about the Land of Dreams?"

"Akumu," Takeru said again, "he could be the evil—or _she_? Is he a girl?"

"I don't think Akumu really has a gender," Koushiro filled in, "if he or she was simply an accumulation of energy, then is there really a gender to be specified?"

"So like the digimon," Takeru understood, nodding his head. I then saw his eyes flick over to my mother, but knew that he was still seeing Hikari. It was too bad their wedding had to be ruined by Astamon almost killing me and a bunch of other people and digimon.

"But," Iori interjected, "if Akumu is simply energy as you said, and that energy came from Zeta, then that wouldn't be darkness, would it?"

"No," Kura agreed. "It would be sorrow. The darkness overpowers sorrow, and that means they are different forces. Can sorrow be evil?"

"I do not believe so," Summer said in a soft voice. "I do not think Akumu is the darkness you seek."

"I must agree," Mom said, startling me. All eyes turned to the group of us and she adjusted herself so Jenna was more comfortable in her chair. "Akumu _is_ darkness however, and you would be wrong to assume otherwise, but there is a darker force than even that. A woman who is open to only sorrow has only so much height to fall from, but a person who is born of purity and light has a much further drop. The darkness you seek from that realm will be made of thought, but from the lightest of beings."

"So I guess we're safe," Hideto muttered to Mari. I supposed that he meant to be quieter, but all eyes were on him a moment later and he looked frustrated that people now saw him. He cleared his throat and adjusted himself so that he was standing closer to Neo and Mari. Kiyoko was nearby too, but looked more interested in the story than in Hideto's embarrassment. "I just mean that we're the 'Dark Digidestined' so we can't be the problem."

Mom looked to him and smiled softly. "You are not 'dark' Hideto," she promised him. "You are as light as any other."

"But our Crests—" Mari began, but she was cut off quickly.

"They are dark, sure," Mom agreed. "They were split from their lighter counterparts, but without that the Holy Three would be nothing but balanced, and now their Crests are truly light. You however have no attachment to the imbalance of the traits you have been gifted."

Hideto and Mari shared a look but it was Kiyoko who spoke. "You say gifted, instead of chosen. Why is it that we're always referred to as separate from the others?"

Summer, Spring and Winter then shared a look that was eerily similar to Mari and Hideto's, but since they were unsure what the answer should be they turned to Mom. She nodded and decided that lying any further was just a waste of time. "You three were the wrong choices, because of the darkness that your life had been dipped into. Your core was always light however, and you were gifted crests in a different way than the others were."

"Right," Kiyoko agreed, nodding along. "And our digimon had to be _created_. Why is _that_?"

Mom didn't hesitate and because of that, I found her words to sound wrong—maybe sarcastic. There was no way she could be serious. "Because there were no real partners for you in this world. You did not have a counterpart because you were never supposed to live long enough to meet one." The silence that followed her words scared me because that meant she had to be _serious._ Hideto took Mari's hand and she took Kiyoko's. "I saw your demises and I ensured they would not happen by gifting each of you with a crest."

"I thought you couldn't change the future," Yamato said.

"I did," Mom told him. "In the only way I knew how."

"So we're living on borrowed time," Mari said weakly. "We have to die then right?"

"Only when your time comes," Mom promised. "You will otherwise live like any other."

Hideto didn't seem to be thinking about the future like Mari. His mind was stuck in the past. "How did we die?"

Mom looked unsure, like maybe they didn't need to know the truth of what happened in a timeline that was no longer our own, but we needed all the answers if we were going to find peace. Secrets and lies were part of the reason no one felt comfortable in this world, so we needed to put an end to them. "Marshall took Mari's life, though it was unintentional. He brought her to a place where she could not emotionally stand on her own two feet. Kiyoko, as a nine year old, could not live in the cruel world that he had been born into. Hideto was hit by a large motorized vehicle on his way across a street when the driver did not obey the rules of the road."

Hideto suddenly looked like he _had_ been hit by that truck as he turned his eyes to his friend. "Rei—"

"Don't," she warned, holding up a finger to stop him. "If my being paralyzed means that you're alive, I'd do it a hundred times over." Hideto still looked rather weak now and his hand slipped from Mari's.

"Michael," Mom said, her voice quieter this time because she was speaking only to the three of us again. "It is time to say goodbye."

My heart stopped—not literally but probably pretty close to it—and I shook my head quickly, "No way. You can't just leave like that—"

"It is not me that is in need of leaving," Mom told me. Her eyes fell to Jenna who I noticed was sweating rather a lot now. "Jenna needs medical attention, as soon as possible."

"What's wrong with her?" Tatum gasped, but I was already reaching out for my sister. If anything was to happen to her I didn't think I could survive myself. I had Tatum and our baby and Willis and Dad and Mary, but I _needed_ Jenna. She was my partner in everything and always had been. I needed to make sure she was okay, but Mom was calm so that gave me hope.

Mom simply shook her head to Tatum, stating that she could not say and then turned back to me, reaching her hand out to me. "I want you to know that I love you, and I am always watching you. I do not love you less than your sister, and I am sorry if I ever made you feel that way. You can take care of yourself—"

"No," I told her. "That's Jenna. Jenna takes care of herself and usually me too."

"But you brought her there," Mom assured me. "You take care of each other, and that is beautiful. I am sorry that I cannot be in that role, but I am proud of who you have become. I also must apologize for keeping secrets from you because that is not what family is for."

I shook my head, lifting Jenna into my arms. "Nah, it's fine. I understand. Honestly, most family secrets aren't as intense as these ones. I forgive you, and I know Jenna does too, right?" Jenna nodded, but her grip on my shoulders tightened and suddenly any sort of optimism inside me was wiped away. I had to go _now_.

"Tell your father that I am happy for him," Mom said quickly. "And tell Willis that he is a wonderful brother." I nodded, promising to do just that. "Michael I love you, and I love you Jenna. I am _so_ sorry for being gone."

"Kind of unavoidable, really," I said hurriedly, and Mom laughed, which was weird. I'd never heard of someone laughing about their own death, for obvious reasons, really. "I love you too, Mom. Thank you for coming honestly, it means the world and I wish Jenna wasn't dying, but I have to go."

"You do," Mom promised, "and I will not have enough energy to wait for your return."

"But you'll always be here," I said, but it was more of a question really.

"Always," Mom promised.

"Go see your sisters," I told her, flashing a weak smile, "I'll see you around, I guess."

"I love you," Mom said softly, but that was the end of that because I was leaving already. Others were asking questions but I didn't give them any attention. I heard Tatum following along and answering the flying questions. It was probably the worst time for Jenna to fall ill, but I knew it was unavoidable. I wondered if it was because Mom was here in the first place. What if her power was sapping Jenna's? That would be horrible.

I stopped only once on the way out of here and that was to get Chi. He looked better, but was waiting with his brother who could have looked better. At the sight of Jenna he jumped to his feet and offered to take her for me, but I shook my head. "Get to Kiyoko, tell him to open a portal." Chi nodded and spread his wings, flying off toward the others.

I followed after him, meeting Tatum halfway. She groaned and turned back, but I didn't need her to run. She was pretty pregnant and it wasn't really logical for her to be running around. When we got back I saw that the four fairies were huddled together and Kiyoko had opened a portal. Mom looked up for a moment and smiled. I smiled back and both of our eyes fell to Jenna and the smiles disappeared.

We left through Kiyoko's portal and Tatum flagged a cab. Jenna was shuddering in my arms and the driver seemed to realize that this was urgent and he sped all the way to the hospital. I was glad, but a little worried. Tatum was pregnant and Jenna was sick now and I didn't want to crash—not that I would have _anyway_ but it was more important to live now.

I could barely take my mind off of my mother unfortunately, but I _had_ to focus on Jenna.

When we got to the hospital the doctors took her but forced us to stay behind, which was pretty unfair but I wasn't about to question them. If Jenna's safety required us to stay in a waiting room then I'd do that. The doctors handed Kudamon off to me and I took him and sat with the others in uncomfortable blue chairs. Tatum helpfully filled Chi in on what Mom had said and what might be wrong with Jenna. It gave me a chance to focus on everything she'd said.

I wanted to talk to Hideto, Mari and Kiyoko and see how they were faring with the news that they were supposed to have died. I wanted to see Summer's face again and see her talking to her dead sister. I wanted to theorize with the others about Spring's missing piece of mind. What about Kura? How was she feeling knowing that the curse that had been destroying her family tree for generations had taken a physical shape and was now living in the Land of Dreams?

What about everything that had gone on _before_ all of those answers? Gaia was queen of Sidhendor again, and that meant she was one step closer to ruling everything. She had _Betamon_ and I wanted him back. This was the kind of thing I would talk to him about at night and stay up late, eating popcorn or something while we talked out our feelings and theorized solutions. I needed him back because it wasn't fair that I couldn't share with him my meeting with my mom.

And worse than all of that—which was biased of course—was that Jenna was in the hospital.

For much of my life Jenna was all I had. I had been there for her _entire_ life and it wasn't fair that I was forced to worry about her because the world literally hated me being happy. All I wanted for a long time was to understand more about my mother and how I fit into this whole story and now I had those answers. Not ten minutes later Jenna was hit with some bug that looked kind of dangerous honestly. I didn't want her to die, and the fear was building up to a point where my tense shoulders began to hurt and my feet were already tapping the floor and Tatum had to _pry_ my hand off of the arm of the chair just to hold it to comfort me.

And then, when the doctor came back into the room he looked rather nervous. My heart fell instantly. Jenna was dead, I just knew it. When the doctor spoke though, he surprised all of us.

"Jenna is pregnant."

All eyes turned to Chi.

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

My mind was reeling with the new information that we'd been given to process. It was hard to grasp that the four sisters had really put so much of our lives in motion all while trying to prevent us from being needed. They'd created Sigma while trying to protect us from him, and in order to protect the Digital World, they created Fanglongmon. But without them, Gennai would not have made the choices he did, and I would not be here.

That was a hard pill to swallow.

I might've been out there on my own right now, frightened out of my mind because I wouldn't understand what was going on. I might've fallen in with EVOLVE if they'd stated their reasoning with an intelligent air. If I didn't have Tentomon, then I wouldn't have learned about digimon. It was terrifying to know that I might've been easily swayed. Tatum could have taken my place, and while I actually admired her and the work she'd done, I couldn't help but look at her with a new light. She had managed to find a way to be involved in all of this without having a crest.

Would I have been able to do the same?

I wouldn't have met my wife. I wouldn't have even dated Mimi. We only got to know each other through our work with the digimon. Before that, I was pretty isolated. I wouldn't talk to anyone if I didn't need to. I would _never_ have gotten the courage to say anything about a crush—if I ever developed one—without Sora's help. I wouldn't have Sora either.

Almost everything that I had in my life was owed to Autumn and the choice she led Gennai to make. It was rather amazing to know how close everything was to being destroyed. I could have lost everything if she'd made a different choice. I was very thankful for the choice she made, because I didn't like the prospect of a life without everything that I cared about.

"I can't even imagine what Michael is feeling," Mimi murmured, putting her arms around me from behind and laying her head upon my back. I hummed my agreement, which prompted her to continue. "I can't even begin to know what it's like, to lose a parent, let alone to understand what it means to meet them again when I'd lost all hope of even learning about them."

"This was an important moment for Michael, Mimi, please don't turn it into a guilt trip," I sighed.

"Don't you understand, Koushiro," Mimi asked me, dropping her arms and coming to look at me face to face. "Michael has his dad, and Willis has his mom, but they both lost their other parents, and they've both had a chance now to speak with their lost parent. Kiyoko's not asking for that same level of miracle. He's not asking for a miracle at all. He's lost and alone, and he wants a connection. Just a little connection, Koushiro. You have that in Yoshie and Masami. I understand that much. You don't feel the need to find anything more because you've always had them. Kiyoko only had Sigma for a long time, and now he wants a solid connection, something that will make him feel grounded. He doesn't have family Koushiro."

"I'm his family," I pointed out. "He's got Mom too. She wouldn't ever turn him away. She wouldn't even ask questions if he needed a place to lie low for a few days. She loves him. Why isn't that enough?"

"Because she's not _his_ mom," Mimi said simply. "His mom is dead, and he never got adopted like you. He got kicked out of his house and was raised on the streets by the spirit of a mad king. And instead of reaching out and doing something to help him find whatever it is he's looking for, you're turning your back on him. Obviously that's not a sign of someone that cares."

"I care," I protested. "I also care about my parents' feelings, and I don't want to be disappointed, Mimi. He'll be disappointed too."

"You don't know that," Mimi insisted.

"Don't I?" I countered. "These people could have found us at any time. Did you realize that his parents were alive until he was ten years old? That means I was fifteen years old. His father was my biological uncle. He was my father's brother, and he was alive when my parents were killed. They didn't take me in. They wouldn't. I was given to amazing people, but Dad's technically my fourth or fifth cousin, Mimi. He's barely related anymore. Why couldn't my father's brother take me in?"

"I don't know," Mimi said. "The only thing I know about him is that he'd a mean jerk-face that kicks nine year olds onto the street for no good reason."

"I'll tell you why, Mimi. They didn't want me," I said. "None of them wanted me. If I was important to them, they wouldn't have thrown me away as a child. I don't care about them anymore. There was a time I wanted to know them, but that's gone. I'm happy with my lot in life. I'm happy with my parents."

"Maybe this is a lesson he needs to learn too," Mimi said, softly. "He _needs_ this."

"I can't," I said firmly, hoping that the discussion was over, but knowing that Mimi was far from finished. She sighed and nodded, but pressed her lips in a displeased line. She walked off towards Kiyoko, as I knew she would and I sighed.

I took a few breaths to centre myself. It wouldn't do me any good to get frustrated. We had a lot of work that needed doing, and it all seemed impossible. Gaia was a powerful enemy, and despite hearing all that the fairies knew of their mother, we really didn't have anything new to use in our favour. I had thought that understanding Gaia could help us, and perhaps it could. But the fairies didn't understand her, and so we did not either.

My eyes scanned the Temple courtyard, looking over all that remained after the departures of Michael, Jenna, Tatum and Chi. Taichi and Takeru were watching Hikari from afar from where she stood with Summer, Winter and Spring. Sora was lingering nearby, clearly worried but didn't want to interrupt. Yamato was leaning against a wall near Jou, who was looking over Meiyomon once more. Iori was sitting on the ground next to Meiyomon's head, talking quietly to him. Mimi was with Kiyoko, having pulled him aside leaving Mari and Neo standing with Hideto and Evelen, eyeing my wife and my cousin with evident curiosity. Daisuke and Kurayami were back over with Veemon's noodle-cart, cleaning it up the best they could and pretending like they weren't crying at the sight of it—the cart where _both_ of their partners agreed to work while the worlds were separated. Miyako and Ken were murmuring quietly with one another. Nearby Aesop was speaking in quick, hushed tones and for a moment I thought he might be talking to himself but it seemed Sora was listening.

"It's been a crazy day, hasn't it?" Rei asked, stepping up behind me. She was holding a mug of hot chocolate, and looking a little worse for wear. I realized she'd snuck off to get something to warm Hikari up, for whenever Autumn left her body, even though Hikari kept insisting that she was fine.

"It's definitely not what I was expecting," I admitted.

"Well, it's been eventful even for me, and I'm used to it by now," Rei told me. She looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry. I tried really hard, but I couldn't save your partners. It feels unfair that I still have mine when Wormmon was taken right out of my hands."

"Don't do that to yourself," I instructed. "It's not your fault. If you want someone to blame for this mess, focus on Gaia."

"Taichi keeps telling me that," she said with a soft sigh. "But it doesn't make me feel any better. You weren't there. You didn't see what I saw, do what I did. I couldn't fight against them. I'm not strong. Pal and Pul digivolved, and it still wasn't enough to save the Digimental of Strength. Wormmon was taken, Gomamon was taken, Armadillomon, Betamon...Tentomon. They all made it to the end, but I wasn't enough to keep the fight going."

"She took out the Olympos XII, but you're still here," I pointed out.

"But they're not," she said softly. "And that's what we need right now. We need your partners, and we need the Crests. I'm not going to be any good if we don't have any of those. Without your partners, you won't stand a chance."

"Which is why we're lucky that you still have your partners," I told her. "You and Jun, and Momoe, and Natsuni and Shuu and all of the others...you're the only fighting force we've got right now."

"We're not much," she said, shaking her head. "Meramon might be able to help, but Otamamon and my PetitMamon, we're not going to be able to do anything."

"That's still more than me," I said.

"I'm still sorry," she said, looking into the mug of hot chocolate at the slowly melting marshmallows. "I should probably get this to Hikari."

"Go on," I told her, not minding the idea of being alone. There was a lot to think about. I appreciated the variety of topics I had on hand, because it prevented me from dwelling on Mimi and Kiyoko's requests. I didn't want to meet the family members that abandoned me. I was happy with the parents I had, and I had a cousin too. That one close relation was enough to satisfy me.

In the back of my mind, I was aware that being in the Digital World again—and having access to it—I would be able to start up my research again. I was tired of researching the plants and animals and geographical regions of Earth. I needed more in my life. I needed variety, and the DNA experiments had hit a standstill long before I'd been separated from the Digital World. I was pondering whether I'd be able to convince one of the fairies to offer a DNA sample, when Taichi came over to me. I was zoned out, focussed entirely within my own mind as I thought out the possibilities, and he was snapping his fingers in my face. I shook my head and gave him a dirty look.

"I need you to come with me," Taichi told me.

"What about Hikari?" I asked.

"She'll be with Rei and Takeru, she's fine," Taichi said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself of that fact, more than he was trying to convince me of it. "Come on, I told Daisuke to get his brain and heart, so I've got to bring mine. Sora's waiting for us already."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I informed him. He laughed, but just dragged me behind him until we reached the stairs that led up to the Council chambers. I hadn't stepped foot in there since Taichi had sealed the worlds. It felt strange, going to the Council room again, knowing that at one point I had been employed in that room, and knowing that it was no longer the case. I now had a new job that I didn't enjoy nearly half as much. It was a job that I wasn't allowed to log overtime hours just for the fun of it, because my boss didn't want to pay me for the work. I didn't need payment. I just wanted to work. But my current employer was not nearly as flexible about the subject as Taichi had been.

I sat in my old chair, sighing contentedly as I did so. I missed this place. Sora was sitting directly across from me, and Taichi took his place between us, at the head of the table. We were waiting for Daisuke, so Sora and I filled Taichi in on the goings on of our lives while he was fighting for his life. It seemed rather dull compared to his story, and I couldn't help but wish I had a little more excitement to share with him. My wedding was the best I had to offer, and it wasn't a fun story in the slightest.

Sora tried to catch him up on everyone else as well, and Taichi gobbled up any and all information offered to him. He was especially thrilled whenever Hikari was involved with a story, or when Sora had anything to say about his parents. There was so much that he'd missed, but I was actually glad that he'd missed them. No matter what he said about his decisions, I had to believe that his presence in the Digital World while Gaia was staging her takeover was vital to the survival of the Digital World. If he wasn't there, and it was just our partners that knew what was happening, then we would have no chance whatsoever to solve the problem.

As it stood, we had very little chance now, and we _did_ know what was happening. We knew that Gaia was trying to merge the worlds into their whole form, their original form. We knew that she was power hungry and greedy. We knew that she could manipulate just about anyone to do her bidding, and those she couldn't, she had Morganna who could steal their hearts and by doing so, weaken them so that they were more pliable to Gaia's wishes. She had Maugrim, who had been crafted into a war machine, and she had a seemingly endless supply of magic on her side.

We had twenty humans that were left without Crests or partners.

"We're doomed," Daisuke said as he came through the door. He had Miyako and Iori with him, though both looked confused. Sora smiled at them all when they came in.

"We're not doomed," she said, shaking her head. "We've always come out on top before."

"When we had partners," Miyako sighed.

"And Crests," I added.

"Our enemies have never had so much power at their disposal either," Iori added. "She's got Witchenly practically under her command; she's got armies on Earth and in the Digital World. She's claimed Sidhendor for her own. She seemingly has every world on her side."

"Akumu would most likely join her in an instant," I agreed, thinking of the Boogeyman and his incessant desire for chaos. Gaia would supply a plethora of that.

"We've got every world in our corner too," Sora said, determined to stay optimistic, though the pinching in the skin by her eyes showed me that she was trying quite hard. "We've got Gravimon, from Witchenly, and he counts for something. Didn't Kiyoko say all of the natives from Witchenly were afraid of him?"

"I suppose the Olympos XII also are from Witchenly," Taichi agreed, thinking it through. "The fairies said that they lived and ruled over that land before they got sent to Earth when Pangaea was thrown away."

"Yume would help us if it came down to it," I said. "Of course, it would be preferable if he was not needed, as he could only be of use to us if the Land of Dreams was merged with our world. He simply cannot exist outside of his world. He was created of the dreams and wild magic that roam that land."

"Also, it would suck to have the wild magic around, since it made the old wars absolutely hellish," Daisuke agreed. "And you guys won't even talk about your time in the Land of Dreams, which makes me think we're better off with it staying separate."

"Our opinion isn't being brought into account," Iori said, as always remaining level headed. "Gaia isn't about to take a poll and let us chose our fate. She wants the worlds because she wants to be the absolute ruler. She wants the power that would come with that. And as it stands, the Olympos XII aren't a match for her. She's proven that before. I don't see how Yume and Gravimon are going to be enough to stop her."

"We've got an army in our friends," Taichi offered weakly. "Dorumon can't exactly help at the moment, and neither can almost all of the Knights. Kotemon's the only one still standing."

"There's the fight club," I suggested. "They aren't high level digimon, no, but they are trained in fighting, and their human partners are also trained. They could help fend off the human army at least, and maybe even the digimon army, due to their unique training exercises."

"I don't think we need to focus on the fighting methods just yet," Sora said, shaking her head. "We have very little ground to stand on where fighting is concern. I think the biggest issue we're facing right now is how to keep people safe. We can't fight Gaia if we're scared about our mothers and daughters and brothers. It's too much. We need to stay focussed."

"I agree," Miyako said. "I'd be much more focussed if I knew that Mai and my family were safe. But we need to think logically about that too. We tried it once before with the Coliseum. They were safe, but they were trapped."

"And Gaia knows where the Coliseum is," Taichi added.

"But we still need to alert them," Sora insisted. "I can't go out there to fight against Gaia's massive army and find out that Mantarou or Jun or Dad are out there, being controlled by Gaia's manipulations. I can't fight against Dad, Taichi. I can't do that. If she's got my dad, then I'm no good to anyone. I can't fight him, and he won't have any say in the matter."

"I know what you're talking about," Taichi said. "And I agree. I think it would be amazing if there was a magic spot that we could hide everyone away, but I can't see how it's going to work."

"We need to focus on defensive systems then," Iori said. "If we can create a solid plan to keep everyone safe, then we might be able to pull this off."

"But can we afford to leave so many allies as glorified guards when we have so few allies to begin with?" Daisuke asked. "What are we supposed to do? We can't just leave them all and go by ourselves. We're human. We don't have any power. Kurayami and Hikari _did_ , and I guess Neo's got a strange ability to defy the timelines and fuse anything together that he wants to, but that's not going to help us."

"We can't make any definite plans until we know what we've got to work with," I countered. "We need to gather our forces in one place and see how formidable of a team we can become."

"But we'll have to do it quietly," Iori said, agreeing with me. "We can't alert Gaia to our plans. We need to move as quietly and subtly as we possibly can."

"I don't like that we're going to have to act slowly," Sora said. Before anyone could argue, she held up her hands defensively. "I understand _why_ , I just don't like it. The longer we wait, the more allies Gaia will be able to get. We need to work on a plan for dealing with the general populations. We can't just focus on our friends and family, right? We need to save as many people as possible. The more we save, the more potential allies we'll have and the better chances we'd have of actually standing a chance in this fight."

"You're right," Miyako said. "We need to work on a strategy on that front."

"Daisuke, I want you to tell everyone to start calling everyone they can think of. We need to get the word out there, but we can't act just yet. Iori and Miyako, I want you to start coordinating groups to sent to specific destinations. We need someone to find the newborn Knights and we need someone to go check on the Olympos XII. We'll need someone to see if Yume is interested in helping us, if it comes down to the worlds merging. We need to put some feelers out there to see what we've got to work with."

"On it," Miyako said saluting Taichi awkwardly, and getting to her feet. She dragged Iori out of the room after her, and Daisuke laughed before following suit, already holding his phone in his hand, most likely dialing his sister.

"They're like us," Taichi said contemplatively. "Only...better."

"I'm not sure if I'm offended or not," Sora joked.

"The three of us, we're pretty much a kick-butt team. We've got the brain, the brawn and the heart. But they're different. They're us but they're all melded together," Taichi said, trying to explain. And I thought I sort of understood. Iori was intelligent—he understood Knowledge, due to his use of the Digimental—but he was also courageous. Miyako was full of heart—which explained her use of the Digimental of Love—but she was also quite intelligent. And Daisuke was their leader. He had the best of Sora and Taichi, he was brave and had a big heart.

"They kind of are," I agreed.

"Now, we need to get to work too," Taichi said. "We can't put it on their shoulders, even though it would be so much easier. I'm really bad at this."

"You'll be better, now that we're here to help," Sora assured him. "But you're right. We really need to get to work."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Davis and Matt prepare a bit of a transitional chapter where the story has nowhere to go but toward the climax!


	57. Why Should I Worry

**Y/N:** I don't know. I wrote Daisuke this time around, and apparently his father's involved...I honestly don't remember writing it, but I hope it's good.

 **U/N:** Matt's chapter is pretty cringe worthy here. I wasn't a big fan of it personally, but that might be because it was mostly about a character that I don't even write so I barely understand in that way. It was harder than I wanted it to be and it came out weird, awkward and strange, but it gets to the point at least.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 57: Why Should I Worry**

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

"I must soon say my final farewell," Autumn announced. It was still eerie, to know that I was seeing Hikari, but it wasn't my friend at all. It was Michael's mother. Michael had left rather suddenly because Jenna was ill, and we hadn't heard back from him yet. I was getting a little worried, but I had too much on my plate to be able to do anything about it. I was helping Iori and Miyako coordinate who was going where, and I was constantly holding a phone to my ear. Jun was going to call everyone that she knew, and was going to instruct each of them to do the same. We were hoping for a massive spread of calls that could span as much of the globe as we possibly could. Kiyoko had given me a list of all the chosen around the world—that he knew of—and they were on my list to call as soon as possible.

"You can't wait for Michael?" Kurayami asked, anxiously looking towards the Council Hall—though we knew Michael would not be able to pass through the usual gates—as if she expected him to appear at any moment. The two were fusion partners, and as such, Kurayami had a soft spot for our American friend. She also knew what it was to lose a mother, and did not want Michael to miss any time he had with this miraculous opportunity.

"I cannot," Autumn said, shaking her— _Hikari's_ —head and looking to the ground with a soft frown. "We have already exchanged our goodbyes. He knows I will be watching over him always. But I cannot wait here for as long as would be needed. Jenna needs him now more than ever."

"I'm sorry to see you go," Kurayami told her.

"I am sorry to be going," she countered with a wink. "But I do believe Miss Yagami would like to have her body back. I had my time among the living. I should not take any more of hers."

"Autumn," Spring cried, pleadingly. "I don't want you to go."

"I know," Autumn said, smiling to her sister. "But I must."

"Spring, let her go," Winter said.

"We will see her again," Summer added, to make it a more gentle command. Spring nodded, though she seemed to think it was hopeless—and since they did not know how long they could live, it very well might have been. But Autumn needed to go anyway. Hikari's skin glowed very brightly, and the wind whipped up, swirling around her, and then Hikari fell to her knees. Autumn was gone. Spring was crying, and I wanted to take the time to comfort her, but Summer was already doing a pretty good job of it, and I had a phone in my hand. I was dialling Catherine, since I knew she could at least speak Japanese, before I tried to contact anyone else.

"Takeru, have you been able to reach your mother?" I asked loudly, as he raced towards Hikari, who was newly not possessed. He looked up to me and shook his head once, before helping Hikari over towards one of the tree seats that Spring had made. Rei raced up the steps to make another hot beverage for Hikari—since, out of nerves, she consumed the one she made before— who was still trying to catch her bearings. I could hear Takeru start murmuring to her, explaining what had happened, since Hikari seemed rather confused. She wasn't upset though, which was good. I would hate to think that Autumn—who seemed so nice—had possessed Hikari without at least asking permission first.

"Takeru," I called again. He looked up to me exasperated. I sighed. "Never mind." He was busy trying with his fiancé—though she was meant to be his _wife_ by now. I would need to find another way around it. The answer struck me, like a bolt of lightning. I didn't need Natsuko to help me with the blog, since I had its very creator right in front of me.

Kiyoko was sitting with Mari and Hideto. The three of them were very quiet. Mimi had been with them not long ago, but Sora had called her aside when Taichi, Koushiro and she were done with their plans. Sora had decided to take Mimi with her on a mission of sorts. They were going to hunt down the Crest digimon, now that Meiyomon was out of commission, and Chi was off with his girlfriend—hopefully finding out that Jenna _wasn't_ going to die, but I couldn't be sure. We needed someone to get them, because they were a formidable force. Yes, Taichi had mentioned that they were almost all killed when Gaia and Maugrim found them and collected the Digimental that they were guarding. But they were still allies, and it was just another reason to bring them where they could be safe—though I suspected they had a tendency to bounce back fast.

Sora and Mimi had left, not long after Taichi and Yamato had disappeared on a quest of their own. I was half expecting Koushiro to take Jou away or something, because Taichi seemed to have some sort of a plan—even though he _just_ told Iori, Miyako and I to come up with the next plans, which seemed rather hypocritical of him, but I wasn't going to hold that against him. He was stressed beyond belief, and he was losing faith in himself. I couldn't let that happen.

I took a deep breath, and started stepping towards Alias III. Neo wasn't with them, which I thought was strange, but I supposed he was dealing with the news that his best friend could have died if his sister hadn't been paralysed. It was a lot to take in. I could barely believe it. It was hard enough knowing that Sora had been dead for any length of time, even if time travel had sort of fixed that. But to know that Alias III weren't meant to be alive was pretty intense. I didn't want to interrupt them, during their time of personal musing, but I needed Kiyoko's help.

"Hey," I said, wincing when they looked up all at once. Their eyes were haunted, and they were very confused. I wouldn't have been able to help them with any of their soul searching, even if I _didn't_ have a full plate of work to do. I felt kind of lost. "I was wondering if you could post a letter to your blog, explaining the situation. A lot of people read that, so there should be a bigger circulation if we can just get the information out there."

"It shouldn't be a problem," Kiyoko said softly, shaking his head. His eyes became more focused, and he pulled out his computer and started typing away. I wondered if all they needed was a purpose, something to work towards in order to distract them from the dreadful news they'd received. I filed that away for a later time, when I was actually working on dividing people between tasks. I looked around, dialing Catherine as I did so. I winced, knowing that there would be a long-distance charge, since I was calling France from another world, but it needed to be done. I wouldn't be alive long enough to get the phone bill if I didn't do my part and solidify our forces against Gaia.

"Bonjour," Catherine said when she answered.

"Hi," I said. "It's Daisuke Motomiya. I'm a Digidestined...I don't know if you remember me."

"Of course I do," Catherine said quickly. "But I am surprised zat you 'ave called."

"Well, the worlds are in danger, a woman named Gaia is trying to rule them all. All of the Digidestined's partners are gone, and we're pretty much out of luck," I said. "We're in the Digital World right now, but until Taichi and Norn can open the gates, we need to all be in one place in order to get through. That place right now is in Japan."

"I could come there," Catherine said, sounding unsure. I could hear the longing in her voice, and thought it was pretty safe to assume the longing was for Floramon. But she also was hesitant about flying to Japan. I could see where she was coming from, since I had to be rather careful about finances. But, on the flip side, the worlds were pretty much ending, so it was kind of an emergency.

"You don't have to," I assured her. "Just spread the word, okay? We're getting the word out. Gaia has manipulative powers. Keep aware and don't let her influence your mind. Help us keep the human race—all races really—safe from her."

"I can do zat," she told me. "I will start now."

"Do that," I told her, hanging up. I should have probably spent that extra ten to fifteen seconds properly saying goodbye, but I was pretty much frazzled. I looked back to Kiyoko and saw that his fingers were flying, and I felt like we had a pretty good start on the communications front. But we weren't really getting anywhere with collecting fighting forces. I started tapping my fingers against my leg, and tried to think of the largest power houses we would have available to us. I could think of none off the top of my head that would be able to defeat Gaia, but we needed all the help we could get.

"You have a plan," Spring told me. I was surprised by her sudden appearance. I nodded though, because my plan was solidifying in my mind. I was pretty sure I knew exactly who needed to go where to start with. "I'm glad you're thinking. I'll tell you a secret. I'm too afraid of Mother to be any help."

"That's not true," I defended instinctively. "You're very helpful. You saved us and helped us all get reunited when you brought us to Theta."

"But I cannot fight Mother," she said sadly.

"You don't have to," I said. "I can't fight her either. I'm going to, because I'm a Digidestined, and it's my job. But it's not yours. You don't have to fight her. But that doesn't mean you're useless. You can help in other ways. Your magic is strong."

"It is," Spring admitted with a small smile.

"And Autumn said that no matter what happens, the prophecy is going to come into being. You can help us now without screwing anything up," I added. "That's awesome in itself. It's really helpful just to be here, showing us support. We're kind of alone in all of this, without partners and everything. Having you here means that there's a little bit of hope."

"There's more than a little," Winter said, interrupting the moment I was having with Spring. Spring sighed, and looked to her elder sister pointedly. "Mother and Morganna and Maugrim are going to pay for their actions. They took my crown. They've interrupted the peace that Sidhendor was reveling in after Merlin's curse was revoked. I won't let that stand."

"This is more important than a crown," Miyako said, glaring at Winter. I was very glad my relationship with Spring was so much warmer than the one Miyako and Winter shared. "This is the fate of all the worlds. It is life and death for everyone. My _daughter's_ life is at stake again. I know her life didn't mean much to you the last time it was in danger, but it means a hell of a lot to me. I'm not going to go into this fight for the sake of your crown. I can't be that narrow minded."

"I have worked towards that crown my entire life," Winter said. "It's more than a mere trinket. It holds the power that could defeat Mother."

"It's still a crown," Miyako said shaking her head in disbelief. "I know it means a lot to you, and yes, there is power there. But Gaia has that power right now. You aren't strong enough to get it back from her alone, and we aren't going to be able to spare an entire army so that you can get it back. We need to make plans that _don't_ depend on the power in the crown."

"Okay," I said, seeing that Winter was looking like a fuse was about to be blown. "Winter, I'm sure you've got some good ideas for fortifying this place. The Clones are around here somewhere. I suggest finding them and putting your vast knowledge to good use. Miyako, you'll go with Jou to find the digimon that came from Witchenly. They might know more about Gaia, they might not, but either way, they're strong, and we'll need them on our side."

"I'm going where?" Jou asked from across the courtyard. I ignored him. Miyako would fill him in. I turned to Iori, who was talking with his 'aunt' Summer, and pointed to the pair of them.

"Iori, Summer, get to the Land of Dreams. I need you to talk with this Yume guy. See where he stands, and see if he can't find way to keep his world separate from ours."

"It would be my pleasure," Summer said, perking up immensely. I wondered if sending _her_ to the Land of Dreams was a good idea, since time was of the essence, and she might want to linger while she was there, but it was too late to change my mind. I hoped Iori would keep her from going overboard.

"Koushiro, I want you to go to the Dark Habitat," I said, turning to him. "I know, it's asking a lot, but I need it to be done."

"I'll go with him," Hikari offered. I winced. She'd just been through a possession, but I wasn't going to tell her _no_. I needed every available hand, and if she was willing, I couldn't pass it up. "I'm fine, Takeru," she insisted, before he was able to protest. "This is important. I'm going to help. Koushiro and I will be fine."

"Deal," I said, earning a glare from Takeru, but I couldn't afford to care at that point. "Takeru, you and Ken are going to Earth. Ken, you've got a job you should probably be doing. You should just go do it. Takeru, I need eyes and ears on the ground. We need to know what's going on there. Find out where Astamon went."

"Fine," he said, realizing that we really _were_ tight for people right then. He and Hikari shared a brief goodbye, before Hikari pushed herself off of the tree and headed towards Koushiro—who was rather surprised to find he was being given a mission. Ken kissed Miyako, before heading towards Kiyoko, who was already opening a path to get back to Earth for them. Takeru followed after. Miyako moved to Jou, who was still a little confused.

I took the time then to call someone I hadn't even thought about calling in years. But I needed to know that he'd be okay. Just because he and I didn't get along didn't mean that I was going to just forget about I when the worlds were potentially ending. I wandered off a little bit, to be by myself. I knew I couldn't take long, but I also needed the space. It was going to be a stressful call.

"Hello, this is Manabu Motomiya," Dad said as he answered the call. I took a breath and counted to three, allowing myself only those few seconds to panic.

"Dad," I said, when the three seconds were done.

"Daisuke," Dad said, sounding less enthusiastic, but not completely hostile. "Your mother was worried. She's passed out from the fit she's worked herself into. She thinks you were where the hostile digimon was attacking."

"I was," I told him. "I'm fine. Jun's fine too, and so are Haruki and Kurayami. We're all fine. But the world might not be."

"That's a tad dramatic, don't you think?" he asked dryly.

"Not really," I said softly. "Not this time at least. The worlds are actually in danger, and I just...I want you to be okay. I still care about you, even if you don't care about me." I took another deep breath, half expecting him to interrupt me, but he didn't. My eyes were stinging, and Kurayami's hands wound around me from behind. Her face was pressed against my back and I drew comfort from her presence. "Dad, there's a mad woman out there that's going to try to control you. She's trying to control everyone, so she can rule everything. I don't want you to get sucked into that. I don't want to fight against you anymore. I can't fight Mom. So please, for me, for the sake of your grandson, _please_ , call Jun, and get to her. She can explain this better. I've already talked to her. I just...I need you to do this for me. I know you won't want to. I know you don't care what I want. But Dad, even if you never do anything for me again, for as long as I live, I won't care, so long as you do _this_."

"I will," Dad said. "Your mother would never have it any other way."

"That's more than I hoped for, to be honest," I admitted.

"I'm not an idiot," Dad told me. "You know more than I do about situations like this. I will follow your suggestions for the sake of our family's survival. We'll make it through this."

"God, I hope so," I said, shaking my head. A few tears escaped as the fear overwhelmed me. Dad hung up then, and I couldn't even feel offended that he didn't use proper phone etiquette. I was far too relieved that he and Mom were going to be okay. I felt like I'd accomplished something big just by calling him.

"You okay?" Kurayami asked me, hugging me tighter.

"I will be," I said. "I don't have time to not be. I need to get Alias III on board with going to Olympos XII. They're down right now, and they need support to get back on their feet—and Alias III need a mission that will drive them out of this funk that Autumn put them in." Kurayami's face turned pale and I realized I was being insensitive. She feared that she was in the same boat. But Autumn would have said that Kura was meant to be dead, wouldn't she?

"I don't know how I'd feel if I was in their position," she said, trying to convince herself that she _wasn't_. "I hope this helps them."

"Me too," I said. "I don't know who else to send if—"

"Shh," Kurayami said, interrupting me. I stopped talking immediately, thinking that maybe something bad was happening, but when I turned to see what she was looking at, she shoved me against the wall. Evelen's voice floated out towards us, from inside Mr Ogremon's classroom. I looked at my wife, wondering why we were spying, but she just looked like she didn't want to interrupt Evelen. And when Neo spoke up, I could understand why.

"What are you inferring?"

"I mean, I obviously don't want her to _win_ ," Evelen said quickly. "But I kind of do. I don't know. I just want her to fuse the worlds together, so that I'll be in Sidhendor. That's all I've ever wanted."

"Why?" Neo asked, dryly.

"Because I want to go home," Evelen said, not sounding at all impressed that he'd forgotten her lifelong dream. "I haven't found a way there yet, but if she fuses all the worlds, then I'll be in Sidhendor by default, and it will mean that Gaia's curse is broken."

"I do not think there is a curse," Neo said. "Wait." I assumed Evelen tried to argue, but he wasn't finished, and intended to defend his claim. "Bitoru is meant to be unhappy, because he cannot be with Spring. But he _was_ with Spring, before her memories were taken from her. Gaia caused his unhappiness herself, not with a curse, but with her actions. Pertaining to _you_ , you think you need to go to Sidhendor in order to know what it feels like to belong, but that is simply not the case."

"I don't belong on Earth," Evelen insisted.

"You do," Neo said firmly. "I know this, simply because Maugrim was banished alongside Aesop and his _one_ child. You were not there, therefore you could not have been born in Sidhendor, and neither was Kansui."

"What?" Evelen said, though she didn't sound like she needed an answer. I was actually rather surprised by the logic. He was right, of course. Unless some pregnant woman was banished after Maugrim was, Evelen couldn't have even existed at all in Sidhendor. She was always born on Earth.

"That is obviously why you cannot remember your time there," Neo said.

"But I've always been told of home," Evelen said, sounding very confused. She was probably relieved, a little bit, to know that there probably wasn't a curse on her. But it would most likely take a little while for it to sink in.

"Let's go," I whispered to Kurayami. She nodded and we made our way as quietly as we could, back to the others. Koushiro, Hikari, Iori, Summer, Winter, Ken and Takeru had left, but Miyako and Jou were just setting off when we got there. Kiyoko had finished typing on his computer, and was looking lost again, just like Mari and Hideto were. "Alias III," I called. "You're going to Olympos XII. Stay with them until they've got back on their feet at least."

"Okay," Hideto said. "Where's Neo?"

"I will be unable to go with you," Neo announce coming up behind Kurayami and I. We stood there awkwardly, wondering if he knew we'd been listening or not. But he didn't say anything, so we felt like we were pretty safe. "I have a job to tend to, and I must be getting back to it."

"That's probably for the best," I agreed. He had a pretty important position, and he really could be using it to our advantage, in order to keep the people of Earth—and the digimon that still lived there too—as safe as possible.

"I'll go with Hideto, Mari and Kiyoko then," Rei said, hopping to her feet.

"Be safe," Neo commanded. She smiled brilliantly up at him and nodded, before taking Hideto's hand firmly in her own and dragging him off towards the Temple's exit. Mari and Kiyoko followed after with much less enthusiasm, once Kiyoko had sent Neo back to Earth. Once they were gone, I took stock of who all was left. Evelen and Aesop were there, and Spring, and Kurayami. There were others too, but they had scattered. Pal and Pul were in charge of watching over Meiyomon, who had been moved to a more secured location while he recovered.

It was while I was trying to think of the next step that Kurayami's fingers dug into my arm. Curious, I turned to her and saw her eyes screwed shut. She let out a pained moan and cried out. When her eyes opened I didn't recognize them. She wasn't Kurayami in that moment.

"I'm scared," she whispered in a voice that was not her own. "Gaia's here. I don't know if I can fight her off this time. She was here once before, but I was stronger then. I have no way to escape."

"Norn?" I asked.

"Daisuke, I'm scared," she repeated. "She's here. She's coming for me."

"I'll come to you then," I told her, though I had no way to accomplish that.

"The worlds are no longer safe," Norn said, through my wife's lips. "Gaia can use me. She knows how. She'll use me against you. I'm scared."

"Come to us then," I pleaded to her. "We'll keep you safe."

"I'm scared for _you_ ," she confided. "I fear for what she will do to you."

"Norn," I said, frantically. "Get out of there. Get out!"

"She's here," she said. Then she let out a scream, and Kurayami fell to the ground. Aesop rushed over to help me get her to her feet, and Evelen looked very confused. Spring however, was sobbing.

"She's fighting Norn," I said, my voice sounding hollow. I remembered finding that little girl in the streets. She was a stranger then, but she wasn't anymore. She was family. And I had to hear her fight for her freedom, for her life, and I could do _nothing_ to help her.

"The worlds will fall," Spring said, through her tears. "Mother is coming for us all."

 _ **Yamato Ishida**_ :

I was in genuine shock about how well everyone was functioning after the tale we'd been told. Taichi, Sora and Koushiro had wandered off and soon after Daisuke, Miyako and Iori had done the same. There was something unsettling about it all and I knew they would have spoken about Autumn's warnings, but it just felt like I was being left out of it all.

I was staring toward the three fairies as they conversed with Hikari who had just spent the last hour or so—but felt like ten years—speaking with someone else's voice about the ancient past of all the worlds and the fairies who, while I barely knew them, had helped us countless times in the fight against the darkness.

And of course, saying that they 'helped' was putting it loosely. Summer had once passed Autumn's vision off to Iori to stop Piedmon's dagger from hitting Hikari. Winter had given Miyako a key to Sidhendor when Daemon had locked her up but told her not to use it and then magically transported herself out of the world and _left_ Miyako. Summer had erased the minds of the people after Fanglongmon and Daemon rampaged through the city, and while that was _helpful_ it was not practical in the slightest. In the end it only made them feel worse about the digimon when they finally remembered—thanks to Yggdrasil and Katsue. Then they helpfully killed their father to create a Great Evil that tried to tear Miyako, Mari, Kiyoko and Emiko apart, which was super kind of them. And they created _Fanglongmon_ —the reason Kurayami had gone through such a horrible life and the reason Sora had broken up with me, which was less dramatic than Kurayami's life and I wasn't trying to compare, really.

These fairies had always gotten in the way when they wanted to help. At least Summer and Winter had. And apparently it was impossible to accurately predict the Great Evils, so Winter had lied to us again. The two of them were on opposite ends of the spectrum, but both of their attempts always failed. Only Spring seemed to realize that she could only help by staying out of the way.

Then again, Summer had saved Takeru and Hikari in the Land of Dreams, and she Winter _and_ Spring were the reason that we had all reunited again. 'All' in this case would mean everyone aside from Willis, Kiyoko and Rei.

Willis was still gone though, and he'd missed a _lot_.

I found my eyes wandering toward Alias III next because they'd just taken a recent blow too. All three of them were sitting in silence, thinking about—I could only assume—their lives that were never meant to be.

Mari was supposed to have been killed by Marshall—whether on purpose or by accident—and he would have gone to prison for life, and wouldn't have been able to help EVOLVE, and maybe Sora wouldn't have been put on trial. But it was all worth it in the end because Mari got to _live_. It made sense overall, too, because now Marshall's never ending obsession with Mari was explained away. His destiny was altered too, and the corrections had to be made. I knew Mari was too strong for Marshall now, but I still felt a shudder as I thought about the whole ordeal.

Kiyoko would have died out on the streets, but instead he was just possessed by one of the darkest evils in all the nine worlds. That was arguably worse, but everything turned out alright in the end thanks to Yoshie Izumi, and Satoe Tachikawa for cutting his crazy hair. Sigma was _gone_ and maybe he sucked, but he saved Kiyoko's life and while he didn't have a fun time getting here he was okay now. He was strong and intelligent and kind and a little bit selfish—but he was _alive_.

Hideto would have been hit by that truck instead of Rei. I had seen that happen. I could remember the truck coming and I shouted out to her but she couldn't hear me. I pushed through the crowd of people around me and rushed over to her but it had been too late, she'd been hit. But what if it had been Hideto. I wouldn't have been comforting a crying, bleeding Rei, I would have been holding the dead body of a person I would never grow to call a friend like I had _now_. Another shudder crept over my body.

The three of them had a lot to think about.

Michael had run off, and something was wrong with Jenna, but he had finally gotten his wish in learning more about his mother, and surely he would have enough to talk about when Willis returned—enough that hopefully Willis wouldn't be too in the dark by the end of it. But there were some dark truths in the story which would explain why the fairies had been so against telling him the truth. But he'd finally gotten his way—through a lot of complaining, showing that he too could fall into the stereotypes of a rich boy—and was now much wiser than he had been an hour ago.

Mimi was standing with Jou now and was whispering to him. I heard only one word. _"Palmon."_ I was trying my hardest to _not_ think about Gabumon because he'd been taken somehow. I didn't really understand the logic or the truth behind Gaia's actions, because no one really did. She was an insane woman who had no real motive aside from being greedy. She'd apparently lived a life of always wanting _more_ and since she had the power to get that, it all made sense.

 _Gaia_.

Gaia was what that story was for. We weren't here to learn about Mari's true destiny, or how Michael Sr met Michael Jr's mother. The story had been about Gaia and her daughters and what Gaia was truly up to. She was a lying, cheating, manipulating woman who needed to be stopped before she achieved her ultimate goal of bringing the worlds back together to rule them as a whole. If she wanted things back the way they were, did that mean the Digital World was safe from her because it hadn't existed before? Probably not.

Since both Ken and Kura's spouses had been whisked away by Taichi they spent their time together. Kura was worried about whether Alias III's intended death's meant that she was also supposed to have died. I could hear them since they were close but I didn't want to interrupt, so I was pleased to hear Ken tell her she was over thinking things. "What if Yukai was never supposed to die?" she asked him. "What if my brother took my place? I'm a dark Digidestined too."

"I'm sure it's different," Ken offered, but he no longer sounded convinced.

The dark Digidestined... were they important to the balance? If their Crests were _created_ how were they necessary for the balance? My answer came shooting through my head in Gabumon's voice. _All of the Crests were created, Yamato. Darkness is needed because it is simply half of Light. Neither is useful without the other. The same goes for Pride and Humility, or Desire and Forgiveness. Each has their own unique detailing, but they are a pair._

It freaked me out how often Gabumon's voice came into my head when we were apart. I'd spent a year up in space and the only person I had to talk to regularly was kind of a jerk. I went a little insane with my friends in my mind, but I did learn a lot about myself and about _them_ too, but not the ones in my head. I wasn't _that_ insane.

I saw that Takeru was still watching Hikari and I was making my way over to him to comfort him when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned quickly to see Taichi and I flashed a smile. He didn't return it. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing," Taichi said, "Just, you know, a woman is running through the dimensions and is threatening the reality of the fabric of space and time in some desperate attempt to bring all of the worlds back together again."

"Right," I said, feeling embarrassed, "I just thought—never mind. What's up?" I tried to change the subject to why he had come to me in the first place.

Taichi looked over to Daisuke, Miyako and Iori, then back to me, "Just told them we're leaving. Just you and me, Buddy."

I rounded on Takeru and Hikari before looking back to Taichi, "What about the others?"

"We're coming back," Taichi shrugged. "Now get ready, we're leaving before Hikari comes back to reality. I don't want her coming along. She's safest here."

Taichi turned away and I tried to follow him, "What are you talking about?" I asked him, "Where are we going?"

He stopped, seeming to realize he had forgotten to tell me _anything_ and he turned back to me. "We're getting our army." And then he was off, and while I didn't know what he was up to I decided to act quickly. I ran toward the visitor rooms of the Temple and found the one I would usually stay in. There had to be _something_ that I left here during the break between. All I found was a jacket and a pair of boots which wasn't helpful because I was still in a ridiculously expensive suit for Takeru's supposed-to-be-wedding. I checked room to room, finding a bulletin board with Emiko's drawings on it, and knew this was Jou's room next door. Funny how we each sort of found a little home in the Temple.

Jou hadn't left anything useful, either, but I found a t shirt in Michael's room that I was just going to steal and as I was looking for pants Taichi came up behind me, thrusting an entire bag of clothes into my hands. "Stop being a thief," he grinned. "These are actually your clothes."

"Why do you have my clothes?"

Taichi shrugged, "I guess I packed them up when I moved out. Whoops."

"That was almost five years ago!" I said in surprise. Taichi shrugged and made his way to the bathroom to change his own clothes. I moved quickly, realizing that my style for clothing had somehow shifted. The pants he'd given me were rather tight but it didn't matter. It was better than walking around in a suit. And luckily, I had some nice boots and a jacket to make it feel more me. Not that it _really_ mattered what I was wearing, but still.

I wanted to be practical.

When Taichi returned, we were able to go, and he ensured that we left through a different exit because everyone was gathered around the front gates still. I didn't even know the Temple _had_ another exit, and when Taichi led me to a fallen building that had crashed over the wall creating a bridge of sorts, I realized that there probably _wasn't_. He simply raised his eyebrows at my expression and led me along. "What happened here?"

"What do you think?" he asked bitterly. His resentment wasn't directed at me, so I wasn't too upset, but I did want to hear the story. I wouldn't press him for it though because he was far too stressed and I didn't need to have him tell me that to figure it out.

Taichi had been around for the entire duration of the year in between so he knew far better than anyone else where the digimon we'd need to find were. The walk was long though. I found him muttering locations to himself every few minutes as if he were running through the best path to get to each individual location.

"Primary village is closest," he noted, "but I don't want to make the babies walk everywhere with us. We'll have to get them last." I agreed and we kept going. We stopped by Toytown, through the forest, and asked Porcupamon, Fangmon and Honeybeemon to head over to Overdell and grab Gravimon, then meet us at the Coliseum. They agreed and loved the idea of having a mission so they were off.

Taichi was heading toward Infinity Mountain when I grabbed his sleeve and pointed to the Gear Savannah and Taichi paused, staring through the heat. "Mihirashi Mountain," I said. "Meramon?" Taichi agreed without words and together we set off across the extensive stretch of sand.

"Hey," I said, "remember those phone booths, or that street car?"

Taichi looked over to me, passing by one of the tall telephone poles that stuck from the sand. "Yeah?" he said, confused, "What about them?"

"Oh nothing," I grinned, "I was just wondering if anybody else remembered." Taichi snorted as he remembered our first walk through the sand and how Jou had declared that the heat was baking our brains. Taichi stopped midstride and I knew he was realizing just how long ago that was. He stretched his arm out and touched one of the telephone poles and sighed deeply.

"Sorry about Gabumon," he said weakly. "It's my fault. I should have been paying closer attention."

"Hey," I snapped, "don't blame yourself." Taichi looked to me and wanted to complain, but I stopped him. "Look," I said sharply, "I understand that you want to take responsibilities for your actions. Congratulations on being an adult, but that doesn't mean everything is _your_ fault."

"But it _is_ ," Taichi insisted. "I screwed up."

"Okay, but it was a mistake," I said. "You've been throwing yourself a pity party ever since EVOLVE started up. You can't blame yourself for other people's actions, because that's not how life works." Taichi was frustrated now, but I wasn't done. "If Takeru drinks the last of the milk it's _his_ fault. It's not _my_ fault for not buying more milk."

"This isn't just spilled milk—" Taichi started.

"No, but it's the same concept," I snapped, finally getting frustrated too. "Other people have done wrong, and made decisions and you claiming that it's all your fault is insane. Gabumon chose to run off and that was _his_ prerogative because it was his own life he was risking. He can make his own mind up and do his own thing. It's not your fault, and frankly the fact that you think that it _is_ , that's insensitive."

Taichi stared at me in shock and threw his head back in frustration, "We haven't seen each other in a year and the first thing you do is tell me I'm insensitive? Well I think _you're_ insensitive for not realizing that I'm stressed."

"Look around, Taichi!" I shouted, "The whole world is stressed out. It's not just you. Your solidarity complex isn't _you_ and it's just annoying. Other people might put up with it but I want you to know that you're _not_ alone. None of this is _your_ fault and if you don't get your act in gear and realize that we're all standing _with_ you, not _behind_ you, then we're never going to beat Gaia."

Taichi looked shocked for a moment and then shook his head, "They put _me_ in charge! All the decisions were made by me!"

" _Wrong_ ," I growled, "The decision to put you in charge was _not_. They made that choice. They made the _choice_ to follow you. That's why we're going to win the war, Taichi! Gaia is manipulating everyone into coming with her. We're going to ask. We're going to always do the right thing."

"You don't _get_ it!" Taichi snapped, lunging forward and shoving me back by slamming his hands into my shoulders. I didn't waste any time in winding my fist back and punching him directly in the face. Unfortunately my muscle mass was not as high as it once was and the hit probably didn't come across as hard as I'd have liked, but he fell into the sand anyway and then flopped himself over and was still for a moment. Finally I reached out my hand for him and he took it begrudgingly and I pulled him to his feet. He cleared his throat. "I missed you, Yamato."

"Missed you too, Taichi."

The rest of the way to Mihirashi Mountain we talked things through. It was looking rather positive for Taichi too. His mind seemed to have pulled from the gutter and he even laughed a few times. I thought about apologizing for hitting him, but it seemed to have helped, so I wasn't particularly sorry. I had really missed Taichi though. Even before he had sealed himself away in the Digital World, and before I had gone up into space, we had spent very little time together.

The reason for that was obvious. I was distancing myself from everyone because of Sora and I had lost a lot of friends because of it. We talked about that too, and Taichi was glad that he hadn't done anything wrong. He'd been with Sora and Koushiro most of the time that I was spending by myself, which meant we had very little time together. He moved out of our apartment and that felt like the end of an era, but it somehow became the end of a friendship.

But that wasn't going to be the end. I wouldn't allow it, and now Taichi seemed to understand a lot more too, so maybe this was going to go well after all. Besides, no one else knew quite how valuable a smack upside the head could be in fixing Taichi's personal dilemmas. But Sora _had_ done a wonderful job keeping him sane in my absence.

Anyway, Meramon was completely willing to help out and even agreed to take the Hawkmon, Biyomon, Poromon and Yokomon from the nearby village and get them to the Temple, leaving us alone again. He did seem rather excited that he might get to see Otamamon and Jun again, and especially Shuu.

We picked up MarineAngemon at the Coliseum, as well as Gravimon, Porcupamon, Fangmon and Honeybeemon who had all returned from Overdell with a bunch of Bakemon. They all seemed skeptical to be helping us but Taichi explained the situation to them briefly. "Your world is changing too, and if you're not one hundred percent committed to helping out I want you to go back to Overdell and stay oblivious to what's going on. We can't afford anyone questioning us." The Bakemon all saw clearly after that and even agreed to help us out. We sent a few of them to Infinity Mountain to get Unimon, and some over to Beetle Land to gather any insect digimon that were over there. I hated that place and it always gave me memories of Kwagamon, so I was glad we didn't have to set foot there.

Gravimon set off to Factorial Town to find any survivors, and MarineAngemon happily led Porcupamon, Fangmon and Honeybeemon out to find Petermon, Tinkermon and CaptainHookmon. He claimed he knew where they were but didn't want to go alone.

So Taichi and I were alone again on our way over the relatively new bridge. Freezeland was off the coast and we needed to see if we could find Frigimon.

"Ah memories," Taichi said, sniffling as he bundled himself closer. "The coldest you've ever been." He grinned over at me but I just rolled my eyes. "Aw, come on. Lighten up. What happened to quoting Mimi and reliving old times."

"Memories aren't amusing if they involve me almost dying of hypothermia," I said, putting my hands in my pockets for warmth. It was amazing how quickly the air turned cold.

"Oh boo hoo," Taichi said, still grinning, and now walking backward down the bridge. "Gabumon saved you with his fur coat. That was pretty nice of him."

"Yeah," I said, "then you tried to take it off of him to see what was underneath."

Taichi's face fell. "Okay, so I made some mistakes as a kid. Everyone does."

"I didn't make that many mistakes," I pointed out.

"Uh," Taichi laughed, "Remember Puppetmon? Cherrymon? Come on, Yamato, you tried to fight us and we were trying to save the world." I felt my face turn red, remembering how Cherrymon had managed to convince me that the person holding me back from the truth and happiness was Taichi. That couldn't have been further from the truth. "Or when Fanglongmon got you on his side. That was a pretty big mistake. What about—?"

"I get it, Taichi," I groaned, "We've both made plenty of mistakes. We're both idiots." He grinned, satisfied, "Let's just hope we've grown from that."

"Sure we have," Taichi smiled, "I haven't tried to forcibly undress any digimon for _days_." I punched his arm because he wasn't funny but he simply laughed because he sure thought he was. "Hey so you went to space," he said, changing the subject entirely. "You're welcome."

I glared at him and he finally turned around to walk normally. "Thanks," I said sarcastically. "And that's your credit, is it?"

"Uhm, yes?" he said, "I picked your classes for college. I created an astronaut. My mom will be so proud."

I rolled my eyes again. "Yeah, well, I picked your classes too, Mr Ambassador. You're welcome for _your_ job." It hit me then that we'd both legitimately set each other's futures up entirely. "Thank you," I couldn't believe I had said it. Taichi was pleased though. "We both just spent an entire isolated year doing what each other planned. And they weren't great, but we did it anyway."

Taichi nodded, realizing that too. "Yeah," he said, "That's weird... Did anything exciting happen in space?"

"Yeah," I told him sarcastically, "Several unicorns came and danced around us up there and they taught me to speak Latin."

"That's amazing," Taichi said as we came to the end of the bridge finally. "Truly wonderful, you should show me their dance moves some time." I found myself rolling my eyes _again_. It only took a few minutes of walking to find Frigimon and he promised he'd go off and collect the other digimon of the island. About ten minutes after that Mojyamon wandered by and stopped to look at us, amused.

"You've grown," he told us with a big smile, "Humans are weird."

Taichi was hardly listening to him though, "You're Winter's partner, right?" Mojyamon froze and turned to Taichi. "I knew it," he smiled, "Come with us. She's waiting at the Temple."

When Frigimon returned he had a whole slew of digimon. There was an IceLeomon and a Hyogamon, several Snowballmon surrounding a single Snowmanmon, a bunch of Icemon and a whole army of YukimiBotamon.

"Ready?" Taichi wondered, and Frigimon nodded. Together we all set off to get to Primary Village, which was hopefully going to be our final stop. And we hadn't even gotten there when we heard the bad news.

Meramon showed up with Drimogemon and Gorillamon. I looked to Taichi who nodded simply, confirming my thoughts. These digimon were Summer and Autumn's partners. Meramon admitted that he had yet to go to the Yokomon village and so we knew we'd have to meet there too. We were already entering Primary Village though so we figured we may as well stop here first.

We walked up to Elecmon and he reunited with Mojyamon, Gorillamon and Drimogemon who began to explain the situation to him. It was all well worded and I was glad to not have to explain again. Then I felt something coming up behind us and I turned sharply to see a tall looming dark figure.

"There you are," Taichi said as if he'd been specifically looking for Devimon. "We need your help."

Devimon stared blankly at Taichi for a moment and then laughed. "Well isn't this just perfectly amusing?"

"Are you going to help or not?" Taichi asked flatly.

Devimon thought for a moment and sighed, "I suppose I am, aren't I? Oh how the mighty have fallen."

"I hope you don't mean yourself," I mumbled, but Devimon ignored me. I wasn't happy about having him join us, mostly because it was _crazy_ to think about asking any of the digimon we'd faced to help us out. I mean, Kura wouldn't ask Fanglongmon for help. Gatomon wasn't about to ask Myotismon to team up with us. Why were we asking Devimon?

"Because he wants to help," was Taichi's response when I asked him in a whisper, "he's not perfect, but we've got to give everyone a chance to grow, right?"

I supposed that was fair. So many of our team had once been evil. Satoe's partner used to be the very same LadyDevimon who kept trying to turn on us. Kura was once tainted with darkness. Neo used to be insane. Not everything in the world was separated by blacks and whites. We needed to focus on the shades of grey to win the war.

Elecmon gathered the babies—including Datirimon—and prepared to leave. We found the regenerating forms of so many fallen friends, such as Wizardmon, MetallifeKuwagamon, Dorumon, Andromon and even Centarumon. Elecmon agreed to take them back to the Temple, and Gorillamon, Mojyamon and Drimogemon were going to go with him. Frigimon, Meramon and the snow digimon all came with us instead. Along the way we encountered Unimon and the Bakemon we sent to him, and the rest of the Bakemon returned with a variety of insects.

As we were coming up to the Yokomon village Gravimon returned with only two digimon because Factorial Town had been demolished by Maugrim. And by the time Meramon had convinced the Yokomon to come along Tinkermon was with us along with Petermon, CaptainHookmon, Porcupamon, Fangmon and Honeybeemon.

As we were preparing to head back to the Temple a small Poromon fluttered up to me. "Hey," I said, assuming he wanted to be held.

He avoided my grasp and looked to me fiercely. "Miayko and Ken are back, right?" I nodded, "Oh good," he looked relieved. "Is Hawkmon okay? I haven't seen him in a while." I looked to Taichi who had no interest in delivering this news again so I stepped forth. Poromon cried a bit, but his reaction mostly surprised me. "There's something you should see then. Hawkmon and Biyomon found them."

Taichi excused himself and left Meramon in charge of bringing everyone back to the Temple as the two of us followed Poromon into the trees. "It's a small little cave," he said as we finally reached the clearing. "Someone lives here."

"Gankoomon," Taichi and I breathed together, remembering Autumn's story. We rushed forward and hurried toward the cave and Taichi began calling out, "Hello?" he asked. "Is anyone here?"

"What do you want?" A sharp voice snapped. We looked down to a silvery dragon digimon with a red cape. "Who are you?"

"We're looking for Gankoomon," Taichi explained.

"Then you have come to the right place," a deeper voice said from behind us. We all turned and saw the man that Autumn had described. A tough looking digimon. The silvery dragon was growling at us until Gankoomon silenced him. "They are Digidestined," he told him. "And so they must hear my news."

"News?" Taichi groaned, clearly not up to hearing that anything else had gone wrong. "What's going on now?"

"The one Theta hated the most is nearing," he said in a menacing voice. "She will not strike this world first, but her action is soon to begin. And she _will_ come here, to the Digital World, and it will fall under her weight."

Taichi swallowed thickly and looked around for a moment before shaking his head. "No," he said. "I'm not going to let that happen."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Willis is back! He and Ken are up, narrating and strategizing, but something happens that shakes up their plans!


	58. Friends On The Other Side

**Y/N:** I wrote Ken this time, and by the point in which I wrote it, I didn't hate Ken anymore, so I probably had fun. Honestly, most of these were written so long ago that I don't know what it is. So, I just looked it over, and I'm pretty sure this was one of the Ken chapters that I was most looking forward to writing through this entire thing.

 **U/N:** Willis! So he's been gone for a while, and I liked that feeling because it meant I was able to kind of pull him back in with the others, and while that doesn't seem like a big deal, it really helped because every other character was so caught up on what happened in the year between (much more than I was obviously) and so writing as Willis helped me because he was as out of the blue as I was in the end. Though that isn't too surprising for him.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 58: Friends On The Other Side**

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

I found it rather annoying just how difficult it was to travel between the worlds now. It was far more difficult than we'd been used to not too long ago. I was well aware that there had been a time that the older Digidestined hadn't been able to travel of their own free will at all. They had to wait until the gate was opened for them by some force on the inside. I was rather spoiled, I supposed, with how easy it had always been to get through to the world of my partner. But now, we needed Kiyoko to open rips in the fabric of space and time and it was all confusing and went over my head. And I wasn't dumb either, so it was pretty detailed stuff.

Was it too much to ask to be able to walk freely between the worlds that we were trying to defend?

Evidently it _was_ too much to ask. We needed Kiyoko to open the paths for us, and we were limited in the moves we could make. We needed to protect ten worlds—now that we knew of Theta—yet we could not get to those worlds to protect them.

And instead of being able to travel back to the Digital World to check on my wife, I had spent the night in the library on the couch with my daughter curled up on my chest as she cried for her mother. Her cries had set off Renjiro's and Kana's and Haruki's. In general, we did not have a pleasant night of sleep, but I was far too afraid to bring her home to spare the others from her resounding wails. I could not defend her by myself. I needed Wormmon, but he was gone. They were all gone, and we had only a few digimon friends that could help protect the children.

Goblimon stood guard all night, standing between Natsuni, Kana, Armadillomon's egg and the door. Otamamon and Bearmon were both injured still, and Goblimon insisted that they take the time to sleep and recover. Monmon though, refused to be so easily swayed. He stood with Kotemon, watching the door with unblinking eyes the entire time that Emiko was asleep. Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon stood vigil at the door, waiting for something to happen, but we were all hoping nothing would.

Nothing did, thankfully.

I was exhausted, since I'd spent the remainder of the previous day surveying the streets and looking for any signs of Astamon. I stopped by the church that _should_ have been a joyous memory of watching Takeru and Hikari take vows to love and cherish one another for the rest of their lives, but instead was filled with flashes of Astamon attacking, nearly killing Michael, being taken prisoner, and then escaping to wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting city. I needed to find the gun that I'd dropped during his attack. I would need it, since I did not have Wormmon for protection. I kept it with me at all times—turning the safety on, of course, inside the library, and keeping it on the floor _beside_ the couch when I was holding my daughter to me. I couldn't risk her safety for anything, even my own protection.

But morning had come again. I had received no word from Miyako, about how she was doing with Jou on their quest to find the digimon from Witchenly. I hadn't even heard from _Takeru_ and he'd come with me on our trip back to Earth. We'd separated soon after arriving, since I needed to locate Astamon and my gun, and he had a mission of his own to complete. I knew he was worried about his parents, since they hadn't answered any of his calls. He'd left early in the morning to go out to find them, since they couldn't be reached by phone.

The only update I'd received was from Daisuke.

Norn was in trouble—they knew nothing more. This of course put everyone on edge in the library and made for a very tense evening. I couldn't take the tension, and had made the quick decision to head out on the town leaving my baby girl in the care of her uncle Mantarou, who was calling in to work to inform them that it was impossible for him to come in today, due to the recent Astamon attack. Chiziru left Masa with him as well, and came along with me. We walked all the way to her apartment, and she took the time to tell her boyfriend everything that was happening, and also packed away a few games and sets of clothes for Masa—and Emiko—because we didn't know how long we'd be stuck at the library.

I left her to her business, and patrolled the streets, awaiting Chiziru's call. I didn't find anything. I didn't find any signs that might've pointed me to Astamon's whereabouts. I just saw evidence of his presence. The streets were blocked off and emergency vehicles were still prying car doors off to try and save the people that had been crushed within their vehicles. It was a disaster zone—and Astamon was probably the weakest of Gaia's gathered forces.

Chiziru and I—and her boyfriend—returned to the library just shy of midnight, and I was up and at it again by six the following morning. Takeru had left a quick note on the counter in the kitchen that told me he'd left just fifteen minutes earlier.

I fed and changed Mai, and waited for another person to wake up. It was Ryou that woke first, and while I might've hesitated about leaving him in charge of my daughter, I knew he was older than he looked, and he would keep her safe. He'd kept me safe during my first adventure—though I was still foggy on the details—so I knew he could handle babysitting. I ran through the list of things Mai liked and didn't like, and when to feed her, and when to put her down for a nap.

Soon enough, I was on my way to the station. I had to stop in at home to get my uniform and a quick shower, but I still made it on time. It was chaos when I arrived. Several officers were heading out to their cruisers already, starting another long shift of patrolling the city in search of Astamon. I sighed. They should be more concerned about the people. Their guns— _our_ guns—couldn't touch him. But they could save so many people.

But with Daisuke's warning about Norn, I wasn't even sure that was the case.

"Ken!" Kimi called. I walked directly to her. Her hair was wild, coming out of the small ponytail she'd tossed it in. From the look of her, I could tell she'd been here all night. There was no rest for the irreplaceable, and no one else could do Kimi's job as well as she could.

"What's been happening?" I asked when I reached her desk. She was frazzled, but she looked relieved that I was there. I wasn't sure if that was flattering or not worrying.

"We haven't been able to locate the rogue digimon," she informed me. "Yakuin is in with the chief right now, trying to get him to override the law that says we can't hurt them. It was a good law, but we need to be doing _something_."

"They weren't thinking there would be anymore digimon attacks when they wrote it," I told her. She knew that Miyako was very much in the centre of the laws that were being written. It was amazing, the stuff my wife had accomplished in the short amount of time she and Neo had been working together.

"Maybe they should have been," Kimi said, running her fingers through her hair. "The city's a mess and there's nothing we can do, because we can't open fire on the attacker without going against the very laws we're meant to enforce."

"Exactly my point."

Yakuin's voice came from the doorway to the chief's office. I saw the chief—a short but sturdy man with a large white moustache—behind him, dwarfed by Yakuin's size.

"We've been through this, Yakuin," the chief said tiredly.

"But she's right," Yakuin said. "There's nothing we can do because we're too afraid to attack the digimon. I say we open fire. This digimon has killed several people already, and over a dozen are in critical condition. At this point, it's not even a matter of attacking a _digimon_ but eliminating a threat. If we can't fight back to protect the people, what use is the police force? We're not accomplishing anything."

"You won't be able to," I told him. The chief looked to me, concerned. But he also knew that my wife worked for digimon rights, and rightly assumed I knew what I was talking about. "Guns aren't going to be enough. You could scramble the National Guard, but it won't be enough. Astamon—that's his name—is a power house. He's got enough firepower to obliterate any force we send at him. He's an Ultimate Level digimon. Do you remember VenomMyotismon? It was years ago. I was only eight at the time. But he was huge, and it took eight other digimon to defeat him. It took the Digidestined."

"Where are they now?" Yakuin sneered. "They're just laughing as this Astamon tries to crumble society as we know it?"

"This isn't their fault," I snapped. "The Digidestined are handling it. Believe it or not, but Astamon is actually the _least_ of our worries. There're so many other, stronger, forces out there that need to be defeated. They are literally threatening the entire world—all the worlds. I don't think you can see the bigger picture, but until they are defeated, we won't be safe. We will never be safe. Only the Digidestined can save the worlds."

"I don't think it's right that we don't have a say in who we trust with our lives," Yakuin argued. "I don't trust these nameless faces. They're the ones in the documentary, right? I'm not putting my trust in the rock star, actor and fashion student. I don't have a lot of faith that they'll be any help at a time like this." I was actually surprised that Yakuin had watched the movie, but then again there _was_ a time when he wasn't horrible like this.

"Then put your faith in the police officer, or the lawyer, or the two ambassadors," I growled. "We know what we're doing. We're the only ones equipped for this level of danger. We were handpicked. We're the only chance this world has. We're doing our best."

"We?" Yakuin asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Ichijouji, explain yourself," the chief instructed. I glanced at Kimi and she nodded, still looking exhausted, even though she was attempting to look supportive.

"I'm the Digidestined of Kindness," I said. "I was picked by Gennai, who was partnered with the literal personification of peace. I was picked to represent a trait that Theta deemed worthy—Theta, being the world herself. I'm working with the other Digidestined, and I know it seems bleak right now, but trust me when I say this is the calm before the storm. Gaia is coming. She wants the worlds to combine. She wants to rule over everyone."

"And you Digidestined couldn't stop it before?" the chief asked. He wasn't accusing us of doing badly. He was clarifying. But I couldn't help but think that maybe he _should_ have been accusing us. We had made mistakes. I knew that Taichi was putting all of the mistakes and pressure on his own shoulders, but he shouldn't have. We'd made this same mistake once before. We left Fanglongmon unattended when we'd defeated the sovereign, and we'd hoped for the best. Now, we left Gaia in Witchenly, and completely disregarded all of her other forces. We shouldn't have. That was a rookie mistake.

We'd left all of her forces alive and free for her to gather as the whim struck her.

"No," I said, instead of explaining all of those feelings that were warring within me. "We couldn't. We didn't know her plans. We do now, and it's going to be a long shot, but we'll beat her."

"How can you be sure?" the chief asked.

"We can't," I said honestly. "But we're the only ones that can usher in a time of peace for the worlds. I feel it deep in my bones that _this_ is the fight we were chosen to participate in. We thought we were finished when we took out Yggdrasil. We thought we'd finally get a chance to have normal lives, but Gaia has other plans."

"Then get out there and fix this mess you made," Yakuin ordered. I glared at him.

"It's not a mess _we_ made. This is on you, and all other members of EVOLVE. This is on the people that fed into the power that Gaia has under her command. This is on her. This is not the Digidestined's fault. We've been fighting for you, and for all the people in all the worlds since we were children," I told him angrily. "I was eight years old when I helped defeat Millenniummon. Don't tell me that I'm not doing enough, and that I'm out there making messes that I'm going to have to clean up later. Most of my life has been dedicated to your safety."

"We're not accusing you of causing this," the chief assured me, leveling a glare at Yakuin.

"This wasn't my choice," I said. "I never asked to be a Digidestined. Some days, I _still_ don't think I have what it takes. But when I think about the people that I'm helping, when I think of the children that I'm saving from my fate, when I think of giving Mai a world free of inter-world conflicts, then I can find the strength to keep fighting. I like helping people. It's the reason I became a police officer. Just let me do my job—both my jobs."

"Alright," the chief said. "You can go patrol. Find that digimon—Astamon, was it?—and get him off the streets. You know the laws, you're trained for this. Do whatever you can."

"Thank you," I said nodding to him.

"Yakuin will go with you," he continued, ruining any sense of thankfulness that I had building inside of me. I looked to him, helplessly. "I realize you two don't get along. I realize that EVOLVE is a sore topic between you. But he's the best we've got aside from you. Everyone else is working to evacuate the city and keep the people safe. You need someone with you that can watch your back."

"I don't trust him," I admitted.

"That makes two of us," Yakuin agreed.

"The decision's been made. Get out there and find that digimon. Prove to me that you can make the city safe again. You've talked the talk, now it's time to walk the walk," the chief ordered. Kimi sent me a sympathetic look, and I watched as the chief walked away—most likely so that he wouldn't need to listen to anymore arguments.

Yakuin and I found our way to a cruiser, and we fought briefly over who would drive. I gave in first, allowing him to drive, so that I could keep my eyes peeled much easier. He grumbled to himself most of the time, but once in awhile I heard certain phrases that were not pleasant in the least.

"Our duty first and foremost is to ensure that people are evacuating," I reminded him, when I heard him grumbling about killing Astamon and being done with this mess.

"Our duty should be ensuring their safety by taking out the threat," he countered.

"If I had my partner, I would have already taken care of that," I told him. "We would have taken Astamon in, and questioned him and put him in prison. But we don't have our partners. I can't do that. We had him once; we should be able to catch him again."

"I have so much faith in you now," Yakuin said sarcastically. "You had the enemy, and you let him escape. This is why lethal force should be used. If he was dead, he couldn't have escaped and he wouldn't have killed so many people. If we kill _all_ of them, then there's _no_ way any human can die from one ever again. It's simple logic."

"It's genocidal, is what it is," I argued. "I can't stand by and watch something like that. EVOLVE was not good, Yakuin. You do know that, don't you?"

"I suppose you think RISE is better," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I do, actually," I said, pointedly.

"Probably because they worship the ground the Digidestined stand on," he snorted. "You like the adoration."

"I like the message," I argued. "Love is the most powerful force in all the worlds. Even Gaia can feel it, and she is the opposite of so many of the Crests."

"I'm still thinking that killing them is the best course of action," he told me. I knew that to some degree he was right. It _would_ be easier if we just embraced our old ways and killed whatever enemies we could to make this harder for Gaia. But we'd be sacrificing our integrity to do it. Killing couldn't bring about ultimate peace. We needed to balance out Gaia. Death just led to more darkness. It was something Miyako had ranted about a lot when she was starting her campaign to keep us from killing our enemies, and in reality, she was right—but then, she so often was.

"If we did that, we're no better than her," I said finally. "Pull over here. There's a group of kids playing in the park. That's not safe. They should be evacuating."

"Whatever," Yakuin said.

Despite his personal genocidal beliefs, he was a good officer. He got out of the car and put on a pleasant face and tried to talk to the kids' parents without instilling a sense of panic. He didn't succeed, but with the situation, it might've been hard to actually accomplish. The parents screamed for their kids to come to their sides. The kids were confused, but they did as their parents wanted, and then we escorted them all the way to their homes—which were conveniently right next door to one another.

We continued on foot from there. I had the keys—a compromise since he drove on the way, I would get to drive on the way back—and I said we were going on foot. It was easier to feel like we were accomplishing something when we were walking. We came across several other people that hadn't started following evacuation protocol. The entire time I was explaining to them the reason for the evacuation I was thinking about my daughter, and how none of our families had actually evacuated at all yet.

Astamon hadn't shown his face. I was getting worried. We skipped lunch—I was too tense to eat anyway—and we worked until the light was growing dim. I was going to continue until the moon was high in the sky, but we needed to return the cruiser to the station for someone else to use during the night.

"We should head back," I told him, when I knew he was losing his drive to continue the search.

"I'll be heading back," he said. His voice was suddenly cold. There was the click of the safety being turned off of a gun. I froze before steeling myself, and turning to him. He was holding his gun directly toward me.

"Don't do this," I told him, somehow managing a calm voice even though everything inside my body wanted me to panic. "The worlds are at stake."

"I know," he said. "But I've been instructed that the Digidestined must perish."

"Maugrim," I guessed. He nodded. I cursed myself for not realizing that Maugrim's army consisted of more than just the people that stayed in the camp. EVOLVE was mostly his minions. I had allowed myself to hope for the best in Yakuin when I shouldn't have. He had been manipulated my Maugrim and that was why he had gone through such a sudden shift in personality last year. So how much of what I was seeing was really Yakuin and how much was Maugrim or Gaia?

"It's not personal," Yakuin said, aiming his gun. My mind flashed to Mai again. And then to Miyako and Wormmon, and Hawkmon.

"I know," I said. "You're a dancing puppet."

"Goodbye," Yakuin said. I dived for the ground. I wasn't going to stand there and let him shoot at me. I was a little unprepared, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to fight for my life. I wasn't ready to die. The world still needed me, and so did my daughter—my family.

I hit the ground, and heard a shot ring out around me. I got to my feet, and glanced over at Yakuin, wondering where his shot hit. But he wasn't standing anymore. There was blood pouring out of his shoulder, and he rolled on to his back and began crawling away, crying out in pain. I wondered if perhaps he had regained control and shot himself in an effort to prevent Maugrim from using him any further, but that wasn't the case. His gun was lying, unused on the ground. I moved to him, picking it up—because I could no longer trust him with it—and tried to help him to his feet.

"No," he yelped. "Get away. Get away from me."

"I really can't do that."

The voice was familiar, because I'd heard it only yesterday. It was Astamon, and he was holding his smoking gun at his side. "The glory of killing this Digidestined will be _mine_. You're nothing but a useless worm. I will earn Gaia's compliments. I will earn her love."

"You're crazy," I told him, drawing his attention from Yakuin. "And you're going to have to catch me first."

I raced off, towards the car. He was caught off guard, and so I reached it first. I threw the door open—cursing the fact that we'd even thought to lock it—and climbed in. I tore down the street and pulled up the radio, calling in to the station.

"Officer down," I told them, before pointing them in Yakuin's direction. "Astamon is in pursuit. I'll keep him distracted. Get the people out of the city. I won't be able to hold him off forever."

And I wouldn't be able to. At some point, the car was going to run out of gas, and then I would be scooped. I needed to come up with a plan to get rid of him, and fast.

 _ **Willis Kennedy:**_

I was moving as quickly as I could because I didn't want to miss out on any opportunity to see Terriermon and Lopmon, and also because apparently the worlds were ending. That's what I'd been told anyway. I had just been helping out and building homes in Taiwan and suddenly Mari called me to tell me I needed to get to Japan ASAP.

Well, here I was. No one was picking up their phones though and I didn't know where to go to find any of them. I was growing rather impatient, but I figured my best bet was to get on a train and head to Ebisu. Mari had said "I'll be here" so her library was the best bet. The lady next to me eyed me up in a way that said she found me to be rather rude since I was pulling at the already torn seat I was sitting on and wrecking it even more while my feet tapped impatiently. I was going to explode if someone didn't answer my calls sooner or later. I'd called every one of the Digidestined—or at least most of them. I didn't bother with Taichi or Takeru for obvious reasons. Taichi was in the Digital World for so long, and Takeru was, well he was Takeru.

I had been alternating between dialling Mari's number and Michael's number, only throwing in a different person whenever I got too frustrated. Neither was picking up though and I was growing worried for several reasons.

I didn't want the worlds to end while I was on the train, all alone. I didn't want the worlds to end _period_. I was scared that whatever was threatening them had taken Mari or Michael's life. I wasn't ready for that. I wasn't ready for _any_ of them to die. I didn't know most of them well but that didn't mean I was willing to lose them. I had a relatively close relationship with Hikari and Mimi, as well as Koushiro and Kiyoko. Hideto and I hadn't gotten to know each other well but I knew we _would_ someday and Neo too. Jou and I were working together with the virus-cure and while I'd been spending most of my time in different countries we'd spoken a lot about the subject. I'd spent a few days here and there with Kura whenever she and Michael were hanging out and Daisuke and I sometimes played games online together—but that was the extent of my relationship with the Digidestined, really. But they weren't the only people I wanted to keep safe. Mom. Dad. _Jenna_. Tatum. They all needed to survive. Tatum was pregnant for goodness sake.

I realized then that I hadn't bothered calling her at all. I felt a bit embarrassed as I began scrolling through the contacts on my phone.

" _Willis_!" Tatum gasped as soon as the phone had begun ringing. "Where are you?"

I felt immense relief wash over me at the sound of her voice. I didn't care _who_ I was talking to I just needed _someone_ but I was glad it was Tatum anyway since she was always straightforward and knew what the hell she was talking about. Unlike Michael—at least most days. "Tatum what the hell is going on?"

I heard her take a deep breath and just as she spit out a word she shouted out at Michael who had apparently taken the phone, "Willis," Michael groaned, "Why didn't you answer the phone?"

" _Me_?"

"Yes _you_ ," Michael snapped, "I was calling you for hours!"

"I was on a _plane_ ," I argued, "Michael, I've been calling _you_ forever."

"Why?" Michael asked, "What's wrong?"

" _I don't know_!" I shouted, ignoring the startled and angry looks of the people around me. We were speaking English though so they probably couldn't understand me and thought I was just crazy. I was sometimes crazy, but right now I was just angry.

I heard Michael protest and was thankful to hear that Tatum had stolen the phone back, "Michael _stop_ ," I heard Michael sigh and then Tatum said, "Willis, go to Mari's library."

"I'm on my way," I assured her.

"Good," Tatum said, "The worlds are in peril it seems. Shocking, isn't it? Completely new information and this has never happened before."

I snorted, but rolled my eyes, "You sound stressed," I noted and I heard her once again take a deep breath. "Tatum, calm down."

"I'm calm," she promised, "I'm just angry." I didn't respond, trying to think of why she might be angry and landed only on her pregnancy but I wasn't about to suggest something as ridiculous as that. "This doctor is trying to suggest _abortion_." My mind stopped and my heart began reeling instead. _Abortion_? She was in her third trimester! "He's actually not suggesting, he's being extraordinarily rude and pushy about it."

"But it kind of makes sense!" I heard Michael shout.

Now I was confused.

"Give me that," Jenna's voice appeared. I was glad to hear that she was okay but she sounded just as annoyed—probably more so—than Tatum. "Willis," she said finally, "It's Jenna here, and I have some big news."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Michael hates me," she snapped. "He's being _very_ rude and not listening to what I want at _all_. He thinks he knows better just because he's on the same side as the professionals, and I mean really, when has Michael ever—?"

"What are you talking about?" I interrupted her.

"Oh," she said, "I'm pregnant with a mutant baby." Oh. Wow. Okay. I tried to put the pieces of their conversations together now that I knew what they had all been talking about. Apparently the professionals wanted _Jenna_ to get an abortion because her baby—obviously Chi's—was growing inside her in a way that was not normal to humans and she didn't want to. Tatum was on Jenna's side because obviously it was her choice what to do with her own body, but Michael was on the side to get rid of the baby to protect her. "You've missed a lot," Jenna said.

" _Apparently_ ," I said sharply, still absorbing the information.

"Yeah," Jenna said, "So the baby is growing faster than it's supposed to or something. Like, my body tells that I'm one month pregnant, but the baby thinks it's been _three_ months. So like a whole trimester in one month and—well it explains why I've been so dizzy and weak—it's because this baby is taking so much of my energy to grow! Anyway, I can totally do this for two more months, that's all it'll take, probably. I can have the baby and tell Michael to get his face out of my baby business."

"He'll listen to you better than me," I said, still feeling woozy about the news. Something about it wasn't clicking and I was pretty sure it had something to do with Jenna's calm nature. She was angry, but not scared, but it should have been freaking her out a lot more. She was in genuine danger over the baby... After hearing the facts I knew I would side with Michael so I wanted to stay out of their argument because it really _was_ Jenna's choice. "Do Mom and Dad know?"

"Uh, sure," Jenna said, but it sounded fake. I sighed and she groaned, "I don't know how to do that!" she defended herself. "How am I supposed to break the news to Dad? I can't just go up to him and say 'hey Dad, I'm pregnant with a baby that might kill me so you have to be supportive.'"

"That's a fair point," I realized.

"He might understand though," Jenna sighed, "Mom did the same thing, but didn't say anything to him I guess—hey, did anyone tell you?" I didn't answer, trying to grasp where she was coming from. "I guess not. Mom came back from the dead to tell us the story of why the worlds are in danger and she possessed Hikari and everyone was like 'woah this is insane' and it was, insane I mean."

"Jenna, you should be a doctor," I told her, "Or something else where you have to deliver crucial news because you have such a tactless way of going about it."

"Thanks," Jenna was beaming through the phone and I sighed. She completely overlooked my sarcasm. I knew there was more to talk about in terms of their mother's return, especially because possessing someone wasn't a particularly normal thing to do, so I was hoping Hikari was okay. It didn't matter right now though because I was still painfully out of the loop and needed to return to the others to learn more.

Our conversation didn't go on much longer, and ultimately I hung up the phone and sat in continued silence, feeling embarrassed that I had been the only one making any noise. The train stopped twice more on our way to Ebisu and then finally I was able to escape the uncomfortable thickness of the air that I had created.

I wanted to get to the library as quickly as I could, hoping someone there could walk me through what went on—I was hoping for Koushiro or Kiyoko who I knew would have probably the best memory of the finer details—because I just needed to know for myself. I was also hoping one of them would bring _me_ to the Digital World so I could reunite with _my_ partners, like I was sure everyone else had gotten the chance to do. Terriermon and Lopmon owed me an apology for kicking me out of the Digital World at the last minute but while I _was_ resentful, I didn't direct it at them.

I was calling for a cab when some rude lady came bustling by. She stood on the street nearby, throwing her hand out for the oncoming traffic, but nothing was stopping. When finally I had summoned a car, the woman pushed me out of the way again and took it for herself.

"You're rude," I snarled, feeling rather petty. I kept trying for a while, but it wasn't proving to be particularly advantageous and it seemed like I could probably _run_ there faster than I could get a cab. It was too bad no one would pick up their phones, or I could get them to come pick me up. I wouldn't ask Tatum, Michael or Jenna though because that just wasn't fair. They were busy with Jenna's surprise pregnancy—and besides they weren't in their own country, they probably had no rides.

Why had they even _been_ in Japan, anyway?

Oh, right. Hikari was getting married. I wondered how that went momentarily, realizing that something must have happened to make the Digital World open up. They may have missed their chance to get married yesterday. I wasn't too worried either way, because I was happy that Hikari had found a way to be truly happy. Maybe a little jealous, since I couldn't quite grasp it, but still, I was happy. Potentially anyway, that all depended on how the day went. I would have known if I'd gone.

" _Takeru and I are getting married," Hikari told me through the phone, "I was wondering if you'd come?"_

" _I don't see how that's a normal thing for an ex to do," I told her, feeling awkward about it all. "I think I would rather just help homeless people and whatnot."_

" _I understand," she sighed, "but if you change your mind we would both love it if you came."_

That didn't seem likely, since Takeru didn't like me much. I didn't like him either, so that wasn't a big deal to me. I had many ex girlfriends and many of them had previously gotten married—one of them was on her third wedding actually which was just crazy since she too was insane—and I had never even thought about going to one of _their_ weddings. Then again, Hikari was one of two ex girlfriends I still talked to, where the other one was Mari. Hikari was also the longest relationship I'd had, as well as the most unstable though. The pros and cons of attending a wedding that may or may not have already happened didn't matter anymore though.

I just needed to get to the library. I needed to be included in this too.

I caught sight of a bus stop up ahead and started running to ensure that the upcoming bus didn't get there before me. I was pushing through people, feeling rather rude, but just as I flung myself from a crowd the bus had finished at the stop across the street and was pulling away.

"Dammit," I groaned, running my fingers through my hair. As the bus disappeared I saw a familiar face in the crowd that had just come off and groaned again. It was Takeru. I was hoping he wouldn't see me, but he turned toward me instinctively and started making his way across the street. It seemed he hadn't seen me yet, and I thought about hiding, but I didn't dislike him _that_ much, and it was too late anyway.

"Oh, Willis," Takeru said, sounding entirely surprised to see me. A few people pushed between us and he was grinning when they disappeared, "Hello! When did you get back?"

"Just now," I told him.

"Well I'd better go," Takeru said immediately, obviously sensing the tension. "I've got to get to Mari's library."

I inwardly sighed and then nodded, pushing my hands into my pockets. "Me too," I told him.

"Oh," he said, "Great." It wasn't great. "You should walk with me then."

And I did. It was really uncomfortable though, because neither of us knew what to say. Takeru tried a couple times to strike up a conversation about the weather, or some random people on the street but in the end it didn't really work out. After a five minute stretch of silence I pulled my phone out and dialled my mother's number. She picked up quickly but seemed to be in a hurry. She seemed happy to hear from me though. When I told her that people were apparently gathering in Japan she assured me that Michael already called. They were going to be boarding the next plane with Tatum's parents. Mimi's parents had apparently already set off the previous night, so they wouldn't be accompanying them. When I hung up the phone I noticed Takeru watching me. "Good news?" he wondered. I nodded. "They're coming then. That's good. Everyone is trying to gather together, but my parents aren't there yet."

"Why not?" I asked, deciding that idle conversation couldn't hurt as long as there was a subject to talk _about_.

"Can't find them," he said, and his voice broke but he shook his head. "It's probably okay though. I just don't... know where they are. They won't answer their phones."

"I'm sure they're okay," I said, trying to be comforting. No one ever came to me when they needed a warm embrace—not usually anyway—so I wasn't sure what to say or how to help. I wasn't sure though, so basically I was just lying. "Who heard from them last?"

"Tatum," Takeru admitted, "Right after my failed wedding."

"What happened there?" I asked cautiously, afraid the 'failed' had something to do with the relationship.

"Some digimon showed up," Takeru groaned, "looking for you." I was immediately confused and began spinning around in my brain trying to find what digimon would be searching for _me_ of all people, but I could only think of Terriermon and Lopmon, but that wouldn't cause a wedding to break up, would it? "He had a gun and almost killed Michael. He was looking for Kiyoko and Rei too, he said his name—"

"Astamon?" I wondered, feeling my insides clench together.

Takeru nodded, "That's the one." Of course it was. Of _course_ the first digimon to come back after the 'forever long separation' would be him. I was glad I hadn't been there and, by the sounds of it, no one had been hurt, but if I had been there I doubted that Astamon would spare me. He was resentful toward Kiyoko and Rei obviously too, but he had hated me even before Gaia had asked him to. I didn't know why, but whatever the reason was, he was pretty bitter toward me. "That's where Mom and Dad were."

"Your wedding," I guessed, feeling that it made a lot of sense.

Takeru shook his head. "Chasing Astamon," he told me. "They're stupid or something if they thought it was a good idea. Isn't he the one that shot and almost killed Rei?" I nodded, feeling the colour drain from my face. Maybe assuring Takeru that his parents were okay was a little premature. "Yeah, he tried to shoot me too, Taichi saved me. Then when he was trying to shoot me again, Hideto saved me. If he hurt my parents, he's going to need someone to save _him_ instead." I knew Takeru could get this way, but I'd never really seen it myself. But no matter who he was, having someone hurt your parents wasn't something to want to live with. My dad and sister had died in a plane crash, and I was still bitter about it even though it had been an accident.

Murder was different.

It was worse.

Finally we had reached the library where Aneko opened the door. She grinned and embraced me quickly. I hugged her back and Takeru grinned. Apparently a child was enough to make him forget, at least momentarily, about his parents. Aneko was the nicest person ever—maybe even nicer than Hikari or Takeru—but I had a little resentment that was always burning when it came to her. I didn't know _where_ I wanted to live, but I'd always wanted it to be with Mari. Aneko made it so Mari was going to live _here_ no matter what.

I was _so_ happy that Mari had saved Aneko and that she'd shook off all of her demons, but that didn't mean I was happy that our lives were so separated. I had to now decide if I could really justify giving up everything that I knew to be with a girl. But then again, Mari wasn't just any girl. She was a fighter, and she'd given up everything already. If our relationship was ever going to work, she shouldn't have to give up anything else. Aneko was certainly not to blame.

"I bet you want to get to the Digital World," Aneko said, taking my hand and leading me into the house. Takeru followed and was apparently unsurprised by the amount of people that had gathered around. It seemed that everyone had a baby or two though and that was mostly where my shock was. I had known of them all and I knew their names, but I hadn't really met any of them. Aside from Emiko, Haruki and Mai, of course. There were only two other babies actually, but it was still weird to see that everyone was moving on so far into their lives. Kana and Renjiro... They were cute. As far as babies were concerned anyway. While I was happy for my friends, I certainly didn't want any kids any time soon.

Aneko led us to a rather dangerous looking rift in the sky and just as I was opening my mouth to question the safety of the fabric of the dimensions, Takeru held his hand up. "We know it isn't safe, but it's the best we've got."

I nodded, "Okay then."

Our passage through was rather simple, but the immediate response to our return was less than excited. There was a lot of panic around the square and all I could see were digimon that were freaking out. Nearby there was a Bakemon who was screaming and when I asked him what was wrong he didn't know the answer, just that Winter was worried.

Takeru and I exchanged nervous looks and together we wove our way through the crowd until we finally found what we were looking for. Daisuke's face lit up at the sight of me, and he grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Kurayami who was comforting Spring. Winter was nowhere to be seen though, and Takeru followed us away from the crowd of digimon.

When finally we had been pulled out of the groupings Takeru was in shock at how frightened everyone was becoming as they fed off of each other's nerves. Even I was starting to panic, and I knew that they were probably over reacting.

"What's going on?" Takeru asked. "When I left everyone was fine!"

"Winter and Spring felt something," Daisuke said, sounding rather nervous about it. It sounded bad by the way he was avoiding outright saying it.

"Where are Terriermon and Lopmon," I asked, hoping to give him a less painful question to answer but when he and Takeru exchanged glances filled with confusion and sorrow before sending me an apologetic look I threw my hands up, "Never mind!" I shouted, I didn't want to know. "Tell me later. What's going on here? What did they feel?"

Daisuke looked back to Spring who was panicking still. "Well," Daisuke said "There was a shift in the worlds' layout," he said, still avoiding the answer, "And Winter said something about dimensional differences that send wavelengths through the worlds which is how the dimensions are separated and recorded and something about frequencies—"

"I'm well aware of the theory," I told him, "And while it's awesome to know how realistic it is, I need you to just _tell_ me what's going on."

Takeru nodded his agreement and Daisuke sighed. "Well the worlds have different bases, right? There are the three worlds that are made of Light, Dark and Peace—Heaven, Theta and the Dark Ocean—and they're fine. Then there's the two lands that were never meant to have life, but both do and they're just worlds of balance—The Digital World and the In-Between—they're fine too. Then there are five worlds that all have solid ground and used to be whole. While Neverland was broken a long time ago, the four that we have still—Earth, The Land of Dreams, Witchenly and Sidhendor—are being altered."

"Altered how?" Takeru asked.

"Winter described it as them being unstuck," Daisuke said, "They're not held in place anymore."

"That's fine," I shrugged, "We can stick them back. Let's get Norn."

"That'll be a problem," Daisuke admitted, but I could see there was even more he wasn't saying.

"What else?" I asked.

He gulped and looked to his feet, "Well, there are only _three_ worlds of five now." Takeru and I stared at him in shock. "The Witchenly dimension was infused with the frequencies of Sidhendor. The land is back where it belongs. Gaia is putting the puzzle back together, and I'm kind of scared that Earth is next."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** With Taichi getting back to his Earthen roots, everyone is left to panic without their leader and Hikari finds herself waist deep in concerned friends and parents.


	59. Trust In Me

**Y/N:** Taichi is getting over some of his problems, and becoming a more active character again. It was a long time coming, and it was a welcome return, in my opinion. He's not magically better, or anything, but it's a step in the right direction, and that's important to me.

 **U/N:** I actually don't hate this Kari chapter. I usually don't do well getting into her shoes but this went surprisingly well actually. I hope it comes across right. She finally gets her Willis chapter. Back in 06 she and Willis were going to be taken captive by Aesop and Bitoru and learn a bit about them. It didn't make sense though because... they wouldn't kidnap them, and Michael already had a chance to do that. So this chapter makes up for that cut chapter, and I actually like it!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 59: Trust in Me**

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

A part of me really wanted to believe that Yamato was right. I _wanted_ to believe that not everything was my fault. And when he broke it down for me, it really seemed like he could be right. But it didn't make too much of a difference if I still _felt_ like everything was my fault. There was a slight silver lining now, that hadn't been there before. It was nice.

Well it wasn't _nice_ , since everything was still absolutely horrible. But it was something—a small shimmering of hope on the horizon. I could free myself from some of the burden I'd been carrying around for a year—more really—and actually start looking ahead. The past was behind us. I couldn't change it now, even if I wanted to. I would have to live with the guilt, but I couldn't live with it yet. I needed to push it aside. It wasn't solely mine anyway, according to Yamato. It was Gabumon's, for risking his life, it was Agumon's, for losing that first key and bringing Gaia to our world, it was Hikari and Kurayami's fault for giving Gaia their light and darkness. It was Rei's fault for giving Gaia the key to Theta. It was Maugrim's fault for sending that key to Witchenly at all.

And most importantly: it was Gaia's fault. Period.

But, it was still my fault that we'd split up, leaving all the digimon and Digimentals susceptible to Gaia's attacks. It was my fault that we had then converged with the Olympos XII, which resulted in the capture of our remaining friends. If we hadn't gone there, maybe Bitoru still would have felt the Digimental of Strength, but he might not have gotten Betamon, Tentomon, Wormmon, Armadillomon or Gomamon. She wouldn't have destroyed Centarumon or the Olympos members. We would still have _someone_ to fight on our side. Instead, we were scrapping the barrel, gathering the forces of the world, despite the sheer number of rookies and in-trainings and babies in our numbers. We might not be able to win, but we would be able to put up a fight.

Plutomon was still alright, and so were Gravimon, Shinkoumon, Leomon, Ogremon, Babamon and Jijimon. The digimon of Neverland were still ready to fight. Some of our parent's partners would still be able to fight alongside us. Dad's Kamemon might be willing to fight too, and Lunamon and Coronamon.

It wouldn't matter though, if we were the only world fighting against her. We needed more than just an army of digimon. Gaia had several armies. She had the digimon she'd brainwashed during her year long stay in the Digital World, and the humans that Maugrim had spent a long time gathering, and then there were the Sidhenorians that she threatened into submission—and that wasn't even including her heavy hitters: Maugrim, Astamon, Morganna, Bitoru and Merlin.

I really hoped she didn't have any more formidable allies—whether by choice or by force—that I hadn't heard about yet. I didn't know what she was doing while Yamato and I travelled the Digital World.

"You're thinking too hard," Yamato told me. "I can smell your brain overheating."

"Shut up," I said, rolling my eyes at him.

"But seriously, what's up?" he wanted to know.

"I need to get to Earth," I decided. "I need to see what we're doing on that front. Neo hasn't called or anything, but I know he's there. Daisuke told me so. I need to know what Neo's managed to accomplish since he arrived."

"Do you think he could've done anything?"

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "But he's in Rida's place now, right? Rida had a ton of influence his job didn't provide him with. I know I do a lot of stuff and make the big decisions, but that's not what my job is. I'm meant to go and represent the digimon while on Earth. That's it. Rida—and now Neo, I suppose—is meant to represent Japan and deliver their opinions and important decisions to other countries. None of us _only_ do that. Rida had his hand in every pot, and I don't doubt that Neo's doing the exact same—if not better. He's crafty like that."

"He's probably keeping the people safe," Yamato said, nodding. "He'll be informing them of what's to come, most likely. He's a no nonsense kind of guy."

"It's that honesty policy he's got going on," I said, with a smirk. "He's blunt, and he doesn't hold anything back, whether people want him to or not."

"I can rally the rest of the troops," Yamato offered. "We're just waiting on the stragglers before we head out again. Some of the babies don't want to wake up. Elecmon's working with them now, and MarineAngemon went out to find Gankoomon and his little friend. They wandered off at some point last night. I can handle it. We're just walking."

"You're sure?" I asked, to clarify. He nodded, looking like I was insulting him for even suggesting that he _wasn't_. I laughed and nodded. "I'll see you later then."

"At the Temple," he said, agreeing with me. "Don't take too long."

"I'll try not to," I assured him.

Travelling was much faster alone than it was with a mass of digimon. A lot of those digimon were grumpy babies who had no feet, and therefore couldn't move very quickly. A large portion of our gathered army were also arctic digimon that were complaining about the heat—despite it being February, or maybe it was still January—and thusly was very cold to everyone else. Sleeping on the ground in February was _worse_ , but we'd done it. We hadn't had enough time to make it all the way back to the Temple when night fell, and with so many of us, it just made sense to stop until the sun rose again.

And then we all slept far longer than expected.

The trip back was thankfully without interruptions, and I made it to the Temple easily enough. It was full of chaos, but I'd arrived at least. Willis was there, and Spring was crying. Winter tried to catch my attention, and while part of me wanted to ignore her, in favour of hunting down Neo, I knew I couldn't just push aside all contact _just_ because Yamato had told me it wasn't all my fault.

"What's happened?" I asked her.

"Witchenly and Sidhendor are one," she informed me. "The worlds are constantly moving towards one another. It won't be long before the next world combines. We now know that this is Mother's plan of action."

"But at what point in time does she plan to unleash her army?" I wanted to know. "That's the part I'm freaking out about the most, if I'm being perfectly honest. We've got a good group gathered, but it's not enough to beat Gaia."

"She may wait for the worlds to be combined. She's not on Earth, nor in the Digital World. Summer should be back sometime soon, but due to Witchenly and Sidhendor's fusing, I would think it is safe to assume that Mother is in that newly combined world," Winter said. "There's no point in sending an army to attack when she's safe a world away from us."

"Good point," I sighed. "Okay. I'll keep her location in mind, and figure out a plan later. I need to see how Neo's doing now."

She agreed to continue working with Daisuke on holding down the fort, and I slipped through the tear in the sky. I ended up standing in the middle of Mari's library, and I would have loved to stay and get some lunch and to just relax, but I didn't let myself fall for the temptation. I raced outside with only a few cursory greetings and headed towards a building I hadn't been to since I'd pretty much declared war between the Digital World and Earth.

It wasn't my finest hour.

But then again, Rida wasn't there anymore, so chances were that I wasn't going to be doing that again. I waltzed into the building and immediately spotted all of the differences Neo had made to the decor. Everything was whiter and there were more plants and the windows were uncovered. I wondered if Neo's home would be anything like this. I headed quickly for the elevator that would bring to Rida— _Neo's_ office. I didn't even get a chance to step through the opening doors though, before Rida caught my eye. There was a swarm of reporters in the far end of the lobby, and Rida was talking to them. I was surprised to see him, and actually my stomach tensed up at the sight but I knew I no longer had anything to fear from the once powerful man. They were gobbling up every word. I decided it was my civic duty to put an end to this impromptu press conference.

"Excuse me, can I see some ID?" I asked Rida with a smirk. "The last I heard, you don't work here anymore. In fact, I'm pretty sure I could get security down here and they'd see it my way."

"This is the man in question," Rida said, glaring at me. "He is their ambassador—no, he's their _king_. All the troubles that we've faced can be traced back to him. The monster terrorizing our streets is one of his subjects. I warned everyone that the Digital World was dangerous, I _told_ everyone that their leader had gone mad with power and that it was only a matter of time before he came to slaughter us all. No one would believe me."

"Yeah, because you're a genocidal maniac," I told him. "And for the record, and you can write this down, Astamon is _not_ a resident of the Digital World. He's a resident of Witchenly, which you don't know about, Rida, because you're a moron. Not every monster comes from the Digital World. You're an excellent example of this logic. You see, _you_ are a monster. You created a mass virus to destroy everyone—and okay so maybe you didn't _make_ it, but you certainly helped fund it—and you publicly declared that you thought it was a good decision, and that you did it in order to tell us that you 'come in peace'. That's a load of crap, Rida. This mess isn't us. This isn't the Digital World. This is EVOLVE, this is _you_ , and this is Gaia."

"That's what he wants you to think," Rida said eagerly. "He's turning everyone against me. The public has a right to know that. He's crazy, and he's trying to blame _me_ for his actions. He's poisoning the world into thinking that the digimon aren't to blame for our every problem. Without the digimon, our world would be a perfect place!" My eye twitched, but I held my tongue rather admirably. My fist on the other hand got away from me and slammed into his big fat smug face. There were several cameras snapping pictures of my actions. Rida cupped his nose and cried out miserably. I glared at him.

"If you think Earth is perfect then you're delusional," I told him. "Earth is out of balance. All the worlds are out of balance, and oddly enough, humans are the weakest on the ranking of forces at hand right now. You need the digimon to fight alongside you. This mess is only going to get worse if we can't stop Gaia. She's combining the worlds. She's creating an army."

"So we'll send another virus!" Rida declared.

"Stand on the right side, Rida, or shut the hell up," I told him, clenching my fists again. He gulped, realizing that he didn't actually have the authorities to send another virus. And if he did, he knew that _someone_ would get rid of him—whether it was me, Neo, or some random digimon supporter, it didn't matter. Rida would be gone. He stammered a little bit, but he wasn't able to form any real words.

"Remove this filth from my office," Neo sneered, coming into the room with an air of superiority. He was accompanied by his security team. It was _very_ satisfying to watch as the security picked _Rida_ up for once, instead of me, and started dragging him towards the doorway. I wasn't sure if I was proud to say it, but I stuck my tongue out at him. "I do believe this press conference was for the _current_ ambassador."

"It looks like we've got a two for one deal," a familiar woman's voice joked. I caught sight of Katsue in the crowd. She was standing with her girlfriend Amai, and Amai's sister Tafu—of the fight club. Tafu was acting the part of a body guard and keeping the pesky reporters away from her sister and Katsue with the help of Candlemon, DemiDevimon and Monimon. This left Katsue with a large, comfortable section of the floor for herself. She seemed pleased. "It's not often we get to speak with the ambassador of the Digital World."

"I have no idea what this conference is about though," I pointed out, not even feeling embarrassed about it, despite the snickering that scattered through the reporters. What time did I have that I could waste worrying about their opinion of me? I had several— _ten?_ —worlds to save. Their opinions didn't matter a whole hell of a lot.

"Amateur," Neo scoffed quietly. I grinned at him, to show him that it was totally true. I actually hadn't had much of an opportunity to do the actual parts of my job. And I'd gotten fired. I wasn't exactly experienced.

"Mr Saiba," a reporter called, shoving a microphone in his face. He grimaced at it and stepped back. I could just imagine how many germs he was seeing on that thing. "Can you tell us what actions will be taken to isolate the threat to the city?"

"How long must we wait before the law deems it necessary to act against the monster?" a man said, holding a recording device up high.

"Have you any word yet on the number of casualties this monster has left in its wake?" a heavier, woman asked.

"Was there any truth in former ambassador Rida statements?"

"Did you plan for this to happen?"

"Are you in cahoots with the monster?"

"Is there anything that can be done to stop this gun wielding menace?"

The questions kept coming, and all of them were leaning the same way. They wanted someone to go out and kill Astamon and put an end to his reign of terror. It would be so much easier to do, if we could find him, or if we had partners at all. The reporters didn't seem to understand that human guns didn't have as great of an effect as they wanted them to. If we went out there with guns and shot at Astamon, the only thing we'd manage to do was make him angrier. It was pointless. The voices were just confusing, because they were all trying to talk over one another. My ears were hurting by the time they were stopped.

"One question at a time," Neo said, pinching his nose with the fingers of one hand while he clutched a coffee cup in the other. He took a long sip and composed himself. "You, with the glasses and the television digimon, ask away."

"Thank you for your unbiased choice," Katsue said with a smirk. She was opening her mouth to speak, when the lights went out. The projector turned itself on, and an image was shone onto the wall. A dark skinned woman with long, shining hair and a deceivingly kind disposition was looking out at us. One gasp from the lady at the front desk, and I knew that it wasn't just the overhead projector. Gaia was projecting herself over all the screens on Earth, just as Mimi had done the one time, when Rida had threatened her and announced the virus.

"This is your queen speaking," she declared.

"What?"

"Who?"

"Huh?"

"Silence," she bellowed, though there was no way she could have heard anything from wherever she had to be to create this broadcast.

A hush filled the lobby. It was disconcerting how much influence she had even though she wasn't even present. Her eyes grew hard and cold, but the people didn't seem to see it that way. They weren't frightened by her the way they should be. Neo and I moved slowly towards Katsue and her friends. I wanted to be sure that the digimon had the added protection, and Neo seemed to have the same idea. I'd lost Agumon to Gaia already, I wasn't going to let anyone else lose their partners to her as well.

"There are people I want found," she declared. "I want the Digidestined. Bring them to me, and perhaps you shall be rewarded. Do _not_ bring them to me and...you and your entire race will be slaughtered."

"The Digidestined?"

"Who are they?"

"I'll tell you who they are!" Rida shouted, still in the doorway with the security team. They hadn't managed to get rid of him before Gaia's big announcement began. "The ambassadors! The Digital Man! Sora Takenouchi, the freed murderer. The American actor, Michael Washington."

"That's enough out of you," Amai said grumpily. DemiDevimon flew at Rida, and the security team hesitated, before dropping Rida, and advancing towards Neo and myself. "Hurry," Amai suggested, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door. She wasn't the only one pulling me though. Her sister, Tafu had my other arm and was looking firmly towards the screen.

"We have to bring them in," she murmured. "Our race will be slaughtered."

"You'll be slaughtered anyway," I snapped. She shook her head and looked confused for a second before her confusion melted into shame. "Just focus on beating Gaia, instead of bending to her every whim."

"Right," she said, before muttering under her breath a simple "Sorry."

"It's not a problem," I assured her instantly. "It wasn't your fault. Gaia is really manipulative."

"I'll keep her in line," Amai promised me. I smiled in thanks, and continued to edge my way towards the exit, hoping that the reporters wouldn't actually leap at me like they looked poised to do. I didn't want to hurt them, but really, if it came down to it, I would, so long as I'd be able to continue the fight against Gaia. Autumn had given me the only hope I'd seen in a long time when she said that destiny would play itself out—and in order to ensure that happened, I needed to make sure I was alive to participate, and not trampled under a collection of Gaia's new, faithful servants.

It seemed to me that for the most part the only ones that could escape her manipulations were the ones that knew and believed in them before she even made an attempt. That meant the people immune to her powers were very limited in numbers.

"Candlemon, it's time to turn up the heat," Tafu said with a wicked smirk.

Tafu and Candlemon both placed themselves firmly between the approaching crowd and the rest of us. DemiDevimon flew around Rida, while Monimon, Amai and Katsue chose to distract the security team. Neo did not look pleased to see his orderly lobby falling into chaos. He also probably realized that the two of us were going to have to run. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

Of course, _that_ was the moment when both Neo's and my phone went off. Neo didn't bother checking, but since I was so afraid that Gaia had actually done something, I took the time to notice that it was an SOS message from Ken. Obviously, he was in trouble, and Neo and I were not in a position to be able to help him. I wished we could, but we needed to help ourselves.

We raced towards the exit and I was going towards the bus station, but Neo called me back—using a few not very positive terms of what I'll _call_ endearment—and brought me to his own vehicle. Evidently, that van had saved a lot of my friends from Astamon only the day before. If it could handle Astamon, it could handle a mob of desperate reporters.

The car raced back towards the library, which was sort of our home base on Earth. Neo made sure to make a bunch of unnecessary turns, just in case anyone was following us. We were silent for the entire trip, because Neo didn't seem to like me. I knew why. Most of his resentment was due to the fact that I'd taken Rei away from him when the worlds had been separated, and he didn't like the thought of losing his sister. I could understand entirely, which was why I was so desperate to get back to the Temple. I needed to make sure Hikari was alright—and Rei, and my mother and father, and everyone else too. I was freaking out about Gaia's announcement. I hadn't even thought to watch and see if there was anything more to be said.

I was too busy running for my life for that to be a priority.

But Gaia had upped the game. We weren't safe on Earth anymore. We'd need to make the Digital World our base of operations. That was great, it was fine, whatever—except that we would be trapped. She had us backed in a corner with no way to escape. She was herding us to the Digital World, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know why.

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

Koushiro was staring down to his closed laptop that sat, fittingly, in his lap. Neither of us were in a particularly productive mood. We had also exhausted all conversation topics on the way to the Dark Habitat, and now we were both comfortably sitting in silence. The general population of the Temple had fallen into frenzy upon the news that Witchenly had combined itself with Sidhendor. Okay, so it didn't do it on its own, but I didn't like to give Gaia credit for anything, good _or_ bad.

The last thing Koushiro or I had said aloud had been about an hour ago and the conversation was not long or particularly uplifting.

"There is nothing I can do to return Witchenly to its proper place," he explained, "Yggdrasil and his offspring were the only ones capable of doing such things, in theory."

"Norn is all that's left of them," I reminded him.

"I know." His response was quick and yet painful. Norn could _not_ be working with Gaia. That wasn't possible. But it also didn't _have_ to be true. We knew that Gaia had kept Norn inside her home in Witchenly for two full months and in that time Gaia had learned how to correctly use the keys and to use the hidden powers of the Digimentals.

That was my next question, and while Koushiro seemed surprised as to how I had jumped there, he answered me immediately anyway. "What _is_ the hidden power of the Digimentals?"

"I'm not entirely positive," he admitted. "You're well aware of the armour they give to ancient digimon who were around when they first appeared, as you and Gatomon used it yourselves. But the Digimentals have also been known to exhibit the power of the Crests, and pass directly through a digimon, completely disregarding their partners."

"The Royal Knights used the power," I remembered. Mom had told me all about her involvement in the _last_ war and how the Knights came into being. It was upsetting actually that we had to separate which wars we had all taken part in. I was still young. Why had I been fighting for so long?

Koushiro nodded, confirming my input. "Rei also used the power of the hidden Digimental of Strength," he said, and I was surprised. No one had told me that yet, though I had also been possessed for a while so everyone else had more time to catch up and hear stories. I didn't like saying 'possessed' though because it was such a heavy word, soaked with darkness and that wasn't what it felt like to have Autumn in my body. She was sweet and kind and she gracefully stepped inside. And consent was given, so there was that too.

I started to think of what kind of digimon Pal and Pul might evolve into, but was coming up with some very interesting—and scary looking—designs in my head. "So Gaia wants to power the digimon?"

Koushiro shook his head, "Gaia hates digimon, correct?" I nodded, pretty sure that was true. He probably knew more about Gaia than I did now. He _had_ told me everything the fairies had said—and I believed it _was_ everything because the walk to the Dark Habitat was long and he hadn't stopped once the entire walk there—but his mind was quicker and had gotten more time to wrap itself around the new information. I'd spoken to Gaia more than he had, but that didn't mean much anymore. "She would not want to power her enemies." That made sense too. "It is my belief that she is using the Digimentals for their other intended purpose."

"And what's that?" I asked, trying to remember if we had used their power elsewhere. He didn't answer immediately and I knew he was trusting me to remember, so I looked around for some inspiration and immediately felt pretty dumb when I caught sight of Willis and Daisuke talking to one another. They had been there too. "We used them to keep the worlds in line with one another. They were used for balance."

"Exactly," Koushiro nodded. "The Digimentals were created by Theta, and thus hold her power and desire for peace. This means they keep balance providing they are _here_ in the Land of Balance, as it once was." Koushiro was a saving grace, honestly. I didn't think we'd have gotten this far without his ability to keep up with all of the information. "However, Gaia took them away. The balance is shifted, and she has ensured that the lands unstuck themselves from their place in the In-Between. She is bringing the worlds together again so she can more easily rule."

"But _how_ is she doing that?" I asked, my voice feeling weak.

"Norn," Koushiro guessed. "Gaia was able to use the keys when Taichi was not. Norn had ensured the keys were useless and that only _she_ possessed the power to travel between the worlds—but that was only if she had the keys. Norn knows something about the keys that we do not, and now Gaia knows that too. She is able to travel freely by use of the keys and if she leaves the gateways open she creates a perfect path for the worlds to infuse themselves with one another."

"Then _how_ do we stop her?"

"That I do not know..." Koushiro admitted, and that had been the end of the conversation. We were used to sitting in silence though. We spent a lot of time together without speaking at all in the Land of Dreams, and then more recently the walk back from the Dark Habitat had been rather silent as well since we had been alone. Not a single member of the colony chose to join us on our trip back.

" _Your lives are in danger," I tried to explain to them._

" _That sound unlikely," a Vademon scowled. Koushiro scowled right back as if he especially disliked this digimon. "Wouldn't someone have come to tell us that we were nearing death, if it were true?"_

" _We're telling you_ now _," Koushiro groaned, rolling his eyes._

" _Alright," Vademon said. "I'll tell you this, if ever a time arises in which we are in serious peril, we shall come to join your silly army."_

" _But you_ are _in serious peril," I insisted, "So please, come with us."_

" _Uhm... no," Vademon decided_.

It had not gone well at _all_. I wasn't _glad_ Taichi wasn't back from his excursion with Yamato, but I was at least relieved that I didn't have to let him know how horribly we had failed. I didn't want to see his face fall. I hadn't seen him light up like he used to yet. I hadn't seen him laugh or joke or even _smile_. There was so much weighing him down and Rei was wonderful, but even her presence wasn't lifting him in the way he needed. I didn't know how to help, but I wanted to. I _desperately_ wanted to.

I sighed.

Two days ago I had been getting ready for bed and talking to myself in the mirror about my upcoming wedding and while I was stressed and scared about it because I did not want Taichi to miss my big day, I had been in a world of _peace_ at the very least. Now, not long after, the worlds had opened up –thanks to Alias III—and my brother was back, but so was all of the danger and evil we had sealed away and this time it was stronger and more ready to strike. We had to work _fast_ if we wanted to defeat the enemies.

Working fast was going to be difficult since we still had so few recruits. The Temple was looking rather full at the moment but no one had left the main entrance plaza since we'd arrived, so what looked to be a rather impressive force was actually just a handful of digimon. When Yamato arrived a few minutes later our force grew, but my mind was on Taichi and why he wasn't there.

I saw Gravimon, a couple machine digimon, some Frigimon and a series of ice type digimon, Unimon was there, and so was Meramon and a whole army of Yokomon and Bakemon. There were so many digimon with him and it looked productive. Much more productive than Koushiro or I had proven to be, but that didn't mean everything was suddenly better. With these digimon we still had a _small_ army. I hadn't ever seen Gaia's army but surely it was larger than _this_. She had been building it for a _very_ long time.

Jou—who had recently returned with Miyako and a series of familiar Witchenly oriented digimon—was glaring to an excitable ball of pink. He swatted at the MarineAngemon who was cuddling closer to him and was all around very happy to be reunited with him. Jou didn't seem to share the sentiment, but no matter what he thought, this was a mega digimon who we could use. Sure he was little and possibly fragile—I couldn't tell—but he was probably useful in at least _some_ way.

I excused myself from Koushiro and passed by Phelesmon, who was yelling at his fellow Fallen Angel digimon in a loud commanding voice before Tactimon silenced him with ease, and slipped past Meramon and waded through the Yokomon. I was caught by Daisuke suddenly and he looked directly into my eyes before asking above the loud din of collective voices, "Do you know where the Numemon are?" I shook my head, "Okay, I'll keep asking." Then Daisuke was gone.

"Hikari!" Miyako shouted, catching my eye. I looked and she smiled, "Did Koushiro mention Digitamamon at all? We haven't seen him and he's Yoshie Izumi's partner."

"No," I said, shaking my head, "Sorry." Miyako was upset but she thanked me anyway and finally I was nearing my target. Yamato. I needed to know where Taichi had gone. But all at once Takeru appeared, completely oblivious to me and I knew already that he would be talking about their parents. Natsuko and Hiroaki had both been missing for almost a full day now and I didn't want to interrupt if they needed time to talk to one another.

I felt my toes scrunch up as I finished debating whether or not I should go over, but Takeru needed his space at the moment. I needed _Taichi_ , and he needed his parents. Yamato didn't look worried about Taichi though and if something bad had happened I knew he would immediately excuse himself from Takeru to make it known...

I turned from the two of them and bumped directly into someone who began apologizing immediately. "Oops, sorry—sorry, I didn't mean—I was just going over—"

"Willis!" I interjected, "it's fine," his face turned red. There was no reason to be embarrassed, there wasn't a lot of room to move around, it made sense that we'd bump into one another. I thought maybe he was feeling shy about interacting with me since we hadn't spoken since he had refused to come to my wedding—or maybe he was just feeling rather stressed and flustered. He had taken the news of Terriermon and Lopmon's captivity rather hard, but he also didn't want to be waiting around for someone to tell him what to do. He had made it very clear that he wanted to go save them.

"Any word on Mari?" Willis asked, looking to his own phone. I shook my head apologetically. For some reason everyone was coming to _me_ for the answers and I just wanted to shout out and direct all their attention to Koushiro who was far more capable than I was, but instead I looked to my own phone when I felt it vibrate in my pocket. Willis' had gone off too and he was already reading the message. I saw his fingers tense up and his body grow rigid and the air around us grew darker, and then finally I opened my own message. "Ken?" Willis wanted to know. I nodded and without another word we had both shot off toward the tear that Kiyoko had left open in the sky. Willis stepped aside and allowed me to jump through first, and then he followed me a moment later.

The atmosphere in the library was much less cluttered and heavy as the Temple. Everyone here was simply out of the loop and confused and spending all of their time with a series of children and babies. It was probably unsafe for them to wait around if the entire city was evacuating. They would have to get to the Temple as soon as possible.

"Hikari," Natsuni shouted, catching me as Willis rounded the corner to the front door. She was holding my arm firmly and I saw Goblimon sitting on the floor next to Kana who was laying on a blanket with the un-hatched egg. I was worried it never _would_ hatch. "You look worried, what's going on?"

"It's nothing," I lied, trying to keep her from worrying.

Natsuni pursed her lips and crossed her arms, "I know you pretty well, Hikari. I know when you're lying. Is Iori in trouble?" I shook my head, and she believed me. "Then who?" My eyes wandered over to Momoe who was holding Mai and then to Emiko who was bouncing up and down trying to get a better look at a baby that wasn't her brother. "Jou?" Natsuni guessed in a panic.

"Ken," I corrected in a whisper, "I'm sorry, I can't talk."

"I'm coming," Natsuni decided, already reaching to where her coat was hanging. I grabbed her wrist and shook my head, motioning to Kana. Natsuni growled, "Why don't I get to _help_? She needs a dad as much as she needs _me_. If Iori is out there fighting then I need to be to. Kana will understand—"

"Iori _isn't_ fighting," I said quickly, "He's in the Land of Dreams with Summer. They're trying to warn Yume about what is going on. You're right, Kana needs _both_ parents and both of you have done so much for me over the years so I'm going to repay you by making sure Kana keeps both her mom and her dad. I can't lose anymore friends, Natsuni."

"Noriko," Natsuni said, nodding along. I felt tears in my eyes but I shook them away, nodding my head. "I just feel helpless."

"Keep your focus on Tatum," I told her, "When Tatum comes back, keep her safe. Be her bodyguard. That'll be your mission."

"And Jenna," Willis added, startling me. I'd thought that he had already gone off to find and assist Ken. "She's pregnant too." Almost everyone in the entire room looked to Willis at that point, me included. "Yes, with Chi's baby. We're not sure what's going to happen yet, so don't ask. Just make sure she's safe too."

Natsuni nodded and that was the last I saw of her before Willis began dragging me to the door. We were rushing down the front steps when we ran into Miyako's brother Mantarou and his girlfriend Iruka. "Where are you going?" He wanted to know, obviously seeing the determination on our faces, just as Natsuni had.

"Saving Ken!" I shouted as Willis began dragging me down the street.

Mantarou didn't hesitate for a moment to toss his car keys through the air toward us. I caught them and nodded. "Does Miyako know?" I shook my head, I didn't know. Surely he would have sent the message to Miyako too, wouldn't he? "Then you'd better bring him back." I nodded and then Willis took the keys from my hand. Somehow he knew which car was Mantarou's, which was useful since I didn't. Willis knew all kinds of information.

The car itself was rather rundown and old and there was unused napkins, empty brown paper bags and drained disposable coffee cups littering the floor around my feet as I climbed into the passenger seat, but I didn't care. We had to get to Ken. Willis started the car immediately and it certainly didn't sound like a very healthy car. The engine buzzed and whirred and practically _screamed_ , but it was running.

I pulled out my phone as Willis set off down the street because it hit me then that we had no idea where Ken had gone. "Where do I turn?" Willis asked loudly, sounding quite stressed.

"I'm working on it," I promised, using my digivice as well. There were too many signals in the city to identify which was Ken. I dialled his number and waited as the phone rang. It went to his voice mail and a twisted pit began to form in the base of my stomach. Ken had to answer. He _would_ answer. He _had_ to be alive. I called him again. And again. Willis was following my pointless directions as I led him to random signals, but each time we came close we found it to be someone else—Keiko Kurata, Isao Kido, Shuri and Jazz from the Fight Club—but never Ken.

"Hikari!"

I nearly screamed when Ken's whispered voice came hissing through my phone. "Ken _where_ are you?" No answer came. I waited for a moment, then said, "Ken?"

"Hold on," he whispered and my heart began beating quicker again. Willis looked to me and nearly ran a red light, hitting an old lady but he slammed on the brakes. I lurched forward as Ken began whispering once more. "Ferry Futo Park," he said, "Outside—"

"Odaiba," I told him, nodding along, "Ken we're five minutes away, hold on. Is Astamon still there?"

There was a sound of repeated gunshots and the line went completely dead. I turned to Willis and he nodded, not needing any clarification. Except where we were heading. I fed him the directions and he followed without hesitating. I didn't like that there was so much pressure on me to remember the directions but I grew up in these parts, surely I knew where I was heading. I'd been to this park enough times.

"Turn right," I told him and he set off down the path. "Okay, there's a parking lot up here, the trees are separating the park from the cars, Ken will be there probably." Willis nodded and swerved around the few cars that were actually still driving on the road, heading toward an oncoming truck but he quickly swerved back into his own lane. Somehow I didn't fear his driving, because I knew that he was going to do whatever he could to help Ken.

As we neared the parking lot that twisted pit in my stomach grew.

I saw him.

Astamon. He was standing on top of a crushed red sports car that had been parked in the very lot that I'd told Willis to get to. And then I saw Ken. A faint sense of relief filled me as I saw him, but the fear in his eyes didn't help any. Ken was running now, toward the road while Astamon—jumping back into gear—began firing after him. Ken threw his hands over his head and I saw he was wielding two guns of his own, but Astamon's aim was seemingly off and only the road around Ken began to explode.

Willis slowed for a moment and turned to me. "Get out," he said flatly.

"Wait, what?" I asked, "Willis—"

"Just do it!" he snapped. I obeyed because I wasn't stupid. This wasn't time to be upset or have feelings get hurt. I pulled myself out of the car, nearly tripping on the curb, and then slammed the door shut. The sound echoed around because my shaking hands didn't know how much effort they'd needed and I must have slammed it rather hard. Luckily Astamon didn't hear or turn his gaze from Ken who was leading him out into the streets now.

And then Astamon was landing next to Ken and my heart was stopping. The two struggled momentarily, but it seemed useless. Ken could not overpower an ultimate digimon. Taichi had done it though. I looked around for something to hit Astamon with but jumped when the loud squealing sounds of Mantarou's car filled the air. I watched in horror as Willis set off at top speeds toward Astamon and Ken, not looking like he was going to stop for anything. And then his horn went off and Astamon turned to see what was going on, releasing Ken. Astamon's eyes bulged and Ken leapt out of the way in time for Willis to plow over the digimon.

Ken saw me and was running a second later, not looking back for a moment. I saw that Willis kept driving and Astamon was laying in the street, shakily pulling himself to his feet. I reached out for Ken's hand and instead he thrust one of his guns into my hold, perhaps thinking I might know what to do with one. Point and shoot. Those were the important details to remember. I turned and began firing blindly and Ken grabbed my arm, choosing instead to run.

I felt embarrassed but we ran anyway and as we turned the corner I saw Mantaru's car—even more dented and beaten up now—making its way toward us. Willis was zooming through the streets with very little regard to the rules of the road and with a screech he had pulled to a stop next to us. Ken threw open the front seat and jumped in as I dived into the back. My door had not yet fully closed when Willis set off again and I was nearly thrown right out onto the street but my grip on the back of Ken's seat was strong enough. I slammed the door shut as we passed by Astamon.

He had been expecting us though and he reached his hand out sharply, digging it into the side of the vehicle. A loud scraping sound filled the air and the entire car swung around, pointing down a completely different road, but Willis was still planting his foot firmly on the gas pedal. The tires were simply spinning pointlessly and Astamon was leaning over to my window now, his gun held in his other hand.

I didn't even think and instead pointed directly to the closed window, firing once. The bullet shattered the glass and hit Astamon directly in the eye. We both screamed—mostly out of fear for me, as his rage filled the car, following the raining glass—and his arm pulled from the car a moment later and we were gone. Willis pulled up on the gas a second later so we slowed enough for him to regain control and we were heading away a moment later, hopefully Astamon was distracted enough to lose sight of us for now.

"Thanks," Ken said, still out of breath from all his running. "That guy is insane."

"Tell me something I don't know," Willis said bitterly, looking through the mirror at him. "He hates me for some reason." Probably because he was a Digidestined. That would be enough—or so my many years as a so called 'hero' had told me. "Hitting him was satisfying, but not enough. He shot Rei. I want to hit him again."

"Don't," Ken warned, "We should keep going."

"I know," Willis said, but he didn't sound totally convinced. "I just really hate that guy."

I didn't really know what _hatred_ really was, but Astamon was hurting innocent people, and was working for Gaia who was manipulating those who Astamon left alive, and also trying to wreak havoc and rule the entirety of all worlds—which was super cliché as Takeru had been quick to point out— _and_ he had been the one to shoot Rei. If I hated anyone at that moment, it was Astamon.

So I didn't feel bad for shooting him in the eye.

Okay, I did. But only a little.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Jou's perfect family hits another bump with the worlds being in peril (again) and Rei finally feels like she won't be spending the rest of her life alone—even if she did get caught in a role of isolation. Both narrators take a pretty deep look into some of their friends though, and not everyone likes what they find!


	60. The Gospel Truth

**Y/N:** Rei's chapter was clearly meant to be Hideto's at one point, but he was in high demand, and so Rei took the reins. I hope I worked it out so that it's not _too_ obvious, but you'll have to be the judge of that.

 **U/N:** So I don't want to say I HATE the pacing of this chapter, but I certainly don't like it. When it came to plotting the chapters it all made sense, but when I sat down to write it, it was like "How is this all supposed to be one chapter, like what the crap?" but it happened. It's there. It's certainly something :P

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 60: The Gospel Truth**

 _ **Jou Kido:**_

It had been a week now. We were all back in the Temple together, except for Mari, Hideto, Kiyoko and Rei. This time we had Willis though, and not just him. We also had gone through a rather large move with a lot of our friends and family. We still had a lot of people to protect and a lot of people to gather but we were doing all we could to keep everyone in our line of vision.

I was skeptical at first, remembering how incredibly dangerous it had been when we had gathered everyone before, but we were prepared this time. We had barriers up and ready, and the worlds were easily accessible—providing Kiyoko's dangerous portal continued working—and if a virus came I could jump back to Earth and whip up some antivirus and we'd be out of there in no time. I was trying _not_ to think of what would happen if _Gaia_ showed up because it certainly didn't feel safe here in that regard. We had no partners. At least the Digidestined didn't. We had a relatively powerful army, but it was not going to be any match for anything Gaia could produce, and as it stood we had only Bearmon, Monmon Otamamon, Monimon and Monodramon who could actively evolve to help us in terms of Chosen digimon. Shin had promised that he, Tafu and the rest of the fight club would be joining us at some point but that didn't stop us from being an easy target.

And worse was that everyone was still focusing on other things. I understood _why_ they were, but we didn't have time for it. Michael was worrying about Jenna, Tatum was pregnant herself, Evelen was always lost in her own mind, thinking, Takeru and Yamato were focusing on their missing parents every single day—and quickly losing hope too—and everyone else was trying to feel comfortable with their surroundings, whether they were raising an infant or because they were once again moving to the Digital World.

I wanted to be doing more, but there was nothing I knew to do. Taichi was out of orders to give because we had gathered everyone who was willing to fight alongside us. I had been idly sitting most days—when I wasn't checking on Jenna's bizarre pregnancy—since Miyako and I had returned from the newly built Witchenly village.

" _Gaia is back," Miyako shouted loudly to the crowd when a bossy Phelesmon and a rather flirtatious Witchmon took us to see their leaders Tactimon and Zanbamon. They all gasped in horror but Miyako was very serious. "Gaia wants us dead, and we want to know if you'll fight alongside us."_

" _Abso-friggin-lutely," Phelesmon declared loudly. "I want to take that crazy lady down a peg or two!"_

" _It is_ our _decision, Phelesmon," Tactimon informed his loud companion. "Though I do think this sounds rather pleasing. What say you, Zanbamon."_

" _I say we join forces once more," Zanbamon declared loudly. His Wizards cheered loudly as he threw his fist into the sky, "Gaia will perish by our hand!"_

I didn't care who got to cause Gaia to 'perish' as long as it happened. Sure, we may have realized the error in our ways and learned that killing was not the only way to take out an enemy, but did it make me a bad person then, if I wanted to have Gaia die? She was the most powerful and manipulative force we had faced and she was succeeding _smoothly_ in her plans. I didn't think that imprisoning her or giving her a firm talking to was going to sway her to our side as we had done with so many others.

Gaia had a rather elite team working for her too, but it made me wonder how many were truly working from their own free will or from her manipulations. Bitoru was obviously thinking clearly—or at least _nearly_ so—and was using _Gaia_ for his own benefit. I didn't trust him of course, now that we knew he was working against us and also that he had no problems manipulating the people he was close to, but at least it was nice to know where he stood. Maugrim probably was on Gaia's side, and maybe Morganna too. The story the fairies had told us was inconclusive because each of them had been born after their mother— _obviously_. We didn't know what kind of control she did or did not have over her allies, but we _did_ know that Morganna was evil either way. Merlin, as Winter had told us, was being controlled by _Morganna_ in a much different way than Gaia manipulated her own victims, and that left only Astamon—that we knew of anyway.

It was my own theory that Astamon was in fact Gaia's digital partner. She was 'born' on Earth and thus had every right to have a partner and so that, to me at least, meant that Astamon was just as dark and twisted as Gaia was. And he was definitely harboring some resentment toward us Digidestined. He had ruined Hikari's wedding in search of Willis, and when the two had finally reunited he had apparently been hit by a car. Surely he hated Willis _more_ now.

" _You ran him over?" Daisuke smirked._

" _Well_ yes _," Willis rolled his eyes. "What else was I going to do?"_

 _Miyako threw her arms around Willis. "You saved my husband! Thank you! Mai thanks you too, don't you baby?"_

 _Mai waddled over to her mother, barely keeping herself upright in her massive winter coat and she giggled up to Willis. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Miyako began laughing and scooped her daughter into her arms hugging her close and Mai burst into insane giggles._

" _Leomon," Hikari said in a small voice. Leomon turned to her to give her full attention. "Human bullets don't really affect a digimon, right?"_

 _Leomon hummed for a moment and then shook his head. "That is untrue," he declared. "If you were to pinch me, I would feel that. It may not hurt, but I could still feel the contact. If a sharp metal object flew at me from great speeds, I would feel it, I assure you. And it would probably hurt, too." Hikari's face paled and she looked distraught. "Why do you ask, child?"_

 _Hikari rubbed her arms for warmth and looked up to Leomon. "I may have shot Astamon in the eye." Daisuke nearly dropped Haruki who was reaching out to his friend Mai, but caught him in time, looking embarrassed that it had happened at all. I found myself in disbelief, trying to imagine Hikari doing that, but she wasn't in the mood to gloat about her conquest. "Is he going to be okay? Is he blinded now? Is he alive?"_

" _I do not know," Leomon admitted. "I am sorry, I have never been shot in the eye before."_

There was one last thing I had managed to accomplish in the week that we'd been working from a new home base. It felt weird to be working in Koushiro's Temple laboratory since I had gone a full year working only from Earth but the change of atmosphere and pace that the Digital World brought along was exhilarating. Even if the worlds were in danger—again—it was still such a good feeling to be back. I missed Gomamon, but the world was still here and that was something. Momoe didn't feel the same way though and was frustrated that I had spent so much time in the lab because Emiko had been asking for me. I did not like staying away from Emiko for so long but I had an idea and if it could help at _all_ then I needed to be there and not with my children.

 _Children_. Plural. It was still so hard to wrap my head around Renjiro's birth. I had _two_ children now. A boy and a girl.

I didn't spend enough time with them. And this wasn't helping, but I had finished finally and was on my way to Taichi, so perhaps I could see them after this and explain to them why it was that I had been so distant. The war was important. Emiko knew that and Renjiro was too young to understand, so I was hoping that I could be forgiven.

"Jou?" Taichi asked, perking up when I knocked on the open council doorway. He was sitting with Babamon and talking in hushed tones. I didn't really need a big dramatic reveal because he knew what I was working on. I held up the silver weapon and Taichi grinned. "You did it?"

"You sound surprised," I said, narrowing the gap between us. I dropped the gun onto the table and slid it toward him where he caught the gleaming metal object. "Ken just came back with it and I think the virus should work fine."

"Virus?" Babamon questioned loudly, wielding her broom defensively.

Taichi silenced her with his hand. "I'll be careful," he assured me.

"I wouldn't have trusted you with it if I didn't think you would be," I promised. "The virus is held in capsules that are ripped open when the trigger is pulled. The force of the shot will send the virus toward the target, but I did not fill the capsules with enough of the virus to be of much use from long distances."

Taichi looked disappointed for a moment but then looked up, nodding. "The virus dissipates, right? That's why." I nodded. "Makes sense. This is probably the safest we could be, I like it." Then he paused. "If we need more force I want to know if you'll increase the virus though." I nodded instantly. I didn't like the idea, but if killing Gaia's army kept Momoe, Renjiro, Emiko, Monmon and Bearmon safe then I would do it without question. "I can also send a full virus with the force of Arnold's if we have a vessel big enough."

"Let's hope that won't be necessary," Taichi winced. I agreed. I didn't _want_ to do it, but again, it could help. Babamon seemed to think we were both insane and began shrieking about the dangers of the virus so I left Taichi to deal with her alone and made my way finally to my family.

They were where they always were, sitting at the little cafe across the street from the guest houses. Emiko was running down the stairs from our own place, leaving the door open again. She hadn't spotted me and instead was skipping across the road and I noticed she had a sparkling green headband tied around her forehead. She was so weird. Mimi emerged from the cafe with some food and it was a strange sight. She had taken over since none of the digimon that were here knew how to cook aside from Digitamamon who refused to take charge of his competition. He did however agree to help out.

Momoe spotted me and I grinned, but it didn't last long. A moment after I had spotted them I caught sight of that annoying ball of pink optimism rubbing his nose against Renjiro's nose. I groaned but didn't turn away. I walked over to the group of them and leaned on the black metal fence that separated them from the empty street. They didn't notice me at first so I simply watched them with a smile on my face.

Emiko had pulled herself into her seat next to Monmon and they grinned up to Mimi who was serving them some kind of pasta dish which Emiko would love since she would eat nothing aside from a variety of noodles right then. Monmon shrieked excitedly and clapped his hands as Bearmon hung his head in embarrassment of the rambunctious digimon. Momoe thanked Mimi who placed a rather elaborate salad in front of her and also a dish of puréed vegetables for Renjiro who simply would not shift to eating solid food yet for no reason in particular except that he probably wanted to join the competition for 'Most Difficult Kido Child' and he was certainly on our radar now, at least.

"And what about you?" Mimi asked me, looking up and over Momoe's head. Momoe spun around to see me and a grin split her face. "I have some new recipes I want to try?"

"Yeah," I said sarcastically. "Like I want to eat an octopus and lentil salad. Save your experiments for your husband." Mimi pouted, but it was only in jest and then she turned, with her now empty tray.

"Fine," she called over her shoulder. "You'll starve then." I snorted but Mimi was gone, leaving me with my family finally. MarineAngemon took advantage of Mimi's disappearance and decided to take front and center. He fluttered up and began making loud happy noises as he sent rather bubbly rays of optimism around.

"Stop that," I said, swatting his happiness away before it could get to me. "You don' have to force everyone to be happy. So stop, it's just annoying." MarineAngemon grew angry and began sending all of his optimism directly to me. He had grown attached to us ever since we'd been stuck in the Coliseum and he had become Emiko's friend, but I didn't want to be involved with him. "Just go away," I said, continuing to swat the happiness out of the air. "I can make my own happiness."

MarineAngemon looked to Momoe who just stared to me blankly, and then MarineAngemon left, floating away and sniffling sadly. I threw my head back and groaned because now I felt bad, but he was just _so_ annoying. "Jou, he was only trying to help."

I ground my teeth together and sighed loudly. "Fine!" I called to the retreating digimon. "You can stay."

"Hurary!" MarineAngemon cheered, zooming back to our side. I rolled my eyes and bent over the fence, kissing the top of Momoe's head.

She looked up to me sharply. "Where are you going?" she wanted to know.

"I'm done with the lab," I told her. "I just have to finish cleaning up and then I'm all yours." She smiled, seemingly okay with this news so I kissed her once more. "I'll be right back, I promise."

"Do you want me to order you something?" Momoe asked.

"No, I'm good," I told her, already backing away. "Koushiro was oh so helpful today and brought some protein bars. Delicious." Momoe laughed and let me go, so I turned and hurried. I wanted to get this out of the way as quickly as possible. It wasn't just Momoe who wanted me around my children—I wanted it too. Along the way I found something that was unfortunately rather suspicious. I stopped, staring at her as she walked down the streets and debated leaving her to her own decisions but there was something that was telling me to call to her. I sighed, wanting to see my family, but instead I opened my mouth and called out. "Evelen?"

Evelen jumped, startled, and looked over to me, trying to hide the massive backpack that was thrown over her shoulders, but she wasn't doing a particularly good job. "Mr Kido," Evelen said politely.

"Jou," I told her, trying to keep things casual. I walked over to her and I saw her fidgeting more the closer I got and it was clear she was trying to stay concealed and for whatever reason that was, I needed to make sure she failed. We couldn't have anyone keeping secrets, even this girl who I barely knew. It was impressive that she was still so determined to stay in the Digital World though since she had stayed the full year here and lost her home, a lot of her possessions and her job. Maybe she was going back to Earth—that would be okay though and there wouldn't be a reason to be hiding. "What's going on?"

Evelen looked sharply over her shoulder to the street that led to the portal and I thought for a moment she was going to run for it, but she finally turned to me, "Look, it isn't important."

"We're back in war," I told her, though it was maybe a little offensive since she'd never gotten the relatively peaceful break that most of us had gotten. "Everything is important."

I could all but see the gears working in her head and finally she relented, her shoulders drooping. "Please don't tell anyone," she said. I didn't respond because I was not in a place to be making promises like that. "I'm going to find my mother." I felt instantly rather rude for having been so hard on her. My own mother had died and I knew what it was like to have a sense of unfinished business. Evelen's business was different though. She'd never even seen her. She just wanted answers. "Apparently she's on Earth somewhere. I don't know where. Father would probably know but he'd never tell me."

"Who else would know?" I asked, trying to be helpful. "Bitoru?"

Evelen shook her head, "No, he doesn't know and there's something keeping him from using his instinct to find her."

"Aesop?" I guessed and she shook her head. "You've asked then?"

"I don't want to," Evelen admitted. "He doesn't want anything to do with her and he never did. He hates a lot of what my father did in his past and he's just such a nice guy and I don't want to bother him."

"So you're just going to blindly look around," I guessed and she nodded. "You might not be aware of this, but Earth is pretty big." Evelen scowled, apparently not enjoying my sense of humour. "Come with me," I suggested and she sighed, following along. Aesop was waiting in hospital as he always was, watching over Jenna and her baby. He was playing with Kudamon when we came in and Jenna was watching from the other side of the room where Spring was braiding her hair for her. With Aesop and Spring here to protect her and the baby she was safe from all bossy suggestions made by whoever managed to get close to her. She wanted to _keep_ the baby. I wondered where Chi was, since he was usually around too but my thoughts were cut short.

Jenna groaned loudly. "Again?" she asked, catching sight of me, "I hate being pregnant!" Her pregnancy was much more visible now as the baby grew, but when I shook my head a smile spread on her face and she flopped back into her bed, startling Spring. "Thank the lord." Jenna _despised_ any sort of check up and made sure everyone around knew that it was the case.

"Aesop," I said, interrupting his game. He looked confused but when he saw Evelen he felt more at ease. He smiled and I tried to smile back. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have a quick question for you."

Evelen pushed me out of the way for a moment. "It's not me actually," she insisted, "This is all Jou, and if I had my way we wouldn't be talking to you about it at all because it's kind of rude." I rolled my eyes. "Actually we should probably just go—"

"Is this an intervention?" Aesop wondered, stroking his beard, "About my facial hair? I quite like it, really. I don't want to sha—"

"It's about Evelen's mother," I said quickly, cutting across his rant before it had a chance to grow out of control—like his beard had. Aesop deflated and looked nearly wounded. I felt bad but I pressed on. "We're at war here, and I don't know how useful Evelen will be in that war if we don't ease her mind. We need to get to the root of this _right_ now and you're the best lead we have."

Aesop looked rather darkly between the two of us and I saw that Evelen's face had turned red, but she did want to know and that was clear too. "Well," Aesop said darkly, "I don't know any specifics." Evelen's face fell for a moment before she turned a glare on me, angry that I had upset Aesop for no reason. "I do, however, recall a time in which my son travelled to Pangaea. He was never the same when he returned, and I fear that is where he met Gaia. This was before Sigma ever came around, however."

"Gaia isn't my mother," Evelen said, finally easing into the conversation. She moved to Aesop's side and crouched in front of him, taking his hand gently. "Father was sent away from her before I was born."

"I am aware," Aesop said gently. "I apologize for not knowing more."

Evelen was visibly upset, but she sent a reassuring smile to Aesop. She stood, prepared to leave, but then Spring spoke up. "Who is Bitoru's mother?"

Aesop froze, confused, "I'm not entirely sure."

"Well," Spring said, moving toward an embarrassed Evelen. Spring took her hands and leaned closer to look her right in the eyes. "Yep," Spring said her nose pressing against Evelen's. "You _do_ have nice eyes." Evelen stepped back, realizing Spring was just being weird again and then Spring looked to Aesop. "Evelen and Bitoru have the same life." Evelen gasped, but I was pretty sure Spring was just wording her conclusions poorly. "By that I mean they come from the same two people." Evelen sighed with relief. "Whoever Bitoru's mother is, is also Evelen's."

Aesop hummed, pressing a finger to his chin that was concealed under his unruly beard. "Well, when I told my son if he needed someone to talk to he was rather rude," Aesop said. "He told me that I was not important in his life anymore and that he had friends to speak with. I only knew of one friend he had aside from Gaia who surely would never listen to a tale of her lover having a child with someone else."

"My Daddy," Spring said with a cold shudder. Sigma was her father and he was a pretty dark fellow, so it was understandable. I had a pretty strict father, but he was _nothing_ in comparison to everything Sigma had done. Though, most of Sigma's darkness festered and came out after he had died, or so said everything that I had studied in his room in the Coliseum.

"Wait," I gasped, reaching for Evelen's hand. She let out a startled cry as I began racing for the door. "Thanks for your help!" I called back to Aesop and Spring. "I'll be back later for you Jenna!" I heard her cry out again and then Evelen and I were gone, on our way to the lab. She pulled her hand from mine and I thought she was going to give up on me but I heard her footsteps following me still and I was happy to say that I might actually know where to get the answers she was looking for.

"Where are we going?" Evelen asked.

"We're going to Tatum," I told her as I ripped open the door to the lab. "She's Koushiro's book keeper. If you want answers, she's got them."

"Darn right I do," Tatum said from her place at the table that sat by the row of shelves. She looked confused, but pleased by the praise. The room was mostly empty aside from Tatum and surprisingly Neo who was using one of the computers on the opposite ends of the rooms to communicate to—most likely—Bengoshi who was still working the legal ends of things for him. "What can I help you with? Other than cleaning up your chemical death ray scraps." I felt my face flush as I looked at my work station. "Don't worry about it. I can't do much else." She patted her round stomach and sighed. She hated being pregnant more than Jenna did.

"We're looking for answers" I told her as Evelen stared toward Neo who had now spun around to see what was going on. Tatum got to her feet—after a bit of struggling—and moved to the shelves, running her fingers along the spines.

"What kind of answers?" she asked, "We have the history of the Digital World, some biographies of Gennai's life and death, and over here we have a bunch of scientific books about the anatomy and workings of a digimon."

"Actually I'm looking for the 'field guide' you composed of Sigma's information." I told her. Evelen looked confused and stepped forward finally, while Tatum looked nervous. "He's not back," I assured her. That eased her mind a bit as she made her way to the massive leather bound book. She pulled it from the shelf, allowing some of Gennai's biographies to topple over to fill the space. Evelen had thrown all hesitation and shyness out the window and was immediately looking over Tatum's shoulder as she flipped through the book, but her face did turn slightly pink when Neo arrived, standing next to her.

"So what are we looking for?" Tatum asked.

"Do you remember," I said, pausing as I tried to remember his exact wording. "Something... about a woman in a prison cell."

Tatum looked up with just her eyes and hesitated. Then she nodded and began flipping quickly through the book until she stopped on a page with an illustrated copy of what Sigma had drawn. It was a woman tied to a wall by chains wrapped around her wrists. Evelen's entire body tensed up and Neo moved a hand to her shoulder quickly to comfort her. "Here," Tatum said before she began to read her own handwriting, " _'The woman under the chaos has been found by my friend. I fear my wife will take him from me, for finding where she hid the beast.'_ And that's basically really rude," Tatum added. She cleared her throat when she realized that Evelen wasn't in the mood for her side comments. "So, he talks about Gaia not wanting anyone to know this woman was there. And they _didn't_ , if Summer's story was of any use."

"And what might that mean?" Neo questioned.

Tatum pointed to the book, "This is the woman he had a child with, I think. Am I wrong in assuming that?" I shook my head, and she seemed pleased to have guessed right, only she was entirely oblivious to what connections this had with the woman standing next to her. Evelen looked disgusted and scared and when she reached her hand out to trace the book Tatum finally seemed to notice Evelen's face. "Hmm," Tatum hummed, looking to the book, "it doesn't say what ever happened to her though..."

"Where was she?" Neo asked, sensing that Evelen was too shocked to do so herself.

Tatum looked back to the book. "She was buried under the chaos," she said simply. When it was clear none of us understood she cleared her throat once more. "Gaia planted Chaos and Peace at opposite ends of Pangaea, right? One was Yggdrasil, one was... not." She flipped through the pages again and Evelen looked hurt that the page detailing her mother's fate was taken away from her, but finally Tatum stopped on a page that unfolded into a larger page. It was a map of the super continent. "Now," Tatum said, pointing to the top. "Sigma was very clear about where the Peace was planted," there was an 'x' on the map, "Yggdrasil was planted somewhere in Europe, I _think_ —I'm not entirely familiar with the layout of the supposed Pangaea."

"That is Asia," Neo corrected, gently moving Tatum's hand aside. "Europe is here." He pointed down further. Then he traced his finger down the page where he finally stopped at the second 'x'. "Am I correct in assuming this is where the Chaos was supposedly placed?" Tatum nodded. "This is Australia." I didn't know how he knew so much about Pangaea, but after learning that the supercontinent had been split up after it had been present on a different world entirely, it made sense that at least _someone_ would research more. Neo quickly pulled out his phone and searched up a map of Australia. "Well, I think I know where we're going."

"We?" Evelen asked.

"You're not going alone," he assured her. I already knew that I was going too, and it just hurt that I would have to leave my family to help Evelen. I wanted to though because I thought it would be important in general.

Momoe wasn't pleased that I had to go, and she was even less excited to know that I wouldn't be back for a while. Emiko was smiling the entire explanation though and Momoe lightened up immensely upon seeing how readily accepting Emiko could be. "I don't like it" Momoe said, "But I had you for a whole year. I guess it really is starting up again. The world needs you."

"This is the end," I promised Momoe, kissing her quickly. "We have Trust now. Peace is coming, and then you'll have me for the rest of time." Momoe smiled and wrapped her arms around me.

Neo and Evelen were already waiting by the gateway when I arrived, late, of course, but they were not alone. Summer was standing nearby, ranting about how it was unsafe to go alone. Neo finally silenced her by telling her to come along and so she did, and we all jumped into Earth. Summer had no passport and so she simply used her powers to convince the security guards into thinking they'd already looked at it, and walked right through.

It was weird to be travelling—even though it was technically for business—without Momoe. Then again _she'd_ had quite the time travelling without _me_ when she was pregnant with Emiko. I wasn't actually bitter about that, but it was something I could bring up to let up on my guilt for leaving her behind. The trip took about twelve hours—because of technical difficulties which made me want to scream for my life because I officially hated airplanes. I had only gone on one once and that was when we had all gone to visit Mimi in New York and I slept the whole ride. My anxiety was not comfortable with flying though. Though this was surprisingly not my first time to Australia.

When we landed, we immediately set off. It was fun to explore and to be in a new land, but there were a lot of different dangers here than were in Japan. We spent an entire day lost in the streets and even Summer—who could read minds—could not find her way back to the motel we were staying at. The next day we had finally found some familiar ground and were following Neo's phone map. We were pretty close before his phone died and we were lost _again_. We spent that night talking with Summer about her own heritage.

"I don't know why my sisters and I are the only people with real wings," she had said with a shrug, "but I quite like them, don't you?" She laughed and Evelen played with them. Her mood was back and forth between shy and playful and angry and anxious. She was nervous ultimately it seemed. "I guess since my mother was from Pangaea and my father was from Sidhendor. We were different than everyone else. Maybe we were just really advanced with our powers—or maybe it was because we were blessed by Theta and Yggdrasil. I really don't know."

The next day we left—with fully charged phones—and finally made it to our destination. According to Tatum's map and to Neo's directions the chaos had been planted in a place called 'Devil's Pool' near Wooroonooran National Park. It wasn't too far of a stretch to imagine that the Chaos had been planted in a place like that. The trees were twisted, the water was cold and the way everything swirled together was entrancing. The dark atmosphere was extraordinarily heavy and somehow intoxicating, but even with Summer following her instincts and sensing the darkness we did not find what we were looking for. "The darkness is everywhere," Summer said sadly, "I can't follow it if there is no clear path."

The next day I woke early because I had a better plan. When I woke everyone up, slamming on the doors to their rooms they were all rather annoyed because it was still earlier than we had agreed upon. Summer was instantly beautiful the moment she stepped through the door as usual—and wearing a snazzy new hiking outfit all in the same shade of green as her usual dress—and Neo had already been up—and was only annoyed because I had cut short his time to get ready—but Evelen looked like a right mess. Her hair was knotted and her eyes were puffy. Her cheeks were traced with creases made from her pillow during the night and every sound she made came out in a rather unimpressed groan.

"Everyone," I said, pointing to the man with the curly ginger hair and dazzlingly blue eyes. "This is Dingo. He's actually from here, so I thought he might be able to help." Dingo and his Crabmon were extraordinarily friendly and they were patient enough to wait for Neo to get his coffee and continue getting dressed. Summer conversed with Dingo about life in Australia for a while until finally Evelen came downstairs—still looking tired—but at least dressed and ready to go.

Dingo led us to the Devil's Pool much quicker than we would have found it ourselves and we were staring down into the water together. It was a rather bleak day, and the sky was filled with thick and dark clouds that threatened to rain. It was strangely warm here, which was always rather surprising, but it didn't matter what the weather was like. We had to find results. Dingo was especially helpful though because he'd spent some time searching these parts because they were known as one of the most haunted places in the world.

"Crabmon and I come here with my friends on my birthday every year," Dingo explained as he led us around. "It's kind of a horror day since my birthday is in late October. It's fun—but," he stopped in front of a severed stump. "Right here is where things always get weird." Summer moved quickly, tracing the rotting stump with her gloved hand and suddenly she retracted her hand back in surprise. "Yeah, it's really dark," Dingo said. "I imagine this is what you're looking for."

I nodded, remembering the sight of Yggdrasil's rotting roots. This likely had something to do with that. Was it possible that whatever Chaos that had been planted here was always what drove Yggdrasil's dark traits? Creating Norn took away all of his innocence, creating Zeta took away his sorrow, and creating Sigma took his loyalty. He had nothing left to stop him from his actions, but what drove him to create these three in the first place?

"So what's going on over in the Digital World?" Dingo asked. "Says on the blog that it's open again?" I began explaining the situation to him and he was more than willing to help in the fight. His Crabmon could only evolve once but it was worth it in the end if it would add even _one_ member to our team. "I'll tell everyone I know too," Dingo assured me.

"I think I understand," Summer said, reaching down to trace the rings in the stump once more. She winced, not liking the feeling of the darkness that the tree produced. She then pressed her hand firmly against the surface of the stump and with a loud echoing ' _whoosh_ ' the stump was gone, leaving behind only the protruding bark around where it had once been, creating a perfect tunnel.

"Oh man," Dingo groaned, looking to Crabmon, "I always knew this place was weird." Dingo opted to stay behind, as Summer stopped Evelen's eagerness in its tracks. Summer went into the hold first to be safe and then Neo followed her. Evelen looked to me, expecting me to leave her for last but I had no issues letting someone else jump into the creepy hole near the Devil's Pool to go underground to where the darkest soul may have once lived first if she wanted to.

There was little to no light aside from the faint clouded sunlight streaming down from the hole far above. I felt someone bump into me and judging by the smell of flowers I assumed it to be Summer. "Step back please," Summer's voice came. I heard Evelen and Neo obeying and then I followed suit. A moment later Summer had lit up a ball of fire in her hand and sent it flying away. She did this four more times until each ball was surrounding us, lighting the room we had found ourselves in.

I swallowed thickly, trying to pretend that what I saw was all in my head, but Evelen had grabbed Neo's arm tightly and I knew I wasn't just seeing things. The cement floor was covered in a thick layer of water that was soaking through my shoes and the ceiling was high above—so high I could not see. The walls though... the walls were lined with _heads_. There were animal skulls, human skulls and—well just those, but it was terrifying to look at. Each of them was glimmering and shining like they had been protected with magic and as they reflected the light from the fire it seemed that they had somehow become alive again. Thankfully they did not _literally_ come alive, but they all looked like they were staring down to us with an evil expression.

"Where in the actual _hell_ are we?" Neo asked, his voice thick and cold.

"Hell," Evelen told him with a dry and dark laugh. "Let's go," Evelen said, "we should hurry." She rubbed her arms nervously and Summer agreed, nodding along before she began leading the way through the tunnel that her fire began lighting up. She spread her wings and fluttered a few inches above the floor to get out of the water. "Lucky you," Evelen said, rolling her eyes.

Neo was brave, which I already knew but his readiness to follow after Summer was impressive to say the least. Evelen was next and again I followed in the rear, nearly loosing myself in a trance at the sight of all of the skulls.

"How is it that you know where you're going?" Neo asked, his voice firm and clear. I was once again impressed with his bravery.

"I am following the memories," Summer said, without looking toward us at all. "There are rogue memories here that are growing stronger the closer I get to their source."

 _Source?_ What source?

"Interesting," Neo said, while looking around disgusted at our surroundings. "What are the memories of?"

"You don't want to know," Summer said coldly. Evelen looked confused, but when the silence was clearly an invitation for Summer to continue she simply said, "Those that are buried here were all taken by one single woman." My eyes shot back to the skulls and all of my insides suddenly dropped. Everyone down here had been taken by a single entity and Summer was now leading us toward them. "That is all I am willing to say." Summer's voice sounded rather defeated, like her energy was being drained by the negativity. "We are growing near now."

Evelen immediately reached out and took Neo's hand for comfort and when he looked to her she pulled away instinctively. Neo raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes, but let Evelen hurry along.

We came to a thick metal door that appeared to be latched shut from the outside. "This was designed to never allow anyone to escape."

"So naturally," Evelen said, "We're going inside, right?" Summer made eye contact with Evelen and without looking away she snapped her fingers. The latch unhinged itself and the door creaked as the pressure released. Summer took the door and was ready to pull but I stopped her.

"What's in there?" I asked quickly.

"I don't know yet," Summer admitted.

"So what if it's never escaped before?" I questioned.

"It hasn't," Summer assured me, ignoring my desperate pleas for her to stop. She pulled sharply—her immeasurable curiosity getting the better of her—and the door swung slowly as she heaved.

The insides of the room were completely dark and nothing could be seen, but as of yet nothing immense or dark had flung out to kill us, so that was at least a good sign. Finally, when Summer snapped her fingers again, her four balls of light shot into the room. The wall was closer than I had expected, like the room was small. Summer stepped in quickly and I followed closely, my nerves getting the better of me. Both Neo and Evelen gave me a strange look but I ignored them. I didn't care if they thought I was a coward—this was _really creepy_.

When Neo and Evelen both stepped in after me I let out a strangled scream, rushing to the door. "Don't do that!" I insisted. Grabbing a nearby stone. "Have you never been locked up? It isn't exactly _fun_ , you know. If this door is meant for no one to ever open from the inside I want to make sure it doesn't close."

"Good idea," Neo said, though it sounded rather condescending. Whatever. I wanted to get back to my family one day. Preferably _soon_. Neo and Evelen were following Summer down the narrow room. I was beginning to think that it was another hallway, but there were no skulls on the walls, and instead there were expansive stone and dirt walls that felt like they might carry on forever.

But they didn't.

The end of the tunnels came soon enough and there was a woman—a beautiful woman—chained up at the very end. Her arms were raised above her head and her beautiful light brown skin looked perfectly intact. Her thick turquoise hair was pinned back elaborately on one half of her head while it fell in the most beautiful tangle of curls on the other side. She was wearing a tattered black dress with an apron tied around her waist. It was her face that really caught my attention though because she looked so much like our companion.

"Evelen," Neo said in a breathy voice.

"Don't," Evelen warned sharply. "Don't say _anything_." Neo nodded because even _he_ wasn't brave enough to defy Evelen's orders. She moved forward and fell to the—thankfully dry—stone floor. She did not move close enough to touch the woman, but she stared toward her lifeless face. Evelen looked sharply to Summer. "The memories from before," she said sharply, "They're coming from her?"

Summer shook her head. "Not exactly, they are not attached to her."

"Tell me more."

"Evelen, dear," Summer said kindly, "I really don't think—"

"You don't think I want to know?" Evelen asked in a loud, dangerous voice, "Oh I _do_. I've spent my entire life waiting for this!" Evelen had tears in her eyes and Neo looked away from her, feeling her pain. He caught sight of me and we stared for a moment as Evelen let out her frustration. " _Please_ just tell me. You have to tell me what they say."

I took one last look at the body and found myself shocked at how wounded she looked. Her initial beauty had been enough to distract me, but now I could see the bruises running down her neck and the blood that trailed down her side to where the floor around her was stained dark.

"If you're sure," Summer said, still sounding skeptical.

"I am," Evelen promised, nodding her head quickly and turning her form to face Summer entirely. " _Please_." She looked to Neo once but then back to Summer who began helping her to her feet.

"Are you okay with me staying?" Neo asked softly. "I know you don't want me to know your past. I'll leave if you want me to." Evelen looked to Neo, surprised and then slowly shook her head and reached her hand out to him. He took it and together they turned back to Summer who was ready to read the memories of the woman who was so clearly dead—and yet preserved well.

Summer knelt down and placed her hands on her temples as she thought. Her eyes began to flick back and forth quickly beneath her eyelids and her entire body became rigid. "Terra," Summer said in a quiet voice. "Her name is Terra. _Was_. She appeared in the land of Pangaea at the time that Gaia was born. They awoke in this land together." Summer gasped, "They were sisters!" So this was the woman whose heart had been turned into the seeds of Chaos and of Peace. "Terra ruled alongside Gaia because everyone looked to my mother for advice. Terra was seemingly sweet, and Gaia was always bitter, and though Gaia was clearly more talented and skilled, everyone loved Terra more. Mother hated this, and so she found the one person who actually liked her bitter ways. It was Graul Maugrim and Mother fell quickly in love, though he possessed a digimon partner who she did not approve of."

"Your father has a partner?" I asked, startling Evelen and Neo. Evelen looked over to me and shrugged her shoulders.

"Terra lied and claimed to be older than her sister, Gaia," Summer said. "She was older so she got more land. Over time she found more and more reasons to keep spreading her claim over the super continent of Pangaea. Mother did not appreciate this and when Graul convinced her to fight back, she did, but she made a fool of herself and Terra continued to rule. Graul was tricked and fooled by Terra who had the ability to make all those who saw her fall deeply in love. Mother's gift was the ability to speak and to communicate, while Terra could not control the will of a person, only their feelings. Her excuse for tampering with Graul's mind was that she and her sister shared _everything_. Though there was always something blocking Graul from truly loving either sister."

Evelen looked frustrated and hurt but she made no indication that she wanted Summer to stop.

"Gaia grew to be too frustrated and because she too was selfish and desperate for love and affection—that she never truly had—she fought back. She rallied her lesser people and sent them to war. Terra beheaded each of them, and in retaliation she sent word that she had beheaded Gaia's ex lover. She of course was lying. Graul's partner came to Gaia and pledged his eternal allegiance, which Gaia was annoyed by because she hated him, but his assistance was useful for he was gifted with pain." Neo squeezed Evelen closer to his side. "Gaia sent this twisted digimon to the land of Sidhendor where a mystical woman named Morganna lived. Terra was watching her sister every step of the way, so when the woman came to rip out her heart, Terra was ready. When Morganna proved to be unable to remove her heart, Gaia, furiously performed this action herself. She took a knife and—by force—ripped the heart from her sister."

Evelen gasped weakly and Neo looked to her, unsure how to comfort her any further. I was looking to the chest of the lifeless woman, though her dress rose too high and I could not see her scar.

"As death was not present in the world, Terra could not die, but without her heart she was colder and darker than ever before. Gaia felt only remorse and fear and she separated the good and the bad from her sister's heart and planted them each in different soil. She buried her sister and the world's prison underground and planted the seed of Chaos overtop to ensure that she would never escape. Terra was still able to watch her sister and was horrified to find that Gaia found pleasure in hurting Terra in such ways. Both were twisted and it was inevitable that one would eventually spin out of control. Both sisters knew this. It was a competition. It was a challenge between the two to see which was darker."

Summer took a long and deep breath, showing how shaky she was, before continuing. "The feeling Gaia felt turned from remorse to adrenaline. To power. To _pleasure_. She needed more of this feeling. She needed to feel successful again and vowed to never stop."

That did little to explain how Evelen had been born, but at least it shed a little more light on how and why Gaia had become so twisted and bent on ruling everything. She had no true goal aside from her desperate need to be in control. She was broken and _mad_. She was crazy so she could never truly end her rise to the top.

"This woman," Summer said, "she was buried here but she still lived. Maugrim was in love with her and he did not stop until he found her. The Chaos granted him entrance into the tunnels and he found his love. He did not leave her for long periods of time when he had finally found her. He spent _many_ years with her, and she always wanted to see and to meet her son, but Maugrim never brought him to her. She was desperate to be let free, but he was afraid that when he met up with Gaia once more she would kill the both of them. Then Graul left her forever. Or so she thought." Evelen was now starring to her feet in a complete daze and Summer had no idea that it was probably time to stop, still lost in the thoughts of the fallen woman. "Over time she birthed two more wonderful children who she felt love for."

"That's surprising... because she had no heart." I remembered and Neo nodded in agreement.

"But she remembered her meeting with the elusive and wandering Theta," Summer continued. "Theta had once told her that love was the most powerful of all emotions. All traits and feelings had roots with love, just like each human had with _her_. With Theta. Love was never ending and no matter how far you ran from it, you could always feel it. When you stopped feeling love the darkness would truly set in and you would die."

"I-i-is that what happened to her?" Evelen asked, her voice croaking.

Summer opened her eyes suddenly and looked to Evelen, finally realizing that she had been oblivious to her feelings. "Evelen, I am so sorry—"

"Is that how she died?" Evelen asked again, this time more firmly.

Summer looked startled but then shook her head. "No, I don't think so." Summer closed her eyes once more and tried to sift through the memories again. "Each of the three children were blessed—or rather cursed—by the Chaos, just as Gaia's children were blessed by Peace. The Chaos was seeping through your mother's pores and so she begged for a release and finally her body let go of her spirit. Her spirit was lost for quite some time before it found a place where it could finally find peace."

"And where was that?" Neo asked, fearing the answer.

Summer opened her eyes. "I do not know, she is lost." It just hit me then that Evelen wasn't the only one learning of the tragic story of her mother. Summer was going through a very similar lesson about her history.

"So," Evelen said, "I was cursed to always have inner Chaos?" Summer looked to Evelen slowly and seemed to be trying desperately to find a better way to spin the truth but she failed and settled on simply nodding along. "Right," Evelen said, "That sounds about right." She took one last look at the woman who was her mother and she turned, storming from the room.

"Evelen!" Neo called out, chasing after her.

"Neo," Evelen snapped, "Look, can we just _not_?" Neo stopped mid-step and stared blankly to her. "Not now." And then she turned again. Summer did not hesitate to give Evelen one of the four balls of fire to help her see her path, but Neo looked like he'd just been slapped several times across the face.

"Where did the Chaos go?" I asked, trying to distract Neo and get answers all at the same time.

Summer thought for a moment. "It was here recently," she decided. "Years ago. But not _long_ ago. Not in comparison to my lifetime. The Chaos fled to a new world when the opportunity arose."

"And is it still alive?" I questioned.

Summer did not know the answer. "Chaos will always live, just as Peace or any of the Crests. But does the Chaos still have a physical form? I am afraid I do not know."

 _ **Rei Yagami:**_

I was feeling pretty good. I mean, we weren't really doing anything. But I had a chance to unwind a bit, and to sort out my feelings and thoughts. I was finally able to look at the situation as a whole, instead of each isolated incident. The overall picture wasn't pleasant, but it was a little more optimistic than each specific moment that Gaia had foiled our plans.

The Olympos XII were doing much better now too, though that might not actually have had anything to do with Kiyoko, Hideto or I. Mari on the other hand, was in her element.

" _We're here to help you all recover," I announced when we arrived. The throne room was a mess. The Olympos XII members were mostly locked away in their own rooms. Jupitermon had righted his throne though, and was sitting in it, while Lunamon and Coronamon bandaged his leg. He looked tired, and pained. I couldn't help but feel like we'd led Gaia to them, even though I knew it wasn't true. I knew that the reason Gaia had arrived wasn't us at all, but was in fact because of the Digimental of Strength, but that didn't mean my heart could understand reason. It pained me to see the Olympians looking so down and out._

 _Marsmon was the only other Olympian in the throne room, and he was barely conscious. He was nodding off while he tried to mend his own throne, which had been shattered during the fight against Gaia. He wasn't having much luck._

" _Get in line," Marsmon said gruffly, in response to my declaration. I was initially confused, thinking that Lunamon and Coronamon were the only ones still here—even though the Council had initially been enlisted to help them. The Council had been needed elsewhere, and had gone to do as they needed. But Lunamon and Coronamon were devoted to their family, and had stayed to take care of them anyway._

 _They weren't the only ones there, however._

 _Izumi chose that moment to come out of Venusmon's rooms with her Yakiimon, and was headed towards Junomon's chambers before she caught sight of us. She grinned and walked straight for Hideto, wrapping him in her arms. He was very happy to see her._

" _The restaurant's not the same without you," he assured her._

" _Well, life in the Digital World actually_ is _just the same as I remember," she said with a small laugh. "Danger is at every corner, someone is trying to take over, and I barely understand most of it."_

" _Join the club," Mari told her, before Izumi hugged her as well. Mari seemed to be at a loss, but didn't push her away, which was nice. Izumi hugged me next, and Kiyoko waved to her, stepping back. Obviously, since Izumi and I were in the Digital World for the last, however long, we hadn't been around when Kiyoko and Hideto broke up—and I was sure Izumi didn't even know yet—but Kiyoko didn't seem to be taking any chances. Izumi was Hideto's, I was assuming, even though they hadn't exactly split up any of our other friends._

" _How is everyone?" Kiyoko asked, before Izumi could hug him anyway, despite his obvious attempts at the contrary._

" _They're healing," Izumi said. "But it's a little early to tell. It hasn't been very long since the fight. A day or two at most. I'm not really sure. You can't see the sun in this place. We're kind of under a mountain. I don't know how long it's been."_

" _I know," I said, understanding completely. All the days just started to melt into one with the threat looming upon us._

" _Jupitermon," Mari called, walking towards him. She dusted off Plutomon's throne, which was actually meant for Ceresmon whenever she made an appearance, and hopped up onto it. Jupitermon looked amused a little, which was nice to see. "We need to make some plans. Let's get started."_

Mari had slipped right into the role of her own digimon partner: Ceresmon. Unlike Kiyoko—who still felt rather awkward around the Olympians, even after a week of being here—Mari fit right in. Jupitermon started to listen to her council right away. He respected her, while he hosted us. She had taken temporary leadership, while the rest of us, and the original Digidestined took the back seat. It was up to us to nurse the others back to good health. Marsmon refused any help whatsoever, which was a little worrying, and it was preventing him from healing as quickly as he could have. Plutomon was being cared for exclusively by Kouichi and his Liollmon, and refused to see anyone else. I was given the task of assisting Minervamon with her recovery, and I loved every minute of it. She was so witty, and spunky. She was definitely Satoe's partner, and being around her again felt like we weren't about to be destroyed by Gaia. We'd hung out a few times before we'd gotten sealed into the Digital World, and we'd spent a good few months together while we were hiding out here, protecting Strength. She, Lunamon and Coronamon were pretty much the only Olympians that I felt any strong connection with. The others were far too aloof.

Lunamon and Coronamon were the only ones deemed worthy enough to heal Jupitermon, while Mari was allowed to assist Junomon—which was a pretty high honour, since she was Jupitermon's queen. Kouji and his Psychemon were meant to help Neptunemon, but he was a stubborn jerk, and was being really rude about it. Kouji still tried to help at least once a day, but some days, he didn't try anymore than that. Neptunemon was a handful—and was too stubbornly proud to accept the help. Junpei and his Kokouamon had a bunch of laughs with the jolly Bacchusmon, who was one of the few that still withheld his positive spirit, despite his pain. Izumi and Yakiimon became dedicated to Venusmon, and were pleased to no longer have to heal all of the females—because Jupitermon declared that the male humans could not enter the females' rooms. Tomoki and his purple Elecmon were assigned to the elusive Merukimon—who despite his weak state was still very fast and very sneaky—and had to hunt him down in order to change his bandages each day. Takuya and Hyokomon looked over Volcanusmon. Both Volcanusmon and Hyokomon were often regaled with stories of when Takuya had used the spirit of fire to protect the Digital World. Volcanusmon seemed to particularly enjoy the fire aspect of the stories.

Kiyoko spent his time repairing anything he could. He had his computer, and would create his own kind of magic and repair the very data of the objects—like the thrones or pillars—to their original state. He also went into the maze once, on the third day we were here. He didn't like it though, after he'd been lost for an hour and a half, before he was able to create a map with his computer. He'd yet to go back in.

Hideto was meant to be helping Marsmon, but since the stubborn idiot wouldn't accept any help, Hideto had taken up the role of guard. He wasn't suited for it, mostly because he wasn't a powerful digimon and the only weapon he could effectively wield was an axe—which we didn't have access to—but he seemed to enjoy it. He spent long nights just resting at the opening to the cave. He slept a little in the day, but not enough in my opinion. He was still tormenting himself over his own personality. He didn't like himself, and nothing anyone said seemed to help him get over that.

 _It was day four, the day that the Olympians were well enough to venture out into the throne room with Jupitermon, Marsmon, Lunamon and Coronamon, rather than staying cooped up in their rooms. They weren't at a hundred percent just then, but they were well on their way, which we were all very happy to see. Bacchusmon provided a little wine, to make the evening even more enjoyable to the others, and they all drank heartily. They were finally in a good place, and their spirits were rising—except for Neptunemon, but he was a grouch like that._

 _Hideto wasn't taking part in the festivities though, and neither was Marsmon. I knew they would be at the cave's opening, and so I set off to find them and at least offer them an invitation, though I knew neither would take it._

" _You don't need to be a tough guy," Hideto was telling Marsmon. "It's okay to show your emotions, to show that you feel just as deeply as the others. If you can't show them, they'll never know."_

" _Then they never know," Marsmon said simply._

" _But they want to," Hideto protested. "You're taking your stubbornness too far. They care for you, and they want you to partake in their joy and happiness. You're not just a war monger to them. You're a part of what makes them a family."_

" _I must protect them, even from themselves," Marsmon insisted. "They think that they can dance around and be merry, and I want that for them. But a war is brewing. I can feel it in the air. I cannot sit by as they destroy their future. I will protect them, even if they don't want my protection. They are weak now. I cannot leave them vulnerable."_

" _You're weak too. Show them that," Hideto said. "You're all on the same level. They need to know that you're their equal and not something else entirely. Share in their weakness, and share in their healing. You need it just as much as they do."_

" _Perhaps," Marsmon said, thoughtfully. "You could take your own advice, I feel."_

" _I don't know," Hideto said, shaking his head._

" _If you cannot, then I will not," Marsmon declared. "I will go check the perimeter. The war is close. I feel it. But I cannot see it. It leaves me on edge. I must search."_

" _Do whatever you have to do," Hideto said with a sigh. I walked over, once Marsmon had left and sat down next to him, taking his hand in my own. "Hello, Rei."_

" _Hideto, what are you bottling inside?" I asked, nodding towards Marsmon, so that he knew I'd heard what they were saying._

" _It's my fault," he said, reaching over and patting my legs. "I did that to you."_

" _No you didn't," I pointed out, wanting to roll my eyes, but realizing how important this was to him. "You didn't do anything to me. I got hit by a truck. That was the driver's fault, not yours. No. Don't interrupt me. I don't care if I was going over to get_ you _an autograph. I made that choice myself. I didn't know then, that I was going to be hit and get paralysed, but I'm going to tell you right now, if I was there, and I_ did _know, I would do it all over again."_

" _Why?" he asked, turning away from me—probably to hide the tears that I had already seen, but was pretending not to have._

" _Don't you understand?" I asked him. "You're one of my very best friends, Hideto. I love you. You're like a second brother to me. I can't imagine a world without you in it. I don't care what fate or destiny wanted. I want you to be here. I would give up my legs a thousand times over if it meant that you'd always get to stay with me."_

" _I just...it's hard...sometimes I..."_

" _I get it," I said. "Well, I don't really, but I kind of understand. It's hard, because I've never learned something quite as intense as what you learned, but Hideto...I'm sorry. I know this is hard for you. You aren't supposed to be here, but you're focussing too much on that fact that you're missing the blessing that you've been given. You're still here. You're still alive! Own that. Live, Hideto—_ really _live. You're spending too much time in the past that you're not looking at all the options that are open to you."_

" _Like what?" he wanted to know. "I could go get killed by Gaia, or by Maugrim, or by Merlin—because he's evil now—or by Morganna, or Bitoru, or one of the digimon in her army, or one of the humans in her army, or I could go get hit by some other truck! I can't imagine a future that makes me happy, because I can't image having a future at all, Rei. I'm not even supposed to have one anyway."_

" _Hideto," I said sadly, but I couldn't help. This was something that Mari, Kiyoko and Hideto were going to deal with for the rest of their lives. They would never be able to forget the fact that they weren't meant to be alive anymore._

" _Go and join the party, Rei," Hideto said. "I'll just keep sitting out here—and outside the stream of destiny—and just exist. Destiny doesn't have a path for me, like it does for the others, Rei. They're meant to save the world, or die trying. But me? I could die right now, and the world would move on easy enough. Destiny can't protect me."_

" _But it can't control you either," I reminded him, getting to my feet. I knew there was no point in arguing with him any longer. He wasn't ready to really talk about this just yet—or, more likely, I just wasn't the right person. But he seemed to realize that I wasn't mad about being paralyzed. If he ever tried to bring it back up though, I knew I could just throw Astamon in his face. Gaia had fixed the damage the truck had caused. Anything new was Astamon's fault._

The Olympians were pretty much ready to help us. They weren't exactly a hundred percent recovered, but they were definitely recovered enough to want to start moving. They were growing restless, while they knew that Gaia was working unchallenged while they were locked away, licking their wounds. They couldn't stand to wait any longer, and so they were going to go and fight, even though they could not win. They would not stand by as she took over the realm—which I thought was a little rude of them, since they didn't even bat an eye when Yggdrasil was trying to eradicate all life (not even just trying to rule it all) in all of the worlds.

"Are you sure you can't wait even one more day?" Takuya asked, eying the bandage wrapped on one of Volcanusmon's many arms.

"We cannot," Jupitermon assured him. "We have waited eight days, since your arrival, and we can wait no longer."

"The war is nearly upon us," Marsmon said, forlornly. The phrase had lost its effect, since he said it so often.

"I cannot see what lies ahead," Venusmon said. She was growing more and more anxious with each day. Once, I'd seen her so frazzled that she'd walked right into a wall. She was able to see so clearly, despite the bindings around her eyes, that it was shocking to me, to see her in such a state.

" _You okay?" Hideto asked her, cautiously._

" _No," she said with quivering lips. "I can't find my way. I can't find Marsmon."_

" _Why would you want to?" Hideto asked, mostly joking. She sighed and reached out for his arm. She moved her hands up his arm until she could find his face. She ran her fingers over his features and only started speaking when she was sure she knew what he 'looked' like._

" _He seems cruel to you, doesn't he?" she guessed. "He isn't. Sometimes, it's hard to see passed the front that is shown to you, but there is good in him. You just need to look closely."_

" _You can do that?" Izumi asked skeptically. She was holding a bowl of warm water, and a sponge, ready to clean out Venusmon's wounds._

" _Sometimes, what you're looking for cannot be seen with the eyes," Venusmon said softly. "You must open your mind, and look beneath the surface."_

" _That's deep," Hideto said thoughtfully, before he went off to guard the door again—and mostly likely think about everything Venusmon said, and also contemplate how it could fit in with him._

Minervamon was shining in the tense atmosphere. Unlike Venusmon, who was very sensitive to her surroundings, Minervamon focused on the facts. She laid them out before herself and tried to plan accordingly. She and Jupitermon had been working on battle strategies, and she was constantly making suggestions about formations that might be strong enough to hold off the darkness that Gaia stole from Kurayami. She was bouncing on her toes, waiting at the entrance for everyone else to be ready. She'd been waiting there since the early morning, before even the sun was awake—I knew, because she woke me up and made me wait with her. "I can't wait!"

"Patience," Bacchusmon said. "It may seem like fun and games, but it is not. Battle may be necessary, but it must be treated with the respect and caution it deserves."

"Don't be such a fuddy-duddy," Minervamon whined.

"He's right," Mari said. "It's not going to be much fun out there."

"You sound like Satoe and Keisuke," Minervamon sighed.

"And Mimi," Hideto added. "None of them like fighting."

"For good reason," I murmured.

"We must go," Merukimon said, beside me. I let out a yelp, because he hadn't been there a second ago. He was always doing stuff like that, popping up when no one expected him—scaring people just because he thought it was funny. And it was funny...when it didn't happen to _me_.

 _I was following the sound of someone crying. I knew exactly who it was too, and since Hideto was standing guard the last I saw him, and Mari was making plans with Jupitermon, it was up to me to find a way to stop the flow of tears and bring a smile back to Kiyoko's face. It was only the day after I'd found Hideto wallowing about me being hit with a truck, and there was still some awkwardness between Alias III and the original Digidestined. I knew that there was no chance in one of the original Digidestined swooping in and making him feel better._

 _He was tucked away in an alcove with his knees to his chest, but he wasn't alone. Hideto wasn't standing guard as I'd expected. He was curled up around Kiyoko, arms wrapped securely so that Kiyoko was being held to his chest._

" _I know," he said softly into Kiyoko's hair. "You're okay. You're here."_

" _I know," Kiyoko said. "I know. I'm trying to stop."_

" _Don't stop," Hideto countered. "Let it out. Tell me what's wrong. I felt worthless when I realized my family would've liked me_ better _if I'd died. I would've been useful to them as a sob story at least."_

" _My parents would be alive," Kiyoko said, between his gasps for breath as he continued to cry uncontrollably. "They'd be alive, and they wouldn't have noticed that I wasn't. And...and...and I wouldn't have given Sigma a vessel and led him to Miyako."_

" _Don't do that to yourself," Hideto ordered him. "I was doing something similar, about Rei, but she straightened me out. Don't dwell on the past."_

" _I can't h-help it," Kiyoko cried. "I won't ever have closure. My parents would probably rather that I died instead of them. They aren't here to tell me otherwise."_

" _I'm here," Hideto said. "And if they were any sort of parent, then they'd be happier with the way things turned out. Most parents, from what I understand, are much more willing to die themselves then watch their child die in their place."_

" _My parents weren't that type of parent!" Kiyoko cried. "They tossed me to the streets. Sigma killed them because of me. By being alive, I killed them."_

" _No," I said firmly, no longer able to watch silently. "Sigma killed them. I've watched Taichi take blame that wasn't his own far too many times, and I won't watch you do the same."_

" _I don't want to imagine life without you, Kiyoko," Hideto murmured. Kiyoko took a few deep breaths and started to control his tears. I smiled at him, and reached out to cup his face. I could have just headed back and left the two of them alone, but I was afraid that my leaving would scare them. They hadn't been alone together at all that I'd seen since Kiyoko had broken through the seal that Norn had in place. And Mari assured me that it was common now, that they just avoided each other._

" _We love you, Kiyoko," I assured him, looking to Hideto pointedly._

" _We do," he confirmed._

" _Yeah?" Kiyoko said, sounding flattered, and looking up to Hideto. I didn't mind that he was ignoring me. I wanted to help get these two to where they wanted to be: together._

" _You're so confident now," Hideto commented. "But you've got the same heart. You're more outspoken, but you still feel just as deeply. You've grown so much already, and I'm very proud of you."_

" _You've grown too," Kiyoko said. Hideto frowned and shook his head. "You have."_

" _I'm nothing special," Hideto dismissed. "Not like you."_

" _I think you're both pretty special," I said, putting my own opinion out there, even though I knew it would be dismissed almost immediately._

" _You're one of three people to ever step outside of destiny," Kiyoko offered. "Only you, me and Mari can say that."_

" _That's true," Hideto said, giving Kiyoko an adorable little smile. I was so proud of him. I just wished that he could figure out that he was something to be proud of._

" _Minervamon needs you, Mrs Yagami," Merukimon said, literally falling from the ceiling to the ground beside me. Kiyoko, Hideto and I all screamed, and Merukimon laughed to himself. Then he stopped smiling and looked down the hallway. "If Kouji asks, you haven't seen me."_

"Coronamon, you stay with me," Volcanusmon said. "If you're going to go, then you're going to be protected."

"Okay," Coronamon said adorably. He looked up to his elder and smiled brightly. Lunamon glanced at Neptunemon, but he didn't have any kind words to say. She sighed, and looked lonely, so I reached out for her hand. All we were waiting on now was Junomon, who was trying to make sure everything was in order before we left.

"Yakiimon," Izumi called. "Don't stray too far. We'll be leaving soon."

"I won't," the sweet potato digimon said happily. He was playing with Psychemon, Liollmon and Hyokomon. Kokuwamon and Elecmon were waiting at their partners' sides, not wanting to be left behind, but they were looking longingly at the game the others were playing.

"He's a cutie," I told Izumi, after watching Yakiimon help Psychemon back to his feet.

"I'm lucky to have him," Izumi said with a soft smile.

" _So, how come you guys have partners now?" Hideto asked the first evening, once we'd gotten most of the Olympos XII members into bed. They were exhausted and in pain, and passed out early. Only Junomon, Neptunemon, Plutomon, Volcanusmon and Coronamon were left. Even Jupitermon had fallen asleep. Yakiimon, Psychemon and Kokowamon were all leaning, asleep, against their partners. Izumi was petting Yakiimon's head. Coronamon was leaning against Volcanusmon, pretending he was wide awake, when we all knew that he ought to be tucked in bed like Lunamon was._

" _Why do you all have partners?" Takuya said defensively. Then he winced and apologized. Hideto waved him off, though Mari did seem a little saddened by the reminder. And by a little, I meant a lot._

" _We found them," Tomoki said, instead of letting Takuya keep putting his foot in his mouth._

" _They were just waiting there for us," Junpei said, sounding confused. He pet his Kokuwamon and smiled to himself. "It was kind of amazing."_

" _It was weird too," Kouji assured us. "We were definitely used to becoming digimon ourselves, but it's nice, to have a digimon to talk to."_

" _It's always nicer when they can answer," his twin brother agreed, running his fingers through Liollmon's fur. His lion partner purred loudly._

" _You said they were simply awaiting your arrival?" Junomon asked. She took the chicken digimon, Hyokomon, into her arms and started rocking him as though he was a baby. Hideto made a comment about her being very motherly, considering she was a digimon. But she smiled and looked around the room. "I like to think of the Olympians as my children. Not all of them, of course," she added quickly, before Neptunemon and Plutomon could protest. They did seemed happier—relatively, since neither was particularly happy looking at any given time—with her exception._

" _They were, yeah," Takuya said. "We snuck into the Digital World before the worlds could be separated, because we've spent pretty much our whole lives trying to get back, and we thought we could live here peacefully. That didn't turn out so well. So, when we left the Temple, we were pretty much running for our lives, right?"_

" _Definitely," I said, shivering with the memories—rather recent ones too—of racing away in fear for my life. Kiyoko leaned over and knocked his shoulder against mine. Coronamon curled up with two of Vulcanusmon's arms wrapped around him. He did not like the reminder. I felt bad for the little guy._

" _They were in a temple," Izumi said, taking over the narration. She had to speak a little louder, because Mari was talking on her phone on the other side of the room, since she always called her sister to say goodnight. "I'd never seen it before, and it looked like it was built to worship some woman."_

" _Theta," Elecmon said. "It was built for Theta."_

" _Right," Tomoki said. "That was her name."_

" _There were murals of the Digimon Sovereign on the walls, and I was a little hesitant, because I've heard the stories of how bad they were," Kouichi said. "But our digimon were waiting for us there, so it couldn't be too bad."_

" _We're awesome," Hyokomon said happily._

" _You are," Junomon said sweetly. Neptunemon huffed, and turned away, heading to his room for the night, but the rest of us stayed up quite late, just swapping stories._

"Okay," Junomon said brightly. "We can leave now."

"Good," Jupitermon said firmly. He led the way out of their mountain fortress and out into the wilderness. It was quite pleasant to be out in the open once more, but it was also nerve-wracking, knowing that just behind any tree, around any bend, an enemy could come out and attack us.

But nothing had, so I was starting to think that we could actually get through this. The Olympos XII would rise again. It would be glorious, and it would be just the morale booster that we needed in order to motivate those that would stand in our fight against Gaia.

Of course, _just_ when I started to think that way, everything went wrong.

A regal looking woman with shimmering silver hair stepped out of the woods followed by a golden haired girl and a man with a long silver beard with hair to match.

"Morganna," Hideto said. I was able to place Norn as the girl, and I had to assume that the man was Merlin. Morganna's lips curled into a cruel smile, and she strode forward as if she owned the place. She didn't, and Jupitermon wasn't about to let her think that she did. He raised his hand to strike her down with a bolt of lightning, but his hand froze half way. I tried to back away, to get to Kiyoko and the others, but I couldn't move either. Merlin's eyes were flashing, and I knew that his magic had something to do with this.

I could hear the struggling screams of Lunamon, Coronamon and all of the other little digimon. Junomon was pleading, though her lips wouldn't move. Morganna paid them no heed. She strode up to Jupitermon and smiled at him in a way that I assumed she meant to be pleasant, before she stabbed her hand within his chest. She wiggled it around in there for a moment, before she pulled out a sparking, shining orb of data: Jupitermon's heart. She smiled to herself and turned her face up to Jupitermon's.

"These Digidestined have lived far too long," she told him. "End them. Merlin, I want them bound."

"The Olympus XII are bound to their master," Merlin assured her. "What he commands, they must do."

"What?" Mari asked, horrified.

"Kill the Digidestined," Jupitermon commanded, at Morganna's request.

Merukimon squawked, outraged, but his limbs started acting of their own accord. They were tied to Jupitermon's commands, just as Merlin had declared. "I can't stop myself."

"I don't want to hurt them!" Coronamon cried.

"I'm scared," Lunamon wailed.

"This is evil sorcery," Marsmon accused.

"Why yes, it is," Morganna said pleasantly. "Norn, take us away from here. Our work is complete."

"Yes," Norn said without hesitation. She waved her hands, and a portal appeared. The three of them stepped through the gate and then it sealed behind them. Once Merlin had passed through to the other world, we were free to move as we pleased.

So we ran, with Plutomon leading the way—for the first time in his life _not_ cursing Jupitermon for not allowing him to be a full-fledged member of the Olympos XII. I was happy about that too. We ran through the trees while the Olympians tried to fight Jupitermon's orders. The last I heard, was Jupitermon shouting a simple command that would make the others' suffering even worse because they would now need to internalize it.

"SILENCE!"

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** The ever protective Sora is left surrounded by her broken friends as they watch helplessly as the world falls around them. In other news, Tatum is preggers, so there's a baby on the way into this chaotic mess! :)


	61. A Whole New World

**U/N:** So here's another of Sora's messy, fill in the blank, craptastic chapters for this half of the story. She has a couple good ones, and her final chapter is my favourite chapter I've probably ever written, but until then I just feel bad for her and the parts she was given. :/ I liked Tatum in this chapter at least, and she and Michael got some depth to their relationship finally. It's been too long since that happened.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 61: A Whole New World**

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

"But that's not fair," Emiko said in a huff, crossing her arms in a rather boisterous pout. Aneko was looking down to her, tilting her head in confusion as Emiko accused her of being unreasonable, and even though I hadn't heard what led up to the conversation I had a feeling that I knew what it might be about. "I only get _one_." And there it was. I was right.

A couple days prior to the girls' argument Aneko had received a rather special present from one of the residents of the Temple, and what really peeved Emiko was that no one really knew _which_ of the residents it was.

" _Uhh..." Honeybeemon said, confused. "I guess you're my partner?"_

" _Or mine!" Porcupamon insisted._

" _Maybe," Aneko agreed, patting both of their heads, "Or maybe it's Fangmon?"_

" _Probably not," Fangmon said, rolling his eyes._

" _But I could be!" Aneko insisted, falling to her knees and embracing the thin wolf digimon who did not look happy with the adoration. Porcupamon and Honeybeemon moved in quickly and hugged her as well as Kurayami watched from afar, beaming to her friends from so long ago finding their happy ever after. "Oh I'll just keep all three of you! Mari won't mind I bet! She'll be so happy for me! You guys can join Alias III!"_

" _I do believe there is a little more work involved than simply being invited," Koushiro had said, "You may want to ask Neo at least." Aneko stuck her tongue out at Koushiro who looked startled but then smiled at her._

Aneko was always making people smile. Somehow her very presence was like a vessel of positivity and relief. It was so easy to feel good when she was around—and it wasn't in the annoying way that MarineAngemon did the same job. Aneko wasn't forcing it on anyone like he was. "I'm sorry Emiko," Aneko said to Emiko who still looked angry, "I just don't know which is mine. Maybe one day I will find out and then we'll both only have one."

" _I_ only have _one_ ," Emiko said again as if Aneko hadn't quite understood the first time. Aneko sighed and nodded her head patting Emiko's head softly before she turned and walked off, back toward her partners. She knew when the conversation was going nowhere, but Monmon and Emiko weren't finished and chased after her.

Momoe looked ready to stop Emiko from harassing Aneko but when the older girl looked back and laughed it became clear that they were only going to be playing. Momoe relaxed, leaning back into her seat and holding Renjiro close to herself. Mimi arrived then with a large tray of food for us all which she set in the center of the table we sat at. As she was passing the dishes of food she had prepared around I noticed that she kept looking over our heads and when I followed her gaze I found that she was looking to Koushiro. She blushed when she noticed me making the connections.

"Mimi, you should take a break," I told her. She quickly shook her head as if it weren't a possibility. "Mimi, seriously," I said firmly, "You can't work all hours of every day. You need a break just like the rest of us."

Mimi nodded but sighed. "I don't know," she said weakly, "I just don't want to make anyone go hungry."

"Daisuke is here," Momoe said, "And Digitamamon and Yoshie Izumi.

"Oooh!" Miyako shouted out, "We could help by creating a schedule!" Everyone smiled to Miyako who was a rather detail oriented person. "We'll make it so there are six specific times a day when you can eat, so that everyone gets three meals but it will be divided evenly so you're not totally swamped, and _then_ —"

"Sounds perfect," Mimi interrupted, nodding along. "Hey listen, if I'm taking a break later I should really get into gear and feed the rest of the customers."

"Sure, of course," Miyako nodded before Mimi wandered off. Miyako sighed, leaning into her hands as she watched her go. "Everyone is too stressed."

"Coming from you," Momoe said, amused. "But you're right. Everyone _is_ worked up. But we're going to war, aren't we?"

"Not if I can help it," Miyako said flatly, retracting her head from her hands and looking to her sister with a fiery expression. I knew how against the war Miyako was and how against it Mimi _wanted_ to be and I understood entirely. War was just a place to _force_ your side of the truth to become the _whole_ truth. I did not exactly want to participate in that kind of battle, but if we had to fight to find peace then we'd do it. But I couldn't help remembering that Yggdrasil had died for _peace_. Would taking even _more_ lives help keep that peace? Killing Bohemoth certainly hadn't been satisfying... it just felt wrong—especially doing so in the land of total bliss...

Chiziru, Momoe and Miyako spoke to one another throughout the meal and I ate mostly in silence. I had come alone and only joined the three sisters when the beckoned to me. It was probably for the better though since I spent almost every moment when I was alone thinking of Biyomon. It physically hurt me to imagine what horrible fate had come of her when I was locked away on Earth pretending to live a perfect and happy life. Gaia had Biyomon, and that meant she had the Crest of Love... that scared me.

"Here's my baby!" Miyako cooed, drawing me from my thoughts. I turned my head to see Mai coming straight for Miyako, holding the hand of a familiar boy who was making sure his niece did not fall. Mai's face lit up when she saw her mother and she grew too excited and fell in her quickening pace. Mantarou caught her and swung her up into his arms before passing her over the top of the fence and into Miyako's arms. "Thanks Mantarou," Miyako said before kissing Mai's cheek. "What did you end up doing?"

Mantarou's face was tight and he was evidently trying with all his might to _not_ look at me while he spoke, telling of his adventurous day with Mai. It was clear that the babies would have to find a new home if ever the war came too close to the Temple and we still hadn't found the proper place, but we were working on it. "It was fun—I think she had fun."

"She looks tired," Miyako smirked, holding her daughter closer to her as her eyes began to droop.

Mantarou smiled and nodded, and his hands gripped the fence tighter. "Hello Mantarou," I said without thinking. He looked to me sharply, his face still tight and for a moment I thought he might just entirely ignore me, but slowly his face broke into a relieved smile.

"Hey, Sora," he said, "How have you been?"

"Wonderful," I was exaggerating of course, but he didn't need to know that. "What about yourself?"

"Pretty damn good," he was looking over all of our heads and through the glass of the restaurant. The front door had opened and past all the customers I could see a pretty girl with wavy locks of dark hair. Mantarou grinned at the sight of his girlfriend.

"Go," I told him. He thanked me quickly and hurried around the building to meet up with her.

"I'm so jealous," Momoe whined, watching him go. "He and Iruka get to be together all day."

"That's not true," Chiziru pointed out, "he works as a paralegal and she's getting into the police force to redeem her family name. They're both busy all the time." Momoe sighed. "This is about Jou isn't it? You're just being bitter?"

"He's been gone a whole _week_ ," Momoe groaned. "It just sucks to not have him around. Sora," she rounded on me so suddenly that I dropped the lettuce leaf from my fork in surprise, "Do you know when he'll be back? He won't talk to me about what exactly he's doing up there. I was wondering if he told you."

"You'd know more than I would," I assured her. She looked at me like I was lying but I kept my gaze firm and eventually she backed down. Honestly Jou had gone off with Evelen, Neo and Summer with very little lead up and we all let him go because there was nothing specific he had to be doing around here—aside from looking after Jenna which his father helpfully picked up for him—and whatever Jou was leaving to do was obviously important. "I'm sure it's nothing dangerous. He'll be fine."

"You can't know that," Momoe said, looking to her infant son.

"Well," we all turned to see Winter sitting at the table behind us sipping some iced tea. "You could go ask him yourself what he was up to." Momoe looked ready to slap Winter if she was simply toying with her. "My sister has just returned to the Temple it seems. Your husband is with her."

Momoe was already on her feet racing away from the table and making her way quickly toward Jou. Chiziru laughed as she left, but her laugh faded when Miyako and I both hurried after her, leaving her alone at the table. We passed by Winter who did not seem at all interested in visiting her sister—they had been apart much longer than a silly little week before—but she said nothing and let us past her. Winter was strange, and I could never entirely wrap my head around her. She was intelligent and powerful and for some reason she liked people to think that she didn't care, but I knew better. I could tell that she cared very deeply about everyone around her. If only she would show that. I hadn't had much time to talk to her alone though, and in fact the only thing she had said directly to me in the past two weeks was about Merlin.

" _His heart has been taken," she said simply when I was talking to Koushiro about his theory. Of course we sort of knew that his heart had been 'taken' but we weren't exactly sure what that meant. "Morganna reached her hand directly into his chest and she pulled out his still beating organ. She has the ability to keep the person alive even when she has their heart. He is under her control until she chooses to give it back."_

" _Does she get bored of her 'toys' then?" I asked, a shudder running down my back._

" _Of course," Winter said, "But when that happens she will not put the heart back where she found it. I fear Merlin is steadily heading toward a much worse fate."_

And that wasn't a particularly good sign, or—in any way—a light and fluffy conversation that would allow me access to Winter's mind so I could try to understand her more clearly.

Jou was ambushed by his wife who slammed herself into him and hugged him, while holding Renjiro with her free hand. Jou laughed and hugged her back. I didn't want to interrupt their reunion because that just wouldn't be very kind after Momoe was just expressing how much she missed him, so instead I made my way to Neo who was standing mostly alone. Taichi, Spring and many of the others had rushed to Summer's side for her story, so Neo was entirely open.

"Sora," he said courteously, but there was something dark behind his voice.

I looked around for a moment and my heart sank slightly. "What happened to Evelen?"

Neo's shoulders slouched. "Must you always be so perceptive?"

"I must," I assured him.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well I'm not entirely sure," he explained. "We learned of her origins and she fled. She did not want to speak with me and when I went searching for her, she was gone."

"Where?" I gasped.

"Do you really think I would be standing here without her if I had known where she wandered off to?" Neo snapped. I threw my hands up in surrender and apologetically patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry for being rude," Neo said, which surprised me. Neo didn't lie which meant he must _actually_ have felt bad for being snappy. "Do you know where my sister is?" I gave him a rather sad look and he understood that she had not yet returned from her trip to the Olympos XII.

I found myself wandering toward Summer in the middle of her speech. "It was very strange," she was saying, "I've never felt memories like that before. They were attached to anything in particular; they were simply floating in the air around the body, like they had been disposed of."

"That's terrifying," Hikari said weakly as Takeru wrapped his arm around her shoulder for comfort. "What did the memories say?"

"Gaia and Terra were close," Summer said. "They were sisters and for much of their lives they thought so similarly that they were often confused for one another. Then one day things changed and both began to feed into the desperate need for both Chaos and Peace. In the end Gaia ripped Terra's heart from her chest and planted it, where it became Yggdrasil and the holder of Chaos."

That was some really big news and, while we already knew the big piece of information, hearing more about Gaia's past and who she was when she was younger was strange. Apparently she had a feud with this Terra woman who did not die when her heart was taken from her chest—just like Merlin. I was confused because I didn't want to hear of Gaia's struggles. I didn't want to know what kind of a person she was before all of this because it would make it harder to take her down. I didn't want feelings to get in the way. But that's who I was. That's why I had been chosen for this at all, because of my feelings.

The next day I found myself sitting back to back with Yamato and while I wasn't sure how it had happened, I knew we had been talking about Biyomon and Gabumon at the time. We were alone in the courtyard, sitting under a beautiful tree and I could feel tears threatening my eyes and could hear Yamato struggling similarly.

It was weird to be able to open up to him and talk about our feelings about our partners. He had more to say though because of his parents so I did more listening than talking. I knew he needed to vent, and I was going to be there for him.

"And last time the worlds fused," Yamato said, "Mom _died_ —or we thought she did. And there was also a psychotic and manipulative monster that was trying to trick everyone into joining sides with him—and in this case _her_ —and it's all happening again."

"Then we'll win again," I told him, remembering Fanglongmon's death. I hadn't even been involved but I had seen him falling from the sky from miles away. Yamato _had_ taken part in the fight though and he must have known that we could always win in the end. "We did last time."

"After I joined sides with Fanglongmon and screwed up my friendships with everyone..." Yamato said weakly.

"But you won't do it again," I said, "Because you're stronger now than you were back then. And if you _do_ fall into her hands, I promise that I won't leave you behind. I'll fight to get you back."

"Well that's a different response than you had seven years ago," he pointed out.

"I've grown too..." I heard his hand move in the grass next to where mine was resting and a moment later his pinky finger had linked with mine. I felt my face flush and heat up, but said nothing more.

We talked for hours after that about everything we _hadn't_ spoken of during the last seven years. Yamato talked about living alone, and his relationship with Katsue and Amai, and I talked about Neo and Mantarou and my time in school. Yamato had struggled deeply with keeping friends, and I'd never known because we hadn't been speaking. After our breakup I should have noticed that everyone leaned to me but nothing had changed for _me_ so I simply hadn't noticed. I had assumed they spent time with Yamato as well, but it was his decision for them to not. I told him about my career finally and how well things were moving along, and he was happy for me. He then told me about his first big decision for himself and how space had been maybe a little too drastic, but it had been worth it in the end, and I told him that fighting for myself instead of other people was invigorating and had ultimately helped me escape prison.

But now we were both back in the world of the war we thought we had escaped from, and we were ready to stop focusing on ourselves again and put all our efforts into the war to save Biyomon and Gabumon and to save all nine worlds. Ten, including Theta.

Later that day I heard Mimi and Koushiro arguing, and while I had been walking on air for hours I found myself stopping and listening to the two of them. "Why haven't you looked into it yet?" Mimi asked loudly. "Kiyoko _needs_ this, Koushiro."

"It's not hard work," Koushiro argued. "I know nothing of genealogy, and he could learn as easily as I could."

"He isn't _asking_ you to do it for him—" Mimi began.

"That's what he asked!" Koushiro retorted.

"Well you're a big dummy if you can't see that all he wants is your _support_!" Mimi shouted, and with that she stormed off. I pressed myself against the wall and in her fury she didn't notice me, leaving me free from being caught eavesdropping—again. I felt all of my euphoria from talking to Yamato slip away, but it was probably for the better. There was no reason to be floating around giddily while we were supposed to be helping Taichi prepare for war.

"Sora?" Koushiro's voice reached me and I froze, forgetting that I should have left before he came from the room. "Did you hear that?" I nodded. Koushiro sighed and leaned against the doorframe. "Mimi just can't understand because she's always had a perfect family." I nodded because I understood. My family hadn't always been _perfect_ but, compared to a lot of my friends, I had it pretty good. "Kiyoko was thrown onto the streets as a child, and when my parents died the rest of my family passed on raising me. I'm _glad_ they did, but I don't see why I am required to care about a group of individuals who not only would I never recognize on the street but are also preposterously awful human beings." I reached out and took his hand as he sighed deeply.

"As long as you keep in mind that you and Kiyoko are very different people," I told him, "and as long as you keep each of your opinions and feelings in mind and keep them valid, then I have faith that you will make the right choice."

"And what might that choice be?" Koushiro asked. I simply raised my eyebrows to let him know that there was no way I was going to cheat for him and give him my own opinions. This all had to be thought of by him or it would never be genuine and Kiyoko would _know_. "I _do_ understand Kiyoko's desire to have more family and more answers. If anyone understands that, then _I_ do. But why must I put aside my own beliefs and my own decisions to simply make someone else happy."

"You don't," I assured him, "but I don't believe for a second that you _don't_ want to learn about your family. You're _scared_ Koushiro, but you're a smart person. You'll know if it's wrong for you or not, and if it is, then back away. Explain that to Kiyoko and help _him_ find the answers. If all he wants is a family then he has you. You _are_ his family, and as long as you help him see that, then he won't feel obligated to pressure you into wanting what he does."

Koushiro stared to me intently for a moment and then a small defeated smile crept onto his face. "Of course you're correct," he told me with a sigh. "You really are the smart one."

"Okay," I sighed jokingly, "If you insist. Give me your Crest, I _guess_ I can carry two of them around." Koushiro laughed lightly but both of our faces fell. We didn't have the Crests. Gaia did. Gaia had the Crests because she had Biyomon and Tentomon.

Koushiro shook his head, not wanting to feel any sort of deep emotions and opting instead for motioning for me to follow him as he led me down the hallway toward the laboratory. "I haven't been entirely idle," he explained, though I hadn't ever thought of Koushiro as being idle. Sure, he sat at his computer almost _all_ the time, but he was always doing something useful and there were never any doubts in my mind that he had been working now in such a crucial time. The lab was an organized mess and Jou was back down here, this time with Momoe—but no children were with them for once—and he was letting Willis explain to Momoe how to use the virus guns that they were working on. Willis had funded the project, taking over Arnold's old base to do it. It was pretty amazing. Tatum wasn't here today which I found odd, but Shuu and Dad _were_.

"My little Love-Bug," Dad said with a big smile as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I didn't even feel embarrassed, and instead just awkwardly hugged him back.

Koushiro motioned for me so I slipped away from Dad, promising to have dinner with him and Mom that night and found Koushiro looking down to his computer that was sitting on the usually empty desk. On the screen were several strands of what appeared to be DNA. "When I was... erm... battling addiction," Koushiro's face turned red and I patted his back once more, "I was trying to compare my genetic structure to that of Summer's and to Tentomon's, hoping to discover some method of locating Gaia. Every time I looked to my own DNA I found myself confused, thinking I had misfiled the documents because there was no way my DNA would look as it did."

"What are you saying?" I asked skeptically.

"What I'm referring to it this," Koushiro said, pointing to the screen, "I was saner than anyone—including myself—was giving me credit for. Everyone presumed that I had gone over the top with the drug usage because I found myself to be stressed. I was stressed because of the conclusive results of my work and so the drugs hadn't affected me nearly as mu— _OW!_ " I was pinching his arm sharply and Willis, Jou and Momoe all looked over to him. His face turned bright red and he rubbed his arm. "I was not implying I would be challenging my sobriety," Koushiro whispered, "I was simply stating that each of us has become digital."

"What?" I asked blankly. Koushiro looked quickly toward the others who were all busying themselves with the guns again. "What are you saying?"

"The digimon have a different makeup when they spend more time on Earth," Koushiro explained. "They are digital because of this world that Gennai created. When we spend more time on Earth our genetic makeup shifts slowly back toward a human structure, while when we are present in the Digital World—"

"I get it, yeah," I nodded, trying to wrap my head around it all. I lifted my hand into the air and tried to understand how my genetic core could shift back and forth without me knowing at all. If we died now that we had all spent a _lot_ of time in the Digital World would we regenerate like the Digimon? What about Taichi who had rarely left in several years?

"I would appreciate if you did not tell anyone," Koushiro said quietly. "It is not the time for anyone to be worrying about their children or their own well beings. We are all perfectly safe—"

"Sorry, can't do that," I told him flatly. "Jou," I said, turning to him, "The more time Jenna spends in the Digital World the more digital she becomes," Jou looked confused, "Will that help her pregnancy?" It was common knowledge that Jenna was in trouble. The only other recorded time in which a digimon and a human had birthed a child together was Hiraga, where the roles had been reversed and D'arcmon—a strong digimon—was the child bearer. And with all of the stress that Jenna was being put through, things weren't looking good for the baby.

" _What?" Michael had gasped loudly, ripping the computer from Koushiro's lap. Michael and Willis both let their eyes roll across the screen as Koushiro pouted in discontent. "There are planes falling from the sky," Michael said in a breathy voice. "Why is it happening?"_

" _Well the author of the article thinks—" Willis began._

" _I don't care what they think," Michael snapped. "Why do_ you _think it's happening?"_

 _Willis swallowed thickly. "Gaia is interfering with the frequencies of the worlds. She is capable of distorting space entirely now that she has all Digimentals and keys. Likely the newly appointed 'Queen of Earth' is to blame."_

" _But Dad—" Michael started._

" _And Mom, I know," Willis nodded. "And Tatum's parents too. They were all on their way here."_

" _Why haven't they come yet?" Michael wondered loudly. "What are we going to do? How to we help them? How do we tell_ Jenna _?"_

Jenna hadn't taken the news well. With everyone telling her to let Jou—or Isao or Shin—remove the baby from her body to keep her safe and with everyone spreading total panic across the Temple because war was coming she did not need news that her parents had potentially died. Chi and Kudamon were her bodyguards and Spring and Aesop had grown on her and proven their allegiance to letting the baby grow, but she still felt very alone.

She wasn't the only one stressed about this news though. Jou's sister Kazue was a flight attendant and no one had heard from her in several days either. Jenna wasn't even the only pregnant woman in the Temple who was worrying about the fate of her parents since Tatum's family had been on the same plane as Mr and Mrs Washington. Both women were due in a little over a month now though, and that was going to go by much quicker than any of us were ready for. Michael was torn between excitement over his own child and fear over his sister's life.

Jou and Willis were quick to go back to Jenna with Koushiro following along. I knew he understood why I had told Jou—for Jenna's safety—so he wouldn't be bitter about it. Or I hoped he wouldn't anyway. Momoe watched Jou go, but thankfully didn't seem upset. She knew this was important too. As a doctor he was used to running to patients in need whenever he was needed and Momoe had surely grown used to his lifestyle as well.

Outside, as I was making my way to Taichi I spotted him, holding his mother as she cried. Taichi had been crying too, and Susumu Yagami was standing over the two of them, looking flustered and having trouble being open about his own feelings. They hadn't seen their _son_ in a full year. I hadn't seen my best friend in the same about of time, but I figured they got first choice of the time they wanted to spend with him.

I sat around, waiting for Taichi to be free and found myself watching Okotte Higorashi and Fumiko Hida laughing with one another. _Laughing_. I had _never_ seen either of them laugh, and Meiyomon was sitting across from the two of them probably telling the jokes that seemed so humorous to the bizarre duo. A few moments later Kurayami and Iori had arrived, each holding a child, and they sat with their parents, and joined them in their late lunch. They oddly looked like a rather completed family, which was nice to see since both families had taken several large blows in the past.

When I was finally granted time with Taichi he seemed frustrated and stressed—as usual—but this time it was because of Neo who was telling him to get to work. "I have hired you back, you realize," Neo said, "That means I'm paying you and right now you're not _doing_ anything."

"I _can't_ do anything," Taichi argued, "Not until Rei comes back with the Olympos members. I need their strength or I will never win the war. What we have now is _nothing._ " Neo looked ready to scream but instead breathed deeply and turned away, heading off to find something else to vent his frustrations with. "How's your life going?" Taichi barked at me. I looked startled and he quickly apologized, "Sorry, I'm a little worked up. I think I need another talk with Yamato." I blushed and immediately looked away from him. "Ah, so what's going on with you and our mutual friend then?" he began poking my face and I knew he wasn't going to stop until I answered him.

"He's been fighting to be with me for years," I told Taichi, "I always told him to go elsewhere—but never wanted him to. I wanted to be with him but couldn't see enough of me to be worth it for him. Now I think I do, and it's time for me to fight for _him_ this time." I turned to Taichi, "After the war of course."

"Of course," he nodded along, but he didn't sound like he believed me.

"Taichi" I pointed out, "My duty, first and foremost, is to you and this war for now. And when it's finally over we can all go back to our normal lives and find a way to be happy. If Yamato helps that happiness come for me, then I'll be all over that. But until then, we don't have time."

"You're thinking too hard," Taichi pointed out, "You have to—"

Taichi was interrupted by a loud scream coming from Spring who was holding a nearby wall for support. Summer was holding her sister steady and then suddenly she had felt it too. Spring was always the more empathetic of the group. "The frequencies are altering once more," Summer said loudly.

Taichi practically leapt down the entire flight of stairs in his desperation to get to the two fairies and find out what was going on. I followed as quickly as I could and caught the tail end of what Summer was saying. "The Land of Dreams is shifting," she said, "It will soon become one with Sidendor, just as Witchenly has."

"Dammit!" Taichi cursed loudly. "Could it get any worse?" Taichi immediately looked like he wished he hadn't asked because a dark digimon stepped through the gates of the Temple. Taichi turned to Plutomon and saw Mari, Hideto and Kiyoko follow in behind. Then Rei came last and none of the other Olympos members were with them. "You've got to be kidding me?" Taichi groaned.

 _ **Tatum Jefferson:**_

The news that the Olympos members had been swayed by their leader whose heart had been stolen by Morganna—making Jupitermon one of a growing list of people we knew to have fallen to her tricks—shook the Temple. Everyone had stayed up late worrying about what was being said in the council room. I wanted to know too, but Taichi was a rather knowledgeable leader. He would tell us what was going on whenever he was ready and whenever it became important. Right now it was time for us all to back away from Taichi and let him figure out the problems with his previous plan. Of course he wasn't working alone, he had Plutomon, Winter, Summer, Spring, Koushiro, Neo and what was left of his council.

And there were some _really_ big problems with that plan. He had been heavily relying on the strength that the Olympos XII would be able to provide us with, and when Rei returned without them, his entire world seemed to have crashed around him. And that would _literally_ happen if we didn't think of something quickly.

Koushiro was busy in the council room now with Taichi, so Haruhiko, Shuu and I were working in his place to think of all the available solutions, and while Chibickmon and Kapurimon were not in their most mature states—Centarumon and Andromon—they were able to at least provide a different perspective. There was nothing to come up with though. The truth was simple. There were no more digimon that were willing to fight in the war and we couldn't force them to, so we would need to work with what we had, which wasn't much. It was also probably true that our battle strategies would go unused in the end, but as long as we were working toward something I felt better.

I wanted this baby to hop right out of me _now_ so I could get out into the world and do some good. I loved my baby Louisa already and I had never met her, but I was more than done being pregnant. I'd been forced to stay behind from Sidhendor, leaving Michael to such a big excursion into his home world all alone—with his friends. I missed a lot there too, and still hadn't seen Gaia up close like most of the others had now. The most I had been able to accomplish so far was help Jou with his much needed Sigma information, and even then I wasn't able to go _with_ them to Australia. I _loved_ Australia—but no flying in the third trimester of course. And I'd already broken that rule once to get to Hikari and Takeru's wedding.

Pah! I was angry. Or perhaps impatient was a more suitable word. I was growing antsy, craving the ability to help and be more than a slowly inflating balloon that served no purpose aside from being another body that needed protecting.

That was why I was so _relieved_ to be going to the private clinic I had signed up with. I was just _praying_ for some miracle that they might tell me it was time to pull my baby out. It didn't seem likely, since she was a couple weeks away still, but that didn't stop be from hoping.

Michael and I were sitting in the hospital room alone—and had been for hours and my gynecologist seemed to have _forgotten_ about our meeting—and he was talking to me about his parents. And everything he said was incredibly relatable because I was going through the very same issues. "They _have_ to be okay," Michael was saying in a rushed tone. "They won't pick up their phones—you know what? Actually they'd better be dead because I'm going to _flip_ when I see them again. Do you know how inconsiderate it is to just _not_ respond?"

"You don't mean any of that," I said blankly.

"You're right," he sighed sadly. "I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean they can just ignore me. What's going on? What's wrong with them?"

"Well, you'll notice that your phone doesn't work," I said, clutching my stomach as my back began to ache. Just another reason that being pregnant was a horribly strenuous ordeal. Michael pulled his phone out and was confused for a moment until he noticed that he had no signal. He looked sharply to me for answers. "I don't know why. It goes off and on. It likely has something to do with the frequencies being so faulty."

"So they _can't_ get in contact with us," Michael realized. "Well we should have told them to wait because they could be in the Temple _right_ now if they'd just stayed put." That was true. With Kiyoko back he was able to move the portal for my convenience. I had to get to my appointment and he simply opened a gateway to New York for us. It was a little off of where we'd asked, but it wasn't too inconvenient. The gate was gone though, and I had simply asked for it to come back after three hours. Apparently we'd still be here because the professionals were completely ignoring my needs.

Sure, I was cranky, but I wasn't an expert at growing humans just yet. My back hurt, my feet hurt, my head was always spinning—I swear Louisa was performing ballet inside my body which was incredibly disrespectful—and adding in all the stress about the worlds and my parents and Jenna was just enough to pop my lid. I was holding on for dear life, trying to remain calm, but I just wanted to scream and shout and cry. I _wouldn't_ though, because I didn't want to be a typical pregnant woman. Which would be defined simply as round and angry. I was round. I was angry. But I would not show it.

"Michael," I told him. "Why don't you go get some air? You'll probably feel better if you get some food into your system."

"I don't want to leave you here," he said sweetly, taking my hand and helping me release some of my anger easily. "I'm sorry if I'm stressing you out by talking about our parents. They're just freaking me out—and hey, do you think your gynecologist knows anything about babies who grow to maturity in three months?"

I shook my head. "Probably not, Michael." His face fell and he was literally pouting—for good reason—and so I squeezed his hand gently. "I'm sure Jou will stop things from going too far if that's the case. He's watching Jenna closely—"

"Yeah I hear he bought some really _good_ binoculars," Michael said, and for a moment I just assumed he was misnaming one of the tools used, but he then added, "you know, to watch her closely all the way from Australia."

"He's back now," I insisted.

"Okay, but Jenna obviously isn't his first priority," Michael groaned. "She's _my_ first priority—I mean you too, but she's dying and you're just having a baby."

" _Just_ having a baby?" I asked sharply.

"Well yeah, you're going to do it _five_ more times so th—"

" _Absolutely not_." I didn't leave any room for questioning in my voice and Michael seemed to understand that at least. I knew he wanted several children, but I was _not_ doing this five more times. _Maybe_ once, but that was it and even then I would have to be sure that there were no upcoming wars, so my schedule had to be _perfectly_ clear. Michael then took me up on my offer for him to get some air, and as he was opening the door a familiar woman came in looking rather proud of herself. "Oh so you decided to show up."

"Am I late?" the doctor asked. Michael waved to me and then slipped out, closing the door behind him. I nodded and the doctor looked to her watch. "Hmm." She was annoying. The appointment was for a usual checkup and I sat rather patiently as she did her job until she began the ultrasound. I didn't bother looking since I had seen it several times and it was actually just a bunch of bizarre shapes. Michael had gotten emotional and so I stuck the printed copy to the fridge with a magnet, but I wasn't going to feel very motherly to a grey blob. "Well it looks like she's ready to come out."

"Wait _what_?" I asked, sitting upright quickly and regretting it immediately. The doctor gently pushed me back into the bed and shook her head. "Then why did you say it?"

"What I _meant_ ," she said calmly, "Was that your baby is _preparing_ to come. Earlier than scheduled, but she is very healthy and very ready. Are you ready to give birth?"

"Uh, yes," I said flatly, feeling a rather optimistic bubble of excitement rise inside me, "How _much_ sooner than expected is she coming?"

The doctor looked to the charts once more, "Her original due date appeared to be the first of April, and now... it might just be the first day of Spring, or perhaps before."

"Her first April Fool's joke," I snorted. "Coming early. I like her."

"That's good to hear," the doctor laughed as she began to clean me off. I could tell that there was something behind the laugh so I simply waited for it to come out. The appointment was nearly over so my curiosity was bound to be handled swiftly. "Now," the doctor said, jumping straight into what I knew had been there. "I was sent some rather startling documents from a gynecologist over in Japan."

"Were you?" I asked, momentarily confused. Just before she elaborated I caught on to where she was going.

"It was Jenna Washington," the doctor said calmly. "I cannot tell you what the documents said, for obvious reasons—"

"That's fine, I was in the room with her," I told her, "I heard everything the doctor had to say."

My doctor nodded her head and sighed, "Well then you are well aware that the girl in question has a startlingly low blood pressure, there is excess protein in her urine and she shows dangerous signs of preeclampsia."

While I was sure she shouldn't be telling me this, even if I _had_ been to the hospital with Jenna, "Look," I told the doctor, "We're aware of all of this. We're giving her medication to increase the development of the baby's lungs, and we've got several doctors watching her at all times. She's going to be okay."

"I'm not so sure," the doctor said, handing over a clipboard. As I read through the list I understood _why_ she was risking her job to tell me everything she had discovered from the information she had been sent. I didn't look good at _all_. Jenna was in serious danger if we didn't get rid of the baby, but I knew there was no way she was going to do that.

"How much longer does she have?" I asked weakly.

"I don't know," she said simply, "I would have to get a look at her myself." I knew that wasn't going to happen, and so I ignored that, hoping she wouldn't ask again. "What is it?" she asked, "the baby?"

"It's just a baby," I told her as simply as I could. "A strange one, but it's just a little baby."

"A baby that is killing its mother," the doctor said firmly. "Pro life is only so if you care for both the fetus _and_ the mother."

I backed up at her strict and sharp voice but I shook my head, "I think you have misinterpreted my stance in this," I said, swinging my legs around to stand finally. "I am not joining a social battle between life and death of an unborn child. You might spend your life surrounding these issues, but I don't. I firmly believe that everyone can make their own decisions, and that's what I'll let Jenna do too—"

"Then you're letting her _die_ ," the woman barked. I bit my lip and tried to think of a perfect comeback, but I couldn't do it. There was a very heavy seriousness in the voice of the doctor that made me wary about my thoughts and choices. If Jenna was in as much danger as this paper said she was, then perhaps letting her make her own decisions was no longer an option. She had already jumped into her third trimester, it was possible for the baby to live any point from now on, so maybe we could convince her to have a caesarean and get the baby out...

Suddenly my head was spinning and I reached for the nearby counter for balance. My doctor was quick to grab my arm and help me back to my feet. "You should take it easy for the next couple weeks," she advised, "Get your husband to do any errands and just spend some quality time with your baby."

"That's not going to happen," I said seriously, reaching for the door. She looked to me like I was the worst patient she'd had in a long time and I felt bad about it, but my rage was going to come if it wanted to. Being pregnant _wasn't_ fun and surely she knew that. Surely she _also_ knew that I didn't want to feel helpless. I was going to be on my feet until the baby came out, and then I'd continue doing so afterwards. I might allow myself a single day of rest after labour—but that's all. "Besides," I told her, reaching for the door. "I'm not married."

After a while I was finally out of the clinic and I found Michael sitting on a cement wall overlooking a beautiful garden. I planned to surprise him, but as I crept forward I noticed that he was actually crying. I hugged him around his middle and he gasped, wiping away at his tears. "Michael, don't do that," I said quietly into his ear. "I want you to cry if you need to cry."

"I already did," he said with a great big smile, "All done."

"Talk to me..."

He looked to me and then back to the garden. "My family is falling apart, Tatum. The whole thing. Willis is flighty and unsure about his life, Jenna's dying and Mom and Dad might _already_ be dead and of course Betamon's been taken to Gaia's side and she's using him against us..."

"Well we're going to get him back," I promised him, "And I just learned something that might help Jenna's pregnancy." As if she was scolding me for lying, Louisa kicked my stomach hard. Michael jumped at the contact since I was still pressed against him from behind and then he laughed lightly. "I'm _sure_ your parents are alright. He's a famous movie star, if his flight fell, don't you think we'd have heard about it?" Michael smiled optimistically. "And even if everything crumbles, I'll still be here to help you build a path. I'm not going anywhere Michael, not ever."

Michael immediately turned and propped himself up on his knees to kiss me. I was happy to see him in a better mood, but when he pulled back he put his typical grin on his face and said, "Well, we'd better start planning our wedding." And of course I laughed. But the thing about that was that I couldn't be sure if he was joking or not. I smiled nervously and let him lead the way back to where Kiyoko was going to send the portal. Usually I would be in charge of directions, but my mind was still on Michael's words—and I hated myself for that. There was so much to be working on _aside_ from worrying about whether or not Michael and I were ready to be married...

Michael found the alley we were to wait in, and found that we were a few minutes early, so we leaned against the wall waiting. Michael told me of a funny bird he saw while I was in the clinic, and I skimmed over what the doctor had told me, that Louisa might come early—though I left out her name and gender, because Michael still had no idea.

When finally the portal had returned we moved swiftly, stepping into an empty laboratory. I was surprised because the portal mostly opened into the courtyard, but when I turned and saw there was one figure waiting over at the chemistry table I understood why. "Did Kiyoko teach you his new trick?" I asked Koushiro, pointing to the golden rip in the air.

Koushiro looked up for a moment and shrugged as he returned to his work. "Willis and I took part in creating this bridge between the worlds. Kiyoko needn't teach me anything." Michael looked to me in a way that clearly read 'Yeesh' and I nodded my head. Koushiro had been in a bad mood for weeks, and it was obvious _why_. Tentomon was taken, the worlds were in peril. It was the same reasons that everyone else was upset. But perhaps there was more.

"What happened to the council?" Michael wondered.

Koushiro pursed his lips, "Taichi told me to leave because I was—and I quote—'too stressed' as if _he_ hasn't been pulling his hair out in chunks for the past two years. He surely has no right to tell me to take a break."

"Everyone needs a break every now and then," Michael said, throwing his arm around my shoulder. I thought maybe he was trying to relay that message to me as well but I chose to ignore it either way. I really didn't want a break.

Koushiro did not respond and as we stood there, staring to him and waiting for him to, it became clear he did not plan to. Michael eventually motioned to the door and I nodded. The two of us silently made our way to the exit, and I had just opened the door when Koushiro blurted out, "Tatum I need your help." Michael looked confused and wondered if he should stay but I told him to go. All with our eyes of course. We were very communicative. As I slipped into the room Koushiro looked like he may already have regretted asking for help at all.

"What's going on?" I wondered, looking to the chemicals in front of him. I searched the room for a pair of protective goggles, but Koushiro was removing his gloves, which made me wonder if what I was helping him with had anything to do with the chemicals at all.

Koushiro took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "I need someone to give me a push," he said calmly, "Or someone to do the work for me." I felt my eyes bug out and Koushiro rolled his eyes and waved his hand to dismiss the judgement. "I am incapable of doing this work, not because I lack the skills but because my mind will not _allow_ me to do so."

"What work?" I asked, confused.

"I have spent my entire life fighting any lingering need to search for my family," Koushiro said simply. "I did not have any intention to ever learn more, but now it only seems right." He still didn't seem too sure though. "For Kiyoko," he added.

"Naturally," I nodded, but honestly there wasn't much I knew about researching family trees. I knew what Kiyoko wanted, but there was nothing I could necessarily do. It may have been simple, but the easiest way to research was to go to the one person who could dig up dirt on anyone, any place, any time. "Come with me," I told him. I was already preparing my mind to learn and watch what was going on so I could use this knowledge later and not have to redirect someone to another if ever I was asked for advice on genealogy again.

"I think we should bring Mimi," Koushiro said when he'd spotted her standing outside the closed restaurant looking defeated. "She'd like to know too I think." When we asked her to come along her mood shifted quickly and she was skipping alongside us, asking all kinds of questions that we still hadn't found the answers to, so I thought maybe she missed the point of what we were going to do.

I knocked on the door to our very own super sleuth and when she opened the door she had a pen hanging from her mouth, held between her teeth. She removed it and stepped aside so we could enter. "The ginger scientists have come to me in their time of need," she said as we stepped into her cluttered room. She had only been here a couple of weeks, so the mess was shocking, but I was used to messes living with Michael, Jenna, Monodramon, Kudamon... Willis too. Sometimes I wondered if I was the only one cleaning. "What can I do for you?"

Koushiro was looking to me like I was insane, but obviously he'd never used Katsue's insane ability for anything before. Probably because he was also rather good at researching. If he'd just asked Mimi he would know though, since Mimi had once gone to Katsue for information about Gennai—information Koushiro had never known before. "We're looking for Koushiro's family tree."

Katsue seemed disappointing, "That's kind of boring," she sighed, but she led us to her desk where papers and pens were littering the surface. "Okay, well it's actually really easy to do this," she explained as she flopped into the wooden chair and booted up her slim laptop. "But you have to keep a lookout for some crazy people who make connections that aren't really there. When I looked up my history I found that my grandfather was Oda Nobunaga."

"The samurai warlord?" Koushiro asked, confused. Katsue nodded. "He was born several hundred years ago, that isn't possible."

"Exactly," Katsue said, as she began typing, "but for the most part the mistakes are pretty obvious. People having children after they died, or before they were born—those are pretty good hints that you're looking in the wrong place." Katsue finally loaded up a page that was decorated with a large corny tree. "Okay so here we are. We just look up a general person and finding the links are pretty easy. Amai and I like to research random celebrities and see if we can draw connections between us and them."

"Can you search me?" Mimi asked, pressing her face between Katsue and Koushiro. Katsue nodded and did as was instructed. "Now change my age to twenty two—"

"Mimi, you can't do that," Koushiro rolled his eyes as he pulled her away, "besides, even if that did revert your age, I would be far too old for you."

"But I'd still love you," Mimi promised.

Koushiro was hanging his head in embarrassment as Katsue got to work, but when she searched Koushiro up on the system it was mostly blank. "Well the thing about this is that the information has to be filled in by someone. Your mother is Yoshie and your father is Masami. There's a couple lines tracing their family trees back but they don't go far and they both conclude in a dead end."

"So this won't work," Koushiro guessed.

"You have such little faith in me," Katsue said, rolling her eyes. She opened a new tab and began researching adoptions in the late eighties and early nineties. She found several that were known as 'Izumi baby' because the name was apparently rather popular, as Katsue liked to point out. "I find a lot of Izumi's while searching through the site."

"Izumi Orimoto works at my restaurant," Mimi nodded.

"So she does," Katsue said, barely paying any attention.

"Well, she did," Mimi sighed, "before she ran away to the Digital World. It's been super nice to catch up with her ever since she came back from Mount Olympos. She's been helping in the—"

"Aha!" Katsue said, cutting across Mimi's words. "Little baby Koushiro." She pointed to the screen where it showed a newspaper article featuring an infant Koushiro. His face turned red as Mimi let out a loud squeal of excitement.

Something was tugging at the back of my mind as I looked to the arms holding the baby. "Why don't you just ask your parents?"

Koushiro looked pointedly away from me, so Mimi explained. "He doesn't want to hurt their feelings or something. I don't know exactly." That seemed odd, since going behind their backs would hurt their feelings _more_ , but who was I to step in the way of Kourhiro's mind process. He _had_ won out over me for the Crest of Knowledge after all.

"So," Katsue said, "Your parents are listed here as 'distant' relatives, and apparently your old family was centered around Aomori..." Katsue's voice trailed off suspiciously as she began clicking away, searching up Izumi families in the Aomori area. While it was loading she was already searching for a way to connect Masami to these other Izumi's. And then she began searching for Kandosuru and Kayo Izumi—Kiyoko's parents. "Okay," Katsue said, taking all of the information in. "Uh, how much digging have you done _before_ now?"

"None," Koushiro admitted, "I only know of Kiyoko and his deceased parents."

"Okay," Katsue said slowly, pulling a pad of paper nearer to her. She grabbed the pen that had previously been in her mouth and began to draw out a small chart. "This is you," she said as she wrote his name down. "Your two unnamed parents go here, and over here is Kiyoko and his parents. Now, a lot of this family is shrouded in secrets, but there is one person who I know that can help you get those answers."

"And who is that?" Koushiro asked.

Katsue traced the line down to where a cousin of Koushiro and Kiyoko's would be and she circled the location. "Just about the coolest person you'll ever meet."

"Sora?" Koushiro gasped. Mimi swatted him across the back of the head faster than I could register what he had said. Koushiro's face turned red again, "I-I just meant that she is the first person I would _want_ to be related to in that way. It would be weird if you were my cousin, Mimi."

"Okay," Mimi said, crossing her arms, "And who is closest to you that _isn't_ related to you."

Koushiro looked like he was trying to decide the perfect answer and finally he said, "Tentomon," Mimi nodded, seemingly alright by that response. "Sora—"

"Koushiro!" Mimi gasped.

"I'm confused, Mimi," he admitted, "Do you want to be related to me or do you not? We _are_ married, so technically we're related—"

"Well guess what?" Mimi asked, "My list goes like this," she cleared her throat, "Palmon, Sukamon and Chuumon, _everyone other than you_ , then Satan—"

"Mimi," Koushiro gasped. Mimi was pouting now and Koushiro groaned loudly. Both of them were stressed and I had seen it happen before, just never at the same time in the same room and I did not know how to handle both of them separately. Mimi moved to Katsue's bed and sat down, crossing her arms and Koushiro let out an exasperated sigh, "I suppose now is an awful time to mention that I would like a divorce—"

" _What_?" Mimi nearly screeched, her pouting disappeared immediately and she now looked only _hurt_. "W-what did you say?"

"It's complicated, but if you let me explain I'm sure you'll understand—" Koushiro started, but he was interrupted, this time by Taichi.

"Whatever it is can wait," Taichi said, shoving himself into the room, looking entirely out of breath. "It's happened. The Land of Dreams has melded with Witchendor—" Witchendor was a name Michael had created for the combined worlds of Witchenly and Sidhendor and I knew he would be excited that it had caught on, but my mind was currently flustered and searching desperately for some kind of explanation to how we had let this come so far so quickly. "Your break is over, we need to act _now_."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Kiyoko watches as everyone is asked to help in the war, and feels a little left out as Iori finally gets the position he's been waiting for. Both boys take unexpected trips, and neither were penned in Taichi's strict day planner.


	62. For the First Time in Forever

**Y/N:** Two of my favourites narrate this time around: Iori and Kiyoko. Do I know what this chapter is about? No. No I do not. But I'm sure I had a lot of fun writing it. Iori's had some action, and Kiyoko's a bad cafe patron—he might also continue his search for his past...

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 62: For the First Time in Forever**

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

Mari, Hideto and I were just waiting for instructions. We weren't a part of the hustle and bustle of the Temple anymore, since we'd been away with the Olympos XII for so long, and while Izumi and her friends had found ways to slip into the swing of things, we hadn't bothered. We were sitting at one of the cafe's tables, each sipping casually at glasses of water, so that we wouldn't need to give up our table at any point. Hideto was constantly berated by Mimi for not joining the cafe's staff, but Hideto wasn't interested in waiting tables right then.

"What's Taichi doing?" Hideto asked, nodding over in Taichi's direction. Taichi was talking to Iori in hushed tones, and glancing from side to side suspiciously. "He already talked to Daisuke, and then Daisuke left."

"I have no idea," I told him, taking a sip of my water pointedly, when Mimi sent a glare in our direction for loitering and hogging a table pointlessly. We wanted to be where the people were. It wasn't any fun sitting in an empty theatre. We were here to watch the movements, and to try and figure out what we would be able to help with.

Aneko was even helping, by bringing cookies that she'd made with Yoshie to everyone in the Temple to keep morale up. Tatum was very heavily pregnant, and _she_ was given tasks to do. But we weren't. We were three very capable individuals. When we were given a job, it got done—even if it wasn't through stereotypically _good_ methods.

It almost felt like we weren't important anymore. Once everyone learned that we weren't meant to be alive, maybe they decided that we weren't needed. Our Crests weren't even real. They were created when we tainted the ones the fairies meant for us to have. We weren't supposed to be here. We were wild cards, and no one knew what to do with us. It was disappointing, and all it caused was for our minds to be filled with dread and wallowing. I couldn't keep myself from thinking that I was meant to be dead. I accepted that Hideto was right, and that it was better this way, but I wasn't sure if that was because he was _right_ , or if I was just desperate to keep living.

And I _was_.

I didn't want to die. Everyone else seemed set in stone. They knew they were going to have to face Gaia head on, but I wasn't sure I could do it. I _wanted_ to be able to do it, but I had so many of Sigma's memories floating around in my mind. I knew what Gaia was capable of, and despite all of my new courage, I didn't want to face her. I knew that I would lose. But it was cowardly to admit that I wanted to hide away, and hope that Gaia just forgot about me.

There was so much that I wanted to live for, but I knew that Hideto and Mari would never run away with me, and I couldn't live without them. We were a team, even when Neo and Rei were doing something different, off in their own worlds. I always knew that I had Hideto and Mari on my side. I also knew that if they weren't going to leave, I wouldn't be going anywhere. We would either survive or die, but we'd be together while doing it.

"He's coming over here," Hideto said, watching Iori walk off, and Taichi head our way. We sat up a little straighter, and looked to each other. "Who's he after, do you think?"

"What would he want with us?" I asked Hideto shrugging my shoulders. "He seems to think Mari's the best of us. He'll be here for her." Hideto winced, and I wondered if I maybe shouldn't have said that. I knew that he was working on his self-confidence and self-worth. I just didn't understand why he didn't realize I thought the world of him. I loved him more than anything, and he supposedly 'set me free' but he hinted that if I waited long enough, he'd want me back. I did realize that dating other people might've sent him a bit of a mixed message, but I couldn't help it. I was trying to find myself too, and I needed to be more confident too.

I was done with that though. I was just waiting for him to realize that I was in fact waiting for _him_.

"Yeah," Hideto said with a sigh. "Mari's the best."

"Hideto," I whispered sadly. "That's not what I meant."

"Hey Mari," Taichi said, leaning over the small, black fence that blocked off the outside seating area of the cafe. "I'm putting a team together. I'm looking for the perfect people to be a part of my squad, and I need you. I've got Daisuke, and Iori, and you're pretty much the icing on the cake."

"What about us?" I asked, glaring at him. "What should _we_ do?"

"Nothing," Taichi said, dismissing Hideto and I without a second thought. I wasn't sure if he was being intentionally rude or not. I wasn't actually close with him at all. I only knew what I did about him through Koushiro or Rei, but I liked to think that he wasn't a jerk all the time. Hideto winced again, though this was more subtle. Taichi didn't notice at all. I wanted to reach out and comfort Hideto, but I knew that it wouldn't be appreciated, since he had just assumed that _I_ had called him useless. I hadn't, but he didn't care.

"Where's Plutomon?" Mari asked, looking firm in her decision. "I'll go if he's there."

"He's already waiting," Taichi said with a smirk.

"Then let's go," Mari said. She got to her feet and pat both Hideto and I on the shoulder, extracting promises to watch over Aneko. I sighed, but said I would, and Hideto did the same. She left with Taichi, and I wanted so badly for it to _not_ be awkward without her, but it was. Hideto was still hurt, and wouldn't look at me.

Rei wandered over after ten agonizingly long minutes, and plopped herself down in between us. "What's wrong guys?"

"Taichi thinks we're useless," I told her. She frowned and put her hand on Hideto's back. Then I felt like I wasn't being fair to Taichi, and I didn't want Rei—his wife—to get him in trouble when Taichi didn't _actually_ say any of that. "That's what we're assuming anyway. He took Mari away."

"What a bully," Rei said with a pout. "Hideto, are you up for a walk? I need to go back to my house, but I'm not supposed to leave the Temple alone—it'd cause too many flashbacks to that time that I left the Coliseum alone, and everyone assumed I was dead when the virus came. Also, Gaia could be out there at any moment and I need some sort of protection, because I am _not_ a fighter. What do you say?"

"Alright," Hideto sighed, "if you really need help."

"I really do," Rei assured him. She waited until he was on his feet and walking away, turning around and looking impatiently at her before she got up to head out. She sent a wink my way, and I sighed. I was almost ashamed to be relieved, but I was so happy that the tense awkwardness was gone. I wanted to be able to return to the easy companionship that we used to have. I missed having him around the library all day. I missed the strong smell of his body wash on his skin. I missed the sound of him tinkering away in the kitchen. I missed cuddling with him while we watched movies. Aneko was _fine_ to cuddle with, but it really wasn't the same.

I missed _him_.

"Why the long face?" Takeru asked smiling brightly. The smile was forced though and I could see right through it. He offered me a mug of hot chocolate and sat in the chair Hideto had been using. "I think Taichi has something in the works. He's finally figured out what move he wants to make. I'm just hoping that means some of this tension will dissipate."

"Are you okay?" I asked him. His voice was strained, and his eye was twitching a little bit. He smiled some more and nodded his head, but then his smile melted off his face, and he looked into the mug of hot chocolate that he was holding in his hands.

"No," he admitted. "My parents are gone, and I just want to shut myself away and cry or...or scream or something, but I'm not going to do that. I need to keep the hope alive. I was able to do it in the Land of Dreams with Hikari, Koushiro and Ken all working against me. I can definitely do it now."

"You're more hopeful than I am," I offered. He sighed. "For what it's worth, I'll keep hoping that your parents are okay."

"Thanks," Takeru said, smiling a little bit. "I just wish I knew where they were."

"We'll find them," I told him, though I wouldn't even know where to begin looking. My heart went out to him. I was worried sick about Natsuko myself. I didn't really know Hiroaki, but that didn't mean I _didn't_ want him safe too. I just was more worried about Natsuko. She'd been my friend for a long time now. We were in Team Mom together.

We sat together in companionable silence, sipping away at the hot chocolates that Takeru had brought. I kept trying to think of something to say to help boost his spirits, but I always came up blank. I continued to 'drink' even when my mug was empty, and my water was gone. I didn't have anywhere to be, so I figured I might as well support Takeru, since he needed it—even though he was being stubborn and pretending that he didn't, for the sake of hope.

We watched as Emiko played with her cousin Masa, as she tossed a ball over his head. Monmon caught it, and tossed it back to Emiko. Kunemon was unable to help Masa in his attempts to get the ball. Jun was smiling as Haruki got to know his own partner, DemiVeemon. Haruki was a little overwhelmed, but he seemed to be having fun. Jun was sitting at a cafe table on the other side of the outside seating space, and she was sitting with Momoe, who was watching both her daughter, and her niece and nephew. Renjiro was asleep in his car seat next to her feet, with MarineAngemon snoring on top of him. Mai was playing nearby with her partner Poromon, who was thrilled to have her back. He was telling her everything that Hawkmon had told him about the Hawkmon race, and she was babbling right back with complete nonsense, but Poromon didn't seem to care.

Mimi was irritable, and walked over, filling my water glass with a huff, and stalking off again quickly when she caught sight of her husband walking our way. Koushiro watched her go and sighed while rolling his eyes. He seemed to grow anxious the closer he got, and I gave him a frosty look, still hurt by his complete and utter refusal to help me find the connection that I needed.

"Kiyoko," he said nervously, though I could tell he was aiming for a pleasant tone.

"Koushiro," I said. My desired tone was distinctly _not_ pleasant.

"I'll be going now," Takeru said, getting to his feet and fleeing what was shaping up to be a horridly awkward conversation. I wasn't sure I wanted to stay for it myself. I was still angry that he wouldn't even _consider_ helping me, and Mari and Hideto had just _left_ me here, even though we were supposed to be in this together. I wasn't in a good mood.

"I'd like to take you somewhere," Koushiro informed me.

"Won't Taichi miss you?" I asked. Koushiro was the brains of Taichi's operation. He would _definitely_ notice if Koushiro just up and left.

"Taichi's busy," Koushiro said simply. "I have no real duties at the moment, and this could potentially be the last opportunity for the pair of us to do this. So come with me. Please."

"Fine," I said with a sigh. He led the way to the 'unstable and dangerous' portal to Earth that I'd left open—despite specific instructions to _never_ do so, and stepped right in. I followed after him, and we found ourselves at home. I might've found more comfort in the library if I was able to stay there for more than a minute, but Koushiro was already leading me out of the front doors. Katsue was waiting on the curb, leaning against her car, and I started feeling really confused.

I mean, I didn't have any idea where we were going _before_ I saw Katsue, but I'd never really seen Katsue and Koushiro interact voluntarily before either, so I was pretty sure _something_ was going on.

"Let's do this thing," Katsue said, smiling encouragingly at me. I was still confused, but I played along. I climbed into the backseat, and watched silently out the window as Katsue drove us out of the city. It was almost an hour before she reached our destination. The house we were pulling up to was enormous, and the sight of it pulled at some strings in my memory. I'd been here before, though I couldn't remember anything about it. There were large walls fencing in the beautiful and serene garden area complete with an elaborate pond and several regal statues. The entire area looked like it probably cost more money than I would ever be able to produce in my entire lifetime.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Welcome to the Izumi manor," Katsue said with a smirk. "This is where your gra—"

"It's Grandmother's house," I gasped. I _knew_ that I remembered her. I just wasn't sure she was still alive. I didn't know how to find out. My heart hammered in my chest, and Katsue pulled the car to a stop. I climbed out before she'd even turned the car off, and I walked quickly to the front door, up the stairs, before I knocked hard on the door three times. I heard footsteps inside, and I expected a butler or something, with how fancy the house looked. But it wasn't a butler that opened the door. It was a friend.

"Hello," Amai said with a grin. "Welcome. I didn't know you were family before Katsue called me. I would've told you if I knew. You know that, don't you?" She just jumped immediately into her words with no warning and I was sure she didn't know how they had affected me. I felt like I had just run directly into a brick wall as I stared at her.

"We're _family_?" I asked. My eyes were stinging, and I rubbed my nose pre-emptively. I bit my lip, because I didn't want to cry, but it seemed like too much. It was one thing to learn that Grandmother was still out there somewhere, but to actually have _more_ family—and for that family to be Amai? That was a blessing I hadn't expected. Amai and I had gotten pretty close over the last year, and while I'd been proud to have made a non-Alias III friend, I was happier to know that I was close to my...relation.

"You're cousins," Katsue informed me, slapping me on the back as she walked up the stairs.

 _Cousins_.

I had another cousin—two really, since Amai had a sister.

Amai entwined her hand with mine and pulled me inside. Koushiro followed behind us, and I reached back for _his_ hand, since he looked rather anxious. He was hesitant, but he took my hand and let me—which really meant _Amai_ —lead him through the front door. I tried to look at everything as we passed, but I was kind of dazed. There were paintings—that looked like originals—on the walls, and an ornate rug under our feet. Rich colours surrounded us, and I was pretty sure I saw the glint of a crystal chandelier in one of the rooms we passed.

"Jazz and the others are here," Amai informed us, when there was a loud cheer. "They're watching the soccer game. They're kind of loud."

"Are they interested in coming to the Temple any time soon?" Koushiro wanted to know. "We could really use some trained fighters."

"We could be interested," Tafu said, leaning on the doorframe to one of the rooms. "What're you doing here? Did you come looking for us?"

"No silly," Amai said, shaking her head. "These are our cousins: Koushiro and Kiyoko."

"And they couldn't have come tomorrow?" Tafu wanted to know, looking really grumpy about our presence. "Grandmother would be done by then."

"Don't be mean, Tafu," Amai said. "Grandmother _asked_ to see them."

"Of _course_ she did," Tafu said bitterly. "Might as well go and see her then."

Tafu joined us, after looking in on Candlemon and the rest of the fight club, and telling them that she'd be back later. It was strange to see her and Amai now. I had known them both for more than a year and yet I felt like I was just getting to know them now. Tafu and Amai Izumi were my cousins. Tafu took the lead now, waltzing confidently through the hall towards a grand dining room. There was a long table and a thin, elderly woman that was all sharp corners, and no warmth. She was talking with a familiar lawyer—Mr Horitsu, Iori's boss, and the man that helped Mari and Sora with their trials not too long ago—as they went over crisp white documents.

"Grandmother," Tafu said. The woman looked up sharply, and did not seem pleased to be interrupted, but her eyes slid from Tafu to Koushiro, and then to me. Her eyes looked a touch misty, but that might have been a figment of my imagination—or maybe just the view from the tears that were still stubbornly pooling in my own eyes.

"Sit," she commanded. Koushiro and I sat in the chairs directly across from her and Horitsu, while Amai sat beside me, and Tafu sat beside Koushiro. Katsue leaned awkwardly against the back of Amai's chair, unsure if she wanted to stay here for this, or if she wanted to slip into the other room where they were watching the game. She stayed though.

"My children," Grandmother said, "are dead. All three of my boys, your fathers, are gone. That was not in my plans. I never wanted to outlive my children. I am glad that I have not outlived you, after all."

"You knew I was alive?" I asked, shocked.

"I received word," she said. "You did not come forward, so I assumed you did not want to be contacted."

"Why didn't you look for me?" I wanted to know. I didn't want to be asking her all my unanswered questions. I wanted to wait until I actually _knew_ her, at least, before I pleaded for answers. But my mouth had other plans. "I needed help."

"You're fine," she said sharply. Then she took a deep breath and settled herself. "The police told me that you perished in the fire with your parents. I had lost my son, my daughter-in-law and my grandson in one night. Excuse me for grieving, rather than searching for you."

"I wasn't even there," I said softly. "Didn't you notice? They threw me away a _year_ before the fire. A whole _year_."

"Grandmother has a lot of duties," Tafu answered dutifully. "She did not have a lot of time to spend with her children after her husband's passing."

"Too little time," Grandmother said. "Now they are gone, and I'll not have any time to mend that mistake."

She spent a little time looking at both Koushiro and I intently. I felt exposed when her eyes were on me. It was like she was analyzing me, and I wasn't sure I was living up to the expectations.

"There's too much Kayo in you," she told me. I felt uncomfortable talking about my parents, and didn't particularly like being compared to them. "But you have your father's nose. I remember that well. But you," she said, looking to Koushiro. "There's so much of Konchou in you. I can barely see where he ends and you begin."

"Konchou," Koushiro said, testing the name. "That was my father?"

"You didn't know?" she asked. Her nose flared, and she seemed angered for a moment, before she was able to get her temper in check. "No. You couldn't have known. He ran off with that wild child, and I never saw him again. He was with her, when he died."

"I know that much," Koushiro said. "I also know that despite my supposedly large family, I was given to a very distant relation."

"Again, I had lost a son," she said sharply. "I was grieving."

"And again, she had no time to care for a child," Tafu added. I got the distinct feeling that she was proud of Grandmother's position, and that perhaps, that position was to be hers soon.

"I'm not complaining," Koushiro assured them. "In fact, I had no interest in coming at all. I'm here for Kiyoko, and him alone."

"I _am_ happy to learn that you two are doing well," Grandmother told him. I thought perhaps Koushiro's cold indifference was more compelling to her than my desperate need for this connection. She looked determined to be worthy of his notice, but she'd only complained that I looked too much like my mother. This wasn't how I wanted this to go.

But I had Amai, and she was perfect. Between Amai's caring nature and Koushiro's intellect, I didn't _need_ anyone else.

"Grandmother always wished she could know you," Amai said, smiling. "She's really happy to have this chance. She doesn't look it, but sometimes you have to look between the lines. And there are so many lines on her face—" Amai's grandmother, _my_ grandmother, sent Amai a rather cold stare, "She cares, she just hides it really well."

"Sure she does," I said, only a _little_ bit sarcastically under my breath.

"I am updating my will," Grandmother announced, when she realized that no one was going to start the conversation once again. "I no longer have any sons, but I do have two more grandchildren to take into account."

"I'm not interested," Koushiro informed her. "As I said, I'm here for Kiyoko, and nothing more. I actually have to leave, because the worlds are in danger."

"I know they are," Grandmother said sharply. "I am no fool. If the Izumi's are known for one thing, it is their intellect and observational skills. I _know_ the peril that our world is falling prey to. That is why I'm making a will. I may not survive the onslaught."

"Don't say that," Amai pleaded. Katsue squeezed her shoulders comfortingly.

"You'll be fine," Koushiro said as confidently as he could. "But we need to go. I'm actually needed at the Temple, and Taichi can't function without me for long stretches of time."

"I need to know who to name my heir," she insisted.

"Not me," Koushiro pointed out firmly once again. "I'm not interested."

"I just want family," I said softly.

"Well, you can't have anything, because I'm the oldest, and therefore _I_ should be named heir," Tafu said sharply, looking very much like Grandmother in that moment.

"Uhm...wow," Amai said, looking to her sister with surprise.

"I don't—" I tried to say.

"Grandmother, you might as well just write my name down," Tafu said, interrupting me.

"The money—"

"I _am_ the eldest, and you've been training me since I was twelve for the position," Tafu added.

"Grandm—"

"I realize that uncle Kandosuru was your initial heir, but I don't think Kiyoko can handle the pressure. He's not of good Izumi stock, you said it yourself. He takes after his mother too much," Tafu told Grandmother.

"Can you just shut up?" I growled, glaring at her. "I'm not interested in the money. When my parents died, I lived on the streets, and no one came looking for me. I've been alone for a long time. I can live without the money; I actually have some of my own. I just need a _family_. That's all I want. You're arguing with _no one_."

"Oh," Tafu said, as I blew the wind from her sails. She looked a little lost, and for that matter, so did Grandmother. Amai was crying though, because she was emotional like that sometimes. She hugged me tightly, and Koushiro got to his feet.

"We must be leaving," he said once again.

"You'll come back?" Grandmother asked, trying to sound casual, but failing. Koushiro faltered. I knew he wanted to say no, because he wasn't interested in this particular part of his family. He was happy with Yoshie and Masami. But Grandmother had lost her three sons and her husband, and she looked so fragile in that moment, when she thought she would never see us again, that Koushiro could say nothing other than: "Yes."

He then left the room, and I hurried to catch up to him after exchanging goodbyes with my Grandmother. Amai and Katsue followed. Tafu did as well, though she did so at a much slower pace. She called out to us and we stopped in the doorway.

"I'm sorry," she said, "for my actions in there. She always compared me to Kandosuru, and wanted me to live up to his legacy. I was afraid that she would forget all of our lessons in favour of giving the position of head of the family. To you."

"I don't want that," I said, shaking my head.

"Okay," she said, sounding much more pleasant. "We'll follow after you. We ought to be playing our part. We can't just sit on the sidelines while you fight for us. That's not our style."

"I'll show them the way!" Amai said cheerily. She kissed Katsue's cheek before pushing us out the door. We piled in the car, and I looked back at the house as Katsue drove away. Amai stood on the steps waving wildly at us until she faded into the distance.

The fight club would be on our side now—but it wasn't just the fight club. It was Amai and Tafu. It was my _family_.

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

I was in my element. Taichi had Daisuke, Mari, Plutomon and I preparing the army for battle all morning. It was exhausting, but it felt _good_. I was tired of standing around and doing nothing. The Land of Dreams was fused with Witchenly and Sidhendor now, and I was getting very worried about the safety of Yume. Summer had been very distracted since she and her sisters felt the shift. She was fretting, and Spring was too busy taking care of Jenna with Aesop to be able to comfort her. Winter had no time for such 'petty' activities, since she was plotting with Taichi, trying to decide which digimon needed to be sent first, and what the best way to get the army into the newly fused world undetected was.

There weren't very many ideas about _that_ floating around in my head, but I spent time with the less trained volunteers and tried to improve their fighting techniques. We needed skilled warriors, because that was where our advantage lay. We had our own minds. We were able to think for ourselves, while Gaia's army were under her command. They could only do whatever she could think for them to do. If we went in with an efficient, yet small group, we could theoretically win the battle with little effort, so long as we caught her unawares.

That was the hard part: catching Gaia of guard.

She had Norn on her side—which was confirmed by Rei and Alias III, since Morganna brought both Merlin _and_ Norn with her on her mission to enslave Jupitermon. She had succeeded, and now we had another powerful enemy. We actually had eleven more, since Merlin bound the Olympos XII members to do exactly as Jupitermon commanded.

I had actually been looking forward to spending time with Marsmon, and comparing my strategies with his, but obviously that wasn't an option anymore. Kotemon and Gravimon were our most skilled fighters on hand. Kotemon couldn't digivolve though, without the use of a Digimental, and since Gaia stole all of them, we weren't going to be able to count on any of the Knights to carry us through this fight. Gravimon was our secret weapon really. He was powerful, and he was unpredictable. The only allegiance any of us could be sure he had, was the one he had forged with Kiyoko. As long as Kiyoko fought on our side, then we would have Gravimon as well.

"Iori, I think it's time for a break," Taichi called.

"Alright," I said, nodding to the digimon I was training. I was disappointed. I knew that the digimon would like a break, and I wanted them to be comfortable, but I also knew that in the battle there wouldn't be a scheduled break. There would be endless amounts of fighting. If any of us stopped fighting, we'd be dead. There was no time to sit down and grab some water during a battle. But the relieved sighs of the digimon told me that there was no way they were going to keep going any longer without at _least_ half an hour to cool themselves off.

We were going to have a lot of work ahead of us if _that_ was going to continue.

I headed to the table that Sora had set up with buckets of ice that was holding water bottles, cooling them down. I took a bottle and took a swallow, not wanting to rush to rehydrate myself. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead and glanced over at Daisuke and Mari who were concentrating very heavily on a map that Summer had provided. It was a rough estimate, since it had been quite a long time since they had seen a map with all the worlds combined. They were working out which path we were going to take. I couldn't see how it would matter, since we would need to go through one of Kiyoko's portals, and if he was provided with enough information, he would be able to open that gate wherever we wanted it to be. But they'd been plotting route after route, making contingency plans for contingency plans. They weren't leaving anything up to chance, and I definitely appreciate their efforts—even if I _did_ find them to be strangely pointless.

Having drunk half of my bottle, I decided to walk around a little bit, not wanting to let my energy levels sink. I needed to keep moving. I would be setting a terrible example if I allowed myself to crash, and laze about for the rest of the day.

I nearly tripped over a ball that I thought I'd seen Emiko playing with earlier. She clearly dropped it in the middle of the street when the call for lunch came, and just forgot about it afterwards. I picked it up and tossed it from hand to hand, as I wandered the streets.

The Temple was feeling more like it used to, with the hundreds of digimon that roamed its streets. There weren't as many as there typically were, but it was feeling lively, and the sight of it gave me far more hope than any words Taichi could spit out, or even Takeru could conjure. The air wasn't _light_ exactly. There was far too much tension and trepidation for that. But it was spirited, and that was more than I expected it would be.

"Iori," Natsuni called, leaning in the doorway of our temporary lodgings. We were next door to Jou, which was pleasant at times, but really noisy at others, because Emiko and Monmon liked to get attention—and disliked bedtime. It was a trial putting Kana to bed with Emiko's antics seeping through our adjoining wall. It was also nice, though, to have Jou and Momoe right _there_. They had two kids. They'd been through this before, and we were still kind of getting used to Kana. We hadn't been ready when we learned she was coming, and we _still_ weren't ready when she arrived. We tried our best, but with her inability to process cow's milk and her colic, we'd had a trying first few months. She'd gotten over the colic, which was a blessing, but she still had to drink milk substitutes. It smelled weird, but it kept her happy and healthy, and that was all I wanted.

"Natsuni," I said, tossing the ball inside our apartment, and leaning in to kiss my wife. She giggled, and batted her eyes dramatically, playing up the damsel role, and I found myself chuckling. She smiled sweetly and rested her head against my chest, bringing her arms up around me and squeezing tightly.

"There you are," she murmured. "I thought I'd lost you under the pressure."

"I thrive under pressure," I countered.

"Yes, but you become someone else when you do," she pointed out. "I miss my loving husband, who devotes himself to his daughter and the law—in that order."

"I'll have time to be him later," I said softly. "But Taichi needs generals that can participate, and lead, and he picked me to be one of them. I can't let him down."

"Really?" she asked me pulling back and smiling. "I'm so happy for you. I'm also very worried about you. I don't want to lose you. I talked to your mother today, and she's been putting ideas in my head, about you leaving us, and I had to leave. I know it wasn't proper etiquette, and I'll apologize later, but I couldn't have Kana there to hear stuff like that. I couldn't bear it, Iori."

"Whenever she gets like that, just ignore her," I suggested. "She's thinking about my father, not me. She's worried because he didn't come home. I'm not my father though."

"No," Natsuni said sadly. " _He_ had proper military training and carried a gun."

"I've survived this long without one," I told her. "I don't need a gun. But if it makes you feel any better, Taichi had Jou work on one. Taichi's carrying it around with him now. It's got a tiny concentrated burst of the virus instead of regular bullets."

"That _doesn't_ make me feel any better," she said, shuddering. I rubbed my hand up and down her back, and she held me tighter. "I don't like the virus, Iori. I can't even _think_ about it without thinking about what happened to Noriko, and D'Arcmon and Jackie."

"I know," I said, sighing. "That's why I refuse to carry one. I can't bring myself to wield the weapon that killed my friend. I can't do that. But I know that it will help, if it comes down to it. We'd all prefer not to need them, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"The virus isn't _safe_ ," she insisted. I knew that, but I trusted Jou. He wouldn't create a weapon that wouldn't have any and all safety precautions installed. He was nothing if not thorough. I kissed the top of Natsuni's head, before pulling away. I needed to keep moving, to keep the blood pumping. I could already feel it slowing down. I bent down and touched my toes, and stretched up as high as I could. Natsuni laughed, because I looked ridiculous, but I needed to stretch my muscles _just_ in case I ended up cooling down. I didn't want tense, sore muscles slowing me down for any reason whatsoever.

"Where's Kana?" I asked. I peered into the living room, half expecting to see her lying on the ground with her feet in the air as she played with her toy, swatting at each of the dangling objects that hung down over her head. But she wasn't there. Goblimon was curled around Armadillomon's egg, and was sleeping on the couch. My stomach churned at the sight of the egg. It was too much of a reminder. Armadillomon was lost to me at that moment, and unless we could beat Gaia, he would _always_ be lost. I would never get to see him again.

I had Natsuni now, to keep me balanced, but it wasn't the same as having Armadillomon be right there, helping to guide me back towards the right path, and keep me on the moral high ground. He was the one that always reminded me to forgive all of my so called _imaginary_ slights, and helped me work my way through the heavier, tougher moments in need of forgiveness. Without Armadillomon, I was unable to exhibit my Crest to its fullest potential.

Not that it mattered. Without Armadillomon I didn't have a purpose for exploring my Crest any further. I could forgive my mother, for scaring Natsuni—though I wouldn't forget it. I could forgive Sukamon for being slower on the uptake during practice, because he put as much effort in as he could, and that was all that I asked. I could forgive Goblimon for leaving his club on the floor every morning at the breakfast table, no matter _how many_ times I tripped over it on my way to get Kana's breakfast.

But I couldn't find any forgiveness in my heart for Gaia, or Maugrim, or Bitoru, or any of Gaia's team. I couldn't forgive the people that willingly joined EVOLVE, and supported it still. I couldn't bear the thought of forgiving the people that _created_ the virus in the first place. I couldn't find forgiveness for the humans that were swayed by Gaia's internet announcement, and were actively trying to hunt down the Digidestined—going so far as to capture non-Digidestined and hand them over to the police, expecting praise. Those poor captured people were all stuck sitting in prison cells because the police didn't know what they were supposed to do with them, and it was a danger to the prisoners to release them where they could get hunted back down again.

If Armadillomon was with me, then maybe I could manage. But he wasn't, and so I couldn't.

"She's a fussy little girl today," Natsuni said with a tired smile. "I left her in her crib. I'm hoping she falls asleep soon, but I'm starting to doubt she will."

"I'll go see her," I offered. Sometimes she got fussy if she didn't see either of us for any length of time. She had the same problem if Goblimon didn't hold her for at least an hour every day. She loved Goblimon. I couldn't help but wonder most of the time how well she would've gotten along with Armadillomon too, but I wasn't sure if I would _ever_ know.

I slipped down the hallway. I could hear Natsuni in the kitchen, putting together a pot of tea so that she could try to ward off sleep a little longer. Once I opened the door to the smaller bedroom—which Goblimon insisted in making into a nursery, instead of his bedroom—I could hear Kana's gurgling noises. She was quieting down. She was done with crying. She knew that she'd need to have a nap. I smiled down at my little girl, and was struck by how much she'd grown since the first moment I held her. It was amazing, and terrifying all at once. Someday, she was going to go out into the world, all on her own, and I wasn't going to be able to protect her anymore. I needed to make the most of my current opportunity and ensure that she had a world that didn't _need_ protection.

"I made a mistake early," I whispered to her. "I thought what you needed was me. But that was selfish. I need _you_. You could make do without me if it means that the worlds were safe and at peace. I didn't think about it that way. I just thought about how miserable I was as a kid, knowing that Dad was dead. I was thinking of myself. I never thought I'd understand why Dad went out every day, to risk his life—to _lose_ it too. I thought he was crazy. I vowed when I was a kid, baby girl, that I would never make that same mistake. But I understand now...he didn't make the mistake. I did."

She gurgled, not understanding a word I was saying, but it didn't matter. I needed to tell her. I couldn't afford to make the same mistake again.

"I chose my own life, Kana, over keeping Morganna in prison. I could have died and we would have been at a much more advantageous point. I didn't do what I _needed_ to do. I screwed everything up. I made everything so much worse, because I was scared to leave you to grow without me. Because I remembered being scared and angry and confused as a kid, and I didn't want that for you. I still don't. But I can't be selfish again. The worlds are in the balance, sweetheart, and I can't put my life before yours, before _everyone's._ That's what I did, when I chose to live that day. I put you at risk, and I put everyone else that I care about, and everyone that I _don't_ care about at risk too. And it's not right."

She blinked up at me with her big, innocent eyes and I nearly crumbled.

"I'm so sorry that I need to put myself at risk to protect you and everyone else, but it's my duty, and it is _for_ you, even if you never realize that's what it is. I didn't, until now. I understand Dad so much right now, baby girl. And it hurts to know that I resented him for so long, and to know that you'll probably resent _me_ for so long for the same reasons."

I stopped to wipe my eyes, fearing that I'd soon be crying.

"Now you be good for your Mama," I told her seriously. "She's going to need you, if something happens to me. I have to fight for freedom and balance, and I'll try to come home, because I love you. I will give it everything I have, because you're here waiting for me. I love you. I do. Don't ever think that I don't if don't come home. I made that mistake with Dad, and I don't want you to ever doubt that I love you more than I love anything on this world, or any of the others."

"I thought you were supposed to be calming her down," Natsuni said. Her voice broke, and I wondered how long she'd been listening. She walked over and hugged me from behind. I could feel her tears on the back of my neck and I felt awful. I felt like the worst husband and father ever, because I was sitting here, telling my daughter that I might not come home, and never once considered saying a potential goodbye to Natsuni.

"She's calm," I said instead. "Nat—"

"No," she said firmly. "You're not going to die, so there's no point in telling me you might. I can't listen. It sounds too much like you're giving up, and that would break my heart. You could tell me you love me though. I could live with that."

"I do," I told her. "I love you so much—much more than I ever thought I could love anyone."

"Remember when you vowed to never date again," she said, trying for a smile, and not quite managing, because it was Noriko that caused that declaration and she was gone now. She just hugged me and cried softly for a few minutes, which was enough to lull Kana into sleep. I was glad that she was asleep, because I wouldn't have been able to walk out of the room if she wasn't, and I had to stay psyched up for more training in the evening. I figured I could give them that much time to rest, since I was now emotionally exhausted.

We didn't move until we heard a soft knocking on the door. Natsuni stayed in Kana's room for a few minutes, frantically wiping her eyes, and trying to look presentable—aka like she _hadn't_ been crying her eyes out, and losing morale.

I opened the door and saw that my mother was on the other side. She was caught off guard to see me, which I figured made sense, because I was almost always out and about, trying to do _something_ useful for the upcoming fight. "Mother," I said, nodding towards her.

"Son," she said, jokingly. I was surprised, because I'd never heard her joke before. It wasn't something she did. And she seemed _happy_. It was strange to see her happier than I'd ever seen her, considering the circumstances that surrounded us, but I didn't want to ask questions and ruin whatever good mood she had going on. "Is Natsuni in? I wanted to apologize. I lost my head earlier, and I think I scared her. I didn't mean to."

"I'm here," Natsuni said. She still looked like she'd been crying, but Mother took it as a sign that _she_ had made Natsuni cry, instead of me, and she walked over and hugged Natsuni tightly.

"I'm so sorry," Mother murmured. Natsuni was caught off guard, but she returned the hug, because it was the polite thing to do—and Natsuni was all about stuff like that, even when she was very confused. "Where's your father dear, you need to have someone to keep you company that isn't going to stick his foot in his mouth, like I keep doing."

"He's at home," Natsuni said softly. "I haven't had a chance to go and get him yet. I have to stay with Kana. I _want_ to stay with Kana. I need to protect her, and keep her safe. But if you could watch her, I could go get him now."

"No," I protested quickly. "You want to be with Kana. Don't push yourself to go on a potentially dangerous trip when you want to be here. I'll do it. I'll get him. It won't be that difficult unless he was evacuated when everyone else was."

"He refused to be," Natsuni said with a sheepish smile. "He's stubborn like that, and he was far enough away from Astamon's location that he didn't _need_ to be."

"You stay with Mother and Kana," I told her. "I don't trust you to not try and follow." Natsuni blushed and looked guilty. "Mother, keep an eye on my girls, yeah?"

"Of course," Mother said.

"Go get him, General Hida," Natsuni said, leaning over to kiss me once, quickly. I kissed back, because it was natural, but I felt awkward about it. I always did whenever we kissed in front of my mother.

"General?" Mother asked. Her eyes grew misty, and she hugged me quickly before letting go. "You are so much like your father. You become more like him every day. But don't become _too_ much like him. I want you to come home."

"I will," I said, though I couldn't be sure if I was lying or not, and Natsuni knew as much. "I'll come home. We're not even heading out for a few more days. We've got some time. I'm not going just yet."

"Good," Mother said, patting my cheek. "I think your father would be proud of you, and I _know_ your grandfather is."

"Thanks," I said.

We exchanged goodbyes, and I headed off towards the portal to Earth, knowing that I'd have to keep a strict schedule, if I was going to make it back to train the digimon some more. While I was walking to the portal, I nearly ran over Hikari, who had her eyes to the ground and a phone pressed to her ear. Kurayami was beside her, whispering questions to Hikari, though Hikari was telling her to hush up.

"What's going on?" I asked Kurayami. She looked up to me and glanced over her shoulder—I didn't know what she was looking for.

"I don't want to get their hopes up," she whispered, "but Kimi sent word that someone claimed that they saw Yamato and Takeru's parents. We're going to check it out for them, so that way they aren't too upset if it turns out to be nothing."

"Do you want me to go with you?" I offered. It was dangerous to be on Earth right now for the Digidestined, and Kurayami had lost her natural defense mechanism: her darkness. She hesitated and then looked at me, hopeful. She nodded, and we waited for Hikari to hang up, before stepping through to Earth. We couldn't catch a taxi, because we couldn't risk being caught and discovered as Digidestined, so we borrowed Mantarou's beat up—and now dented—car. He'd left the keys on a hook by the library door, just in case anyone needed it. It was rather thoughtful of him. He wasn't too worried about it being in another car chase, or being completely destroyed. He was fine with anything.

Hikari decided to drive, so Kurayami slipped into the messy backseat. I sat in the passenger seat, and we were off. The traffic was practically nonexistent, because of the evacuation, but there were definitely more cars than I expected. We pulled into the police station, and we all walked in together, not wanting to send anyone in without backup, just in case. Kimi grimaced when she saw us, and while I initially thought she was just being rude, I soon realized she was just unhappy that she couldn't give us better news.

"It was a bust guys," she said apologetically. "He saw them, described them perfectly, but it was weeks ago, when Astamon started his rampage through town. That's not recent enough for us to be able to confirm their status. We're going to keep looking though, don't worry. We'll find them."

"Thank you for your help," Hikari said pleasantly, though anyone could see that she was bitterly disappointed. She wanted to be able to tell Takeru that his parents were okay. She wanted to brighten our hopeful sun that was sinking fast.

"We'll find the Ishidas," Kimi said firmly. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, okay?"

"They're not married," Hikari pointed out, sounding worried. "It might not make a difference, but her name is Natsuko _Takaishi_. I don't know how it will help, but if I _could_."

"I'll make the corrections," Kimi promised. "Now get to safety. Yakuin might be in the hospital, but he's not the only EVOLVE member on the force, and he's not the only one that was easy to sway. The chief and I are all that's left. Everyone else wants to go on the war path for Ken, because he announced in the middle of the office that he was a Digidestined. Keep safe."

"We will," I promised.

We headed back to the car, and I kept a sharp eye out for any would-be attackers. We made it safely to the car though, and Hikari drove us towards Natsuni's childhood home. It loomed above us, because of its large stature, and we got out of the car without bothering to park it anywhere in particular. We were going to get right back into it—though it did mar the aesthetics quite a lot, since it was so beat up.

Kurayami got to the door first, so she knocked as loudly as she could—as though she was afraid my father-in-law wouldn't be able to hear her knocks deep in the house. The door opened quickly, but the chain remained on the door. Natsuni's father peered out.

"You can't be here!" he called frantically.

"What?" Hikari wanted to know.

"Natsuni wanted us to get you," I told him. "She's worried sick."

"Just go without me," he pleaded.

"Be a dear and open the door," a woman's voice called. It was Natsuni's mother. I was quite confused. She wasn't allowed within fifty metres of the house, as per the restraining order that was filed. She couldn't legally be there. "Move him," she commanded. A white, round hand grabbed hold of my father-in-law, and pulled him away from the door. There was the sharp clicking of heels on the floor, and then the latch was being undone.

"She told Gaia that you'd come," my father-in-law shouted. "Get away. Get away _now_!"

"They won't be doing that," his ex-wife purred. The door was thrown open, and four Vilemon poured out, followed by a Sniimon. The Vilemon attacked Hikari and Kurayami, and I realized that left the Sniimon for me. But he was taking his sweet time in getting to me, so I figured I'd give the girls a hand. I slammed my fist angrily into the first Vilemon that was tugging on Kurayami's hair, before kicking the one that was trying to hold her knees together, so that she couldn't run away.

"Get to the car!" I shouted. She tried to move, but the Vilemon were back before she'd made it three steps. I tried to free Hikari from her Vilemon attackers, but it was no use. And then Sniimon was upon me. I ducked under his bladed hands, and gave him a quick jab under his chin.

"What's happening?" Hikari wanted to know as she cried out in pain. The Vilemon bit her arm. I was angry, and her pain distracted me. Sniimon nearly got a hit on me, but my father-in-law reminded me to pay attention.

"She contacted Gaia's authorities," he explained. "She told them that Natsuni was married to a Digidestined, and that if they waited, they would find one here. I'm sorry. I tried to send word, but she blocked the phones off."

"It's fine," I told him, punching Sniimon again. He didn't like it. It just made him angry.

"I will have my revenge," my mother-in-law declared, distracting me again. I was a little out of practice. It had been over a year since I was beating on shadows daily. Sniimon slammed his head into my own, and I was falling to the ground. At some point, on my trip down, everything went black.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Woah someone was kidnapped again? Sounds like a repetitive storyline, but at least it's always a way to add drama! Kurayami doesn't find herself too pleased with her situations and neither does Hideto, only I bet he'd be a lot less whiny if he knew what Iori, Kura and Hikari were dealing with.


	63. Reflection

**Y/N:** Hideto reflects on some things, and he might have a bit of adventure. Hideto's always interesting to write for me. I hope you like it.

 **U/N:** So Kura here! Getting to write the aftermath of the kidnapping was a lot more fun than writing an actual kidnapping scene I find. I really like the tone of Sidhendor in this arc though, and it really feels dark—to me at least. It helps set the tone for the climax, which to me is fitting... I hope you're all feeling the same things!

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 63: Reflection**

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

Things were different from the last time we had set foot in the world only a couple of weeks ago. It was both amazing and _terrifying_ how much affect Gaia could have on her surroundings. She wasn't acting a typical movie villain, buying her time and giving us enough leeway to step in and stop her because she wasn't foolish and she wasn't scripted to lose. Gaia was acting diligently and intelligently, swiftly taking control of everything her heart desired. Her greed was spinning out of control—or I'd like to believe that, but Gaia actually seemed to be entirely in control of herself. There was seemingly nothing that could stop her... or maybe I was thinking too narrow mindedly and the Digidestined were not all that was left. Maybe someone else, some random Sidhendorian citizen, had come up with a fool proof plan to gain back control. But it seemed unlikely.

The world was different in ways I was not pleased to take in. The sky that was usually lit by an undisclosed source of light that simply shone magically down on the land now had several fluffy clouds above, that were probably brought from the Land of Dreams, while I could see an enormous moon in the far off landscape that clearly hovered around the world of Witchenly. No, not the _world_ of Witchenly anymore, but rather the _land_. The worlds were slowly piecing back into their normal puzzle. There were originally five continents. Sidhendor, Witchenly, Somnus, Neverland and Pangaea. Neverland was broken and impossible to simply retrieve, and that meant that Pangaea had to be Gaia's next target.

I was scared for not only my own safety now, but for the safety of everyone on Earth. It was impossible for all of Earth's continents to exist as they were, and they would have to come together once more, forgetting about their general separation. The continents would all have to meld together once more to become Pangaea and not only could that be massively dangerous for the structures of the world, but—less importantly right now—it would cause a massive dispute about land, control and wealth.

I didn't have time to worry about that yet. I was going to keep doing it, but sometimes it was important to start focusing on your own situation if you needed help and there was no one around to do that. I could help the rest of the Digidestined stop Pangaea from melding with the rest of this messy world, but I couldn't do that if I didn't find a way out of my captive state.

There was a rather aggressive Snimon that had Iori held in his grip. Iori had yet to wake from his unconscious state, but he had done better than either Hikari or I in our desperate attempt to flee. Without him we surely stood no chance. Hikari and I were both being dragged by the flying Vilemon who were dragging us through the sky, following Snimon who was in the lead.

I was trying to use what I had at my disposal to get out, but I could not even move my arms. The best I could think was that I could possibly make use of the 'wild' magic that was supposedly attached to the Land of Dreams because in all actuality that meant it would be here in this land now since the worlds had combined. I didn't know much about the world, but I knew that Hikari and Iori both did, and while our male companion may have found himself unable to assist us, surely Hikari would be able to figure it out.

I found myself wishing for anything I could think of, but nothing appeared. I wondered how the magic was supposed to function but obviously I wasn't meant to know the answer to that. Instead I began praying loudly inside my head for Norn to appear. She could help. Norn would be able to defeat these digimon without issue. I wanted Labramon to come and swoop in to save the day like he had gotten so good at doing. I was imagining Yume—who I had never actually met—and sending my wishes to him, expecting him to save us from our captors if I could find myself dreaming hard enough.

But they weren't coming.

I felt tears in my eyes as I thought of Haruki.

My son would remember me now, and I could not let him live his life without his mother. But would it be _safer_ for him? I knew now that the reason I was unable to become the monster my mother had been was because I had the power of darkness protecting me from Zeta's sorrow, but now that Gaia had that darkness I had nothing to prevent me from transforming into a lifeless, angry beast. I could hurt Haruki without my darkness, and that was terrifying. Every night I was scared that I would slip and that Haruki would be a victim to my potential madness.

Daisuke and Takeru and Jun... I was being taken away from them and they didn't even know that I had _left_ the Temple let alone why I would never return! But _no_. I could not lose hope so easily. I had to continue to fight back.

I swung my feet, trying desperately to hit one of the creatures who had my arms but they were quicker than I was and they pulled away. Both squeezed harder on my arms and I cried out in pain as it shot through my limbs.

I couldn't fight a digimon. I wasn't strong enough, and even if I _was_ I would fall to the ground far below if I could even manage to contort myself enough to get a good hit into the fray. The truth of the matter was that these creatures—these servants of the wretch known as Gaia—were taking me to their master and she would decided what to do with us next.

But I knew what her decision would be.

" _Dispose of them_. _"_

I could still remember her voice. It was so void of any kind of emotion and it had startled me to hear. She had expressed so much compassion and empathy, like she genuinely cared what Hikari and I had to say. She helped us through our problems and showed us the path to a greater tomorrow. I had a theory that she had only done so because she needed our consent to take our light and dark, but there was a small seed of doubt. I thought that perhaps— _perhaps_ —Gaia was truly insane. It was possible that she would go through any means necessary to gather trust from those too naive to keep themselves barred from her so that she had an easier time when her plans came to play. She wanted our light and dark and she hadn't needed to put up a fight in the slightest.

We _gave_ her what she wanted. Because we trusted her.

Rei had a similar story. Rei had handed over the key to Witchenly and the key to Theta—though she did not know what the key was at the time—because Gaia had gone through extensive work to ensure Rei trusted her. She even went as far as to fix the severed nerves in Rei's spine to undo the effects the truck had caused her.

Gaia was a master manipulator. Either that or we had several naive fools on our team. Either way it made it much harder to defeat her.

Gaia was more intelligent and creative and powerful than anyone we had ever faced. I had thought—prayed—that after Yggdrasil we would never find someone who put up more of a fight, and while we hadn't actually gotten a chance to really try to fight Gaia yet, she was already proving to be more of a dangerous situation than Yggdrasil ever could.

She had planted him after all.

There was always one step _up_. The Sovereign were formed by Fanglongmon who had been created by the fairies. The fairies had been created by Sigma. Sigma had been created by Yggdrasil who had been planted by Gaia. Even if we _could_ defeat her, would it be the end, or would we find a master creator? Who had created Gaia and her sister and everyone else in the first place? Spring created life in the form of birth, but how had the original immortals been created? How had Aesop been born? Where had Maugrim come from if Aesop had lived first? When did the creation of the immortals stop? Was there _more_ to this mess, or were we finally going to live in the ignorant bliss known as unanswered questions?

"We should take a break!" I heard the Vilemon holding Hikari's left arm shout out. "I'm getting tired."

"We will not rest!" one of the Vilemon holding me shouted back loudly as spit flew into the air and landed on my neck. I grimaced in total disgust but said nothing. I did not want to risk them trying to hurt me again. There was nothing stopping them from killing us. We had no protection. "We are close. I can see the armies now."

I looked around immediately, scanning the forests below, trying to locate the so called 'armies' but they were not underneath the thick leafy trees, waiting in the forest to strike unseen. They did not _need_ the element of surprise because their numbers were incredible. There was a vast field making up the area between the forest—filled with beautiful and twisted trees—and the majestic storybook-like castle—standing elegantly on the horizon—and the field was where the army stood.

They were all waiting in line like chess pieces waiting for their player—Gaia—to make the move. The problem was that Gaia was playing both sides now. She had the white players, run by Hikari's light and the black players to follow my darkness. Gaia was playing a game with _herself_ and there was no way to actually win if we couldn't find a way to join the match. I could see a rather colourful block of individuals lined in the back. It was clear that, as the furthest away, they were the least important to Gaia and that they would take the first line, losing their lives first. The front line was composed entirely of digimon that Gaia and Maugrim had collected in their time trapped inside the Digital World. The next line was composed entirely of twisted creatures made only of dark energy. _That_ was the wild magic. The magic that usually floated around in the Land of Dreams had been channeled into these nightmarish creatures. That was why I couldn't use it for myself. It had already been used up and that meant Akumu was on Gaia's side. It was also _disgusting_ because they did not exist and they still meant more to Gaia than the digimon did. She genuinely valued the lives of inanimate figurative shapes more than she did the living creatures known as digimon. That was blatant racism if ever I'd seen any.

The human army was next, and while it was much smaller here than I knew it to truly be, it was still a force to be reckoned with. Hundreds, or even thousands, of humans were still on Earth, listening to Gaia's 'warnings' and falling prey to her manipulations, carrying out her orders blindly without any remorse, and most of those humans were simple citizens, the ones I saw here were all strongly built and ready for war. Each of them was holding a weapon and I wondered how long they had been waiting for this fight and how unhealthy they would all become. I hoped they were not dying here, waiting in line to follow Gaia's orders.

The final army was made up of those known as Sidhendorians. Their ability to channel magic and to fight had obviously had _many_ years to grow and they knew more now than I would ever know in my entire lifetime. They were smart, stealthy and strong. We stood no chance against their group even if we _could_ defeat all three preceding forces.

When we had finally come closer to the town surrounding the castle we had been lowered closer to the paved streets and while I knew I had the possibility to die if I fell but that didn't stop me from struggling against the hold of my captors as we passed over a tall roofed house. The Vilemon were smarter than I gave them credit for though and they saw through my plan, sinking their teeth into my side as we tumbled downward.

I felt blood dripping from my waist and as we crashed to the red roof I felt the pain of our crash landing shoot through the bones in my legs. I struggled free from their grip and gasped in relief. My triumphant feeling did not last long as I nearly toppled back off of the rooftop and was caught—not by a friendly face—but by the very Vilemon that I was trying to escape from.

"Stupid girl!" the nearest one shouted in anger, snarling loudly. "You must not die! We are not permitted to make decisions such as these! You will live until Lady Gaia tells us otherwise."

The second Vilemon joined the first and grabbed my other arm before seamlessly kicking off from the roof and dragging me once again through the air, this time backward. As they pulled, and my feet lost contact with the rough surface of the roof, I felt my arms pull from their sockets. Or at least it hurt—I didn't know what that might feel like but it definitely hurt.

"To the basements," Snimon ordered, stalling in midair. My Vilemon flew right past him and I saw Iori. His eyes were open now and he looked confused and dazed, like he had only recently been woken. Maybe Snimon wouldn't notice and he could use his consciousness as a vantage point. I didn't get a chance to express my thoughts to him though because I was suddenly surrounded in darkness.

The tunnel wasn't nearly as dark as I had thought, but the contrast to the bright outdoors was enough to make it hard enough to see for a few moments. Over time Snimon and Iori came into focus behind me and Snimon did not look pleased to see me. His face was contorted into a rather aggressive glare and I gulped nervously until finally the tunnels ended and we were emerging into a wide hallway with stone panelled floors and steel walls.

Without warning the Vilemon had dropped us to the ground and I smashed my head against the steel walls and heard Hikari cry out as she came falling face first. I turned to her quickly but she brushed my hand aside, steadying herself quickly as Snimon landed nearby. "The two of you must hurry along and fetch Maugrim," Snimon informed Hikari's captors, "Get him and bring him swiftly." They both nodded and were gone a moment later.

I felt Hikari take hold of my sleeve and I looked to her, seeing her fear. I knew Maugrim wasn't a particularly friendly person, but we had outsmarted him before. This time there were no vines or nightstands to use in our favour though. Hikari was right, this could be dangerous. I began scanning the room for any kind of weapons and found that the steel walls were broken up in several locations that panels that resembled—

They were _doors_. This was a prison. We were in a prison and the tiny bars that ran along the small windows on each door helped me make that connection. Was there anyone else in the prison? Were _we_ going to end up in the prison? Better prison than dead.

Moments later a door smashed open aggressively and the large form of Maugirm came stalking into the room, his massive arms were swinging at his side and his thin lips had formed a disgusting shape. I would not call it a smile, but there was a sick sort of pleasure shown there, accented by the white scar. "Well, isn't this a pleasant reunion," Maugrim said in such a way that I barely believed it to be him. With Gaia so near was he _too_ subjected to her manipulations? "The last time we saw one another you made a rather swift escape. I will ensure you do not succeed a second time."

"We found them in the Ando household," Snimon said, bowing his head gently, "Just as you suspected."

Maugrim entirely ignored Snimon's words. "I think this is time to finish where we left off, don't you?"

"No!" I was surprised to hear Snimon speak and not Iori or Hikari. I turned to him, shocked, but regretted it immediately. My sides and arms ached and I held back a pain filled gasp as I threw my hands to my wounds. "Bring them to Gaia. I want my reward."

Maugrim looked ready to bark at Snimon in anger, like he could not believe someone as low as he would stand in Maugrim's way, but his eyes slowly fell to Hikari. His lips pursed and without a word he reached down to her, taking her arm into his and effortlessly threw her over his shoulder.

Iori reacted quickly, dropping from Snimon's hold and he barrelled across the room to Maugrim, swinging his fist quickly to his face. Maugrim did not hesitate to fight back, not bothering to set Hikari down. His balled up fist hit the side of Iori's face with ease and the boy was smashed into the nearby door of the holding cell. "Iori!" I gasped, trying to pull myself to my feet. The surrounding Vilemon kept me still and I did not have enough strength to keep fighting. Not only was there the pain in my side playing against me but I could feel a tugging in my heart and I knew it was my darkness. I had felt it before when I had tried to take the darkness back. I _needed_ it back and my body knew that.

Gaia knew that the darkness wanted _me_ as much as I wanted _it_ and I was scared for what that meant for my wellbeing. I was scared what it might mean for _Hikari's_ wellbeing. "Put these two in a cell, I will be back momentarily." I could do nothing but watch in horror as Maugirm finished his orders and turned to the doorway he had entered from. He carried Hikari away as she slammed her fists into his back. I gasped and tried to scream but my throat had closed off. Hikari was being taken. Was he taking her to Gaia as Snimon had asked or was he going to kill her?

It didn't matter because she was going to die either way. I _had_ to fight this time.

I slammed my fist into Vilemon but there were three more to deal with before I could follow after them. Iori, even in his dizzy state, was swinging his arms toward Snimon but was not accomplishing much. There was no hope in this fight. There were only a few measly digimon standing in the way of saving Hikari and I couldn't even _do_ anything because I didn't have my partner. I was _useless_ without Labramon. I needed him!

The fight was cut short when Snimon swung his blade-like arms and tossed both Iori and I into the nearest cell. The door slammed a moment later and already Iori was crashing his side into the closed door, trying to bust it open, but it didn't seem like i would work. I turned and found that the opposite wall was entirely composed of bars and that there was a separate hallway on the other side. I moved quickly, trying to find a different way to escape, but what I found was _much_ better.

"Norn!" I shouted, thrusting my hand through the bars to catch her attention. Norn turned her head my way and her blonde hair feel over her shoulders. She looked curious but I could explain later. We could talk later and catch up on what had gone on in our year apart. Norn had used my body to warn the others twice now and yet here she was! I was so relieved to see her alive and well. I needed her assistance now. I needed her help to get out. Obviously she knew more about this castle than I did, otherwise she wouldn't have already been here. But... why _was_ she here? "Norn?"

"Kura—" Iori started in a voice that sounded far too gentle and sympathetic for my liking.

I was scared what it meant so I interrupted him. "Norn, you have to come and help us escape."

Norn simply continued her blank and confused stare which was breaking my heart piece by piece. I was scared that I knew why she was acting this way. I was frightened that the reason she was in this castle was not a good one. I was worried that she would not be a trustworthy ally to help us save Hikari. I felt my lip quivering as I stared to her and I opened my mouth, desperate for help, but my pleas sounded more like nonsense and soon I had tears in my eyes again. "N-Norn!"

"Stop talking," Norn said in a harsh voice.

My heart felt like it had simply been ripped from my chest and Iori had taken me into his arms. "Mari said that her heart had been taken by Morganna..."

"W-what?" I asked, finding that my fears had been proven true. "Wh-why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I would have," Iori said, and I believed him. I had never encountered a reason not to trust Iori because he had always been there for me in the darkest of times. He was there for me when even _I_ was not. Fanglongmon had taken my body and still Iori stood in my corner. "I thought you knew..."

I felt an unfamiliar surge of anger course through me. No. It wasn't anger, it was _wrath_. I felt pure rage before when Daemon had taken my mind and tainted it and now I felt it again. This time Norn had a different person to report to and this time it was my own decision to express this so called 'sin'. I pushed sharply away from Iori and returned to the bars, looking to her once more. "You tell Morganna that she can shove a hot iron rod through her chest if she lays a single hand on yo—"

Norn was in my face before I had even noticed she moved from her place at the end of the hall and she had reached through the bars, wrapping her small hand around my throat. "If you do not stop speaking then I will kill you, and you will have no _choice_ but to remain silent."

"Get _off_!" Iori bellowed, prying my throat free of Norn's grip. As one we both fell backward, away from the imposter and landed on the cement floor painfully. I looked back to Norn as she slowly retracted, moving to stand back in her corner and I felt fear settle in place of the wrath. Gaia had all that was left of Yggdrasil on her side now... how were we supposed to compete with someone who had _everything_?

The door opened once more as we lay on the floor and when I looked back I found Maugrim. I found my eyes scanning his body for blood but I saw none. That did not mean Hikari was okay. "Gaia," Maugrim said harshly, "has given me permission to finally put an end to the angry one." Iori and I looked to each other. We were _both_ inherently angry, which was why wrath had only affected the two of us in the first place. Maugrim looked annoyed and sent a glare at Iori, clarifying which one he had meant. "I am permitted to do whatever I want to you."

"Then go ahead," Iori said, throwing his arms out bravely, "kill me."

Maugrim laughed in a maliciously dark way and my entire body shuddered. "Why, that would be too simple," he said. "Instead I have an ally to introduce you to. He is gifted in the arts of pain." Maugrim stepped aside and revealed his companion. For a moment I thought he was a man, but it was in fact a digimon. There were glimmering red eyes that matched the three horns protruding from his head and his long silvery hair fell in wavy locks behind his white and blue cape. The most notable part of his appearance was the right half of his body that was composed of a metallic looking wood. His arm was enormous and dangerously strong looking, while his leg looked like it had been specifically crafted to cause pain. "As you know, each creature has a partner. This is mine."

"My name is Bagramon," the digimon said with a horribly malicious grin. Maugrim looked instantly bored and annoyed that his partner had bothered to speak at all, but Bagramon was not yet finished. "I am known as the resident torturer."

My shattered heart dropped as I reached for Iori, unwilling to let them take him. Bagramon saw that I was acting protectively and seemed to find that amusing but he did not hesitate in heaving his massive arm in my direction. I fell back sharply, crashing against the bars of the cage and Bagramon—seemingly even stronger than Maugrim—threw Iori out the door with his other, normal, hand. Iori cried out as he slammed into the steel wall and I was crying again. My entire body felt broken as the blood dripped from my sides and my arms seared with pain, and they were now joined by not only a throbbing throat, but a sharp pain running down my back.

I staggered to my feet but it was too late. Maugrim had wrapped his arms around me, lifting me into the air and we were leaving the cell. I saw Iori being dragged through the door by Bagramon, but none of his struggling efforts were proving to be useful. I screamed loudly when I finally lost sight of him, fear and pain shooting through me as I thought of what horrible things Iori was being taken toward.

 _Just kill him_.

I cursed my mind for jumping there, but I wanted him to die a painless death rather than whatever they had in store for him. I was crying too hard to see where Maugrim was taking me and then finally he informed me that I would be staying in this cell until a later date. I was thrown inside but I didn't wait around for him to slam the door. I rushed forward, but I was too slow and the door had closed.

" _No_!" I screamed loudly, clawing at the door. " _Don't_ do this to him!" My mind immediately went to Fumiko and to Natsuni. To _Kana_. " _Please_!"

"What's going on?"

I screamed at the sound of the voice, wheeling around to see who was in the cell with me and gasped at the sight of Hiroaki Ishida.

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

Four days.

It had been four days since Natsuni's father raced through the portal into the courtyard, screaming that his wife took them. Iori, Kurayami and Hikari were gone. We could not be sure that they were even still alive. Gaia wanted the Digidestined dead, and she knew for a fact that both girls were two of them, and Natsuni's mother had announced that Iori was as well. Her father was absolutely desolate, and had locked himself up in the room that Taichi had offered him—along the same road as the rest of the parents—and we hadn't seen him since.

His reaction had nothing on their families though.

Yuuko had fallen to her knees screaming before the sobs came. Her husband, Susumu, had tried to comfort her, but couldn't control his rage at the situation and broke his hand when he punched the stone walls. Taichi tried to compartmentalize, but he was having difficulties. He threw himself into his work, trying to make the necessary alterations in the plans now that Iori was not there to do his part. Some may have accused him of not caring, but that simply wasn't the case. If he gave himself a break, then _he_ would break. He would shatter, and then he'd be useless to us all. If Hikari was... _dead_...as some suspected, then he was going to avenge her before his emotions caught up to him.

Takeru was absolutely miserable. He was trying so hard to keep up his sunshiny presence, but he was dim now, because he'd lost his light. His parents were missing, potentially dead, and now Hikari—his fiancé—Kurayami—his old roommate and close friend—and Iori—his old DNA partner—were added to that tally. He had precious few things to hope for anymore, and even Ryou, with his ever present ray of optimism, wasn't enough to spark the light in Takeru's eyes—and Ryou _tried_ , several times.

Okotte was not a happy man on the best of days, and now his daughter had been taken from him. Try as we might to hope that she was alive, he couldn't bear to listen. He couldn't bring himself to believe in false hopes. Daisuke could though. He was _desperate_ for it. Kurayami had promised him not to disappear on him again. This was hardly her fault, but he was having a hard time of it anyway. Jun tried her best to help him with Haruki, since Daisuke was meant to go into battle with Taichi soon, but Haruki definitely noticed that his mother hadn't come back for him.

"Is she outside?"

"Yeah buddy," Daisuke sighed. "She's outside."

"I go outside too?"

"No," Daisuke said desperately. "You stay here, with me."

Meiyomon tried his best to keep Fumiko from falling into the same funk she'd fallen into while trapped in the Coliseum, but it was no use. She was inconsolable. She didn't lock herself away, however. She and Okotte still went out to the cafe every day. They tried to keep their normal schedule—it was as if they were trying to convince themselves that their children were doing the same, and were simply avoiding them for the time being. But their eyes told a different story. Meiyomon didn't dare to leave them alone for any length of time. It was probably good, because Meiyomon needed the support too. Iori was his brother, and had been for a long time. Summer was very upset as well. Not only had the Land of Dreams—aka her home—been taken by her mother, and therefore Yume—aka the love of her life—was in constant danger, but her precious Forgiving Knight was gone as well.

Jenna was stressed beyond belief. Her body was being taxed to the max already, with her hybrid baby, and now she was freaking out because three of the Digidestined could be _dead_ , and Mari was _supposed_ to be, and Betamon, Terriermon and Lopmon were still gone, her parents hadn't been heard from, and the Digidestined couldn't win without their partners and their full numbers, and she didn't want to give birth to her baby in a world that wasn't free. She was also supposed to be on strict bed rest, but she kept trying to ignore that order. Tatum had been forced to sit in bed with her, to keep her from escaping. Tatum was miserable with this duty, but she wasn't going to let Michael's sister risk her—and the baby's—life just because she was stressed. Michael was too stressed to be allowed to go inside, because his stress just added to his sister's—and that was freaking _him_ out more too.

Night had fallen on the fourth day, and the sounds of Natsuni's voice floated over the cold courtyard. She was rocking her crying daughter. Iori wasn't answering Kana's pleas, and she was not having it. She'd been crying almost constantly since that first night when she realized Iori wasn't there. The song had a melancholy tone, but it was soothing. It wiped away my fears and my inadequacies. I wondered for a second if my mother sang to me as a child, and I thought I might've glimpsed a memory from when I was very small, but I might've made it up too. Namida Fujimoto was _not_ a very maternal woman.

Mimi had gotten frustrated with people—namely Alias III—who stole her tables for the entire day, and had summoned a group to get tables and chairs from other restaurants in the Temple—that weren't in use because no one was there to run them—and set them up in the courtyard. She had strands of lights strung through the air above them, and two open camp fires with fallen logs surrounding them for additional seating and warmth. I was appeased, and I sat on one of the logs, listening to Natsuni's song, and warming myself by the fire—which I was tasked with tending.

Natsuni's song wasn't the only sound to reach my ears. Ogremon was tending the other fire, making it crackle, while Leomon held a sleeping Emiko in his arms. Monmon was determined to stay awake next to him, while Momoe sat with baby Renjiro in his car seat, snoozing away. Jou wasn't there, because he was tending to Jenna and working in the lab with Koushiro—since Tatum had been given an alternate job. Taichi was nowhere to be seen, but Rei was seated at Ogremon's fire, roasting marshmallows for Pal and Pul. Takeru stared into my fire, with an endless gaze, ignoring Sora, who was trying to comfort him. Mimi was loudly telling stories beside Ogremon, but was never quite loud enough to drown out Natsuni's song.

Isao sat at a table under the lights with his wife Aimi, who was growing more and more silent with each passing day. Her daughter still had not contacted her, and she finally seemed to grasp just how much danger her family was in, now that three Digidestined were gone, and two parents. She hadn't quite understood before, because she was ever an optimist. She'd gotten along well with Ryou, before Kazue had gone up in that plane and never been heard from again.

"The poor children," she murmured. Isao held her hand, and rubbed his thumb against the back of it. She sighed and leaned in to him. She had a big heart—she had to, with three daughters and three step-sons, along with two daughters-in-law and two grandchildren—and that heart was screaming out with pain over the potential loss of so many. She was like a super mom—much more motherly than my own.

"I don't understand," Sayuri Inoue said bitterly. She was seated with her husband Tadashi, and the Motomiyas. Kazuya Ichjouji was with them as well, but his wife Kae was not. "Why are we sitting here? Is this place any safer than our homes? I don't think so. If it was, we wouldn't need a digimon army to protect us."

"Sayuri," Tadashi said, with a sigh. His typical playful attitude—which I'd witnessed while he played with his grandchildren—was absent now. His wife was stubborn and continually focussed on the wrong view of things. "You're not looking at the bigger picture. We're not here because it's safe. There isn't anywhere safe anymore. We're here because our daughter wants to _see_ that we're safe. We're here because our children are."

"I don't see why our children, or our grandchildren for that matter, are here to begin with. We should be on Earth," she insisted, for the sake of arguing. From what I'd learned from watching her, she was stubborn as a mule, and always stuck to her opinion, even if she knew she was wrong. She was opinionated and proud. She had once also thought that Yorokobi was the best thing the world had ever seen though, so I didn't give much stock to her opinions.

"I agree," Manabu Motomiya said. He was grumpy and frustrated. He had work to be doing, but the city was evacuated, and so there was no point in being there. He would be alone if he was at home, because his wife, Haruka, was determined to stay with Daisuke until the end of this thing. "I can't stand this infernal idling. We were brought here, yet we are not permitted to _do_ anything."

"I wasn't aware you _wanted_ to," Haruka said coolly. "The last I heard, you weren't interested in digimon, or the safety of their kind."

"I never said that," Manabu said pointedly. "I don't approve of the cart. I never said anything against the digimon. Now, of course, with the world—worlds?—ending I am more than a little apprehensive about them. If our son never got dragged into this mess, we might be safe right now."

"Our son?" Haruka asked with a soft smile.

"You're wrong," Kazuya Ichijouji pointed out. "If Daisuke, or Ken, or Miyako never got dragged into this, then we'd be in just as much danger, we just wouldn't be aware of it. We wouldn't understand what was happening, and we wouldn't be able to help prevent it. I don't care what I have to do, I will _not_ lose my second son to this war. I plan of fighting with him, whether he wants me to or not, because I can't stand by and watch him die to save me. I'm the parent. He understands that now, because of Mai. He understands how his mother and I feel."

"I want to help too," Haruka said. "I know Daisuke doesn't see what I see when I look at you, dear. He sees the tough exterior that you _want_ to show him. You have heart, and you need to tell him. I know you're a good man. You'll fight with us too, won't you?"

"I don't know that I can," he said stubbornly. "But I will fight for you, if you ask it of me."

"Fight for _us_ ," she insisted. "Fight for your children, and our family. Your daughter-in-law might be _dead_ , Manabu, and you never once thought to get to know her, or accept her. Don't miss any more chances."

"I know _I_ won't," Keisuke Tachikawa said, settling in on a chair next to Kazuya. "My Mimi has been fighting this fight since she was ten years old. I keep missing everything, and I don't have a partner, so that makes me vulnerable. But my wife's partner, Minervamon was taken by Gaia to do her bidding, and I can't let Satoe fight alone. I won't let Mimi fight alone either."

"And here I thought you were the jolly entertainer," Manabu said dryly. It was true. Since his arrival, Keisuke had done his best to keep everyone in good spirits, and had done a relatively good job of it, until Iori, Hikari and Kurayami had been taken.

I sighed and poked my fire once again. Ken and Miyako sank onto the log I was sitting on. Ken was holding Mai, and Miyako was hugging both of them, completely lost without Iori. They'd been friends for a very long time, and they were also fusion partners. They were in sync in a way that I wasn't sure I'd ever understand. And I wasn't sure I was going to get a chance to understand it, if Iori was dead, like I assumed. Gaia wasn't a moron, so she wasn't going to keep the Digidestined alive unless she had a good reason to do it.

But try as I might, I couldn't think of a good reason.

People watching was all my life was made up of now. I was useless to Taichi, or I assumed so at least, because he'd yet to give me anything to do, despite my asking. Kiyoko had been drafted for the lab, and Neo was constantly on the phone with whoever so that he could keep running the country from the Digital World. Rei tried her best to keep me company, but most of the time it felt like pity. She was feeling down and out because she'd been replaced, and I was just unwanted. Until we all broke our way back into the Digital World, Rei had been Taichi's right hand, and now that role went to Daisuke, and Ryou was shifted to the bottom of the totem pole to make way for Koushiro, Sora, Miyako and Iori. Mari was up near the top of the list too, because Taichi always kept her busy preparing for the first strike we were meant to make in this war.

Sometimes, Puraido sat with me, silently. It was annoying, because I could tell how hard he was trying to fix the mess he'd helped cause—which, of course, was just me. I was the mess. He couldn't fix it though, because I needed to do it myself. I was trying, but I wasn't trying very hard. The war kind was kind of more important than my feelings about myself. That's what I told myself anyway when I decided to stop trying to _fix_ the mess and started to just cover it up again, like before with fake arrogance and a cocky smile.

I handed the fire stick to Miyako, so that she'd have a purpose that could keep her mind off of Iori for an hour at least, and got to my feet, wandering through the streets. Spring and Aesop were out for a walk, since Jenna was asleep. Jou and Tatum could keep an eye on her for now. They were talking quietly, and they smiled at me when I was walking towards them—not intentionally, since I wanted to be alone, but we just happened to be walking on the same street.

"Hello Hideto," Spring said. I wasn't sure how I felt about her anymore. I wanted to like her, because she'd thought I was good enough when she picked me, but now that I knew we were supposed to die, I couldn't help but feel a little distant from her. Was it _her_ fault that I was meant to die? I was the wrong choice, so by choosing me, did she leave me for death? I was very confused about the whole thing, and now that I knew I wasn't meant to be alive, I couldn't help but wonder if _that_ was what made me feel so unworthy. I wasn't meant to be alive, so I wasn't worthy for life, or something.

I was very confused, and it was making everything worse. I thought I'd made progress because I could find pride in the things I'd done. Maybe that wasn't actually enough though. But at the same time, Warg and Melga had been able to become Omnimon consistently with just _that_ pride alone. Did I need to be proud of the person I am too? I really wasn't sure.

"Are you feeling alright, my boy?" Aesop asked.

"I'm fine," I lied, stuffing my hands in my pockets. I looked away from them and froze. I caught a glimpse of something silver, like hair, before it disappeared behind a building. I started running after it instinctively, thinking it was Merlin's beard. There were infants and children in the Temple, I couldn't let Merlin slip in unnoticed. I raced through the streets, and was led right to the front gate. I paused, but started to walk along the bridge.

"Wait!" Spring called, desperately trying to catch up to me. "Where are you going?"

I looked back to them, then back to the darkness surrounding the Temple, suddenly less sure of what I had seen. "I—I thought... Merlin was out here."

"It is most likely a trap," Aesop warned me. I stopped short. He was most likely right. I couldn't just rush off and get myself killed. Well, I probably _could_ , since my crest wasn't even a real one, and I wasn't meant to be alive anyway. I just didn't _want_ to. I wasn't happy with myself, no, but I was definitely happy being alive.

"Hideto," Spring said softly, "why are you so sad?"

"I'm not," I protested instantly.

"I can _feel_ that you are," she said, gently reminding me that she was a powerful empath. "You are upset. Now you're frustrated that I can read it so easily. You are upset with yourself...what have you done? Nothing. You haven't done anything, it is simply _you_ that you don't like. Why not? There is everything to like. No, I can't help you. You must do this yourself. But you need not be alone. I will accompany you on the journey you need to take."

"What?" Aesop wanted to know, losing track of Spring's speech. I didn't though. I knew she was reading my emotions and reacting as necessary.

"I need to get out," I said, desperately.

"I know," Spring said. "You and you _alone_ know where the answers will lie. But I will go with you on this journey, for safety, if not for companionship. I know you are upset with me. And you are wrong. I didn't condemn you by choosing you. I saw myself in you. I saw two halves at war with one another inside of you, and I felt that finally I found someone that could understand."

"So I'm not whole?" I asked, confused.

"You are," she insisted, "just as I am. You just haven't figured out where to put the pieces. I have not been the same since my encounter with my mother. My mother tore me apart and left me to pick up the pieces, and in you, I saw the same thing. The only difference, was that I had Aesop, and my sisters and Bitoru to help me, and you were alone for a long time."

"Not anymore," I said. "Neo is my Aesop."

"Mari and Kiyoko are your 'sisters'," she added. "You have support. Don't push them away."

"Let's just get going," I said, brushing off the heavy topic. I didn't need to drag Kiyoko down with me. I needed to be enough for him—a much grander task now that he'd become the man he was too afraid to be before. Mari had faced her own life troubles alone, and she turned out alright. They both managed alone, so I could too.

"They were not alone," Spring whispered, though I pretended I couldn't hear her. She was wrong anyway. They might've had help, but it wasn't from Alias III. That's all I meant. They were able to branch out and find the help that could get them where they needed to go without asking Alias III. I needed to be strong enough to do the same.

I didn't wait for Spring to keep talking, so that she could try to drag me back into the conversation. I headed off where I thought I saw Merlin, and just walked into the deep, dark woods. It wasn't scary at all, though I knew it probably should be. There were many hiding places, and not one of us had a flashlight, or light source of any kind. We were depending on the light of the moon and stars—and that was not enough to see properly by.

"You're sad, Aesop," Spring commented. Her voice seemed so loud as it cut through the still night.

"I am reminiscing, my dear," he corrected.

"I get those mixed up sometimes," Spring confided in me, as though she was sharing a big secret. I could hear her smile more than see it. "Tell me," she commanded of Aesop. He sighed, but it wasn't a frustrated sigh. He just seemed sad.

"I was remembering the day I met Graul," he said. "I found him on a stormy hillside where he was created. He was confused, and did not understand who he was, or where he came from. I took him home, and called him my own. He was my son, and we spent many years happy together. I taught him how to farm, and he thrived. But I sent him away, sometime after farming became tedious to him. He needed to learn more for himself. The truth never lies within one single person."

"Like how you need multiple views in order to truly understand an accident," I supplied.

"Exactly," Aesop said brightly. "I knew some, but not enough of life. He needed to go and learn for himself. There are times that I regret that decision. Perhaps, if I kept him at home, if I did not send him off along, or if I went with him...perhaps, things would not be as they are now."

"You can't blame yourself," Spring insisted.

"But I do," Aesop said, sadly. "My son travelled to Witchenly first, wanting to fight the digimon, but he came back with a partner instead. He hated the people of Witchenly, and so I was surprised, but Bagramon hated them too. They really were a perfect pair. The two grew restless on the farm and wanted to travel once more. I did not want him to go, but I let him. He had come back so bitter the first time, and so thirsty for battle, and I feared who would come back to me after a second journey."

"He wasn't always crazy evil then," I commented. "Good to know."

"No," Aesop said. "He was a good, hard working boy once. He went to Pangaea then, and he fell in love. He sent a letter telling me not to expect him home any time soon. He wanted to explore this new and wonderful emotion. He was completely smitten. He sent a number of letters, all describing a wonderful woman, but he would give me no name. I looked forward to these letters. They were all I had left of my son. But the letters slowed, and the tone shifted. He was no longer smitten, he was devoted, absolutely. I was frightened by the dedication in the words. The letters stopped altogether not long after. I grew impatient, and feared that something had happened to my son."

"But he came home," I guessed.

"He did," Aesop agreed. "He was different. He would not speak as openly as before, and often times he wandered off to be alone. Bagramon had been left in Pangaea, to care for his love, for he wanted the best protection available to her at all times. He told me of the creation of Yggdrasil, and how he was peace. He told me of meeting my friend Theta on his travels, and of her physical form, though he swore she could not outshine his love. He travelled again, and came back, just as bitter and different as before."

"His love was Gaia then," I surmised.

"I suppose so," Aesop said. "He went to see her often. He had no use for Neverland or Witchenly any longer. He wanted only to see Pangaea. He wanted to live there, but had been expressly forbidden by his love to do so. He was to remain at home, with me, unless he was called for. He grew restless, and angry during long separations, but he would always be called away before he could go mad with longing. He came back, with word of a child king, Sigma. He left several times, before Sigma grew into his crown, and then Sigma scoured the land for suitable soldiers. Graul was the finest of warriors and became his General nearly immediately. My son grew fiercer, more irritable. He was no longer the boy I'd met on that hillside. And then he came back and told me of the wild magic, and how it had been removed. I decided then, to move to the castle, where my son was living, for Theta was my friend, and comforted me greatly during my son's absences, and I needed to be sure that Graul would not do anything that went against her ideals."

"And then everything that my sisters' and I told you happened," Spring summarized. "I didn't know he used to be nice though. I wish I could have seen that."

"Me too," Aesop said, softly.

"Wait," I said sharply. I thought I saw something, and I assumed it was Merlin. Without making a plan of any kind—not my specialty—I raced towards it. Spring and Aesop followed quickly behind me, and I tackled the shape. I was quickly thrown around and landed with my back slamming against the ground. I looked up into what I thought would be Merlin's face, but it wasn't. It was a digimon.

"Who are you?" the digimon growled.

"It's a Digidestined, Gankoomon," another digimon said quickly. "Don't hurt him."

"As you wish, Hackmon," Gankoomon said sagely. I scrambled to my feet, cursing myself for my pathetic attempt at overpowering my supposed enemy. I would've been dead if it was really Merlin. I was definitely disappointed in myself.

"What's this?" Spring asked, pressing her hand against the stone shrine next to us. We were in a clearing in the woods. I wasn't sure if it was a shrine, or a small temple. It was mostly ruins actually. I wasn't sure what it was, but by the light of the moon, I was able to make out the general shape.

Gankoomon looked to the small silvery digimon that he had called Hackmon and they seemed to silently interact for a moment. Hackmon shrugged and Gankoomon looked to me before motioning for me to follow him inside the cave, or ruins or whatever it was. "You Digidestined sure show up at the weirdest times," Hackmon said with a light laugh. "The loud one and that blonde guy were here before." Taichi and Yamato, that was obvious. "They rushed off though. It was sort of rude, right Gankoomon?"

Gankoomon did not answer but instead simply stopped walking when the entrance seemed to open up.

I tried to look at the walls but found that they were mostly dark, but as I moved closer I saw something familiar. "They look like the Crests," I said, confused.

"They do," Gankoomon said simply, "because they _are_. This depicts the cycle of the Crests."

"How interesting," Aesop said. Gankoomon summoned fire in his hand so that Aesop could inspect the ruins. I was no longer interested, because I already knew what it said. The Crests moved when they needed to. I also knew that my Crest wasn't real. It was useless. It wasn't special like the others.

Spring took my hand and tugged gently, leading me away from Aesop and Gankoomon. Hackmon looked at us suspiciously, but Spring was just leading me to the opposite end of the ruins.

Spring was looking into my eyes as if she were disappointed in me, which was annoying since she could only read emotions and not my mind. There was no way she really knew what I had been thinking. "Hideto," Spring said softly. "You aren't useless. You know that, don't you?"

"I can't even function on my own," I protested. "I'm codependent. I need to be _independent_."

"I disagree," Spring said firmly. "All of my skills revolve around other people. I can read their emotions and understand them. I can help when they're sad and I can help them make decisions, but without other people, I can do nothing. That doesn't make _me_ codependent. I picked you because I saw myself in you, I told you that. You need others to feel useful because all your life has been spent watching them."

"What?" I asked, confused, but hopeful.

"You're proud of who you are able to pretend that you are because other people want you to be that," she said, somewhat confusingly, but I was following along—maybe. "You don't have to become a hero if that isn't what you want of yourself. All you're required to be is _you_. You're not a good person, necessarily."

"Rude," I scoffed, but knowing it was actually true. She gave me a pointed look.

"You make mistakes, and you can be very manipulative," she said, raising her eyebrow. I shrugged, because she was right again. "You just need to embrace who you are, and what you love about yourself, and stop wearing that mask. Don't do things because others want you to. I want you to make decisions with yourself in mind."

"I think I understand what you're saying," I said, but I still wasn't a hundred percent sure what she meant. But I was feeling a little more confident about myself. My heart was glowing and everything. Literally though, it was glowing. Light blue light shone from within me. "Wh-what's going on?"

"The echo of your Crest," Spring told me softly. There was a sad sort of pout in her voice as she reached toward the light. "Mother has your Pride... but your heart remembers what it was like."

"Great," I said sarcastically, feeling rather uncomfortable as Spring pressed her open palm against my chest. She retracted her hand sharply and both of us jumped, startled when the floor began to crack. I turned quickly and saw that the floor was not simply breaking apart but a large circular section of the floor—right in the center—was sinking, like an elevator.

One part of the circle stopped sliding, creating a step, and soon a second part had created another.

I looked to Hackmon and Aesop who were both staring, transfixed, at the floor that we could only see thanks to Gankoomon's fire. Gankoomon himself was actually keeping his sights set on me and my weirdly glowing chest.

Eventually the sliding sounds of rock against rock finally stopped and we all stood in silence for a moment, wondering what to do about the new discovery.

"Come over here," Spring said excitedly. "Come with me!"

"It's leading underground," I murmured, feeling rather uncomfortable. Gankoomon appeared at our side. He walked right down the stairs without any worry, with his flame lighting the way. I was too curious to stay away and let someone else do the searching so I followed after him, though I got pushed to the back by Hackmon who wanted to follow Gankoomon. I didn't even care, because I was too interested in what was happening. My not-even-a-Crest opened this door. That _had_ to mean something, didn't it?

"Where does this lead?" Aesop asked, walking at the back of the procession. Gankoomon stopped, which made Hackmon crash into him, and I crashed into _him_ , and then Spring crashed into _me—_ and of course Aesop ran into Spring. The fire from Gankoomon's hand flew into the air and surrounded the large chamber. There was a round island in the middle, with a deep cavern surrounding it, and only a single bridge that led across to the circular section. I moved past the others and crossed the bridge, knowing that if I fell, Spring would be able to catch me, and I looked at the ring of pedestals that made up the circles perimeter. I counted them, and there were eighteen. I walked to the nearest one, and I traced the symbol of Kindness that was carved onto the top.

"The Crests are on them," I called back.

"The Digimentals," Gankoomon announced. "This is the location they were meant to be. This is where Theta birthed her physical form, encircled in the traits she honoured most of the words."

I looked over each of them, and saw Love, Friendship, Courage, Light, Hope, Knowledge, Faith, Destiny, Miracles, Purity, Strength, Darkness, Honesty and Trust. There was Humility, Honour and Forgiveness...but there was no place for Tenacity, Desire or Pride. Theta didn't want our _dark_ Crests to help forge her body.

Of course she wouldn't.

"Perhaps we ought to place the Digimentals here then," Aesop suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"Easier said than done," I told him. "Gaia has them all."

"We'll need to get them back first, of course," Spring said. "But I like the idea. We should bring the Digimentals home."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Miyako and Ken team up for story time, but I'm pretty sure they're not actually together :O


	64. Part of Your World

**Y/N:** I write both halves of the Miyaken marriage this time around. It's not entirely action packed but a lot of stuff is going on. I hope you like it.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 64: Part of Your World**

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

There had been a bit of a panic seven days ago, when we woke to find that Hideto, Spring and Aesop were missing. Mimi was frantic, desperately trying to find her favourite employee—and close friend. Mari was having difficulties focussing, though she wouldn't admit it. She was meant to be one of Taichi's generals, but she wanted nothing more than to hunt down Hideto and get him back. But we hadn't known where he was. Kiyoko panicked, and refused to work at all, until _someone_ told him what was happening. Jenna wanted Spring and Aesop back, and was freaking out more than before, because they were supposed to be there to help her with the baby. She was pregnant. It had been exactly four weeks since she discovered the baby, and she was getting pretty big. She was uncomfortable at the best of times, and in horrible pain during the rest of the day. Her mind needed to stay calm, so that everything could go as smoothly as possible, but it was difficult to provide her with the onslaught of bad news that she had to face.

And we couldn't keep any of it from her. She could always tell when we were holding back. I had been the one elected to go in and tell her of the bad news.

" _Jenna," I said keeping my voice as level as I could, which was difficult, because my insides were all filled with turmoil. "At some point last night, after eleven, Hideto, Spring and Aesop went missing. NO. Don't panic. They might be just fine."_

" _You don't know that!" Jenna said. She put a hand on her stretched and strained stomach and groaned. "Spring said she'd be here. She brought birth to the world! She was supposed to help me try to do the same. This isn't right. I need her here. I can't have my mom, so I need the next best thing."_

" _We'll find them," I promised her. "They could just be on a walk."_

" _Or they could be taken, like Hikari, Kurayami or Iori, or they could be missing indefinitely, like Takeru's parents," Jenna said panicking, though I told her not to. I couldn't fault her too much. I spent most of my own pregnancy panicking as well—though mine wasn't quite as high risk._

 _But my baby had also died while inside of me...so she probably needed to stop panicking, as soon as possible, just in case._

" _I want Dad," Jenna continued. "Is he here yet? Has he even called?"_

" _No," I said, my heart sinking with the horrible news. I wished that I could relay her something exciting and happy, but there was nothing to say._

" _Why is this happening?" she asked desperately, trying not to cry, but she was feeling rather emotional. Tatum curled around her as best she could, despite her own pregnant belly, and stroked her hair._

" _I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have—"_

" _No," Jenna said firmly. "I'm glad you told me. Michael won't tell me anything."_

" _He doesn't want to add to your stress," Tatum murmured into her hair as she held her close._

" _Doesn't he realize that_ not _knowing is more stressful?" Jenna asked rhetorically._

Thankfully, Winter was quick to put everyone's panic to rest. She utilized her clairvoyance and was able to locate the three of them. They were perfectly healthy, and they left of their own power. Winter couldn't tell us _why_ , but she managed to put our minds at rest. I wasn't sure she did it for _us_ though, but I was glad for the sake of her niece that she thought to do it.

Now, seven days later, Mari and Kiyoko still hadn't quite gotten over the scare, since Hideto hadn't come back, and even Neo was getting testier. He typically wouldn't let anyone understand how he was feeling. He was a pretty private being. But he snapped at anyone that got too close these days—which I was _sure_ was the result of Hideto _and_ Evelen's prolonged absences.

I doubted their reactions would have been so bad if Hideto had bothered to _tell_ them that he was leaving. But I didn't know his reasoning, and I couldn't judge. I'd run away once myself, while I was pregnant, and I'd left the Temple just before they started the trek to the Coliseum—to _safety_. Instead, I found Ken and Moretsuna, and watched a man die, and then get trapped in the Dark Ocean for two months, rather than being taken to Sidhendor immediately, which Winter had proved was a possibility when _Bengoshi_ needed help.

Not that I was still bitter about it...

" _Have you worked out the new training schedule?" Taichi asked, sounding tired. He was still more lively now than I'd seen him in a long time. He'd finally taken the burden off of his shoulders, and taken a step back. He was now able to focus on fixing the problem, rather than just taking the blame for it._

" _No," I said with a frustrated sigh. "I can't figure out what's best. Iori's the one that had the ideas for this. But he's not here, and I still don't know who's going to train them."_

" _It's fine," Taichi said, though I could tell he didn't like the news. He was never very subtle. "We'll just push it back a few more days."_

" _I'm sorry, Taichi," I said, honestly feeling horrible for not being able to figure it out. Ken had offered to help train them, but he had limited training himself, so he didn't want to be in charge. It had been suggested that I get Kotemon to help him, but the little guy wasn't very thrilled by the idea. He wanted to be a part of a team, not lead one._

" _Plutomon can lead," Mari said, sitting down on the log next to me. The fire was nothing but embers in front of us, but it still let off some warmth. "He knows how to fight, and he's been acting as a part of the Olympos XII forever. He knows how they fight. He could help us beat them if Gaia chooses to throw them at us."_

" _Good," Taichi said, pointing to her. "Work on that Miyako."_

" _I will," I said, writing Plutomon's name on my clipboard._

I kept my clipboard with me at all times so that I could add things to it whenever Taichi asked something of me. It was usually just a quick jot note in the margins, since I was using the pages trying to create a completed list of the occupants in the Temple. I needed to know who was still missing. If any family members weren't here, then I needed to know where they were. I needed to have a _complete_ list, so that no one's mind was clouded when it came time to start the battle.

Yuuko and Susumu were here, and so was Taichi, but Hikari was not. Dorumon was here, but he was a baby, and Kamemon was terrified, but present. Takeru and Yamato were here, but their parents weren't. Lunamon wasn't, but Wizardmon was, but he was also a baby. Sora was here, with both her parents, and both of their digimon were here, even if Centarumon wasn't quite himself just yet. Koushiro and his parents were here as well, with Digitamamon and the smaller Andromon. Jou was here, with one of his brothers. Meramon was here. Shin and Jagamon were still on Earth, fighting the best they could _there_ against Gaia's influence on the humans. Their father was here with Unimon, and his wife Aimi. Only two of her daughters were here though, because Kazue was still missing—along with any information on the plane she'd been working on before her disappearance. Satoe and Keisuke Tachikawa were here with Mimi, but Minervamon was with the Olympos XII, and therefore lost to us.

Manabu Motomiya was surprisingly present, along with his wife. Jun was here with Otamamon, and thanks to their quick trip to ShogunGekomon's palace, we had another, large contribution to our armies, in the form of the Gekomon and Otamamon. Even ShogunGekomon had left his palace to help us. Daisuke had Haruki, but, of course, Kurayami wasn't here. Her father was, however. Mom and Dad were here, with all of my siblings. Mantarou had Gotsumon and Iruka with him, Chiziru had Dansei, and Masa, along with Kunemon and Pumpkinmon, and Momoe was here with Emiko, Renjiro, Monmon and Bearmon. Mai was here, with me, and with Ken—whose parents were both here, though Coronamon was with Olympos XII as well. Fumiko was here, with Meiyomon—and all of his siblings—but Iori was not. Natsuni had Kana though, and her father. Kotemon was here, as were Yuk and Huh—Daisuke had finally found them and the rest of the Numemon, and they had excitedly joined the cause. Summer and Winter were here, but Spring wasn't—and neither were Aesop or Evelen.

Michael was here, with his pregnant sister and girlfriend. Kudamon and Monodromon were here too, as was Willis. But Mary and Michael Senior weren't still. Rei was here, with Pal and Pul, but neither she nor Neo had even suggested finding their mother. Aneko was here with her three partners, and Puraido was here too. Ryou was here too. And of course, all of our partners weren't.

"Are you finishing up on that?" Mari asked. I sighed and nodded. I had a longer list of all the digimon we had, but I knew it wasn't going to ever be complete, with the sheer number of digimon that kept showing up when I was almost finished. I was a little disappointed whenever I looked at it. I had been able to add the Teenage Wolves, Katsue, Amai and the fight club to the list, along with their digimon, which was nice. But it wasn't enough. No matter how many times I looked at it, I kept thinking of more people that we needed to ensure were safe, like Noriko's fiancé, Tomotsu, and Ken's coworkers Kimi and Yakuin—even if he was on EVOLVE's side, he'd been shot by Astamon. I was worried about him. I was worried about everyone. I thought about adding the cashier at my local grocer, and our neighbours and that old hermit down the street. I wanted to make sure _everyone_ was safe.

But I couldn't.

Not only was the Temple not large enough to house all the humans and digimon and animals, it just wasn't logical. The majority of the human population was falling for the tricks of Gaia, and were hunting the Digidestined down. We couldn't have people that were trying to hand us over take shelter with us. That would be ridiculous, even if I wanted them safe anyway.

"Good," Mari said. She motioned with her head to follow her, and so I got up, after checking that the embers couldn't cause a fire to spread to the logs we were using for seating. The last thing we needed was a fire to deal with. "Michael's stressing Jenna out again."

"If he knew what was good for him, he'd just stop that," I said, growing frustrated. She led me towards Jenna's room, and I could hear the gist of the fight through the open door. Michael was freaking out again.

"I'd rather have _you_ than another baby to look after," Michael said passionately.

"This baby is important," Jenna shouted back at him, so that he couldn't ignore her as he had a tendency of doing. "I can feel that it's important. I never once suggested you get rid of your baby. Tatum's in the middle of a war too, and you still haven't suggested that it would be safer for her to just _not_ be pregnant."

"It's different and you know it!" Michael argued.

"I know," Jenna said. "But this is _not_ your decision. I'm an adult, Michael. Mom never once told me to do anything about it. She had to have known about the baby, but she didn't say to get rid of it. And if you don't stop, then you're never going to see it. I won't let you. If you can't accept and love it now, then I don't want you in his or her life."

"You can't be serious," Michael said exasperatedly. "It's not about love."

"Then why are you so worried about _my_ safety?" Jenna asked pointedly.

"Fine," Michael said. "But I can't lose you. I can't."

"Then maybe stop stressing her out," I suggested. He turned to me and I crossed my arms and looked at him sharply. I wasn't sure if I was just _so_ frustrated that I looked scary to him, or if it was the addition of Mari mimicking my actions at my side that really pushed him over the edge. He backed away from Jenna and sighed long and frustrated.

"I'm not trying to," Michael confessed. "I'm just scared."

"Me too, Michael," Jenna admitted. "But you're making it worse."

"Why can't Spring and Aesop just come back already?" he wanted to know. "Spring's supposed to be helping you. Why would she just leave?"

"No one knows," I told him. "Now, take a walk to clear your head, Michael. Stress is bad for your sister."

"Fine," he said, turning and leaving the room, heading outside. He was still upset. I wasn't sure anything other than the safe delivery of the baby and Jenna's ensured survival would be enough to make him happy again—or the birth of his own child, which was also looming pretty close on the horizon. I was sure the return of their parents would help though, a little at least.

"Good morning, Michael," Jou said pleasantly outside. "I guess not..."

I turned and stuck my head out the door. Michael was too grumpy to be pleasant to Jou—which was a very bad sign, because Michael was _always_ pleasant. Jou caught sight of me, and smiled. He understood Michael's mood, and came into the room. Jenna groaned at the sight of him, because his presence meant that she needed a checkup and she hated those. But at the same time, she never fought against him, because she loved her baby, no matter what it might look like, and she wanted him or her to survive even if she didn't—even if she would never tell Michael that.

"Let's see," Jou said. I felt awkward sitting here, during an appointment, but I didn't want to leave yet. I was just as worried as Michael, but I also understood Jenna's point. I remembered that I started loving Mai the moment I learned I was pregnant with her. I made the choice then and there that I would die for the sake of my child. I would do _anything_ to ensure her survival.

I failed that promise.

If Jenna had made the same one, I was going to do anything that I could to make sure that both Jenna and the baby made it through this. I didn't want anyone else to fail the way I had. I could blame Winter all I wanted, but it wasn't _her_ fault.

I was the one that left the Temple, rushing off into danger to find Neo, instead of asking someone else to do it for me. I could have spent those two month in either the Land of Dreams with Hikari and Koushiro, or in the Coliseum. It wasn't Winter's fault that I'd gone to the Dark Ocean. That was on me. What _was_ her fault was that she left Iori and I there for two months for no real reason. She hadn't given us a reason at least, and I was still angry about that. Mai had been alive when I got there, even if it _was_ my fault for ending up in that place. Hikari and Willis had distributed the keys, but I couldn't blame them at all, because they had hoped that we wouldn't need to use them. And I wouldn't have needed to, if I hadn't run away.

But the past had happened, and I couldn't change it. Mai was okay, thanks to Gaia's twisted game of chance, and I couldn't regret my decisions. There wasn't enough time to dedicate to resenting Winter, or my actions. I had a digimon to find to schedule training sessions.

"Okay," Jou said, having finished his necessary tests. Jenna looked relieved to be done. Mari looked uncomfortable. I doubted she'd be having children any time soon—if at all. Tatum was just tired. Jenna looked to Jou expectantly. "It looks like you're coming to the end of your second trimester. There's just one more to go."

"That's good, right?" Jenna wanted to know.

"It's worrying," he corrected. "The human body needs the three months of each trimester to accommodate the baby, and to provide it with everything it needs. You're only being given a single month. And the third trimester is when most of the actual growth happens."

"So I'm going to start looking like Tatum," Jenna surmised.

"Maybe," Jou said. "But we won't know how your body will react to the amount of growth that it's going to be subjected to. We'll have to take it one day at a time."

"I want to make it to the end," Jenna said earnestly.

"I don't know if that's going to be possible," Jou admitted. "It's not looking very good. But we're going to hold on as long as safely possible."

"I don't want to kill my baby," Jenna pleaded.

"You won't necessarily," I found myself saying. I cursed myself mentally for drawing attention to myself. I felt awkward, but she was looking so desperately at me, that I couldn't help but finish what was meant to be a private thought. "Mai was born _very_ early. I wasn't able to hold on to the end, and she's still alive. Take it one day at a time, Jenna. Listen to Jou, but don't freak out if the baby comes a little early. Hopefully, you can manage at least two more weeks, preferably three or more, but after two weeks you should be halfway through the third trimester, which means it will only be a month and a half early."

"She's right," Jou said. "But let's cross our fingers for three or more weeks, just to give the baby a stronger chance."

"Oh, definitely," I agreed full heartedly. I was just trying to give Jenna hope. It was always dangerous to have a baby born early. It was definitely better—and from observing Momoe, Natsuni and Kurayami's beginnings in motherhood, much less stressful—to have a baby reach full term.

Jou talked to Jenna a little longer, and gave specific instructions of bed rest once again, much to her displeasure, and then Mari, Jou and I left the room together, leaving Tatum to deal with Jenna's frustration. I felt bad for doing that, but Tatum seemed pretty well versed in ignoring the non-important bits of Jenna's rants, and always found a way to find some sort of sense of calm, to keep herself from stressing out—which I was sure her baby was thankful for.

"Are you ready, Miyako?" Jou asked, checking his watch. I was confused only for a moment, before I remembered that I was taking one last trip to Earth today. He laughed, seeing my confusion. "Meet me in the courtyard. I need to say goodbye to Momoe and the kids."

"Just in case," I realized.

"Yeah," he said. He parted from Mari and I, and I saw that Mari was biting her bottom lip anxiously.

"We'll be fine," I assured her. "I can run now. I'm not pregnant this time. I'll make sure he gets back to his kids, and that I get back to mine. We'll be _fine_."

"Hideto still isn't back," she commented. "Kurayami, Hikari and Iori were taken. They could be dead, and we don't know it. I'm sorry for being worried, but I think I have a reason to be."

"I'll be worried when the fight starts," I told her. "You're going to be a general in that fight. You'll be right out there, and I'm going to be so scared. This is way less dangerous than what you're going to get into."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I never thought this was how my life was meant to go. I didn't see giant battles and struggling to stay alive while watching giant monsters beat each other up. I'm not sure I ever really planned a future, if I'm being honest. But I have plans now. I'm going to be a social worker. I'm going to help kids like Aneko and me."

"Then you'd better come out of the other side," I told her firmly. "You have a future to work towards. I'm not going to let you slack off."

"Deal," Mari said, trying for a smile. I knew that she—like the rest of Alias III—was still reeling from the revelation that she wasn't meant to be alive. But I was glad that she wasn't letting it keep her from her goals for the future. "How about I check in with Plutomon? That way, you'll have time to say goodbye to Ken and Mai without making Jou wait too long."

"Thank you," I said, immensely relieved. Plutomon was probably a pretty cool guy, but he didn't seem all that interested in talking to people, and he was really intimidating. I always had to work myself up in order to talk to him at all, even though I'd had to check in with him every day since he'd taken Iori's place as general—which was a bitter pill to swallow, because of the potential implications of it. She laughed, and took my hand, squeezing quickly, before turning and walking off towards Plutomon's hideaway. I was pretty confident that I would see her again, but since she wasn't, I was starting to doubt this trip.

I found Mantarou—who had taken the role of babysitter—first and hugged and kissed my daughter. Promising her that I was coming back, but I was afraid I was lying to her. I was a little frustrated at Mari and Jou for putting these ideas in my head. I kissed Mantarou's cheek too, just in case, before heading off to find Ken. He'd been placed in charge of a demolition crew. There was still a building that was providing a second entrance into the Temple, and we couldn't leave it there. It might've been useful as a second exit, in case things went south, but that's what the portal to Earth was for. It was much easier to defend the Temple if the enemies could only get in _one_ way.

The largest member of the fight club was standing alongside Tuskmon and Tankmon, shoving with all their might. Falconmon and Starmon were on top of the building, along with the fight club's leader, and the guy with the crooked nose were standing with them. Each of them had heavy hammers in their hands and were bashing the brickwork, trying to separate the building into smaller pieces—which were what the three on the ground were shoving down into the moat. Ken was taking a break. He was drinking heavily from a water bottle, with his own maul leaning against the building he was standing near. He perked up when he saw me, and glanced to the sun realizing what I must be up to soon. I wasn't sure he could _actually_ tell the time by glancing at the sun or not, but he liked to pretend he could, and I thought it was funny.

I kissed him firmly, even though he was sweaty and gross. He looked surprised, but one look into my eyes told him what I was afraid of.

"Come back," he commanded simply.

"I plan to," I told him, trying to sound confident.

"I love you," we said at the same time. We chuckled and smiled, before I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around him tightly, and kissing his cheek. I tried to make this hug as memorable as I could, because Mari and Jou were right. This could be the last moments we shared together.

"I can come with you," he offered, but I shook my head.

"This is your job," I told him. "Let me do mine. We can't risk both of us. You were almost taken by Astamon once. Mai needs at least one of us."

"She needs _both_ of us," he said firmly. I agreed, and then I was walking away, trying not to give in and beg him to come like he'd offered.

Jou was in the courtyard, just like he'd said he'd be, and we stepped into the portal and into the library. Mantarou's car was still at Natsuni's father's house, where Hikari, Kurayami and Iori had left it. No one had taken the time to get it back. But Jou texted his brother Shin, and soon we had a ride. Jagamon was in the front seat with Shin, so Jou and I crawled into the back.

"How's Tafu?" Shin wanted to know. The communications between Earth and the Digital World were spotty at best. It was nearly impossible to get a signal to get a message through. We were hoping that was the reason that Michael's parents, and Jou's step-sister weren't able to get word to us. But our hope was wearing thin.

"She's fine," I supplied quickly. "She's helping with construction—or _deconstruction_."

"Cool," Shin said with a smile. "What're you guys up to?"

"We're here for you, and RISE," Jou told him.

"We're kind of busy, actually," Shin said. He drove for awhile, before he elaborated. He actually pulled over, and I was a little confused. We were in the middle of nowhere. But Jou knew we were close to Maugrim's old camp— _Jou's_ old camp, from when he was twelve.

"What are we doing here?" Jou asked. He noted the collection of cars, and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. There were streams of smoke coming from the trees, and I knew that at the base of those, we would find the camp fires of the RISE members.

"We're preparing for a war of our own," Shin explained. "We figured that taking these guys out would help you immensely. Gaia wouldn't be able to launch them at you. We'd take some of the wind out of her sails."

"NO!" I shouted.

He was startled and turned to me, confused. I shook my head quickly. He couldn't do that. These people weren't the enemy. We weren't going to fight anyone except for Gaia's elite team unless they attacked first. They were all innocent in this.

"Don't you understand how bad they're getting?" Shin wanted to know. "They're all unstable. They're like a time bomb, just waiting to explode. They beat up a man just yesterday, because he had a _slight_ resemblance to Yamato. He's in the hospital, but they're still trying to get to him. They attacked me last week because I look like Jou. They're out of control."

"That's just it," I said, shaking my head. "They're not the ones _in_ control. Everything they're doing is Gaia's fault. She's preying on their minds, and taking away their free will."

"She _has_ been making announcements every day. She's growing desperate. She wants the Digidestined _now_ ," Shin said thoughtfully. "She's threatening to eradicate all life on our planet if we don't hand them over. That's why there are so many false alarms. They keep trying to give people to her, but they're never the right ones."

"That's not good," Jou said, worriedly.

"We can't fight these people," I said firmly. "We need to take Gaia out, yes. I can agree to that, even if I don't want to kill her. She's a menace and she's destroying life as anyone knows it everywhere. She needs to be stopped. But these people, they're not to blame. They're not in control. We forgave Ken when he was the Kaiser, and we forgave Kurayami when she was controlled by Fanglongmon, and we forgave Alias III. We can't blame these people just because of Gaia. We need to forgive them."

"I don't know how happy RISE will be," Shin said, hesitantly.

"They should be _very_ happy," Jou countered. "They're a group that preaches love and forgiveness. If they want a fight, then they can come to the Temple, and be a part of our army. We're going after Gaia."

"When?" Shin asked.

"It's _supposed_ to be today," I said anxiously.

"That'll be enough motivation to get out of here," Shin said, seeming _excited_ about the prospect. I wasn't sure if his excitement was stemming from the fact that he was actually involved, or if he actually _wanted_ to fight.

Either way, he was motivational enough during his speech that the rest of the RISE members were cheering about the idea of coming to the Temple. We gave them the address of the library in Ebisu, and we headed out. Jou and I had to wait while everyone came into the library, so that we could lock it afterwards. We needed to keep the doors locked, so that no one else would stumble upon the portal. It was dangerous, to depend on a single lock to keep all of Gaia's Earth forces from catching us unawares at the Temple, but it was the best we could do. We needed that portal in order to escape if things went south.

Just as we were closing the doors, we heard loud voices calling out to us. "WAIT!" they cried. We waited, looking down the street. We were immensely relieved to find out that it wasn't some of Gaia's army trying to catch us and hand us over to their 'leader'. It was Mr and Mrs Washington. It was Jenna's parents! We had good news to share with her finally. We had good news for Tatum as well, because her parents were running towards us alongside the Washingtons. There was another woman with them.

"Kazue," Jou said, heaving a sigh of relief. We hurried them inside, and we closed the door firmly, locking it in place, before we headed towards the portal. I was very relieved that we'd gotten to RISE _before_ they had launched their attack. I was also thankful that no one tried to catch Jou or me to hand over to Gaia. I was very glad to be able to return to my family.

Taichi was glad that we returned too. He was very pleased with the sheer number of people and digimon that we'd brought with us. Aimi burst into tears at the sight of her daughter, and my heart actually lifted at the sight of it. Mantarou was quick to hand my daughter to me, and I kissed her all over her face, making her giggle. Michael launched himself at his Dad, and started dragging him and Mary towards Jenna's room. The Jeffersons followed, because Tatum was most likely to show up wherever Michael was eventually. I brought Mai with me, and followed them, because I wanted to see Jenna look _happy_ for once. I heard her scream, a bunch of crying, before I got there. Both Jenna and Tatum looked like they'd been given the best present in the world, and I felt like I'd actually accomplished something worthwhile, when I looked at their happiness. I silently wished them good luck, and left when Jenna started to explain everything that they had missed.

I decided that Willis was the next place I needed to get to, even though I wanted to let Ken know that I was back. Willis' mother was safe now. We had her back, and he needed to know. I found him and Mari talking. Mari was putting on a leather jacket and was actually wearing jeans, instead of a dress. Her leather boots, of course possessed heels, but they were heavier than her usual style. She twined her hair back and tied it in place. She was getting ready for war.

The happy mood I was in, plummeted. What if this was the last time I would see _Mari_?

They looked like they were having a bit of a moment, and I didn't want to interrupt, but when I was trying to sneak away, I knocked something over, and they both turned to see me. They looked a tad bit flustered, and I was so embarrassed to have been caught.

"Hi," I said awkwardly. "I just wanted to tell you that your mom's here now, Willis. That's all. As you were..."

"She's safe?" Willis asked, sounding very thankful. He looked to Mari but she smiled and shook her head.

"Go on," she told him. "Get to your mother. You've left her stranded while you traveled the globe. Let her know you're okay too. And...watch over Aneko."

"I will," he said, "but you'll be back."

Before Mari could argue his statement, he ran off to find his mother. She watched him go, and looked a little disappointed for a second—my guess was because I was here and there was no formal or elaborate goodbye. I knew Mari didn't need a big declaration of love or anything, but maybe she wanted _something_ more than what she'd gotten. She stood up straighter though, and when Taichi bumped into me, I knew why.

"We're getting ready to go to Sidhendor," he said, gesturing to Daisuke, Winter and Plutomon who were flanking him. "I need to know where you'll be in this battle."

"I'm not leaving," I said. "I'm going to help no matter what."

"No," Winter said, dismissing me firmly. "You're going to go."

"Excuse me, but I'm in charge of my own life," I told her. "And I'm staying here. Someone needs to be here in case Gaia expects the fight, and sends someone to attack us."

"There is a very _small_ thread of hope that we have of winning, and that thread lies in the Digidestined, and in the echoes of the Crests that you embody," Winter told me. "You need to be kept safe. The echoes are all we have left."

"I'm not leaving," I said firmly. I didn't even bother to call her out on her double standards. I wasn't allowed to stay, but Mari, Taichi and Daisuke—who all held echoes of their own—were allowed to go out and be on the front lines. "I'm not leaving just because you want me to. I can't ask these people to fight for _my_ safety if I'm not willing to fight for myself. We promised these people that we could keep them safe, and I'm not abandoning that promise."

Winter was angry, but she seemed to realize that I wasn't going to bow down to her _just_ because she was once the queen of Sidhendor, or because she handpicked me for this life. She had endangered my daughter further than I'd already done, and I wasn't ready to forgive that. I didn't care that she didn't like me. I didn't like her either.

"Hey, Takeru, Yamato!" Taichi called, catching sight of them. He walked towards them, but he was still calling to them loudly, and I heard his instructions. "I need you to go find Hideto, Spring and Aesop. We need them back here. We're launching the attack. It's time. We can't wait for them any longer."

"Okay," Takeru said, looking to Yamato. Yamato seemed a bit disappointed that he wasn't being invited on the first attack, but I could understand already, that Yamato was the backup. Taichi was ensuring that someone would be here to lead us, if the worst happened. He trusted Yamato, Sora and Koushiro to keep things running smoothly, and to win if he couldn't.

I raced off then, towards Ken, because I needed someone to talk to. Our friends were heading out to fight for their lives, and I needed someone to ground me, and to help me get over the fear and panic that was starting to build inside of me.

But I didn't find him. I found Tafu though, and told her Shin was here now. And she told me where Ken went.

"He's with Takeru and Yamato," she said with a shrug, not realizing that meant he was going out into world away from the safety of the Temple without knowing that I'd come back, and without another goodbye.

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

I continually checked the time. I couldn't understand what we were doing. I was with Takeru and Yamato, and we'd been sent on a mission by Taichi to get Spring, Aesop and Hideto. We were meant to bring them back to the Temple, but obviously this was going to be a much more difficult journey than I'd expected.

There were so many signs that I ignored. I shouldn't have been so blind. But I trusted Takeru and Yamato to lead me where Taichi had sent us. The first sign that I missed was the fact that we headed _into_ the Council building, instead of away from it. The next was practically a flashing neon sign, because Takeru asked for Kiyoko to open a gate to Sidhendor—which we actually had to do from Earth because the Digital World wasn't close enough. Yamato and I went along with it. I figured they knew more about what was going on than I did. That was true, actually. I'd spent the last week taking apart a building so that we couldn't be ambushed and so we could control the direction Gaia was able to attack us from. Takeru and Yamato had actually talked with Taichi while I was doing that, so I figured they were making sense.

They weren't actually.

It was only _after_ we'd stepped through the portal that I started questioning it though. We were at the edge of some woods, and we could see the top of the castle's towers from where we were. I looked to Takeru, who was determinedly looking to his digivice. I did the same, and didn't see the specific signature that only Hideto was able to produce with his dual digivices.

"Winter wouldn't have been able to see them if they were here," I realized, looking to Takeru. He didn't look up from his digivice. His lips were pressed in a hard line, and he started walking towards the castle with furrowed brows, confused by the lack of digivice signatures he was seeing.

"Takeru?" Yamato asked. I saw the moment when the truth sank in. His eyes lit up and then they narrowed towards his brother. "What are we doing here? Hideto was—"

"We're not here for Hideto," Takeru said simply, as though that explained everything. It didn't. In fact, it didn't explain a single thing. I waited, hoping he would explain himself, but he chose not to. He just continued walking. I looked back to the portal, and was very tempted to simply jump back through it. It would be so easy. I could just leave Takeru to whatever mission _he_ was on, and actually find Hideto, Spring and Aesop. They had to be in the Digital World, if Winter was able to see them. She wasn't able to see through the world barriers.

"Takeru, get back here," Yamato called, racing after Takeru, who had actually put quite a bit of distance between us. I sighed, and knew that I wasn't actually going to abandon them. This was where Taichi was planning on attacking. This was based on the assumption that Gaia was hanging out in Sidhendor at all. We had assumed she was, because Winter hadn't been able to _see_ her, but then Winter wasn't on Earth either, and Gaia had all of the keys, so she could be there, or she could be in the Dark Ocean, or even on Theta. We didn't know anything at all. We were operating blindly.

And now we were ignoring direct requests from the man in charge.

It seemed like a recipe for disaster to me, but I supposed that Takeru had other ideas. He just continued walking while we hurried to catch up to him. We were no longer sheltered by the woods, and were walking in the open. I wanted to take the digivice from his hand and hide it somewhere. The digivice was a dead giveaway that we were the Digidestined. No one else really travelled the world, and we were decidedly human.

I kept my eyes open, and was constantly on edge. It felt like someone was watching us, but I could never see anyone. The fear was clouding my mind and making it next to impossible to actually focus on anything. I didn't want to die in Sidhendor, when no one knew where we were. It was ridiculous. Miyako would never know what happened to me, all because Takeru had heard Taichi's orders, and disregarded them without even consulting those of us that were accompanying him.

"Takeru stop now," Yamato called angrily. "Tell us what the _hell_ we're doing here, or I swear we'll leave you behind."

"What?" Takeru asked, stopping suddenly. "You're just going to let me do this on my own?"

"We don't know _what_ we're leaving you to do," I pointed out. I was getting pretty angry actually. Taichi, Daisuke and Mari were heading into battle in a few hours at _most_ , and here we were wandering around in the world that they were planning to _invade_. I wanted to be finding Hideto and the others, so that I could get back and actually _help_ the fight club finish off with that building. I wanted to be where Miyako was, so that I could know that she was still alive. I needed to know that. I'd spent two months not knowing before, and I couldn't subject her to that same treatment.

"We're going to find Hikari," he said. His voice broke when he tried to say her name, and he fell apart. The hopeful persona that he'd been trying to keep going shattered and he was left a broken man. He was lost, just as I was lost when Miyako was in the Dark Ocean, and I understood what he was feeling. I had been in the same position, not knowing if the love of my life was even alive, and wondering about my own parents' safety. If I had the opportunity that he had, to go out and search for them, I would have. But I had been stuck in the Land of Dreams. He wasn't trapped with those limitations.

And I didn't blame him for wanting to look for her.

"Is there a signal?" I asked, casually.

His eyes flew to me, and there was a brief glimmer of hope. I nodded at him, and I got the feeling that if he _could_ smile, he would be. But he couldn't, because he was missing his rock, his support. His fiancé had been taken, and I was going to do my best to get her back for him. She deserved the attempt at least, even if she was...

No.

They were alive. I had to believe that. Usually it was Takeru's job to constantly look on the bright side. This time, he couldn't, and it was our job to pick up his slack. He didn't often need help with his Crest, but everyone else had struggled at one point or another—and he'd always been there to extend a hand.

"I haven't seen one," Takeru admitted, looking at his digivice again. He glared at it, angry that it wasn't giving him the information that he needed it to. He wanted to find her. I was kind of hoping that it would be easy to find her, but really, I knew that wouldn't be true. Gaia was smarter than our other enemies. She wasn't going to keep her prisoners in an unguarded cell. She might not even keep prisoners at all.

"Arnold had technology," Yamato said, cementing his resolve to join us in this quest. He wanted to help his little brother. Takeru didn't often ask _him_ for help either, and he wasn't going to push him away—not after his wedding had been destroyed.

"What?" Takeru said, confused.

"He was able to revert our invisibility technology," Yamato said. "He could prevent digimon from being able to enter certain locations. It's not too much of a stretch to assume that Gaia had Bitoru work with Arnold's programs to create a way to block the signals of the digivices. It probably wouldn't even be all that hard."

"Okay," Takeru said. "I don't know where to look."

"Don't look at me," I said, holding my hands up in front of me, "I've never been here aside from your wedding day."

"None of us have," Yamato said dryly. "We should have brought someone else. We could have brought _Hideto_."

"We'll find him too," Takeru insisted. "I just...I can't wait around while Hikari is missing. I know that people have been looking, but it's not the same as looking myself. I feel useless waiting for her to be found. She _needs_ to be found and I can't wait around anymore."

"You never realize how much you depend on someone, until they're not there," I said wisely.

"That's the thing," Takeru said earnestly. "I don't _depend_ on her, at least not physically. Mentally might be a little different, but I need her for _her_. Not for me. She is _everything_ to me, and she'll never know that if I let someone else go looking for her. I feel as though an entire part of my life is missing right now."

"It's something you only experience when you've lost someone," I said. I distinctly remembered the feeling from in the Land of Dreams, over my wife, my parents and my child. But I also had a more concrete experience when I lost my brother as a kid. I thought he was bully, but I also thought he was the most amazing guy the world had ever seen. My parents doted on him, and I was jealous, yes, but then he was gone, and I was alone. "Let's make sure this loss isn't permanent."

"We should start with the castle," Yamato pointed out. "She's the queen—she crowned herself, right? She's going to hole herself up in there then. We just need to get there, so that we can somehow break in and sneak to the dungeons that we don't know the location of, and hope for the best."

"It's not impossible," Takeru said, shaking his head. "It _can't_ be."

"What we need to do _first_ is find a way to get to the castle without exposing ourselves completely. We are basically walking targets right now," I said, stating the obvious. "Also, how sure are we that she's _here_?"

"Very," Takeru said firmly. "Everyone's been looking on Earth, and Winter hasn't _seen_ them in the Digital World. All three other worlds that Gaia wants are fused into this one now, so I figure this is our best bet."

"I just hope the prison isn't on Witchenly or the Isles of Dreams," Yamato said with a sigh.

We moved together as carefully as we could, careful to make sure we weren't be obvious about our movements. We were creeping towards the castle, but we couldn't be suspicious about it, or we might as well just yell for Gaia to come and capture us. Every step we took, I still felt those eyes. I continually looked over my shoulder, expecting to see Norn, or Merlin, or Morganna, or worse standing there, ready to attack. But I never saw them. There was never anything there. It was just empty air.

But the eyes followed us still.

Soon the open grassy plains faded into the beginnings of civilization, and I grew even more anxious. The pair of eyes seemed to multiply. I saw people where there were none. I saw faces in windows that disappeared when I took a second look. I kept my hand on the gun at my belt, just in case.

"Does anyone else hear that?" Yamato asked, rubbing his ear and looking from side to side. My heart was beating quickly. I could feel adrenaline running through my veins, but there wasn't a need for it yet. I was starting to really question this world. There was a certain feel to the air that I'd only felt once before.

But that made sense, since the Land of Dreams had been pulled back to the world that it had originally come from.

It was different too, though, from the Land of Dreams. There was a familiar feel, but it there was _less_ of it. It was like the magic had been diluted. There was only a _hint_ of it in the air, unlike the smoggy consistency that the Land of Dream had possessed.

It made my skin crawl.

"I don't hear anything," I said, keeping my hesitations to myself. I was a police officer. I shouldn't be afraid of air. I was meant to keep a level head in every situation. I was also meant to pick up on subtle details, and the hair was standing up on the back of my neck. There was no way I was going to completely disregard my instincts.

"What's it sound like?" Takeru asked. He had a one track mind. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings at all. He was focussed only on finding Hikari.

"I can't describe it," Yamato said, shaking his head. He was still looking around. "It's some sort of movement, but it is fluid, and it's not quite footsteps."

"That doesn't make any sense," Takeru pointed out.

"Exactly," Yamato said. "But it's still there."

I strained my ears, and sure enough, I could hear some strange sound. It stirred some memory in the back of my mind. I had heard it once or twice before. My heart sunk. I stopped looking in the air, and started looking at the ground.

"Takeru," I said sharply. He turned to me, hearing the seriousness in my voice. He saw where I was looking, and gasped.

"Akumu's nearby," he said anxiously. The ground was littered with moving, inky goop. They were the nightmares that Akumu had attacked us with before Summer managed to help us escape. Thankfully, the Reaper had been locked away—but Gaia was most likely capable of releasing it. I hoped that she hadn't found it. It was imperative that she didn't add the Reaper to her roster of allies. Akumu was dangerous enough without the Reaper. If she was there too, it really would be like adding insult to injury.

"I don't think he's just _nearby_ ," Yamato said. I realized what he meant almost immediately. Akumu was already here. He melted out of the ground and loomed over us, seven feet tall—or more. His pale face was filled with dark veins and red eyes. He had no mouth, and he wore a long black cloak that looked—and worked—similar to the nightmares that moved their goopy forms to his side. The inky twisting and winding creatures were deformed and terrifying. I literally couldn't make heads or tails of them. I couldn't figure out what they were meant to look like. I just knew that the closer they got to me, the more they resembled poisonous creatures.

I _hated_ the idea of poison. It freaked me out.

One nightmare contorted itself until it was a hooded cobra, and coiled itself up so that it could strike out towards me. I jumped back and pulled my gun out, firing a shot directly at the snake, only for it to melt back into the inky form it started forming into four oversized tarantulas.

"Run!" Yamato suggested. I caught sight of what looked like a storm cloud chasing him. I didn't have the time to delve into what that could mean to him. I didn't know if I wanted to dissect the cloud in order to discover one of Yamato's fears. I wasn't particularly pleased with the idea of anyone knowing that I hated poison. It wasn't the best fear in the world. It seemed ridiculous when I voiced it out loud. I found it embarrassing. But it wasn't embarrassing enough for me to _stop_ being afraid.

Not that the nightmares were emphasizing on the _poison_ aspect. To Takeru and Yamato, it might seem like I was afraid of spiders and snakes. I definitely couldn't judge their fears by appearances only—and when the cloud shot a bolt of lightning towards Yamato, I knew it wasn't actually just _rain_ that he feared.

"I don't think he's going to let us," Takeru said, as we all backed up. Yamato had to pick himself off the ground, since he'd dived out of the way of the lightning. I shot at Akumu, but the bullets had very little effect. The only thing they managed to do was catch the attention of the people at the outskirts of the village. They came running towards us.

"DIGIDESTINED!" an annoying woman called. I swore under my breath and shot at Akumu again, just to get out some of my frustration, even though I knew it would do literally nothing to him. Akumu's eyes narrowed in on me, and the snakes and spiders got larger. He started sliding towards me, and then he was knocked off his feet.

It would have been great, if he was the only one.

We all toppled to the ground as it shook underneath us. There was a loud rumbling, and nothing was staying still. I turned to Takeru, half expecting him to have his eyes closed with his fingers on his temple, just as he'd done so often in the Land of Dreams. But he wasn't.

"The magic won't work," he said, as though he understood what I was looking for. "I tried it already."

"That's just great," I said sarcastically, as I tried to force myself to my feet. I had an idea of what was going on, once I realized it wasn't just Takeru utilizing the magic. I was pretty sure that Gaia was fusing another world to this one. The only question was: which world would it be.

"We have to get out of here," Yamato said, jumping out of the way of more lightning, even though he was having difficulty staying upright.

While Akumu was struggling to his feet—or maybe he was just biding his time, I couldn't be sure since he didn't seem in any rush to catch us—he followed after us, sure, as we slowly made our way back towards the portal. We had underestimated the situation, and definitely needed to be more prepared the next time we set out to rescue Hikari.

I could see the portal in front of us, but I could also see the nightmares creeping along the ground in their inky, sludgy forms. I wasn't sure that we could make to our destination first. The sky started shifting. It wasn't a strange twilight anymore. The sky was brightening. The sun was slowly making an appearance. The portal in front of us flickered, and my heart nearly stopped as I realized the implication.

Gaia was fusing the Land of Witchendor with the Digital World.

If we didn't make it to the portal fast, we wouldn't be able to use it at all. It would be deemed null and void, because there wouldn't be two worlds for it to bridge. The ground shook more, and the portal flickered again. I forced myself forward with all I had, and I dived through the portal, rolling out of the way quickly, so that I wouldn't be crushed by Yamato and Takeru.

But they never came.

Instead one of Akumu's shadow was stretching its long twisted arm through the portal and reaching toward me. Kiyoko, who was working in the other half of the room let out a startled squeak as I swatted the arm away. I balled up my fist and punched the arm out of my way as I clambered backwards, feeling my skin sear as I came in contact with the shadow.

The laboratory was shaking just as badly as Gaia's world had been, and Kiyoko quickly ducked under his desk, to protect his head from any falling debris. He caught sight of me and looked to the portal. His mouth dropped open, and I looked as well.

It was gone. It had disappeared and the arm that had been so desperate to catch me only moments before had fallen limp to the ground where it was slowly sinking into the solid stone floor.

"What happened?" Kiyoko wanted to know. "What did you do?"

"Gaia fused the worlds," I told him.

"What about Yamato and Takeru?" Kiyoko asked quickly, his eyes widening in fear.

"I-I guess she's got them now too."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** The Ishida-Takaishi family really take over next time, in pretty much the most overbearing way!


	65. No Way Out

**U/N:** So this chapter felt a lot more natural before the writing process. It is heavily focused on TK, Matt and their parents. It's kind of cute, in a... 'we're totally screwed' kind of way. I like the tone and pacing of TK's chapter, but I like the lighter quality to Matt's... so I guess here's the chapter :p

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 65: No Way Out**

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

My eyelids were fluttering as I became aware of the throbbing ache in the back of my head. I groaned loudly and leaned forward, away from whatever surface I had been resting against and I threw my hands over my head, digging my fingers through my hair to where the ache could be felt. I retracted my hands swiftly upon finding that it was not a simple migraine. I felt blood that was mostly dried wadded up near the crown of my hair.

I was trying to remember what had happened, but I couldn't quite place my memories. I saw flashes of Taichi and Mimi and Hikari... but how had I gotten here?

Yamato.

Ken.

Akumu.

" _Ken!" Yamato shouted as our friend soared through the air toward the portal. It was clear to both Yamato and I that the gateway was not stable any longer. I could see the tip of the rift fading, like a bad reception and pixilated blurs were seeping from the bottom. "Ken_ don't _!" but it was too late. Ken had fallen through the rift and we had no way to tell if he would make it to the other side or not._

 _I swallowed thickly and skidded to a stop. If we couldn't use the rift, we would have to escape a different way. I looked back quickly and saw Akumu and his army of nightmares working their way toward us. Then all I could see was the ground as Yamato tackled me down. A loud humming sound blasted above me and I looked in time to see a bolt of lightning streaking overhead to where it struck several of the nightmares in one go._

 _I followed the lightning as it dispersed and saw the rift. I could remember the same thing had happened back when Sigma had opened a portal in the middle of the camp grounds seven years ago._ Seven years ago _. That was a long time... we had been doing this for a_ long _time._

 _Now wasn't the time to reminisce because the rift, while helpful, was not picking sides. It was entirely unstable and would strike us if it could. Yamato was pulling me to my feet and I nodded along as we set off into the woods. With one final look I saw the rift shoot a massive bolt of lightning as it vanished. We were stuck here now. "What's going on?" I asked loudly as Yamato led the way._

" _I think the Digital World has combined with Sidhendor," Yamato shouted over his shoulder. That didn't make any sense. Gaia wanted the perfect world, and that meant she wanted the world that once was. The Digital World had never been a part of her world, so why did she need it?_

 _The answer came to me all at once, and I_ knew _I had to be right. "Neverland," I gasped, mostly to myself. Yamato looked back, worried that I had said something of importance, but when I did not repeat myself he kept running. Neverland had broken apart and resided in several different worlds. The tunnel of time had yet to be located exactly, but surely it was in one of the worlds as well, while Witchenly and the Digital World seemed to have the missing pieces. She was going to put Neverland back together!_

 _How was that bad, exactly?_

 _I nearly ran into a tree and I decided to contemplate Gaia's plans at a later time. I saw Yamato veering off course so I followed blindly, praying that he was better at thinking on his feet than I was at that moment. For some reason my head was spinning wild instead of focusing on Akumu. There had to be a way to defeat him. In this land where the wild magic was less prominent, surely Akumu would lose power. Except I was pretty sure the reason the magic was less potent was because he had already channelled it all into himself._

 _How had we defeated him before? The answer to that was that we_ hadn't _. Yume and Ryou and Cyberdramon had ultimately done the defeating of Akumu, but here he was anyway. I looked back over my shoulder to him and nearly cried out in surprise. He was much closer than I had expected him to be. I began pushing myself harder, stretching my legs longer. But it was useless._

 _A moment later I was being slammed against a tree with a hand around my neck. I let out a strangled cry as my head smashed against the bark and I noticed Yamato stopping to turn back. "Go!" I shouted out, my voice stripped and weakened by Akumu's force around my throat. Yamato looked ready to disobey me entirely but the nightmares were after him and he had no choice._

 _I turned back to Akumu and snarled, "Why are you doing this?" Akumu's pale lifeless face startled me. I had never seen him this close before. His eyes were thin and his skin was dry and hard. His cheeks were hollow and his mouth was nonexistent, as was his nose. There were simply two gleaming eyes staring to me from under the hood and my entire body went numb. Akumu did not answer me, and instead pressed harder against my throat. "I'm a Digi—Digidestined!" Akumu let up immediately, realizing that Gaia would want to see me first. I tried to use this as an escape, but Akumu was too smart and pushed me back. "Z-Zeta!" I shouted out. "I know who you are! You're Zeta! You're Yggdrasil's daughter!"_

 _Akumu stared blankly to me and I knew this was my chance. I slammed my open palm into Akumu's face, knocking him back and I ran. I ran directly into another figure, and before I got a chance to see who it was I had been hit in the back of the head and the world went dark._

Of course I knew it wasn't exactly true that Zeta was Akumu, but essentially that was the case. Winter and Summer had explained it to me as best they could. Zeta's sorrow was so dark and Yggdrasil needed a place to put it since it did not belong in the land of Darkness, or of Light. So Zeta was sent to the Land of Dreams. There was always dark and light energy in that world, and it all came and left in a constant flow. When dark energy came in—always in the form of dark sand—the golden sand would convert it to their own, and the opposite was also true. So when Zeta appeared in the world it became heavily off balanced and the force of this created Akumu. Yume was created by the world to try to accommodate the new darkness, and so their eternal rivalry had been born.

So no, Akumu was not Zeta, but obviously he was made primarily of her sorrow.

That didn't matter though. Where was _Yamato_?

I felt tears in my eyes, not because of the striking pain in my head, but because Patamon had been taken, and then my parents, and then _Hikari_ and now my brother. I didn't know if this was another test from Gennai or from the universe, but I wasn't sure I could keep my hope up any longer. The tears were coming pretty consistently all of a sudden and soon I was openly sobbing.

I couldn't remember the last time I had needed to cry it out, but now was certainly a suitable time to break my streak.

I nearly screamed in horror when I felt arms wrap around me. I opened my eyes quickly and saw a woman. I relaxed slightly and pulled away to get a better look. I blinked through my tears, barely believing what I was seeing. I wiped my eyes and moved forward, throwing my arms around her. "M-Mom!"

"Hey Baby," Mom said in a small voice as she rubbed my back. I could tell that she was crying now too and I felt awful for dragging her along with me. I was afraid that I had been taken to a place of total despair, and that was obviously a terrible sign for the worlds because of my Crest. But Mom was _here_. I was holding onto her, and that meant that there was still hope for the others.

Suddenly I pulled back, eyeing her up. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing a simple sweater and jeans. She _looked_ like my mother, but could it really be true? The last I had seen her she was at my wedding wearing a dress... "The Land of Dreams is here in this world," I said, trying to sound confident. "H-how do I know it's really you?"

Mom looked confused, "Should I say something only I would know?" Mom asked. I shook my head because that wouldn't work. I would have to know as well which would make it impossible to prove if she was a figment of my imagination or not. "Well then you're just going to have to believe it's me."

I narrowed my eyes, feeling rather skeptical, but slowly I tilted my head back and slowly nodded. "What happened to you," I asked, my eyes falling to the cut on her arm.

She looked and then shrugged it off. "That's not important." I figured she could tell by the look on my face that I really did find it to be of great importance so she sighed and fell into her story telling mode. "Your father and I were chasing Astamon. There were several reasons as to _why_ we were doing so, but ultimately it was probably a mistake."

"Probably?" I asked, a slight smile on my face.

"Well we ended up here," she admitted. "Your friend Tatum told us to stop, so we did... or we at least stopped _literally_ following him. Instead we followed the trail he left behind. We were listening to every news station that was talking about him, and we were following the civilians. We needed to help. Not only do we both work in the media, which would be helpful to warn others and tell them the correct way to handle the situation, but we are also your parents. You and Yamato have been fighting this since you were children, and we've always helped the best we could see to do. We'll always do that for you, and I don't regret this for a moment."

I smiled to her, thanking her for being such a good mother, and caring so much. I was a little upset that she thought she needed to go out and do it alone, and we'd have a good long talk about that later, but right now there were more important things to discuss. "So how did you get _here_ if you left Astamon alone?"

"A big man," Mom shrugged. "I don't know who he was, but when he found Astamon he seemed to be in charge."

"Astamon?" I asked.

"The man," Mom corrected.

"It was probably Maugrim," I informed her.

I could see her storing the name away for later use. "Well he grabbed us and even with the two of us fighting against him we were no match. He looks strong, sure, but either we're getting too old for adventures, or there's something going on with that man."

"Probaby both," I shrugged. Mom grinned, happy to see me joking again and she leaned back against the wall near her. By the looks of things, with the blanket thrown hastily to the side it looked like I had awoken her with my crying. I felt bad again, since it was probably difficult to sleep on a stone floor while the enemies paced outside, but I was happy to get the chance to talk to her. "So Dad's here too?" Mom nodded, unsure. "He's okay?" Again, she seemed less than positive.

Mom looked like she wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer. I gave her the look I usually would in that situation—which included raised eyebrows, wide eyes, a tilted head and a slight smile—and she sighed. "Did Yuudai care that I was gone?"

I felt a brief panic run through me as I slowly shook my head. I wasn't going to lie to her, but I didn't want to give her an answer she didn't want either. "I didn't talk to him," I decided. That was the best answer I could come up with. "Haven't seen him—wait, did he come to the wedding?"

Mom shook her head. "No."

"What's that about?" I asked as she hummed her discontent. "Are you two okay?"

Mom shook her head again and shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't care. I _did_ care and I knew that she did too. I was preparing to comfort her but she raised her hands, seeing me prepare to move. "We broke up, so I'm not surprised. Maybe he didn't even know I was gone." I felt my mouth hang open slightly and I stared at her blankly, unsure how to respond. Dad had just gone through his second divorce and I was so sure Mom and Yuudai were going to make it but I was wrong. Yamato and Sora still hadn't worked anything out... was there something wrong with our family? Was _I_ going to be happy with Hikari? I mean, obviously _yes_ , but why couldn't my family find happiness too? "He was too focused on his career," Mom said, catching me off guard. She usually wasn't one to talk about her feelings, but either being locked up in a cage or seeing that I was an adult seemed to bring her from her usual closed off self.

"He travelled a lot, right?" I prompted when she looked skeptical about continuing.

She nodded. "He was quite the explorer," she said with a kind smile. "He just loved his job more than he loved our relationship. Whenever I needed him he wasn't there for me."

"Isn't that exactly what you and Dad were like?" I asked, trying to remember the stories that I heard—mostly from Yamato. From what I could remember, Dad was too emotional for Mom and she was too distant, working on her job instead of her family. That drove Dad away because he needed more, and maybe he'd even cheated on her. I didn't really know. I wasn't sure I wanted to.

Mom nodded. "So I'm a hypocrite." She shrugged her shoulders. "I know why I was wrong now. It's been more than twenty years and I never understood Hiroaki's side of our arguments. We always talked in circles because I couldn't understand him, but I think I do now. Swallowing your pride can be hard, and I think that's why we never got along. I couldn't see over my own wall of pride." I nodded along, thinking that made sense, but I couldn't think of anything to say. I was happy she was finally growing and finding a way to move on from the past, but what could I do to help? "So you're here for Hikari, right?"

I rounded on her quickly and stared, expecting her to continue, but she was simply waiting for an answer. "Yeah, I came looking," I explained. "Ken, Yamato and I. It was _my_ fault, because we were supposed to be getting _Hideto_. I wanted to find Hikari—and now Ken might be lost somewhere in the In-Between, Yamato's probably been mauled by the nightmares and I'm in prison—" I gestured to the wall that was composed of bars and I groaned. "And I don't even know if Hikari is here—or _alive_."

"She is both," Mom said flatly. I gasped and looked back to her again, waiting for more explanation. "She was brought here earlier this week—to the cell across the hall." I turned back to the bars and looked to where she had indicated. "She was taken a couple days later, but I'm sure she is alive."

My heart was hammering in my chest and I began scanning the hallway with my eyes, searching for Hikari, or anyone else that might know the answer. Maugrim, for instance. "Hikari!" I shouted.

"Takeru," Mom said, and I heard her coming toward me, but I didn't stop. I shouted out again but her arms were wrapping around my middle a second later and pulling me away from the bars. "I don't think that's wise." I didn't really care. I tried to move to the bars again but Mom was forceful, keeping me back. "Hikari was told by Bitoru that your father and I were being used as bait to bring in more Digidestined."

"Well it _worked_ ," I snapped. "So now we can find Hikari—"

"No it didn't," Mom reminded me. "You came for Hikari." I was unsure whether she was offended by this or not, and it apparently showed on my face. She shook her head and smiled gently. "I understand," she said. "What _you_ need to understand is that you're here now. What are they planning to _do_ with you, and what will they do with your father and me now that you're here?" Those were solid questions and I was suddenly panicking about the answers.

I thought maybe Gaia wanted to keep us Digidestined alive long enough to see her win, but Gaia was never one to take chances. She liked to be on the ball at every moment, ready to win no matter what the opponent did. If her goal was to bring us all into her castle, then surely she would know that gave us a better chance of winning. Would she—the woman who went through such great extremes to always get her way—really risk that?

"Where did they take Hikari?" I asked sharply.

Mom shrugged her shoulders apologetically. "They were taking her to a nicer room—"

"Sure," I said sarcastically as I felt rage building up again. I turned back to the cage and screamed as loudly as I could, "HIKARI!" Mom groaned but even she couldn't stop me this time. Gaia took Hikari away and that meant she was probably going to kill her if she hadn't already. The panic inside me was slowly converting to more and more rage that was spilling from my mouth. "HIKARI!"

"Takeru?" A response that was faded and cold came floating toward me. Mom's eyes widened when I looked to her and she moved to the bars as well.

"Hikari!" I shouted loudly.

"Where is she?" the voice came to me again.

"Yamato," Mom and I said together. "YAMATO!" I shouted. "Where are you?" Then there was something standing directly in front of me and I let out a scream of fright. Mom and I both jumped back, away from the figure and he rolled his eyes.

"You really need to _shut_ up," Bitoru snapped, tossing his curled hair out of his face. "You're foolish if you think screaming to your brother is going to serve you _whatsoever._ "

I narrowed my eyes into a glare. "It's better than waiting around for you to kill us."

Again, Bitoru rolled his eyes. "Well if you promise to stay quiet for the next ten minutes I can get you out of here." Bitoru did not wait for my response and instead turned to walk off the way he had come. I looked to Mom, confused. Were we going to trust the man who had been working with Gaia for over a year now? He had far too long to fall into her lap and obey her manipulations. We didn't have much time to deliberate because there was the sound of keys on the other side of the door.

Bitoru was really letting us out?

The door flew open and before I knew it I had thrown myself through the doorway, slamming into the man on the other side. It _was_ Bitoru, but that didn't ease my anger. I pinned him against the far wall and glared at him in total rage. "Don't touch me," I snapped at him, even though he... hadn't.

"That's—" Bitoru cleared his throat. "It's going to be difficult if you don't let go of me, Crazy."

"Takeru," Mom said in a whispered voice as she pulled me away from him. "Do not make any more noise than you have to. Whether we trust him or not it is clear that you can overpower him. We can escape."

I nodded slowly because she had a point, but Bitoru didn't seem to think so. "For the record, I could absolutely beat you in a fight, Crazy." I nodded, completely oblivious to whatever he had said. He groaned but set off down the hallway. Mom was smart enough to close the cell door so it was less suspicious and then together we followed Bitoru.

I was still completely set on my opinion to not trust Bitoru, at least until he brought us to another cell. We were looking to the iron door on the back and I could not see who was inside but my heart was beating quickly. I knew it was going to be Hikari.

I was wrong.

It was not Hikari, but I was not disappointed by what I saw. Yamato came out the door first, throwing his arms around me. I hugged him back and then he caught sight of Mom and he grinned. Dad caught me by surprise when he pulled me in for a hug, but he was eyeing Bitoru suspiciously as well.

"I know this is a terrible idea," he said, looking over his shoulder. "She's going to know it was me... but I have to make up for what I did in some way." I didn't know exactly what he did, but I knew he had taken part in collecting our digimon, Patamon included. "I was wrong to trust Gaia—I don't know why I thought I was any different. She manipulates and deceives, that's all she's good for... I just thought..."

"You thought she could give Spring's memories to you," Yamato guessed.

Bitoru looked up, surprised that we could possibly understand how serious his allegiance to Gaia was. He wanted nothing more than to repair Spring's mind to the way it once was, and because Gaia was the cause of her mind breaking to begin with, it stood to reason that she would have Spring's missing mind piece. "Gaia will never give anyone what they want if she does not directly benefit," I said, thinking of Kurayami. "She will tell you she'll help, but she won't follow through." I knew that Kura had been promised by Gaia that the curse on her family could end. But it hadn't. It was still out there somewhere—probably in the form of Akumu, but I couldn't be entirely sure.

"I know that," Bitoru promised. "I don't know why I couldn't see before..."

"She was manipulating you," I realized. "Your instinct would have told you not to trust her. You knew not to, so she made you trust _yourself_ instead." Bitoru looked alarmed, but suddenly the pieces were fitting together for him too. Gaia could change people's memories like Summer, and she could give them emotions they didn't earn, like Spring. She could change Bitoru's entire stance and thought process just by looking at him. It wasn't his fault at all.

"We need to get all of you out of here," Bitoru said. And for a moment I was walking along with him but I realized that it was a terrible idea. _Out_. He wanted to save us, but that meant we would be leaving Hikari behind. I didn't wait for a second to turn the other way.

I wasn't sure if the others had even noticed me leave, but I wasn't about to let Hikari stay behind in Gaia's castle. I needed to find her. If she was here that meant Iori and Kurayami were here as well! I needed to save my friends.

As I ripped open the door at the other end of the hall I heard voices coming through. I pressed myself back behind the door so I could go unseen, but whoever it was walked right by without looking my way at all. "Takeru!" I jumped at the voice and saw Mom hurrying toward me. She was scolding me. "Where are you going?"

"Hikari," I said simply, poking my head out the door. The guards looked like they might pace the hallway, so while they were walking with their backs to me was my only chance to leave. I didn't hesitate. I set off, hearing my mother's footsteps behind me. If only we had discussed how to run silently while escaping a prison earlier in life, things surely would have been easier for us both. Miraculously the guards had not heard her footsteps—or they hadn't cared about them. It was possible that they assumed it was Bitoru. "You need to move quietly," I told her. She glared at me, but didn't look like she was going to be staying behind.

I didn't waste any time because I knew the odds of saving Hikari depleted with each second, and waiting around was helping no one. I would have to run through the halls eventually and if I was caught, then so be it. As we made our way up a flight of stairs it became clear to me that we were escaping the dungeons. There was a massive room ahead and it looked like some kind of entrance chamber.

When I reached the end of our stretch of hallway I knew I had seen this place before. "Come on," I told Mom, barely glancing through the door before making a dash for the staircase at the other end of the room. The floor was shining and white, and there was a—thankfully empty—throne at the end of a deep green rug. Gaia had already redecorated from Winter's decor. I led Mom up the stairs, knowing that Hikari would have to be nearby.

I saw the intersection ahead that separated the castle into four main parts, but I knew Gaia would not stay in any of her daughters rooms. There had to be a place that Gaia stayed before they were born and before their sections of the castle had been built. I set off in the other direction, down the hallway with Mom following along. She looked worried, but I wasn't going to stop. I gave her the option to return if she wanted to but she shook her head and so I kept going.

When I found the first door I nearly slammed it open but I froze with my hands hovering over the knob.

" _Darling_ ," a horrible voice floated through, "You mustn't be so rude!" Gaia giggled inside the room. I swallowed thickly and took a step back. Mom looked horrified, but I simply took her hand and kept running. I wasn't about to enter a room where Gaia was—not intentionally.

Instead I found a new—much more promising—doorway where a single guard was pacing. The door was wooden and elaborate and I figured that _had_ to be where Hikari was. If she had been taken somewhere better, this made sense. She also had a guard waiting outside so she couldn't escape. This was Hikari.

I didn't hesitate to rush down the remainder of the hallway, the guard was facing the other way. Mom gasped, reaching out for me, but I ignored her and reached for the door silently opening it and slipping inside. I gently closed it and felt rather relieved when I had made no sound at all.

When I turned I gasped. Hikari was not here, but that did not mean it was a wasted trip. Kurayami was sitting on the floor by an empty fireplace. The windows had been bolted shut and there was light coming only from a floating ball in the corner. I feared that it might be a camera of sorts—something Gaia could use to see me helping her prisoner, so I didn't move.

"Kura," I said quietly, "come on, we should go."

She looked like she had been crying, but she didn't hesitate to get to her feet. Her face was pale like she had seen a ghost or something but I simply reached out and grabbed her hand. I was relieved to find her, even if she wasn't Hikari. She was my friend, and I cared a lot about her. "Ready?" I asked. She nodded slowly but certainly didn't _look_ ready.

I pressed my ear against the door and when I was sure the guard was passing by I slammed the door open as hard as I could. A loud grunt sounded and the guard topped backward. I leapt through the door and grabbed the staff the guard had been carrying. I slammed it into the side of his face, knocking him unconscious and then took Kurayami's hand, setting off toward my mother's open arms.

We had to find Hikari.

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Bitoru groaned as he looked through the doorway. "That Takeru boy, he's your kid?" Bitoru looked directly at Dad who nodded. "You failed as a parent."

"That wasn't me," Dad defended. "And if you say another word about my children, I'll make sure _you_ fail as a parent." I looked to Dad, surprised but he brushed off my look. He was obviously stressed and frustrated, but that was no reason to be threatening someone. Then again, I didn't have a child I needed to protect from negative comments. I didn't know what it was like. "Takeru is intelligent and he has his mother, they will be alright."

"' _Takeru is intelligent—'_ " Bitoru mocked in a hissed voice. "I don't care how intelligent he is! Gaia is _inside_ these walls! He's going to _die_!"

I wanted to believe that Bitoru was exaggerating, but it seemed unlikely because Gaia truly _was_ ruthless. We had seen the kinds of things Gaia could accomplish. Of course she didn't do most of them herself but she was still involved in them. She was in charge of her elite team and we needed to drill into our heads just how dangerous they could be. Rei had nearly been killed. Our partners had been taken along with the Crests. Most of the Knights had been killed, including Wizardmon, which I had to recently explain to Dad. Several of our friends had gone missing, probably locked away somewhere. Hikari and Kurayami's energy had been stolen. Jupitermon, Merlin and Norn had all lost their hearts to Morganna. Winter lost her crown and her kingdom. This entire ordeal was snowballing out of control and I wasn't sure we had the power to stop it anymore.

"We have to get Takeru," I said flatly. "I don't care about getting out of here unless he's with us."

Bitoru looked annoyed. "Where would he have gone?"

Dad and I looked to one another and he shrugged his shoulders. "Hikari," I supplied. "He went to look for her. Where is Gaia keeping her?" Bitoru looked nervous and tried to usher the two of us along, but I wasn't just going to forget that I wanted to find my brother so easily. "Stop it!" I insisted, slapping Bitoru's hand away from me. "What are you doing?"

Bitoru sighed and stopped pushing us along, throwing his arms up in a small fit before he rested, keeping them crossed over his chest. "It seems unlikely that your brother will live," Bitoru admitted sheepishly. "If he has gone into Gaia's wing, surely she will know of his presence and he will not last long." Dad and I looked to each other with wide fearful eyes, but Bitoru overlooked them. "We must focus on the here and now. We must do all we can to ensure you two find safety."

"That's not my number one priority right now," Dad said sharply. "Takeru and Yamato _are_." Bitoru looked annoyed. "Take Yamato to safety and point me in the direction of my son."

Bitoru pointed to me helpfully but Dad didn't think he was being very funny and Bitoru groaned. "Okay _fine_!" he snapped. "The odds are stacked against all of you right now, and if you're seen you will die." That wasn't very comforting and I didn't know where he was going with this, but so far it didn't sound like he was being particularly accommodating. "I have better odds, plain and simple. If I am seen I will not immediately be killed, and so I shall go to find the foolish boy and his loyal mother."

I was skeptical, but I didn't have even a moment to express that because Dad was already agreeing with Bitoru's plan. "That sounds reasonable," he said. "What about us then? How do we find the safety you previously mentioned?"

Bitoru was running through something quickly in his mind. "Alright," he said. "You must slip through the dungeons—this is the safest path I assure you. Ignore whatever you find and whatever sounds you hear—" That sounded more than a little disturbing, but I let him continue. "—you will find a set of stairs that lead you to the back chambers. They are connected to the courtyards. Find the Looking Glass and escape. I will do all I can to ensure that Crazy and his mother are found."

Dad nodded. "Thank you." He sounded so genuine, but I was narrowing my eyes at Bitoru, not trusting him for a moment. Bitoru turned and fled though, rushing back down the hallway. I felt like a hook had attached itself to my heart and was dragging it through the mud. Bitoru had a change of heart and was suddenly on our side, willing to guide us to safety and to save Takeru, risking his own life? That didn't seem to be realistic to me. I was wary about who to trust on a good day, but while escaping prison inside the castle of the woman who was trying to take over the world my walls grew much taller.

But what choice did I have?

I was able to either follow Bitoru's instructions, follow my own instincts and get lost probably or to crawl back into the prison cell. All options seemed flawed, but Dad had grabbed my arm and was dragging me the way Bitoru had suggested. I groaned audibly and Dad hissed at me to be quiet. His trusting nature certainly explained where Takeru had gotten his obscene amounts of hope from, which was a strange thought. I had always thought Dad was much more similar to me than Takeru, while Mom was like Takeru and not me. There was obviously more to the two of them than I'd ever examined which was just a rude thing in and of itself. They were my _parents_.

When Dad quickly spun around a corner I hit the nearby wall and let out another groan, for different reason this time. Dad sent a quick apology over his shoulder and released my hand to let me steer myself. Not that it would do much good.

 _Akumu was after me, and my heart was racing. All I wanted was to turn back and save Takeru but I couldn't escape the nightmares. Akumu had been_ with _Takeru and I was scared that they had been separated. Why would Akumu leave Takeru behind? What had he_ done _to him?_

 _I was weaving through the trees, unsure where I might run. I had no escape from this world. The best I could do was to find a boat and make my way to a different continent. Sidhendor was obviously unsafe, and coming here had been a mistake. We needed to locate Hikari and our parents and everyone else who was missing, but it wasn't safe to come here so unprotected. We didn't_ have _any protection to spare, but even if we had it would have been risky._

 _I needed_ Gabumon _. I felt a swelling sadness building up inside me as I thought of my fallen partner, but I knew there was no way to save him from where I was. It just wasn't an option. I didn't even know if there_ was _a way to save him. He had apparently been collected like the other partners and turned into an orb of light by Gaia before Morganna turned them into a prism. There had to be a way to take it from Gaia and to examine it—to extract our partners carefully. We would need Koushiro to do it and we would need it to be done with extra caution._

 _But that wasn't an option because we couldn't even walk through the fields of Sidhendor without being hunted by the man of nightmares. How were we supposed to break into Gaia's personal chambers and steal the thing she was holding closest to her chest? How were we going to save our partners?_

 _What did_ Gaia _want with our partners?_

 _Akumu was nearing me now and I bent low as I ran, scooping up a fallen branch. I swung back and smacked him in the side of the head, knocking him backward, but my own balance had been compromised. I nearly fell backward, but caught myself with a vine._

 _Then the vine began hissing and I let out a mangled scream as I released the snake creature. Akumu looked like his eyes were smiling as he reached out for the stick in my hand. I tried to back away but I was surrounded now and Akumu had torn my weapon from me, swinging it sharply around to hit me in the side._

I had been so afraid that I was going to die, because if I _had_ died, then it meant they had killed Takeru too. But that hadn't been the case. We were both alive now, and I was hoping Bitoru was trustworthy enough to keep it that way. Spring was kind and sweet and gentle and wise... surely she would never love someone who would let innocent people die. Takeru _had_ to live. He _would_ live. I _had_ to trust Bitoru.

I also trusted Takeru and his fiancé. If Hikari was being kept so close to Gaia, that meant she was also close to our digimon. Takeru was going to break her out and I knew he cared deeply about Patamon. Surely the two of them would be able to retrieve the prism that was made up of all of our friends and we could restore them to the way they once were.

My side ached still as we ran but I wasn't going to let it keep me from moving as swiftly as I could. I was a little upset that Dad was able to move so much faster than I was in his old age, but he had lots of time to recover from his kidnapping, and that's what I was going to keep telling myself. We neared an intersection and already I was panicking, not remembering if Bitoru had given us instructions for what to do.

Dad slowed near the corner and I was thankful because it gave me a chance to catch up. I pressed myself against the wall, holding my breath, even though my lungs were burning for more. It sounded safe and clear, and so Dad slowly poked his head around the corner and looked in both directions. Straight ahead the hallway turned only right. Dad nodded when he looked left, motioning that way. I looked and saw the stairs that Bitoru had instructed us to follow.

Dad was moving toward them when we heard a rather unpleasant cry coming from the other direction. My stomach dropped and I turned. It had sounded so _human_. The cry was filled with pain and fear, and I couldn't stop myself from following it. Dad grabbed my arm but I shrugged him off. I was moving quicker now, rushing down the stone hallway. It was long and narrow, but I knew I had to get to the end. It was important.

When I finally neared the end of the hallway I passed a separate passage that led to a single door. I ignored it and kept moving, because the sound hadn't come from there, my destination was still ahead.

"Well?" A deep voice cut through me and I froze on the spot, all of my muscles tensed up at the sound. It was familiar, but I could not place it.

"He will not speak," a separate voice replied. This voice was entirely unfamiliar and it was higher in pitch than the first, but still menacing and rumbling.

"Then kill him," the first voice ordered simply.

My heart leaped forward. I didn't even know who they were intending to kill but if it was an enemy of Gaia then it was an ally of ours in some capacity. "I will not," the second voice said, coming to the rescue of our probable friend. "I do not give up so easily, Maugrim, you know me."

 _Maugrim_.

That was a bad sign. When Jun and Shuu had gotten married Maugrim overpowered ZeedGarurumon. He was _definitely_ going to be strong enough to defeat me and my aging father. I turned, ready to leave, but Dad was curious and it was his turn to move toward the sound.

"If you think it will talk," Maugrim said. "Do what you must."

"I do so love when you give me free reign," the second voice hummed. "But this is enough for today. We must begin again tomorrow. I will come equipped for a much more rigorous session."

My heart nearly stopped when I heard the footsteps and I grabbed Dad sharply, dragging him back toward the smaller passage. We would never make it to the end of the long hallway and up the stairs without being spotted. I should have listened to Bitoru's advice. I should not have followed the sounds.

I reached for the door and found that it was unlocked, so I pushed it open as quietly as I could and shuddered at how dark it was inside the room. I sent Dad in first and then followed along, closing the door most of the way to ensure that we could escape. Dad was looking around, but the room appeared to be an empty chamber. There was a single chair sitting in the middle of the room and a dirty and rusted chandelier hung overhead. There was an empty metal table nearby as well, but I couldn't be sure what the room was used for.

I heard the muffled voices of Maugrim and whoever his accomplice was from outside and I waved to Dad to make sure he didn't touch anything to accidentally make sound. I wasn't going to take any chances. I'd been through enough situations like this and seen enough movies to not make the stupid mistakes. If Gaia wasn't going to risk anything, then neither would I.

I couldn't decipher what was being said through the door but it didn't matter. I just needed to wait for them to disappear.

" _Wait_ ," the mystery voice said. My heart jumped into my throat. The voice was much closer than I had expected and Dad noticed too because he had pressed himself against the wall next to the door. I did the same, hoping not to be seen. My heart was hammering away as I heard a strange scraping sound. "I thought I heard something," the voice said as if responding to someone that I could not hear over my heartbeat.

" _Now_ ," Maugrim barked loud enough to enter the room. I heard a groan and the scraping sound was leaving along with the threat. I sighed with relief and waited a couple minutes before moving again. I slowly opened the door, ensuring that we made as little sound as possible, and then moved back down the small passage. I was aware of Dad following me but didn't bother looking back, and instead chose to slowly look around the corner.

I saw nothing.

I motioned for Dad to follow and then moved as quietly as I could down the hall, and then rounded the corner when the opportunity presented itself to us. Again there was only a single door, so I moved quickly to peer inside.

I looked through the window that made up a small portion of the upper half of the door. There was a metal lining inside and I could barely see through but I knew I was looking to a room exactly like the one we had just come from. There was a table, empty still, a chandelier that was dimly lit, and a chair that was filled with a vaguely familiar shape.

There was a man there, strapped in and bleeding. "Iori..." I said weakly.

" _What_?" Dad gasped, pushing me aside to get a good look himself. "So that's where you went..."

"You knew he was here?" I asked. Dad looked to me and nodded but did not answer. He grabbed at the door and began pulling, but it was clear that it was locked. I began looking around the room for any keys but they were nowhere to be found. The cement and stone walls were completely bare aside from the single bluish metal door that Dad was still pulling on. I turned down the nearest hallway and reacted as quickly as I could, my entire body feeling numb.

"Yamato—" Dad gasped as he nearly fell back off his feet. He was annoyed until he saw what I had seen. There was a digimon coming down the hallway toward us. His right arm was massive and crafted out of something that was clearly not flesh. I didn't get much of a chance to take him in aside from his glaring eyes, because I was already running.

This was obviously the digimon Maugrim had been speaking with. I was furious with him and with myself. I knew I should have gone back for Iori because he was _there_ , locked up and in pain. He was being _tortured_. I had to go back.

I _would_ go back.

When we had run down the parallel passage I turned to hurry down the second—the one the digimon had been in, but Dad stopped me. I fought against him for a moment until I heard a loud barking laugh coming toward us and I knew that if I went back to save Iori I would only die, and so would my father. I felt everything inside me twist dramatically as we both set off toward the stairs.

I was blinking through unwanted tears at the thought of leaving Iori behind, but I knew it was the safest option for us all.

As Bitoru had said, the top of the stairs led us into the 'back chambers' and I could see that it was essentially a hallway without walls. There were simply columns making up the sides and through them were large flowerbeds and patches of grass. This was the area where the Looking Glass was kept. We needed to find it. We needed to find _Takeru_.

"There you are!" Bitoru screamed.

I gasped at the sight of him. He had Mom, Takeru and someone else standing with him. I couldn't see through the bushes but I ran quickly toward him with Dad at my side. "Kurayami?" I gasped when we came closer. I noticed that Takeru was smiling and looking around desperately.

"Where's Hikari?" he asked in a deflating voice.

"What are you talking about?" Dad asked.

Takeru instantly rounded on Bitoru, throwing his finger into his face. "You _lied_!"

Bitoru looked appalled by the accusation and shoved his own finger into Takeru's face, "I—" he stalled, "did. Yes, I lied, but you're a fool if you aren't happy for it. I promise you I will do what I can to assist Hikari—"

"There's someone following us," Dad mentioned suddenly. "You should probably know." Bitoru's eyes bulged and he grabbed Takeru's shoulders, steering him in the right direction. He moved quickly through the gardens and we didn't get far before the sound of the advancing digimon's laughter caught up to us. "Get low!" Dad advised. He grabbed Mom's arm and pulled her low as if she couldn't figure out how to do it herself. I thought she would get annoyed, but she actually looked thankful, and then Bitoru had stopped next to a glimmering pond.

"You have to go," Bitoru said sharply. "If you don't go now, then I will be seen with you and _killed_ with you. And then Hikari will die too."

"You can't know th—" Takeru began.

"I do," Bitoru snapped, surprising Takeru by shoving him directly into the water. His body made a rather loud splashing sound and we knew we had no time to waste. The digimon would have heard him. Mom was helping Kurayami in next, then Dad practically forced her to follow. We didn't have time to go one at a time because the sound of the digimon was growing louder.

I grabbed Dad and shot Bitoru a grateful look but saw that he was already gone, and then all at once we had jumped after the others.

The Looking Glass was the least comfortable mode of transportation ever. I couldn't breathe and the water was slowly making its way through my clothes and boots until I was entirely soaked. I felt like I was being dragged through a long, tight tunnel and then finally I felt a firm grip under my arm.

I gasped, taking in as much air as I could the moment I had been freed and heard Dad doing the same. I brushed my hair aside and saw him being pulled from the water by Kurayami and Mom. Takeru released me and my knees collapsed underneath me from the relief of being freed and I nearly fell back under the water, but I was swimming to the shore a moment later. The Looking Glass of the Digital World was almost three times as big as that of Sidhendor, but it was still a simple pond.

"I'm going back," Takeru declared loudly. I immediately planted my feet at the squishy base of the pond and reached back for him. The water was nearly at my chest so I was forced to wade through the thick liquid to get to him. "I _am_!" Takeru insisted, pulling away from me. "I'm not stupid enough to do it before I'm sure that Bagramon is gone though."

"Bagramon?" I asked.

"That's what Bitoru called that digimon," Natsuko said. "He said we should fear the man with Yggdrasil's arm." _Yggdrasil's arm_? I didn't bother voicing my confusion and instead turned to Takeru. "Takeru," Mom said before I could. "Come out of the water. Come talk to me."

He looked annoyed, but he wasn't going to disobey Mom and he followed her voice, swimming over to the shore. I did the same, swimming toward Kurayami who helped me out of the water. I fell back into the grass, my knees bend over the edge of the pond where my feet were still soaking. Kurayami was breathing deeply and she looked horrified, but was simply watching Takeru and Mom walk off into the trees. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Hikari..." Kurayami said simply, without looking away from Takeru. "Iori. He's..."

"Tortured, I know," I said, so she didn't have to. "I saw him. We couldn't save him." Kurayami looked sad and I reached for her hand but she pulled away sharply, getting to her feet.

She took a few steady paces and then reached for a nearby tree for balance. "We should get to the Coliseum. It's a five minute walk, but Bagramon won't know where it is. We'll be safe there until we're sure he won't follow us."

"There are several other exits from the Looking Glass," I reminded her. "It's possible that he thought we were going to Earth, or the Land of Dreams."

"And it's possible that he thinks we went here," she reminded me, already making her way through the trees. I got the feeling that she wasn't too thankful to have been saved. She probably would have preferred to be captive still because she didn't think it was fair for her to be saved and the others to still be stuck. I thought she might think that way because I was thinking the same thing. Feeling the same way. My mind was on Iori and as I finally pulled myself from the water I spun around and punched the ground as hard as I could.

"Yamato," Dad said softly, patting my shoulder. "Iori is stronger than you or I are. He's been through enough to keep him safe from this."

" _Safe_?" I snapped, "You think he's _safe_?"

Dad shook his head. "I meant that he will live," he said. "I have faith that he will live. We know where he is and we can get help. We can use the Looking Glass to appear in a courtyard merely a two minute sprint away from where he is being kept. We can save him."

"We can go _back_ ," I realized, sounding like Takeru.

"Yamato—" Dad tried.

"No, you're right," I said sharply. "We need to get the others. We need to get help and go back for Iori—right _now_!" I turned to Takeru and to Mom and was about to shout for them but Dad grabbed me and shook his head. "Why?"

"He needs to talk for a moment," Dad said. "Give him his time. Your mother will know what to say. She always does." I rolled my eyes because that was not his usual point of view. "She was always right you know? She always knew what to say... I guess I just needed more. I was too needy. I needed so much attention but now I know why that was wrong." I sat up straighter and looked to him, confused, but obviously he needed someone to voice his thoughts to. "I loved Fumiko, but her constant desire to have me around was always a hindrance. I understand why your mother was always frustrated by me. I understand her much more than I used to." He sighed as he stared toward her. He cleared his throat, "But don't tell her I said that."

"Sure," I said in a tone that was harsher than I had intended. Takeru and Mom were coming back now though, and while Takeru seemed annoyed still, he was less angry than before. "We're going back," I assured him.

"We are," he nodded in agreement. "We need the others though," he said, looking to Mom as if it had been her idea. "We need to get them and tell them what's going on."

"We have to save Iori," Kura said, surprising me. There were tears in her eyes again, and Takeru nodded.

"We do," he said, "Iori _and_ Hikari."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Things really get a chance to turn around in the next chapter. Mimi and Kari both throw caution to the wind and change the story, but is it for the better, or worse?


	66. Listen To Your Heart

**Y/N:** Mimi and Ryou sneak away, and Mimi just sort of tags along with the action. It was interesting to write, since it's so very un-Mimi of her. I liked how it turned out, and I hope you will too.

 **U/N:** Kari has been building toward this moment since the very start of the trilogy—even the story really. It was really exciting for me to get the chance to write her in this way, and I hope it's satisfactory and all that.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 66: Listen to Your Heart**

 _ **Mimi Izumi:**_

"So, what kind of moisturizer to do you use?"

"What?" Ryou whispered to me.

"Your skin is amazing, and you're like seventy years old, right?" I said, reaching out a hand in the dark. I found his face and kind of squeezed his cheeks. He laughed and pushed me away.

"I'm pretty sure I've lived more than seventy years," he said, sounding very amused. Didn't he realize I was serious? His skin was flawless, and at his age—either fourteen or a hundred or whatever—it should not have been. I wanted to know his secret! But he wasn't being serious about anything. I wondered if that was a side effect of being perpetually fourteen.

I sighed and leaned back against the wall, before remembering what the wall really was, and shivering in horror. I didn't want to insult the poor guy, but seriously, it was gross. Taichi had made quick plans on how to get to Sidhendor, now that his original plan—open a portal and just walk through—was no longer an option. I remembered Ken and Kiyoko's frantic faces when they raced up from the laboratory to give us the news.

" _Taichi!" Ken called loudly. Kiyoko was running behind him, holding his computer in his hand and trying to figure something out with only one hand, while he balanced the piece of technology with the other. "The portal is gone."_

" _I can't reopen it," Kiyoko added._

 _Taichi walked towards them quickly, leaving his wife, who he had been sharing a quick goodbye with. Rei was worried, and followed after him. I was there mostly to wish Ogremon and Leomon—though they had yet to decide if they were going or not—and everyone else luck. I didn't like the idea of watching them leave us behind to fight in a war that they may never return from. I couldn't even begin to accept that this was my life now. I hadn't even been married for a whole year yet, and the worlds were falling apart—and apparently my husband wanted to divorce me, but somehow that little tidbit just wasn't nearly as important as the worlds falling apart, so I had to put it on the backburner._

" _Mother has added the Digital World to her spoils," Winter said. "I can see her. She's here, with us, in this new world. If we move quickly enough she'll be there when our attack lands."_

" _But if the worlds are the same, we can't just teleport anymore," Taichi said, growing frustrated. "And we can't walk. There's an ocean between us, isn't there?"_

" _Yes," Tatum said. She and Jenna had been rushed out of their room during the earthquake, because the worlds were shifting so violently as the different continents and islands of the Digital World were forced into one super continent, just like Earth used to be. It was a direct, digital copy of Earth after all. "Sigma had a map. Sidhendor is to the north-east from the highest point of Pangaea."_

" _We don't have time to build ships," Daisuke said, at a loss._

" _Maybe you won't have to," Ryou said. "My uncle Tadao travels Earth with his Whamon."_

" _That's it!" Taichi said. "We'll travel by Whamon, just like when we were kids. He was able to bring us to the Continent of Server."_

" _We'll never all fit inside a single Whamon," Mari pointed out._

" _Then we'll have to find more than one," Taichi said firmly._

" _Mimi, call my uncle," Ryou suggested._

I almost told him to call him himself, but I knew that Ryou was rather sensitive about his family situation. His uncle and father weren't sure what to do with him, though his uncle was much better about it than his father had been. His uncle just wasn't ready for his nephew to be fourteen. He was only supposed to be four now.

We'd managed to find three different Whamon. There was our old friend, who was scheduled to bring Shin, Jagamon, the fight club and their digimon, as well as Goblimon, Bearmon, Monmon, Monodramon, Kotemon, Pixiemon, Babamon, Jijimon, Tinkermon, Petermon, CaptainHookmon, Amai, Katsue, DemiDevimon, Monimon, Rei, Pal, Pul, Benjamin, Hogan, and Jose. Ilya had been elected to remain behind _just in case_.

I called Ryou's uncle, and he was more than willing to ask his partner if he could help us. He wanted to, and so he was instructed to bring Izumi, Tomoki, Kouji, Kouichi, Takuya, Junpei and their digimon. In addition to the original digidestined, this Whamon was meant to bring Witchmon, Reapmon, FlaWizardmon, Zamielmon, Zanbamon, Karatenmon, Phelesmon, Mummymon, Arukenimon, NeoDevimon, Tactimon and other assorted digimon that had once called Witchenly home.

The third Whamon, was once a Dolphmon that had lived in Witchenly as well. He had tried very hard in order to digivolve just to help us, and I was very proud of him. He was given Taichi, Mari, Daisuke, and Plutomon as a passenger list, along with an assortment of crated supplies—mostly food, since the digimon had their own weaponry. His group was small, because he was to go first, and to get the main tactical group to Sidhendor before coming back for a larger cargo of digimon that would be fighting, and Winter, who would lead them.

Ryou and I were _not_ on the passenger list. We were meant to sit around the Temple, doing absolutely nothing while everyone was risking their lives to defeat Gaia—and hopefully save Hikari, Yamato, Takeru, Kurayami and Iori in the process. It was one thing for Sora to be left behind. Taichi had practically told her that he wanted her to stay so that she could be in charge when he died— _when_ , not if, which really freaked me out, to be honest. Koushiro was left for similar reasons. Taichi needed Sora and Koushiro to work together. They were pretty much a kick butt team, so I could see his point. Jou had to stay, because he was a doctor, and in a war, doctors were pretty much the most important people ever. Miyako had vowed to never leave the Temple so long as it needed defending, and Ken was still working on fortifying the place. Michael and Willis' sister was kind of in a life or death situation of her own, and they didn't want to leave her. Neo was running Japan, Kiyoko was doing whatever Koushiro told him to do, and Hideto was still _somewhere_. Ryou and I weren't even factored into anyone's plans.

So we decided to become stowaways.

It was risky, picking the Witchenly Whamon as our vessel of choice, but we didn't want to add to the already heavy burden of the other two. We also hadn't actually told anyone that we were leaving. I felt really bad about it, since my parents were in the Temple, and I didn't really want to worry them. But I also couldn't have them trying to convince me not to go. I really felt like I had to help, even if it was just to be there and remind my friends that we didn't actually want to kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Quiet," Ryou urged, even though I wasn't talking anymore, since he so rudely refused to give me skin care advice. Taichi and the others were loading, talking to the Witchenly Whamon as they did so. I crossed my fingers and hoped that my salmon steak snack was enough to get our fishy friend to keep his lips sealed about our presence.

"Okay," Taichi said solemnly. "It's time to go."

It was smooth sailing—or swimming—for the first few hours. Ryou and I had to keep our mouths shut, because the others weren't in a very chatty mood, and they would definitely catch us if we started having a conversation during their silence. Every once in awhile, Taichi or Plutomon would remember something that was vital to remember, and they would announce it.

"Be sure to always watch your own back," Plutomon reminded Mari. "No one else will truly be able to do it for you."

"If Gaia is present, keep your wits about you," Taichi announced to everyone. "We may _think_ we understand her power, but we're probably wrong. It is different to understand it than it is to experience it. But knowing of it is half the battle."

"We're going to keep our eyes peeled upon arrival," Taichi ordered a while later, after a long, rocky hour of standard sea travel. "We need to scout out the nearest enemies, and plan a route around them if at all possible. We don't want to kill innocents. Gaia may intend for us to sink as low as she has, but I'd really prefer if we didn't have to."

"We may not have a choice," Mari said with a vacant sort of voice. She seemed nearly emotionless. I wondered if she was simply compartmentalizing her emotions in an effort to make this fight easier. She was usually best at battles of _wit_ , but now she was meant to lead an entire squadron of digimon into the fray. She was understandably a little frazzled.

"There's always a choice," Daisuke said wisely. "We want to come out of this alive, but we can't lose our integrity while we do it. It is our choices that shape us."

"It's our choices that separate us from Gaia," Plutomon added sagely.

I kind of wanted to jump in on that inspirational moment, because I was really feeling chills about the whole thing, but I held myself back. I couldn't risk discovery until we were much closer to Sidhendor. Until then, Taichi was likely to just turn around and throw me back to shore.

It would have been far safer to be discovered.

But in times of war, safe wasn't always the best option. If I was tucked away, safe at the Temple, then Taichi, Mari and Daisuke would be in danger with no one to back them up. At least this way, I could know that I had at least _tried_ to make sure we made it through to the other side of this mess.

At the four hour mark, things started getting a little strange though. Whamon kept tilting to the left, causing everyone to fall to the left side. I slammed against the wall—which was really just his stomach lining, and therefore really gross—and Ryou landed on top of me. And then, Whamon tilted drastically to the right, and we flew to the other side, along with the supplies. I braced my arms against his stomach lining so that I wouldn't crush Ryou, but a large crate of what I could only assume was _rocks_ crashed into my back, pining me against Ryou, and trapping him against the wall—with his face pressed _against_ it. I felt very disgusted on his behalf for about a second, before the pain in my back, from the crate of rocks that _claimed_ to be beef, became overwhelming and I cried out.

"Whamon, cut it out," Daisuke complained, picking himself off of the ground and wiping an unidentifiable liquid from his face. Mari got to her feet and braced herself against the wall, after Plutomon helped her right herself. Taichi groaned—but it wasn't from pain.

"Mimi, what the hell are you doing here?" he demanded to know.

"I'm helping," I whined, because I was in too much pain to say it any differently. "Are you okay Ryou?" He was unable to really respond, because his face was pressed into the whale blubber. I tried to get off of him, but I couldn't. The crate was too heavy. Taichi and Daisuke worked together to remove it, and I rolled off of Ryou. He took a few comically deep breaths and wiped his face with his sleeve, before laughing a little bit.

"Are we under attack?" he wanted to know. Taichi was still waiting for an explanation, but Ryou and I seemed to be on the same page when it came to simply ignoring him in favour of figuring what the heck was going on with the Witchenly Whamon.

"I don't think so," Daisuke said. He patted the wall and called out to Whamon again. "You okay Whamon?"

In response, Whamon seemed to do a somersault, and we all went flying. I wrapped my arms around my head and hoped for the best, since the supplies were flying around. Daisuke let out a yelp, and I assumed he'd been hit by something.

"Whamon, stop being a bully!" I shouted.

Obviously, he enjoyed being a bully, because he didn't stop. Plutomon held his ground the best of everyone, and was trying his best to get through to Whamon, but the whale was beyond reason. He just kept tossing us around, and being a menace. I couldn't understand it.

"Gaia lived in Witchenly," Mari said suddenly. It didn't make any sense to me, since it didn't seem to have anything to do with our current predicament. She didn't stop there though. "Okay, hear me out. Gaia influenced the people of Witchenly, right? She did the same with Maugrim's human army. She used a mirror to allow her magic to bridge the worlds. But Maugrim took it with him when he left to the Digital World. The army stopped listening to her."

"Yeah, but that stopped the minute they came back," Taichi argued before pausing. Mari gave him a pointed look and he seemed embarrassed.

"So, what you're saying," Daisuke said slowly, "is that Gaia is somehow influencing Whamon?"

"It is logical," Plutomon concurred. "She would have left a seed in their minds that she was able to access once more, now that they are in the same world as she is."

"But uncle Tadao's..." Ryou said worriedly.

"Let's hope they're behaving a lot better than this guy is," Taichi said.

Whamon gave a mighty lurch and I could imagine we were headed directly towards the water's surface. I heard a noise that sounded a lot like Whamon was taking a deep breath, and then we were headed back down again, _fast_.

"He means to dispose of us on the ocean's floor," Plutomon realized quickly.

"But the pressure," Daisuke said. "We can't survive that."

"Then we'll just have to get out now," Mari said firmly. She took a plank of wood from a shattered supply crate and jabbed it into Whamon's stomach lining. Whamon gasped and opened his mouth, sending gallons upon gallons of salt water in towards us, along with a scattered array of fish. But he closed his mouth quickly, preventing our escape.

"Okay, we're only going to have a small window," Daisuke said. "We can't keep trying without a plan. There's not enough air in here for that. We can't survive if we're underwater _inside_ of Whamon any better than we can on the ocean floor."

"Right," I said. We all moved closer to his mouth, as quickly as we could, despite the constant lurching. Whamon could most likely feel our movements, and compensated for them by trying to hurl us back away from his mouth. I almost went flying, but Ryou held my hand tightly—and was held tightly by Taichi himself.

"Get ready, Mari," Plutomon commanded. He reached out an arm for her to grab, so that she would not be left behind, and counted to five. "NOW!"

Mari stabbed him once again, and Whamon opened his mouth. Daisuke dove out, and Taichi threw Ryou and then me. I couldn't see if he came after us. I couldn't see anything. I didn't know what way was up, and my ears were hurting so much with the pressure. I tried to remain calm, but I couldn't do it. And then, for a second, I could see. Whamon was reverting back to Dolphmon, and I could see that Daisuke was dragging Ryou upwards, though Ryou seemed to be trying to swim in the opposite direction. I wondered then, which way was _really_ up.

I feared that I would die down there, in the dark, without ever telling Mom, Dad or Koushiro that I was even leaving. I was horrible at making decisions. I shouldn't be allowed to make any.

And then Dolphmon crashed into me. A bubble of air escaped me, and I started panicking. I didn't have enough air to swim to the surface in the first place. I couldn't afford to lose any more. Panicking didn't do me any good though. I kicked my feet and waved my hands, and then Dolphmon clamped my leg between his teeth. He started swimming me downwards, and so I knew that Daisuke was right after all, but the knowledge wasn't of any use to me. I couldn't see anymore. The light from the Digivolution was gone. I was going to die. This Dolphmon was going to kill me.

No.

It wasn't Dolphmon's fault. It was Gaia's, because it was Gaia's manipulations that were making Dolphmon act this way. Gaia was going to kill me at the bottom of the ocean. I accepted that fact. I was terrified, but I didn't have the energy to fight Dolphmon off anymore.

But Taichi did.

He swam down like a hero, and pried Dolphmon's mouth open, freeing my leg, and then he grabbed my arm and started dragging me upwards. I was too stunned to help for a moment, but then I remembered Dolphmon was still around somewhere, and I started to kick my legs ferociously. My lungs burned, but I ignored them as long as I could. And then air was escaping, and I was slowing down. Taichi seemed to be having trouble as well. I thought for sure that _this_ would be the moment when our luck ran out, but Mari came back for us with Plutomon. Mari grabbed Taichi, and I tried to hold on to Plutomon, though I was so tired that I was losing control of my limbs.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity—but was most likely less than ten minutes—my head burst out of the water, and I greedily gulped in fresh air. I coughed and choked on the salty water that flooded my mouth in the process, but at least my lungs weren't _as_ mad at me as they used to be.

"Now what?" Ryou asked. "Dolphmon's still down there, and we're nowhere near Sidhendor."

"We must swim," Plutomon declared. He started treading water, and I felt miserable about the idea of having to follow suit, but I was thinking much clearer now that I had fresh oxygen and I wasn't about to let myself drown without fighting for survival. We swam for maybe a solid _minute_ before Daisuke let out a yelp and fell below the surface. Taichi growled before swimming down after him. When the two of them resurfaced, Ryou went down. I panicked again, and went after him without even thinking for a second. I wasn't a strong swimmer. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to reach him or not, but it didn't matter, because Ryou was just a kid and it was my fault he was in this mess in the first place. I hadn't even _tried_ to talk him out of coming along. I just decided to join in on his foolish idea, because it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Again, I was a terrible decision maker. I shouldn't have been trusted with the care of a child— _especially_ the care of an adventurous teenager that hadn't had adult supervision for most of his years, of which there were _many_.

Mari swam past me, and caught Ryou first. She threw him back towards me and I dragged him to the surface. The light was much better since we were closer to the actual sky, and I saw that Mari was holding Dolphmon and contorting herself so that she could kick him with her heels. It wasn't as effective as it would have been if her shoes hadn't been so clunky. I thought it was probably best for Dolphmon though. He wasn't in control. He didn't _deserve_ to be stabbed with a stiletto.

But I _did_ wish that he would leave us alone. We hadn't done anything to him!

We broke through the surface again just as Plutomon noticed something in the distance. He seemed very confused, and I turned to look, wondering if it was something worth being frightened over. It wasn't. It was something to be _excited_ about.

"Meiyomon!" I shouted happily. He had sent a data stream to come and get us. Upon closer inspection, I realized he hadn't _sent_ it at all. He was flying directly in the centre of it. He grinned down at us, looking relieved more than anything. Suddenly, we were all lifted from the water. I was freezing, now that the air could touch every inch of my soaked body, but I was free from Dolphmon's onslaught.

We soared through the air in the midst of Meiyomon's data stream until we reached the shores of Sidhendor. Upon landing, we were instructed to run west, because the data stream was a large target, and we couldn't risk being caught so soon. The other Whamon hadn't made an appearance yet. I was growing worried. I feared that the data stream would lead Gaia's armies towards our own and that our friends would be attacked the instant they landed.

"Where to?" Meiyomon asked Taichi. Taichi looked to me, and at my bleeding leg and sighed. I couldn't keep going forever.

"I need you to take Mimi and Ryou back," Taichi decided. I protested instantly, and Ryou was affronted that Taichi would even try to take his free will away from him. He didn't seem to realize that we all were kind of protective of him. It didn't matter that Ryou had been doing this for longer than us all. He looked like a kid, and our instincts screamed to protect him.

"I can do that," Meiyomon said. "Winter told me to save you. She said that those of Witchenly have turned their backs from us."

"Even Gravimon and the others?" I asked, aghast.

"Gravimon and Porcupamon are our only remaining allies from that world," Meiyomon said gravely. "Whamon barely escaped with his life. Winter still hadn't found the others, I'm afraid they were unconscious...or worse...because their minds were inaccessible."

"Izumi," I moaned miserably. She and her friends were with the Wizards and Fallen Angels. I feared for her, and wanted to hunt her down so that I could _know_ that they were okay, but I couldn't do that.

The bushes rustled, and Meiyomon grabbed my arm, and was reaching for Ryou, ready to make a quick escape, when Grey Wind, my wolf friend—and one time enemy—leaped through the bushes. I yanked my arm away from Meiyomon so that I could go and greet my friend. But Grey Wind wasn't in good humour. He snarled, and bit my wet sleeve, trying to pull me away. I didn't understand what he was trying to say. I didn't speak wolf.

"Run!" Daisuke shouted, having caught sight of what was frightening my wolf. A man in an inky, black cloak with demonic red eyes moved seamlessly towards us. He was accompanied by a man in golden clothes, carrying a staff. Ryou identified them with his gasps.

"Akumu," he said, angrily. But it was the golden man that shocked him the most. "Yume, what are you doing? You're not working with Akumu. You _can't_. What would Summer say?"

"S-Sum-mer?" Yume said slowly. He looked for her, but she wasn't _here_. He grew confused. A familiar woman with long, silver hair stepped out of the woods. Morganna had Norn with her, but Merlin was nowhere to be seen. I was thankful for that small mercy. Meiymon and Plutomon weren't enough to defeat Merlin, Akumu, Yume _and_ Morganna. Norn was in another level entirely. And thankfully Jupitermon wasn't here to add insult to injury.

"Now now," Morganna said smiling at Yume. "I don't believe I gave you permission to have thoughts of your own."

"Yes, master," Yume said, bowing his head to her. Morganna purred with pleasure at the sound of his response. She was his master. She was _their_ master. She held all the power, and she enjoyed every second of it.

"How did you find us?" Taichi demanded.

"It wasn't hard," Morganna drawled. "You're not very quiet in the woods. And that gorgeous beacon of light that announced your arrival was a nice touch. Subtlety is not your strong suit, is it?"

"Meiyomon," Taichi said. "Take them, and go."

"I don't think so," Morganna snarled. Upon her command, Yume launched himself at Taichi, and Norn ran at Ryou. Mari was left to deal with Akumu's nightmares, which left Akumu himself for Plutomon. Grey Wind tried to protect me, but I wouldn't let him. Daisuke went to Ryou's aid, and I figured that I could give Mari a hand, because the nightmares seemed to be the easiest targets, and since they weren't alive, I wouldn't be riddled with guilt if I destroyed one.

But Morganna had other plans.

Grey Wind ran at her, when he spotted her approaching me, but the nightmare that I was attempting to fight—and failing—quickly raced to her side, engulfing Grey Wind with its inky black body. I screamed and ran to my friend, trying to get the gunk off of him. I got his face free, and was working on one of his legs when I realized Morganna was right behind me.

"You're one of the ones that helped Winter to defeat me," she told me with a cruel, angry voice. "I remember you. I turned you into a gorgon and you turned your own friends to stone."

"I remember too," I said. "I remember how we outsmarted you, and you lost."

"I won't make the same mistakes again," she promised me. I wanted to continue to help Grey Wind, but Morganna was reaching a hand out towards me. I swatted at it. The nightmare on Grey Wind stretched itself so that it caught my wrists and held my arms back. "Welcome to the dark side."

"You can't make me," I protested, wanting to spit at her, but finding that my mouth was ridiculously dry due to fear.

"I think you'll find that I can," she said, as she sank her hand into my chest. I screamed and then my mind went still. There was nothing to be scared of. Morganna was here. She would tell me what to do. She would make sure everything was okay. "Alright?"

"Yes, master."

 _ **Hikari Yagami:**_

"My dear," Gaia said in that sickeningly sweet voice, "are you feeling alright?" I tightened my jaw and refused to respond and, while that usually upset Gaia further, this time it just caused a smile to form along her beautiful lips.

I was not in my 'new home' as Gaia had come to refer to it as, but in fact I was residing inside her office room. It wasn't much of an office, but it was where she and her team always gathered to make their plans. There was a large arching fireplace, and several empty windows, framed by thick red drapes, that let in the warm light from outside. The floor was cool and marble and there were elaborate patterns along its surface. Gaia and I were seated at a heavy wooden table that took up one half of the room, while the other half had two large comfortable chairs that faced the window.

Next to the table we sat at was a mirror. It was a tall, full body, mirror that was framed with golden swirls. The mirror was not reflecting like it ought to be doing, but was instead showing me something else entirely, like a television of sorts. But this was not a show that I was enjoying at all.

I saw Akumu and everything he was doing to my friends—to _Taichi_. He had to be stopped. I felt a pit in my stomach because I knew there was nothing I could do to see that happened and I instead I was forced to watch from afar. But I wasn't _too_ far off, because they were finally here on Sidhendor. That meant they had come for Gaia, and if they could overcome Akumu and Yume then they would be able to come get me and I would help them take Gaia down.

It was unlikely that we would win, but I would rather die while trying than to sit back and let her continue her tricks. Something I noticed about Gaia was that she wasn't actually _evil_. She was simply insane, as if being insane was really that simple. She had gathered the Crests, and the digimon, and the Digimentals, and the keys and was now bringing the worlds back to the way that they had once been. There was method to her madness, yet it was madness nonetheless. But she wasn't out there killing large groups of digmion like so many of our previous enemies had done. She was simply ruling. She had _people_ for that business. It scared me just how effortlessly Gaia had risen to power and how easy it was for her to take everyone down. She did not even have to put up a fight because she had played all of her cards just right. And she was about to win the game.

I cringed at the sight of Daisuke leaping out of the way of Akumu thrashing his nightmares down upon him, but I was happy to see him get away. It didn't last long though because he was hit from behind by a wall of smoke.

I reached forward for the mirror and Gaia's smile fell. I let my finger come in contact with the glass, hoping for something to happen. I needed to get to them. I had to _help_ them. But I couldn't do _anything_ from here. At least I was alone here now.

" _Gaia," Maugrim said sharply, barging into her rooms unannounced. She turned to him angrily but saw that he was frustrated. She did not seem to care because she had some very important lessons to teach him._

" _Dear," Gaia said snidely. "You must knock before entering the room of a lady—"_

" _Gaia they're gone," Maugrim interrupted, "the prisoners have escaped."_

 _Gaia turned to me and wound her hand back and she struck me across the face. "Your stupid friends are trying to ruin my plans!" I barely reacted to being slapped because all I could see in my head was a beautiful image of Iori and Kurayami freeing themselves. I was happy that they had gone without me because they deserved that freedom more they deserved to be killed for trying to save me._

 _I could wait this out._

And I would be waiting it out it seemed.

But Taichi was here in Sidhendor. He was coming to get me, and I could see him now. I could remember the landscape well from when the Vilemon had dragged me through the sky. There were many trees on the continent and that's where Taichi was now, in the trees, but I thought I could see a large rock formation in the distance, behind my friends. When I looked out the window every day from the room Gaia had left me in I could see the very same formation.

They were close.

"That's enough," Gaia snapped, grabbing my wrist roughly and pulling it away from the mirror. "You will smudge the glass." Gaia's eyes returned to the mirror as if she were examining it closely, like she was afraid I had damaged it. I hadn't, so I didn't fear her wrath, but she wasn't going to take any chances.

As she was examining the mirror I took the opportunity to stare at the glowing ball of light that followed her everywhere. She had instructed both the light and the dark to remain at the opposite end of the room so they were completely out of my reach and, while I wanted the light back badly, I knew it would not be wise to try. Even if I managed to absorb the light once more it wouldn't help me escape and Gaia would only grow angrier.

I looked away from the light quickly when I thought I saw Gaia moving. I didn't want to let her catch me eyeing it up. I couldn't let her know what I wanted. I was staring back at the mirror and was letting the worry grow again. Mimi wasn't there anymore. I hadn't seen where she had gone and now she was missing from the action. Mimi wasn't much of a fighter, so maybe she had gone off on her own, but that didn't worry me any less. Ryou was there though and he was only a child. I didn't think it was fair to throw him into a battle, but he knew Akumu well, so maybe he was the best suited of them all.

And Meiyomon... I was worried about him. Nothing could happen to him because Fumiko would _break_ if it did. I didn't think she could take another loss. She was probably over the moon right now to have Iori back though.

There was a knock on the door and Gaia turned sharply to see Phelesmon poking his head inside. "Lady Terra?" I grimaced, turning away from him. I was angry with Phelesmon, though it wasn't entirely his fault. Gaia turned to Phelesmon, annoyed but he seemed entirely oblivious and came into the room anyway.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times," Gaia snarled, "do not use that name to address me. It is offensive and if you cannot obey these simple rules, then I will have to punish you. I've always known you to be incomprehensibly stupid, but I fear I may have overestimated your intelligence if you simply cannot figure this out."

Phelesmon stared blankly at Gaia for a few moments before disregarding everything she said. He pointed to the mirror and smiled. "I told you they'd come, didn't I? Didn't I?"

Gaia looked angry. "No, Merlin did."

"No," Phelesmon shook his head. "No, listen! I told Tactimon who debated with Zanbamon who then agreed to tell Witchmon who told Reapmon who didn't care so she told Karatenmon instead and he's such a blabber mouth so he wandered off to tell _me_. I already knew obviously, but I had to keep the chain moving so I told Merlin who told _you_ and you're _welcome_." Gaia began rubbing her temples as though she genuinely could not stand his presence. "I said that you were welcome? Terra? He—"

Gaia moved so quickly that I hadn't noticed until I heard Phelesmon cry out in pain. I turned to see a thick vine that had shot from the marble floor, cracking its surface, and aimed right at Phelesmon. The vine pierced through his shoulder and he was sobbing in pain.

I got to my feet immediately to help him but Gaia slammed her hand into my stomach and I fell back into my chair, my own eyes tearing up. I was in pain, but I was scared for Phelesmon more than anything else. "Even as a digimon you have several major weaknesses," Gaia said sharply. "I know _just_ where to hit to kill you swiftly. Do you want to die?" Phelesmon shook his quickly, unable to say anything. "Then you must do me a favour and _never_ refer to me by that name _ever_ again."

The vine pulled out of Phelesmon's shoulder and he gasped, falling to the ground on his knees, and then slowly he made his way toward Gaia who pulled her crystal closer to her chest. It wasn't the first time I had seen her hold that prism so dear, and I knew there was a reason why she found it to be so important. I didn't know what that reason _was_ but I knew it was important.

" _Gaia," Maugrim said through the door, this time knocking. "Someone wishes to speak to you."_

 _Gaia turned to the door and nodded her head slowly. I didn't know how she communicated through closed doors, but soon the door was open and the disgusting and horrible Bagramon came walking through. When I had met him he had blood covering his face and he had told me I was beautiful. When I pushed him away he had smacked me to the ground. Needless to say, I didn't exactly like the man._

" _What do_ you _want?" Gaia asked, pulling her prism close to her chest. It was clear to me that she simply did not trust digimon with anything. She found them to be unfaithful and generally useless. They made her uncomfortable._

" _The prisoner will not speak," Bagramon said. "I am simply asking permission to increase my methods." I winced, trying not to care about what he was saying. I couldn't though. I didn't know who their prisoner was, but I already had tears in my eyes. Every time they talked about the prisoner they only talked about ways to cause him pain._

 _Gaia nodded her head. "Fine, whatever," she said. "Just give me the answers that I_ know _he has."_

" _Gaia," Maugrim said, stepping into the room as well. "Are you sure this boy has the answers? Perhaps we should just put him out of his misery and get a new subject."_

 _Gaia's nostrils flared with rage. "Yes, I am_ sure, _Graul." Maugrim diverted his eyes. He did not like when Gaia used his true name. "I feel his connection to my daughter. I_ know _he is connected with Autumn!" It was then that I learned what she was looking for. It was obviously Autumn, but I wasn't sure what she thought Autumn could do. "If you kill him I may never know where she is!"_

 _She thought Autumn was alive. She feared_ Autumn _. And I had no idea why._

" _Now get out of here!" Gaia yelled. "Both of you!"_

Phelesmon was bowing at Gaia's feet, still crying and in pain, but he was worshiping her and begging for forgiveness without words. Gaia looked frustrated but let him bow for a few moments before finally she slammed her foot into his wounded shoulder and shoved him away from her. "You may leave now." Phelesmon thanked her and staggered from the room—in pain, but alive. Gaia shuddered and released her crystal, allowing it to float near her shoulder once more. "You are meant to be watching this," Gaia said in a loud voice. She reached toward me and grabbed my chin, turning my face to the mirror.

It was awful timing, as Taichi had just been hit full force by Akumu's dark powers. I felt my body tense up and my fingers dug into the table. The darkness was still pounding on him. He wasn't safe. He was going to die!

But Mari was there, and she slammed herself into Akumu, and his darkness released Taichi for just a moment, giving him time to pull himself to his feet, looking rather dizzy. I was hoping he would call for a retreat. I was watching and waiting for it, but he never did. Instead he ran back into the fight, swinging his fist toward the opponent. Didn't he know that I was _okay_? I wasn't safe, but I was okay. Gaia could _wait_. Didn't he know he couldn't win without his digimon? Without our digmion there was no chance of fighting them off—Plutomon wasn't enough on his own, despite the efforts he was clearly putting forth. Ryou had temporarily defeated Akumu in the Land of Dreams, but he had had Cyberdramon to help him. And Yume too, but since he was now on Gaia's side he was obviously not an ally option anymore.

"Do you like what you see?" Gaia asked in a cool voice. I felt my mouth drop open a little in surprise and amazement. How could she _honestly_ think I would like seeing my friends and family being attacked by her dark forces. I chose not to answer her because I was afraid she would grow angry with my planned response. "I like it," Gaia said softly, "and I have _you_ to thank for it."

"What?" I snapped before I could stop myself. I turned sharply to Gaia and she was smiling in such a friendly way, but I knew her tactics. I knew she was being manipulative. That didn't stop her kind face from being inviting though.

"I said that I have you to thank for this, Hikari," Gaia said sweetly. Her smile was intoxicating and disgusting. I tried to look away now, but I couldn't. "You helped me escape that land of white by opening the door. You gave me your light which gave me enough power to defeat the digimon. You reunited me with my love. With my partner. With my _team_. Without you, none of this would have happened."

I felt my heartbeat quicken and anger coursed through me. I wasn't angry at Gaia though. I was angry at _myself_. She was right. This _was_ my fault. I had been the cause of Gaia's rise to power and I was entirely helpless to stop it from continuing.

"There was that annoying bump in the road," Gaia said, looking deeper into my eyes, her smile ever present and startlingly disturbing. "You locked me back in Witchenly and I was _very_ angry with you. I did _not_ want to return to that land—but if you had not done that, then I would not be where I am today. The worlds would have been kept open and I wouldn't have my Crests." Her eyes flicked to the side—towards the prism?—and then back to me.

"They are not _your_ Crests," I said firmly. "They are Theta's and—"

" _Theta_ is _dead_!" Gaia shouted, slamming her fist into the table. I squeaked in fear as I leaned back in my chair, escaping Gaia the best I could, but she controlled her anger quickly. "That tree hugging old bat is finally dead just like I always knew she would be, I get to roam her worlds and rule them. I always _knew_ I would wear this crown, and Theta always feared I was right! Well now _she's_ dead, I'm in charge and you're the reason why!" I turned away from her finally, unable to look any longer. I couldn't stand to take all of the guilt she was pouring into me. But of course she didn't know it was guilt she was passing along. She thought it was praise, but I could not take it that way. "That's why I'm treating you better than the other prisoners, Hikari," Gaia said. "I will not put you in prison because you have done so much for me, and I want to repay you. I hope one day we can become allies."

She was waiting for me to reply but I had nothing to say to her.

"However," Gaia said sharply, "if you _betray_ me, if you so much as speak ill of me, I will not hesitate to go back on my word. And I _will_ kill you." I was staring back to her again and she was stone cold and serious until she let out a high pitched hum of a laugh and a shiver ran down my spine. "So let's not let that happen, alright?"

Thankfully I was saved from responding by a knock at the door. Gaia's shoulders slouched and she sighed as if she was simply far too busy to have guests, but I didn't mind her attention being on something else for a while. "What is it?" Gaia barked.

"Someone wishes to speak with you," Maugrim said curtly. Gaia tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips but said nothing. A moment later the door opened and Astamon was walking in. His head turned to me immediately and he held his gun tighter in his hand. A malicious sort of smile played on his lips like he was toying me with the memories of ruining my wedding and almost killing my friends.

But he had failed, and I hoped the look on _my_ face reminded him of the time I had shot him in the eye. He was alright, and it seemed to have done little damage, but then again, I didn't know anything about how digimon worked.

"What is it?" Gaia said sharply. I noticed she let her prism float around in Astamon's presence, and it seemed as if she actually trusted him. But when he moved toward her she quickly snatched it from the air, like she thought he was going to break it or something. Even after all of their years in Witchenly together she still hadn't found it in herself to trust him.

Astamon handed Gaia a sheet of paper and she looked unimpressed. "What's the matter?" Astamon asked. "This is good news."

"This is _not_ good news," Gaia barked. "If something is not one hundred percent complete, why would you think I need to know of its progress?" Astamon flinched as her words grew louder as her rant went on. "If you are foolish enough to think that I _care_ that she has found materials to construct the armor then you are _wrong_! If you cannot come to me by the end of this week with a completed set, I will kill everyone in this castle."

"I'll make sure be to out sick that day," Astamon said, trying to make light of the situation. Gaia did _not_ think that was funny and she lunged forward, reaching for Astamon's throat. She held tightly and began screaming into his face.

I jumped up and rushed over to them, grabbing at her arm to pull it away from him. "Stop it!" I insisted. Gaia turned her attention on me and slapped me in the face. I winced and nearly fell back, but caught myself on the table. "There is no reason to attack your underlings!" I shouted quickly. "If you kill them, then who will be on your side?"

Gaia seemed to realize I had a point and Astamon looked to me, annoyed. He wasn't thankful at all that I had helped him. Gaia and Astamon both turned from me and she motioned to the door. Astamon nodded and together they left, with the balls of light and darkness following. I felt fear rising up immediately, feeling that they might be leaving me to die for disobeying, but when I rushed to the closed door to press my ear against it I could still hear their voices.

"Have they been delivered?" Gaia was asking Astamon.

"Of course," Astamon nodded along, but he seemed annoyed. "I'm still not sure why you're trusting them. They can fight your manipulations." So Astamon was working while using his own free will unlike many of the others. "You cannot actually trust them to keep the Digimentals safe."

"I do not," Gaia said simply. "As free thinking individuals, of _course_ I don't trust them! Everyone will betray me if I do not keep them on a tight leash, but one truth speaks louder than all else, and that is power. I have what they want and they will get it as long as they obey. That is how I know they will not thwart me."

"That seems awfully risky," Astamon noted.

"Yes, well," Gaia sighed, "Morganna tears out their hearts for good measure."

I moved away now, too disgusted to hear more. I was appalled by Morganna's gift of using other's hearts against them. There had to be a way to stop her even if she was under Gaia's control. I didn't know how, but I was sure someone else could think something up. What I was mostly focusing on now was the Digimentals. Gaia had handed them to her closest team members it seemed. It was wise because we would never be able to collect them all.

But Gaia trusted only herself and that meant she had one as well.

I was looking around the room as quickly and quietly as I could because I was just so _sure_ that she would keep one for herself for security measures. Just in case everyone else failed at their job, Gaia would always have one last Digimental to ensure her plans could not fall apart.

This was her special room where she always was. She wouldn't leave her Digimental unattended...

I found a velvet box sitting on the mantle above the fireplace and I quickly rushed toward it, standing on my toes. I popped the top off just as I heard the door behind me opening. I felt a jolt of panic and delight rush through me. I closed the box and rushed back to my seat.

I had seen it.

The silvery Digimental of Love was being kept inside Gaia's room. That was fitting, as Love was the most important and abundant of the Crests. When I turned to the door I was surprised that Astamon did not return with Gaia, but in fact someone else was walking in. My lips pursed and my eyebrows slanted. It was Morganna. She was cruel and disgusting. Her long hair was flowing along behind her and as I stared to it I noticed someone standing in the doorway.

"Mimi?" I asked, my jaw dropping again. I got to my feet but Gaia was quick to use her magic to send me back into my chair. "Mimi!" She looked to me and blinked twice before turning back to Morganna. " _Mimi_! Listen to me! What happened?" I rounded on Morganna. "What did you do to her?"

Morganna's lips curled into a smile and she laughed. "I have simply retrieved another heart for my collection!" My insides churned and sank at the thought. Mimi's free will was taken away from her with Morganna's powers. Once again I found myself entirely disgusted with Morganna's gift. She turned to Gaia and batted her eyes. "May I keep her?"

"Absolutely," Gaia said immediately. "I think we could play many fun games with this new toy."

I felt like I was going to throw up. I couldn't stand the idea of them using Mimi against us. I couldn't stand the idea of Mimi not being able to fight back. I couldn't stand the idea that we were going to _lose_.

I wasn't going to allow us to lose. If we did, and the worlds came to a new era run by Gaia, then I would not ever be able to forgive myself. Gaia was not wrong. I was entirely to blame for her power and her stance. Taichi was currently fighting against _Akumu_ , the nightmare that had caused me so much grief in the past and it was because of Gaia—because of _me_.

Well I was going to make up for it now.

I looked to the ball of light. It was so near. I could simply grab it.

But I knew better. I got to my feet silently but quickly and reached for the one thing Gaia treasured above all else. The prism. I snatched it from the air, feeling the warm energy spreading from its glassy surface and I held it high above my head.

" _Stop!_ " Gaia shrieked, holding her hands out to stop me. "Don't do this Hikari!"

"And why shouldn't I?" I asked, feeling nervous now.

Gaia's sweet smile returned and I felt sick to my stomach. "If you break that prism, then everyone you love will _die_." I believed her. I really did. Everything Gaia said always seemed so truthful and honest. But I knew she had lied to me before, and to Kurayami and to Astamon, Maugrim, her daughters. Gaia was a lying sociopath and I couldn't believe anything she said. She didn't want this to be broken... so did I?

I saw the light from outside reflecting from the triangle in my hands. The light on the floor caught my attention and I noticed the colours of the Crests.

I knew what this was.

Then I saw a shadow creeping along the colourful lights. Gaia was trying to trick me with her vines. But I wasn't going to let her. Not this time.

I screamed as I swung the object through the air smashing it as hard as I could toward the ground. I could tell that all eyes were on the prism as it fell and optimism somehow found a way to creep up through my chest until all at once it vanished.

Gaia's vines had caught the prism and she relaxed with a sigh. I knew that I wasn't going to be forgiven for this, so I had nothing to lose.

I swung my foot back and channeled all of Taichi's soccer lessons. The prism moved so quickly toward the far wall where it finally came into contact with the flat surface, shattering into a million pieces. Gaia's scream was overbearing but I wasn't paying any attention. There was a friendly pink light coming straight toward me. It shot through my chest and I felt chills over my entire body, and then there was a soft sound. "Hah!" Something had landed behind me.

"Hikari!"

I nearly collapsed at the sound of her voice, but I didn't have time for that. I had to get to Mimi. I looked and saw a green light buzzing around Mimi's head, soaring through her chest over and over, but nothing was happening. Palmon couldn't return because Mimi had no heart. My chest ached at the sight, but I knew there was nothing I could do for Mimi yet. And with Palmon distracting Gaia this was my chance to escape.

The other lights were all shooting through the open window now and I felt rather hopeful about the sight. I couldn't stay for Mimi. I was crying already—scared they would punish her for what I did. But I couldn't stay.

"Hikari, _hurry_!"

It was then that I finally saw her. She was running on all four limbs to go quicker. Her tail was whipping around behind her and her fur was moving wildly with how quickly she ran. I obeyed and pushed harder. I had to keep up to her. It was _Gatomon_. She was back now and I wasn't about to let her get away from me.

I heard Gaia screaming for Astamon and for Maugirm but I couldn't wait for them to hear the news of my escape. I had to leave _now_.

Gatamon was rushing around a corner and before I had a chance to follow I heard her scream.

My entire body went numb and I stretched my legs further and kicked harder, moving faster than I knew I was able. I nearly slid past the passage but caught myself on the wall and saw Gatmon standing, her fists raised. Standing in front of her was Bitoru who was holding his hands up innocently. I saw in his hand was the key ring. He had the keys. We could take them.

"Come with me or you'll probably die," Bitoru said quickly, his eyes flicking over to me.

"Get out of the way," Gatomon said. "I'm not going to trust anyone until we're out of here."

"Then let me trust him for you," I said, trying to ignore the sounds of Gaia's people behind us. I moved forward and scooped Gatomon into my arms. I took one single second to absorb her again. Her smell, the way her fur felt in my hands, the way she sounded as she purred and hugged me. I was hurting again because I wasn't able to get a proper reunion, but escaping was more important. "Bitoru," I said sharply, "Lead the way."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Woah! Go Hikari! What's the next step now that we've rescued the partners? Daisuke and Neo think they know, and hopefully they're right. There's no more room for mistakes!


	67. Poor Unfortunate Souls

**Y/N:** Daisuke's part is all sorts of fighting, and it's exciting, and it's not something that actually that happens all that often in this second trilogy of ours—though more so in this final instalment. It was definitely refreshing to get to write about fighting again.

 **U/N:** Neo helping people is a very strange concept, but it's something we've been building toward, so I didn't feel that weird writing it. Hopefully it doesn't come across too out of character in this chapter with him maybe thinking of others a little.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 67: Poor Unfortunate Souls**

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

My muscles were aching, and there was a nice, long slice on my chest. I'd been caught by Yume's magic, and had only escaped certain death because Plutomon had dragged me back. Plutomon was a saviour for more reasons than that though. He was the only one of us that had any power behind his punches. He was amazing.

We weren't winning, but he made it seem like we stood a chance, and I appreciated it greatly.

"We need to retreat," Taichi shouted, before a nightmare melted out of the ground and engulfed him. Mari was there in an instant, and pried it off his face, so he could breath, before she tried to free the rest of them. She would've had a much easier time of it, if there weren't nightmares clawing at her ankles. They pulled her feet out from under her, and started dragging her towards Akumu, whose eyes were dancing with excitement. He loved every minute of this.

That was the only sign I needed to know he was here voluntarily. Yume's heart had been stolen, but Akumu needed no such motivation. It irritated me beyond all reason. It was one thing for Norn and Yume and Merlin—and now _Mimi_ , who had disappeared along with Morganna a long time ago—to fight alongside Gaia. They had no choice in the matter. They weren't willing pawns in Gaia's real life game of chess. But Akumu, and Morganna, and Maugrim, and Bitoru...they were all helping her without losing their hearts to do it.

I couldn't fight against Norn. I couldn't do it. She 'wanted' to fight against me. Morganna had told her she did, before Morganna had taken Mimi to some unknown location. I couldn't do it though. I had done everything I could to get through to her. I begged and pleaded. I even cried, when her lifeless eyes stared into my own when she attempted to break my arm.

Meiyomon was fending her off, keeping her away from me. Taichi and Meiyomon both had realized that I was more willing to let Norn kill me then I was to hurt her. Norn was family. I couldn't hurt my family. It was something I was literally incapable of doing. The idea made my stomach churn.

Akumu though, was a different story.

He wasn't family the same way Norn was. He was nothing but the darkness of the Land of Dreams. He was created primarily from Zeta's sorrow. That same sorrow was the source of the curse on Kurayami's family. I couldn't help but want to rip him to shreds. That curse was the reason Kurayami was so terrified by the idea of being a mother. The two of us were in constant fear that the curse would creep in and steal away our little boy.

Haruki was more important than anything, and no curse was going to take him from us. Kurayami was strong. I believed she could fight the curse, but no amount of hope and faith could outshine the idea of the curse dissipating. I thought that if I could just beat Akumu, then I knew the curse would disappear with him—and, as an additional bonus, we'd be one step closer to defeating Gaia.

I scrambled along the ground, getting to my feet and tackled the nightmare that was trying to swallow Mari from the feet up. Mari got to her feet and returned to Taichi's side. Working together, they were able to get Taichi free from the nightmare just in time for Norn to sidestep Meiyomon and race towards me. Mari stuck her foot out, and Norn crashed face first into the ground. Meiyomon sent Norn off into the woods with a data stream. He was trying to round us up in the same spot so that he could do the same to _us_ , but our enemies just wouldn't let us stay in one spot.

Ryou went flying through the air, and Meiyomon caught him, before setting him on the ground. Ryou thanked him quickly and ran back at Yume, who had been the one to throw him, and tackled the sandman around the knees, knocking him to the ground. Yume kicked his legs free, slamming his feet into Ryou's shoulder and stomach. The kid was resilient though, and just got back to his feet before diving at Yume's head. The sandman's head smashed against the ground, and Ryou got to his feet and rushed at a nightmare that was trying to engulf Plutomon in order to take him out of the fight. The nightmare entwined itself around Ryou, and he rolled around on the ground, kicking his legs, trying to free himself.

Plutomon, free because of Ryou's actions, shot jagged bursts of darkness at Yume, who was back on his feet and chasing after Ryou. Yume flew backwards into a tree. The tree started toppling over, and I struggled against the nightmare I was wrestling, so that I could roll out of the way. I didn't get away fast enough and my foot was pinned to the ground under the large trunk. I was trying not to move it too much. It didn't feel broken, but it didn't feel _good_ either.

"ARRGH!"

I yelled out, throwing my hands over my head as Norn screamed and jumped from a tree branch above me, and landed on top of me. She was hitting me with fists and scratching at me. I wondered if she was fighting Morganna's control, because she wasn't using any magic against me—but then I remembered that she was still trying to figure her powers out. She was still so young compared to her brother and sister. Sigma and Zeta were ancient, and had continued to wreak havoc after their deaths. I was actually really glad that Norn didn't understand the extent of her magic.

But it still hurt to have her beat on me, and I had no chance of escape, thanks to the tree.

"I gotcha," Taichi said. He wrapped his arms around Norn's middle and threw her off of me. She screamed wildly and turned her attack on him. Plutomon threw more darkness at Yume, before he and Meiyomon lifted the tree off of me. Akumu targeted the struggling Ryou, and Mari ran to help, but Akumu threw her back with nothing more than a simple glare. His magic was rather potent. She landed on her back, and all the air rushed out of her lungs. I scrambled out from under the trunk and rolled my ankle a few times to make sure it wasn't actually broken. I hoped it wasn't, because I really didn't have time to go easy on it.

Mari got to her feet, and moved towards Akumu with a glare fixed on her face. She was the perfect distraction, because he didn't even notice me coming. He was too frustrated with her tenacity. I jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding as tightly as I could. He whipped me around, and tried to shake me loose, but I was too stubborn for that. I pulled my legs up around him. Plutomon created a condensed ball of darkness, and took aim before throwing it at Akumu. Akumu seemed to melt under me, disappearing from my grasp as he sank into the ground. Taichi tackled me out of the way before the darkness could destroy me.

I was obviously thankful but I couldn't help but wonder what exactly had been going through Plutomon's head.

Meiyomon freed Ryou, and was once again trying to herd us together. I was definitely rooting for him to succeed, but Akumu, Yume and Norn were a formidable team, and they weren't about to let that happen. Norn launched herself towards me again, and Ryou caught her, finally finding an enemy that was closer to his own size. Taichi was knocked out of the way by Akumu, after he'd suddenly grown out of the ground once more. I jumped at him, but he effortlessly slipped aside, leaving me to crash down on top of Taichi.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Mari groaned. "They're sending _Merlin_ too?"

"What?" Taichi wanted to know. Both he and I looked up to the sky where Mari had obviously been looking. There were lights filling the sky. They were flying fast in our direction, and I was afraid that Merlin was launching an attack on us, just as Mari had been, but the lights passed us by.

That didn't really make me feel any better.

The lights were heading back towards the Temple, towards the Digital Pangaea, where my son was, and where my parents were, and my sister and all of our friends. Merlin was launching an attack, and _we_ weren't the target after all.

I didn't have long to dwell on Merlin though, because our enemies would not be kept down. Ryou was still wrestling with Norn, and Akumu was trying to suffocate Meiyomon, who was our ticket out of here. Yume was being fended off by Plutomon. The nightmares though...they were unaccounted for. I was lifted into the air by a pair of nightmares, and pulled away from Taichi. One nightmare held my feet and the other my arms. It was ridiculous, and would've been an embarrassing situation, if it weren't so terrifying. Taichi was busy, and so was Mari, with nightmares of their own. It was as if our enemies had actually managed to coordinate themselves.

Thankfully, I was a stubborn guy and I wiggled incessantly until my left shoe fell off, and the nightmare was left holding it, instead of my foot. I was able to use my foot to kick him away and once both legs were freed it was much less daunting to fight off the other nightmare. It took some struggling, but I got one arm free, and then I kicked at the nightmare until he released me. The two nightmares were angered by my escape, and melded together to form a larger nightmare. I was not happy about that. I was actually very frustrated, because it was hard enough to beat a regular nightmare, and I was running out of energy, and was now missing a shoe.

"You're a tough one, aren't you," Ryou said to Norn with an annoying smile on his face. Norn of course didn't respond, and only shoved Ryou back further. Mari kicked her nightmare violently, and it latched onto her foot. Taichi's hands were swallowed by a nightmare that was making slow progress up his body. Taichi got to his feet and started spinning. The nightmare was forced to let go thanks to the movement.

"You're nothing but a bully," Meiyomon said, gasping for air, as he concentrated on Akumu, who he'd just wiggled free from.

"Get down!" I shouted, realizing what was happening. Meiyomon exploded the air where Akumu was standing, and the heat from the explosion was intense. But when the smoke cleared, Akumu was still standing there, looking for all the world like nothing happened.

"I suggest revisiting the idea of retreat," Plutomon called. It was a _swell_ idea, but it was just an idea. Norn, Yume, Akumu and his nightmares were too good at keeping us separate. We struggled for another minute or two, before Plutomon spoke up again. "I suggest a definite retreat. We are about to be swarmed."

"By who?" Mari asked.

"It appears to be an army of humans and digimon," Plutomon supplied.

"Damn it!" Taichi growled. "Meiyomon, do you know where Whamon was? He's got our backup. Dolphmon's gone, and so is the help that Ryou's uncle's Whamon was going to bring us. But Whamon's still out there somewhere."

"I don't know," Meiyomon said. "I can blow the army up?"

"No," I snapped, a little harsher than I intended to. "They're brainwashed. Keep that in mind. They're not in control. I can't kill mindless minions. That's ridiculous."

"Well it's either that, or let the mindless minions kill _us_ ," Plutomon said sharply.

"We'll think of something," Taichi insisted.

"Can we think _faster_?" Mari wanted to know.

"I don't think our _friends_ will let us," Ryou offered. Norn was advancing on him once again, and then a brown ball of light, one of Merlin's spells, flew towards Ryou, slamming into his back, and sliding right through his chest until it appeared in front of him in an altogether different shape.

It wasn't _Merlin_ at all. It was our digimon.

"Cyberdramon!" Ryou cried excitedly. "I _knew_ you'd be back. I missed you."

I was turning to look at the sky when I felt something glide through me. It was a strange feeling. It was foreign, but it still felt like _home_. Every molecule in my body seemed to become charged, and for a second, Veemon's heart and mine beat at the same time, with the same rhythm. The peach light exploded from my chest, and Veemon stood before me. I wanted to take the time to grab him in my arms and to hold him close. I wanted to revel in his return, and to express just how much I missed him, just how imbalanced I was without him around.

But Veemon had different ideas.

" **Veemon digivolve to... ExVeemon!** "

My little blue dinosaur expanded and grew, on the run, as he moved towards the nightmares that were constantly giving us trouble. He flashed white again as he grew from champion to ultimate, exploding in a powerful burst of light to reveal AeroVeedramon. He didn't stop there though, and before I could even think, he was standing in front of me, sword extended as UlforceVeedramon, having sliced his brilliant sword through the nightmares. They landed in two chunks on the ground. They were trying to reshape themselves, but it was a slower process, thanks to the sheer power behind UlforceVeedramon.

Once I knew I was safe, because UlforceVeedramon would never let anything happen to me, I felt confident enough to look to the others. Agumon was standing in front of Taichi, who looked the happiest I'd seen him in a really long time. Taichi was clutching his digivice and Agumon was getting ready to digivolve. Mari let out a startled gasp, as the ball of light green shot through her chest. She laid a hand on her heart when it passed through, and then Lalamon revealed herself. Mari fell to her knees, wanting to hug Lalamon to her, but Lalamon was standing her ground, glaring at the enemies that were standing in front of her.

"I can't believe it," I said with a grin on my face. "I can't believe it!"

"You'd _better_ believe it," UlforceVeedramon told me. "We're back, and we're better than ever."

"We're actually the _same_ as ever," VictoryGreymon informed us, just in case we got any ideas about them potentially being stronger than they had been before. I didn't care about them being _stronger_. I just cared that they were _here_.

"Way to steal my thunder," UlforceVeedramon grumbled.

"But how?" Taichi wanted to know.

"Who cares?" Ryou countered.

"It was Hikari!" Lalamon explained. "She found us and saved us. We had a hard time finding you guys. What are you doing here? You can't win this fight."

"They can now," VictoryGreymon argued. "They've got us to help them."

"We need to move," Cyberdramon announced. "The armies are upon us."

"Yeah, we know they're coming," Taichi said.

"No, they're not _coming,_ " Mari said, looking into the trees. "They're _here_."

"RUN!" I shouted.

I should have been more specific, but it was too late for that now. I ran to the west, and grabbed Ryou's arm along the way. It was because he was young. I was a father, and I had this weird protective instinct. I couldn't let Ryou run on his own. Logically, I knew he could handle himself, and I also knew that he wasn't a child, but logic wasn't enough to overcome that instinct. He let me pull him along, and UlforceVeedramon and Cyberdramon followed behind us, looking over their shoulders and attacking as necessary.

I wasn't sure where Plutomon went. I couldn't see him. The only thing I saw when I looked back, was a flood of humans and digimon alike pouring out of the trees into our battle arena. My ankle was starting to throb, and I was still missing a shoe. It wasn't an ideal predicament, but adrenaline was pushing me forward, despite the sharp stinging of rocks and twigs against my foot, and the pangs as my ankle threatened to give out from under me. I kept Ryou in front of me, wanting to stand between him and the danger that was approaching from behind, even though our digimon were acting as a barrier.

"What about the others?" Ryou asked, trying to look behind us. I kept him looking forward, afraid of whatever carnage might be behind us. I didn't want him seeing carnage.

We ran as long as we could. It was when my ankle gave out that we stopped. We had quite a bit of distance between us and whoever was behind us. We'd zigzagged through the trees, making sure that they wouldn't be able to follow us. It wasn't a perfect plan. It was actually a terrible plan, because we were now lost in the Sidhendorian forest, with no means of escape with a literal army of hundreds—if not thousands—searching for us.

Where was Meiyomon? It would take very little effort on his part to send us home, before searching the others out. Now that I was out of immediate danger, I caught myself dwelling on the things that I could have—and should have—done differently. I _should_ have told Taichi that coming in small waves instead of one large army was stupid and dangerous, but I hadn't, because I couldn't _see_ it at the time. But now, knowing that we'd lost the Witchenly branch of our army due to Gaia's manipulations, and knowing that we could've lost Taichi and Mari, and Meiyomon, and Plutomon, and Lalamon and Agumon...it all seemed really, _really_ stupid.

"What's the plan, boss man?" UlforceVeedramon asked me. I looked at him, and I wanted to have something to say to him, so that he would continue to think we were in control of this situation, but I was hopelessly lost, and freaking out.

"We need to find the others," Ryou said firmly—clearly having a lot more hope than I did that they managed to survive the arrival of the army. "They've got their partners. With the four of our partners, and Meiyomon and Plutomon, we might be able to defeat them. Akumu's not really that hard to beat. I've done it before. _We_ have, I mean," he said looking to Cyberdramon.

"It's the army I'm worried about," I admitted.

"They'll be fine," UlforceVeedramon said. "VictoryGreymon is incredibly powerful—and Taichi's got heaps of dumb luck. They're alive. We just need to find them."

"And you know," I said, catching sight of something in the shadows of the trees. I hesitated, before continuing to speak. "We also have to deal with Norn."

"What?" UlforceVeedramon wanted to know. I pointed into the trees, and Norn walked out calmly. She was always after me, and it was horrible. I had to keep Ryou safe, but I could not hurt her. This was a dilemma I could not find an answer for. I closed my eyes and wished that Meiyomon would swoop in and take us away from here.

But he didn't.

Norn continued to approach, and I took notice that she was alone for once. There were no nightmares that were following her. Neither Yume nor Akumu were lurking in the shadows behind her. She was truly alone. It would be so easy to capture her, and to take her home with us. I wanted her to be safe, but I knew we couldn't do that. The only way to save Norn was to get her heart back from Morganna. I wanted to rush at the castle that Gaia was most likely using as a home base, and storm inside and steal all the hearts that Morganna had collected.

But it wasn't possible.

Not right now.

I would need to bide my time, and put together a team that could overpower Morganna without losing their hearts to her, just as Norn had, and Yume, and Merlin...and Mimi. We needed Mimi back too, or else we couldn't win. We were the Digidestined, and we weren't complete without her. On the bright side, Hikari had managed to free our partners. The war would definitely be swinging back towards balance, rather than having Gaia being stacked against us. We had a fighting chance now, and we would need to make every move from here on out carefully.

But would that be enough?

Or would Gaia still win this thing?

"Run," I said, knowing that we wouldn't be able to hurt Norn. It would just be helping Gaia in the long run. She wanted Norn so that we couldn't have her. Gaia knew everything she needed about fusing the worlds. She only had one world left. Losing Norn now probably wouldn't bother her in the slightest.

We'd just be hurting ourselves.

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

I felt rather uncomfortable living in the Temple. It was not worse than the time I had spent in Maugrim's camp, but surely I could return home and simply check into the Temple whenever I was not busy. Apparently I was not permitted to do such a thing and I was growing irritated with how slow paced everything around here truly was.

We had been planning an attack on Gaia for weeks before Taichi _finally_ set off toward her with his pathetic excuse for an army. Yes, I was aware that several obstacles reared their hideous faces to prevent us from continuing, but waiting around as Taichi had done was simply an inadequate form of leadership.

I would supposedly know that now since it seemed everyone viewed me as the new ruler of Japan. My friends—if I could even call them that—were bothersome twats. Each of them seemed to entirely overlook my true duties as an ambassador. I was not in charge, nor was I able to make any final decisions. Because Taichi had manipulated the system in the Digital World, quickly becoming one of the most respectable faces in the entire world, apparently I was to do the same. Of course Rida had left his puppet strings behind and I had picked up where he had left off, and there were several people looking to me for guidance, but that did not mean I was in charge of anything in particular.

This was especially so, as I was not allowed to return to my office. Kansui had been spotted with his father, Miyako had claimed that she would never leave the Temple and Bengoshi was—well Bengoshi was one of the aforementioned twats.

I truly did understand the severity of our situations, of course, and I knew we were at a true and genuine war. The very ground I stood on had been melded with a different world entirely. There was no telling what that meant for us, the worlds or the permanent residents. There had never been thorough comparisons performed between the different worlds and we did not know how digimon would fare after death in this new combination world.

Everyone was now in danger. And Earth was likely to be Gaia's next target.

It was certainly a rather excellent decision on my part to break the barrier between Earth and the Digital World when I had. At least now we stood a chance if we could find a successful way to remedy the atrocious mistakes that Taichi had made as a leader. I had heard all about his choices from Evelen and from Rei, though neither of them was around to talk to any longer. Evelen had run off while in Australia, and I had not seen or heard from her since, and Rei was far too busy assisting those around the Temple to be of any real use to me as a conversation partner.

I could have been busy as well, as I knew much about politics, war, strategies and general war. Instead I had been tasked as a _caregiver_ to small digimon who I had known long ago.

DemiMeramon and Kapurimon were in an all out brawl with one another as I lazily watched them train. They were once regal and powerful knights, but Gaia had defeated them. It seemed pointless for them to train now though. The war had already begun, and while battles such as these could essentially last for years, it just did not seem worthwhile to have these small infant digimon working as hard as they were. That was why I had brought other digimon to train as well. Leomon and Ogremon into battle and both had finally mastered the art of evolution.

Supposedly Leomon had once been able to become SaberLeomon with ease, while Ogremon was adamant that he was lying. Being who I was and being very skilled with detecting lies, I was obviously forced to not care at all.

It did not matter to me what the past lives of these digimon held. What mattered now was the team we had before us _here_ and _now_. SaberLeomon and Titamon appeared to be striking for the kill. Whether or not they succeeded did not matter to me. I needed them to grow stronger and if, by chance, the weaker of the two died in this fight then at least we would know we had the stronger on our side.

Kapurimon and DemiMeramon's fights were growing tiresome to watch and every day I felt the need to tell them to simply go away. They were hardly useful any longer. Dorimon was in a similar place, having been killed in his previous life as Alphamon, but he was trying harder than any of the others to regain his place. His small purple form was in constant motion. He rarely stopped for any breaks and even when no one was there to train with him he could be seen ramming himself into trees. I was not sure if that was a brilliant training exercise or an attempt to cause serious brain damage so he would be set free of the torture of watching these useless digimon train.

It was when he finally evolved that I called for the first break of the day. Everyone in the training room became still as we watched Dorimon shift into his taller form of Dorumon. His partner—Yuuko Yagami—clapped for him and shouted out an encouraging 'whoop.' The moment he had stopped shimmering he continued his training, charging head first at Kotemon who sidestepped and smacked him on the back of the head.

"That will be enough for now," I told them, not caring if they heard me. I grabbed my bag from the benches and set off for the door, passing by a sad Yuuko. She was sad because her daughter had died. I could at least understand that much, but her consistent support of Dorumon appeared to be paying off. Similarly, Bokomon had evolved from his Pickmon form by simply reading and learning pointlessly with his partner Haruhiko.

It was clear that partnership was still more important than actual skill. That was a clear representation of anything though really. Skill was far less important than a slew of other things, such as charisma, having a way with words, and of course the stupidity of others always helped in any field to make you seem more intelligent. So, of course I would be advising Masami Izumi to spend more time with Kapurimon. If—by some miracle—these knights were going to come back to power we would need Masami's assistance to bring Andromon into this world. Wizardmon would have to train on his own since Hiroaki was foolish enough to either get himself kidnapped or killed. Of course Kotemon was used to working alone, but that did not mean he was not successful. He was the only knight who had listened to a word I told them it seemed.

" _If you're not going to win, then leave," I had told them several times. "No need to be noble. If you're going to die, you will be unable to help later. So_ leave _. Or not, I don't care. I don't need any of you. Your life is run by your own decisions. If you're an idiot then I don't want you on this team anyway."_

Kotemon had survived. The others had not. Dracomon, Terriermon and Lopmon had their souls ripped from them thanks to Gaia, while Andromon, Wizardmon, Centarumon and Dorumon all got themselves killed. I had always known I chose to surround myself with idiots, but it was good to finally have confirmation on that front.

Kotemon was officially my favourite of the lot of them. Aside, of course, from Dracomon who I would love no matter how foolish he could be.

I ignored the voice of Kapurimon as he called to me, asking if I would like to join him for lunch. I did not want to, and besides, I had just decided that he needed to find his partner and spend more time with him. Masami could help him get over my blatant rejection and hopefully the two could convince Digitamamon to get the hell out of the kitchen and join us in our fight. He was at least a worthy digimon to be using in combat.

As I passed through the main square I saw Sora holding a very forced smile on her face. She pointed Summer down a nearby street and the fairy thanked her before wandering off. I could see that Sora was on the verge of breaking down and I took a step back, hoping to slip away before I saw anything so as to avoid the guilt. I failed of course and I watched as she fell down onto the step she had been standing on and soon enough her hands were in her hair, the very way that Taichi chose to handle his own stress.

I nearly groaned at the prospect of talking to her but I quickly strode across the space between us and stood over her. "Why are you crying?" I asked, probably too harshly.

Sora jumped and looked up, startled. "I'm not," Sora lied pathetically. I actually smiled at the attempt and she choked out a laugh as she wiped her sleeve through the thick steam of tears that stained her cheeks. "I'm just sad," Sora finally admitted when I had sat down next to her.

"About Yamato," I guessed. Sora looked embarrassed and then tilted her head away from me. I imagined she was likely feeling the tension between us. We had spoken very little since we had broken off our very short engagement, but that did not imply that I cared for her any less. Perhaps I did not love her, but I was not sure I ever really had. "He may not be dead." I offered the best support I could.

Sora nodded and I thought I may have seen her roll her eyes. "I know," she said, sniffling and looking around to ensure we were still alone. "He's gone though. And it's not just that. Biyomon and the other digimon... and then Hikari, Kurayami and Iori—and now Yamato and Takeru and both of their parents! And everyone we've lost along the way..." she groaned, throwing her hands into her hair again. "Also, I can't find Mimi—and now _Taichi_ has gone off on a war and I was supposed to go _with_ him! He promised me we would do this together, but Yamato is gone and now I have to stay behind to lead—do you know what Taichi said to me before he left?"

I shook my head slowly, "I do not."

"He told me that when he dies he needs me to take control," Sora said, her tears seemed to increase. "' _When'_! Not even 'if'..." she looked like she was about to break, so I gently placed my hand on her back. "Taichi is my best friend. He's always helped me through everything and I can't have him die, I really can't. If Gaia hurts him, I swear—"

"Whatever you were going to say, I'm sure is untrue," I cut her off quickly, "You're not that person, Sora. Taichi is relying on you because you are his best friend too. There is no one he trusts more, and if you honestly think he was ever intending to leave Yamato in charge, you're simply delusional. Taichi loves you in more ways than one and he would never put everything he has worked toward in the hands of anyone aside from you." Sora looked to me with wide eyes, confused. "Not Koushiro or I even and we work on the very same council he does." Sora looked to her feet, sadly. "And it is okay to admit that you are scared for Yamato's life, which you seem to be avoiding saying."

Sora sighed, "I know," she said, but I did not believe her. "I think I'm in love with him, Neo." Instinctively I let out a low laugh and Sora turned to me sharply, punching me in the arm. "That's rude, Neo."

I shook my head and let my laughter fade, but the smile on my face stayed strong. "Of _course_ you're in love with him, Sora." Her face turned red and she broke eye contact again. "Every person in the entire world knows that you are in love with him. Why do you think I told you to break your friendship off with him when I proposed to you? The only way we could have ever worked was without Yamato." Sora jolted her head toward me, reminded again that Yamato was missing and her eyes slowly shifted to my hand on her back. I felt my own face flush and I retracted it quickly, clearing my throat. "Of course he's alive still, and I have my sights set on someone different."

"Evelen?" Sora guessed, sounding hopeful.

This conversation was not about me. "When Yamato returns you ought to tell him how you feel, Sora. There is no point beating around the bush any further. Tell him, and if he says he does not feel the same, then it is time to move on. Don't wait around like he did. Live your life."

"I can't," Sora said in a defeated voice. With her eyes welling up again she said, "I don't deserve him! He's been waiting for me because he's been so determined to have things work out b-but I can't do it to him. I'm not good enough. I'm not a good person because I've made him wait because I didn't feel worthy."

"Well it seems you still don't," I pointed out. Sora didn't seem to find that very helpful. "You don't have to feel worthy, Sora. Just know that you are." Sora was genuinely shocked to hear me complimenting her, which I thought was rude in itself but I stood sharply, ready to make my leave when I saw Rei enter the square. Speaking Sora was surely to be beneficial to her in some way, but I would much prefer to see my sister who had spent so much of our time together helping _others_. "You're worth whatever you want to have, Sora and I advice you to realize this. If _I_ had realized it we may be married now."

"I'm glad we're not," Sora said honestly.

"Me too," I told her, and she actually smiled. I decided to leave her then because I knew she had a long list of things to be working on. Taichi had left _everything_ in her lap with little to no explanation and even with Koushiro's help the two were constantly swamped. They would have been useful in a battle, even without their digimon, and surely they could be used in several other situations, but instead they were tethered to the Temple more than the rest of us were. It was a shame, really.

Rei greeted me, after having the audacity to pretend she was window shopping and hadn't seen me. I often wondered if people remembered how simply I could spot a lie. Rei hugged me and I of course returned the gesture, but I could tell she was putting on a show. When Rei wanted something she always had the very same facial expressions. "Neo, I was just wondering, have you seen Hideto?"

I let my eyebrows slowly rise on my face as Rei put on a rather comical display curiosity. "Rei, it is unsafe to leave the Temple. Hideto is accompanied by both Spring and Aesop and if danger arises he will be safe. Until he returns, we will let him wallow in whatever self pity he so chooses."

"Neo," Rei whined, grabbing both of my arms, just above the elbow. "Hideto was supposed to _die_. He needs to know that I'll always forgive him and be there for him. I would give him my legs again if I had to—and I told him that! Now I have to go find him or he'll never believe me."

"I doubt Hideto wants you to—" I tried.

"Are you coming with me or not?" Rei asked, interrupting me entirely. I shook my head quickly but Rei wasn't even paying attention. She had looked over my shoulder to where Sora was slipping past a dazed Kiyoko. "Well?" Rei prodded, and again I shook my head. "Okay, it was worth a shot."

"Rei, I'm not a fool," I sighed, rolling my eyes as she walked past, "I saw you glance to Kiyoko."

Rei turned and began walking backwards shrugging her shoulders, "I'm allowed to look at my friends Neo," she told me. "Aren't I?"

"But it implies that you are going to leave the Temple with him to go find Hideto," I said. "I do seem to recall telling you it would be a terrible idea." My reminder seemed to go straight over her head.

She shrugged again, "Maybe I will, what are _you_ going to do about it?"

Rei turned and set off for Kiyoko seemingly accepting that I was not going to go along with her and Kiyoko to find my best friend. Of course I wanted to see that Hideto was safe and well, but I had already tired myself out by draining all of my positivity into my conversation with Sora. Why was it _now_ that Rei wanted to find Hideto when he had been gone for so long? As Rei was creeping toward the door of the Temple with Kiyoko, looking back over her shoulder it was obvious that she knew she had won.

I simply rolled my eyes and set off after her. Rei grinned when she saw me and Kiyoko laughed a little, but sounded nervous. "Fine, let's go," I told them. "We will make this quick and painless." I held up my digivice and Rei was pleased to hear that I had already created a plan. It was no real wonder that she was surprised by a genuine plan after spending a year with only Taichi whose idea of 'organization' was cramming all files into one box. "I would like to be back to the Temple for dinner."

"I love dinner," Rei said with a smile, promising me in her own special way that we would make it back in time.

Each of us was bearing a digivice and following the obvious duo of blinking dots that could only represent Hideto and his two devices. The conversation was dry and I listened only when spoken to, but I was vaguely aware that Rei and Kiyoko were talking about Aneko. It seemed they had left Yoshie in charge of babysitting her, because Mari was in a war.

" _You have to go?" Aneko asked weakly._

 _Mari nodded, "I do," she assured her, "but I'm strong. I'll come back."_

" _And if you don't?" Aneko had tears in her eyes._

" _Then you'll be strong for me, won't you?" Mari asked. Aneko looked worried but finally nodded and threw her arms around Mari_.

"Right Neo?" Kiyoko said, poking me in the side. I snapped to attention and looked to the two of them blankly. "You weren't even listening, were you?" I shook my head honestly. "I _said_ that Evelen is still missing." I simply nodded. That was a true fact. "We could go get her next if you want."

"That would be a bigger mistake than this is sure to become," I said seriously. "Evelen—not unlike Hideto—needs time to come to terms with news of her past. We found the demented corpse of her mother and discovered she was once a disturbing queen who ruled maliciously over her people. Of course she needs a few days to get over the prospect of losing such a great woman."

"She doesn't sound so great..." Rei admitted.

"I was referring to the woman that lived in her mind," I told her simply. "Evelen clearly had a much higher view of the woman that was to be her mother. She was let down when she learned the truth."

"There is always more to the truth than facts," Kiyoko pointed out, bouncing up and down as he turned to face me. "Right Neo?" he asked. "Your Crest is Honesty, so you can find the truth!"

I sighed, "There is a relatively large space between the reality of truth and plain honesty. The latter is nothing but a biased tale, the certainty that your _own_ truth is real. Genuine truth comes from a much different place, a pure, unbiased perspective. No one person can hold the entire truth."

"So," Rei said, "Evelen's mom doesn't have the whole truth. Maybe there was a _reason_ she was crazy."

"Oh there probably was," I admitted, looking back to my digivice to guide me, "She had a rather obnoxious sister that eventually drove her mad." Rei pouted jokingly and was sure to be preparing a snarky comeback, but I stopped abruptly and tuned everything out. There were more marks on the digivice now.

Rei and Kiyoko had noticed as well after taking in the shock on my face and together we set off at a run. I was not much of an athletic man, but these signals had shown up out of nowhere entirely. I was worried about what that could indicate. We wove through the trees until we finally came to a beach.

At first I saw nothing and turned my attention back to my digivice to ensure we had come to the right location, but Rei grabbed my arm sharply and cried out. "Kouichi!" I looked up sharply and saw a man nearby. His blue hat was laying in the sand next to him and he had collapsed onto the beach. Nearby I saw a strange purple digimon. "Yakiimon," Rei breathed moving quickly to check on the two of them. I glanced once more to my digivice. If Kouichi was the nearest signal, then the others would be just down the beach.

Kiyoko and I both turned to see five other humans with their digimon strewn about the sand.

"Izumi," Kiyoko gasped loudly, "What happened to them?" I did not answer, and instead followed Rei's lead, moving quickly to check on the others. It seemed they were all alive, until I found Kiyoko panicking over Tomoki's body. "H-he isn't breathing!"

I nearly threw Kiyoko out of the way as I checked for myself. Kiyoko was right. I acted quickly, slamming my hand down onto Tomoki's chest. I performed a quick CPR based on my limited knowledge of the topic, but it didn't appear to be doing anything at all. I felt actual fear when I realized it was not going to accomplish anything. Tomoki was _dead_.

"Let me try," Rei said softly, kneeling down on Tomoki's other side. There were tears in her eyes and I did not know how well she could do with her current emotional state but it was mere seconds before Tomoki had coughed loudly, letting out a strangled gurgling noise as the water poured from the corner of his mouth. Rei let out a cry of excitement and she helped Tomoki roll onto his side. "You're okay!" Rei gasped, patting his back gently. Kiyoko was gripping my arm firmly and I found myself with my mouth hanging slightly open. I closed it quickly and pushed Kiyoko away gently.

As Tomoki was wheezing air into his lungs I became overly aware of the dangers that were potentially waiting just off the coast of the beach. Kiyoko and Rei shared a look and when Tomoki seemed to get a grip on himself Rei softly said, "Tomoki, what happened?"

He ran a hand over his face, confused. He wasn't yet sure what his surroundings were telling him. He let out a low groan and fell back into the sand. For a brief moment I thought he was going to fall once more into unconsciousness but he sighed, and ran his sandy hands through his hair. "Whamon..." Tomoki said in a weak voice. "H-he... is he dead?"

"What do you mean?" Rei asked, her voice in a complete panic.

"The Witchenly digimon turned on us..." Tomoki said.

I looked sharply up to Rei and Kiyoko who were eyeing each other, confused. They had both spent a lot of time with those digimon and they both seemed as shocked as I was that they would switch sides so suddenly. They had all seemed so determined to defeat Gaia, but that was clearly a ruse set in place to lower our defenses. When they came near Gaia they would turn on the others and they would fall.

"That's not true," I said, realizing quickly what must have happened. "They were coming nearer to Gaia. The seeds she planted in their minds were activated once more. They did not turn on you, they were forced to obey a higher force."

Rei's eyes were wide with horror and her mouth slowly moved to cover her gaping mouth. "M-Mari," Kiyoko gasped. I turned and saw him in complete and utter shock. "Mari was in Dolphmon! D-do you think they're alright?" Rei already had tears in her eyes and I felt as if someone were pulling on my insides. I was trying to remember who had all gone into the same Whamon as Mari but was coming up nearly empty handed. I did know that Taichi had gone, and I could see the worry growing faster in Rei's eyes.

"That won't work," I told Kiyoko sharply as he pressed his phone to his ear. He glared at me and tried anyway. "The Digital World is no longer attached to Earth. You cannot communicate through basic means. Besides, even if Mari is alive—having survived the obvious trials of the open ocean—her phone would not function properly anyway." Kiyoko's hand fell limp and his phone crashed down into the sand.

"We have to tell Hideto," Kiyoko decided, standing up quickly.

I followed him, willing to leave the others in Tomoki's care, but Rei was looking up to us with her hurt expression. "I'll stay here," she offered. "Bring Hideto here and we can camp for the night. We'll help everyone get back on their feet and tomorrow we'll gather back at the Temple."

"That sounds dreadful," I drawled, but Rei ignored me. I rolled my eyes and began to prepare myself mentally for camping that night. I knew it wouldn't be perfect but at the very least it was sand and not the hard ground of Maugrim's site. And at least I would not be forced to share a tent with Kansui. Though I did miss him.

Not that I would _ever_ say that aloud.

"Hideto is this way," Kiyoko said quickly, taking my hand and leading the way into the trees. I could tell he wanted to hurry and I was unaware of whether he was hoping for comfort from his ex lover or if he simply thought Hideto needed to know the truth of what may have become of the final member of Alias III. Or perhaps he was in a rush to spend as little time in the darkening forest as possible.

Thankfully Hideto was not far, and when Kiyoko and I came out of the trees he was sitting with his back to us, with a campfire already burning. I could see several sticks that had been messily pierced through colourful fish and I turned my attention to something far more appealing. Or I tried to. Hideto's company was the crazed fairy with the wild hair, the dirty farmer and an obnoxious silver digimon with a red cape.

"Hideto," I said sharply. He jumped, startled, and turned to the two of us, sliding around on the rock he had been using as a seat. He was surprised to see us and he shakily got to his feet. Kiyoko moved quickly, rushing over to his side and throwing his arms around his neck. Hideto blushed and slowly wrapped his arms around Kiyoko's back and held him tightly for a moment.

"I missed you," Kiyoko admitted shyly.

Hideto nodded, still blushing. "I missed you too..." I rolled my eyes. Could they not simply return to dating and save everyone from their awkwardness and their drama? "What are you doing here?"

"Well that's a silly question," Spring said, with a little giggle. "They're here for you, silly."

"Really?" Hideto asked, turning to the two of us for clarification. Kiyoko nodded, beaming up to him but when he looked to me I simply raised my eyebrows. "Neo, I'm surprised to see you."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Rei asked me to come." Hideto nodded as if that made sense, that I wouldn't have come on my own, and I didn't think that was entirely fair. "Don't pretend like you don't know that I care about you. Or if you genuinely believe that, at least do me a favour and pretend that you don't. I wouldn't have come if you didn't mean something, Hideto." Hideto looked surprised, as if he had never heard me say anything nice before which, again, was unfair. I rolled my eyes. "Rei is waiting for us with a series of fallen Digidestined—"

"Who?" I turned sharply at the voice and was surprised to see Takeru leading a procession through the trees. Behind him was Yamato and their parents, and in the back Kurayami was walking with her hands in the pockets of her baggy black sweater, while her face was hidden under the hood. "Who has fallen, Neo?" Takeru's voice was filled with immense fear.

"They are alive," I said, holding my hand up to silence him. If everyone was this needy and annoying in war I would be sure to avoid any future conflicts with the worlds. After we were finished this, of course. "The previous Chosen Digidestined are laying on a nearby beach. They have been betrayed by those Gaia has resumed controlling."

"More importantly," Hideto said, which was once again rude, though this time it was rude to the wounded castaways and not to me so I would not object. "How did you guys get _here_?"

Takeru looked back to the others and shrugged, waiting for someone else to tell the story. Yamato staggered forward and sighed, "I guess Bitoru helped us." For some reason, even though I truly did not care for the affairs of others, I found my eyes flicking to Spring whose interest had been peaked immediately. "I didn't want to trust him, but all along Gaia has been manipulating him into trusting the instincts he _thinks_ are his own. He can't use his power properly because Gaia is interfering." Spring's face lit up with relief and she turned to Aesop with tear filled eyes, but he was too relieved at Yamato's words to even notice her. "We came using the Looking Glass. It leads directly into Gaia's castle. We need to stop Taichi before he leaves—"

"They've already left," Kiyoko said, his voice weak. "They might be dead."

"Not likely," Takeru said, looking to Yamato for confirmation. It seemed that his words had been more of a question than a statement, as though he was not yet sure how far to let his hopes rise.

"The Whamon they were in was from Witchenly," Kiyoko said in a monotonous voice, "It probably turned on them and they _probably_ drowned, or were killed." Takeru's uncertainty faded along with his hope and he reached for his brother for support. Instead his mother caught him from behind as his father put his hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"What about Hikari?" I asked, looking to Kurayami, "Iori?" That was obviously a sore subject and I immediately regretted asking, so I quickly turned to Hideto. "What did you learn?"

Spring looked like she might be urging him to say something but he shook his head. "Found some underground passage," Hideto said. "It was under the ruins about the Cycle of the Crests. It's a bit like what Michael and Ken found under the Looking Glass."

"Yes," Spring nodded, "There are four Looking Glasses, and each one is made to mimic Theta's birth place of legend. One for me and each of my three sisters. Mine is here in the Digital World if you were wondering—oh and the legendary one for Theta was _really_ real! Which I shouldn't be _too_ surprised about..."

"She _was_ your grandmother," Aesop nodded, patting Spring's back. "It shouldn't have been _too_ shocking." Spring smiled to her mentor and leaned into him, pressing her head against his shoulder.

"Yeah," Hideto said, "well anyway, it was also the birthplace of the Digimentals, so Gankoomon stayed to protect it. Before you say anything—we've already decided to get them back from Gaia and put them there."

"Good luck," Yamato groaned, "Gaia's got everything laid out in a very specific plan. It'll take a miracle to break her."

He was right of course. Gaia had been planning for ages and now that she was finally able to test her initial ideas she was proving to be quite the tactician. She was dominating the war before it had really even begun and thwarting her was going to take a lot more than a simple idea of what to do _after_ we had done so. The others all seemed lost in thought, probably thinking the same as I was, but Takeru was too busy staring up to the sky, his hands over his eyes to block out what little sunlight there was left.

I followed his gaze and was confused by what I saw. Six balls of light were streaking across the sky and I felt my nerves from before return. "If Gaia has everything planned," Takeru said cautiously, "Then what's that?" he pointed to the sky and all eyes shot up to follow his gesture and Spring let out a scream that set everyone into a panic but as her scream slowly faded into laughter it was clear that she was not _afraid_ , but rather delighted.

As they came closer I cursed myself for getting my hopes up. I saw an orb of deep purple light dancing through the air with one of lilac. There were two blue—light and dark—followed closely by a yellow and a black orb. Logic told me that this was _far_ too coincidental to not be overjoyed by, but my own personal morals of never letting your hopes be dashed by simply never having them was causing me to remain cautiously pessimistic about the situation at hand.

But a moment later each orb had passed through one of us, shooting through our chests. As one we turned to see the orbs slowly shifting to tangible objects. No, not objects. Digimon.

"Takeru!"

Even Patamon's voice managed to send shivers through my body.

Hideto let out a laugh as his orb of pale blue light shifted into two separate digimon. "How's this for a miracle, Rockstar?" Yamato didn't even bat an eye as Hideto ripped off Katsue's nickname for him and he was rushing by with his brother, falling to his knees as Gabumon leaped through the air toward him. Patamon was already snuggling into Takeru's arms and Tapirmon was sobbing as Kiyoko embraced him tightly and, while he was trying to say something, the only comprehensive sound I could hear was when he said "Nightmares!"

Kurayami was staggering forward, her legs shaking as Labramon made his way toward her, leaping up and tackling her. She didn't even seem to mind as she fell back into the grass as Labramon licked her face excitedly.

"Hey there," I turned to Dracomon who was standing with his arms as far behind his back as they could go and he was batting his eyes as he looked up to me in the way Rei always did. "I bet you missed me a lot."

"Not as much as you missed me," I challenged.

"That's so true," Dracomon agreed, leaping up and grabbing my shirt to pull me down to the ground. I almost didn't even care that the knees of my white pants were going to be stained. _Almost_. I threw my arms around Dracomon and embraced him, holding him close to my chest. "Is Evelen okay?" Dracomon whispered.

I didn't answer immediately and when I did it was not what Dracomon wanted to hear. "I'm not sure."

He pulled back sharply and looked to me like I was insane, "You're not protecting her?" he asked. I shook my head. "Dummy!" Dracomon slapped me and Hideto let out a snort. I glared at him but he didn't notice. He was already gone, once more busying himself with Warg and Melga who were both shrieking excitedly. "You told Evelen to protect me and she _did_ like so much and now you're not repaying her? And after you told her you'd _marry_ her!"

"I promise you I never—"

"So I'm _exaggerating_ ," Dracomon roared, "But _seriously_ , you admitted you love her—"

"—actually I said—"

"—saying that you have romantic feelings for her is basically admitting your undying love—"

"—that is entirely untrue, and for the record, I _tried_ to protect her, but she ran away in Australia."

Dracomon froze, staring at me once more as if I were insane. "Why the _heck_ were you in Australia? You know what? I don't care—we have to go find her right now because if there's one thing I learned from the horror television channel, it's that love never exists when two grumpy people stay grumpy." I tried to object and also point out that this wisdom was obviously not from a horror movie, but he continued instead. "And _also_ , Neo, I want you to make me a cinnamon bun because Gaia ate one and _man_ am I craving one."

"Me too!" Patamon exclaimed, eavesdropping on our conversation. Takeru laughed at him and hugged him again. I ignored the tears in his eyes.

"Wait, you could hear what was going on?" Kiyoko asked.

Gabumon nodded, "And see too!"

"It might interest you to know that she is crafting armour from Yggdrasil's roots," Tapirmon said.

"And that she _hates_ when people use her sister's name," Warg added. "Don't call her Terra." I looked away from him, remembering the sight of the corpse in the Devil's Pool. I shuddered.

"And also," Melga said, "Gaia uses the washroom a lot because she drinks _blood_."

"That was cranberry juice, idiot," Warg rolled his eyes and his sister blushed, embarrassed.

Takeru was not absorbing the information in the way the digimon intended for us all to. "So... you felt everything she did?" They all nodded. "You felt her take your heart out?" At this they all stayed still and thoughtful, saddened at the thought. "What did it feel like to be trapped together?"

"It was weird," Gabumon supplied, still holding onto Yamato as if he were afraid his partner would up and run away. "I felt very connected to them all. I still kind of do."

"We'll make a _really_ good team now," Tapirmon agreed, sending Gabumon a big smile, "We thought together. Which was weird, and we moved together which was also weird—but less so."

"And how did you escape?" Hideto asked the question that none of us seemed to have even thought of.

"We didn't do it by ourselves, if that's what you mean," Labramon said.

"The crystal was broken," Patamon expanded. "Hikari broke it and then her and Gatomon escaped with Bitoru."

" _What?_ " Kurayami and Takeru gasped as one.

Patamon looked up to Takeru, ashamed that he hadn't thought to tell him that yet. "Oh, she saved herself. She's pretty strong, Hikari. She's a keeper." Takeru smiled, but seemed upset still. "Don't worry though," Patamon added, "She has Bitoru, he knows the castle well and—"

A shriek filled with only horror filled the air and we all turned toward the sound. My insides seemed to fall ten stories as Kiyoko gasped out, "Rei!" I didn't waste any time in hopping to my feet. I ran as fast as I could, dragging Dracomon behind me. I did not care if anyone else was coming with me. I wasn't going to let Rei get hurt. Not now. Not after Mari was potentially killed. I was hopeful now though, that Lalamon had gotten to her in time.

"It's Merlin!" We weren't anywhere near the beach yet so I was unsure how Aesop knew this, but I did not question him. Instead I pushed further, thankful to have some backup if needed, and eventually we did come to the beach where Liollmon was snapping his teeth at Merlin who was advancing upon Tomoki and Rei. Apparently the three of them were alone in their consciousness.

"Merlin!" I said loudly, catching his attention. "Don't touch my sister."

As one the digimon all rushed forward and began to evolve. Soon enough there was a Seraphimon, a ZeedGarurumon, a Piedmon, an Anubismon, Examon, and surprisingly WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Hideto's partners did not fuse, but it didn't matter. Merlin could see he was outmatched and without a word he backed off and ran as quickly as he could into the forest.

"Don't let him get away—" Hideto started, but Aesop was quick to lower Hideto's hand gently, shaking his head. "What the hell?"

"You cannot catch Merlin," Aesop said simply, "Trust me on that one."

"Well..." Hideto grumbled, but I wasn't really listening. I moved quickly to Rei and threw my arms around her. "I knew it was him. It wasn't a mirage—Merlin was definitely outside the Temple."

I released Rei quickly and turned to Hideto as Rei rushed toward Examon with a big smile on her face. "Merlin was outside the Temple?" Hideto nodded. "Then he's watching us." Everyone was silent for a moment. "Seraphimon, heal these digimon and people. We need them awake... we're going back to the Temple."

"Do we leave then?" Kiyoko asked nervously, "if they're listening to us?"

"Perhaps," I nodded. I wasn't going to voice this aloud, not with Merlin so nearby, but we could just as easily trick them. If Merlin was going to listen to us, then we could give him a false plan and ambush the enemies. Gaia may have been gifted in strategies, but I could be too. And she wasn't going to manipulate _me_. I could smell lies from a mile away, and with Dracomon back, I had the force to back up my claims.

Thanks to Hikari, we could actually _win_ the war.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Mari and Willis are next narrating a chapter that finally shows a little bit of hope!


	68. Court of Miracles

**U/N:** Mari was emotional here, which is always fun to write. It's just a sort of challenge to get this super closed off girl to realistically show her emotions, and knowing how she would act in a situation is so different than people like Kari who is just as closed off, so it's just interesting. Also I'm apparently Willis here which I forgot about. He's not as exciting as Mari, but I got to use Winter a bit so that was fun :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 68: Court of Miracles**

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

I couldn't understand why, but I was crying. I was holding her and I was crying.

I felt the silkiness of her petals and smelled the sweet aroma that followed her everywhere that she went. Her voice was so soft and small and everything she said was sinking into my brain like I was afraid I would never get another chance to hear her speak. I knew she hadn't been dead, so I could not be sure why I was so skeptical about this situation. I knew it was real. No one could be as perfect as Lalamon, no impersonator could do her justice. So why was I so afraid?

"The army is near," Plutomon declared in a low voice. "I will continue to stand guard, but if they come too near, we will be forced to move." So that was why I was afraid. I tried to anchor myself back into reality with the prospect of the army attack, but even that wasn't enough to pull me off of cloud nine with Lalamon. "Tiny Ceresmon, please talk some sense into your partner."

"Yes sir!" Lalamon tried to salute Plutmon but her arms were too small and I choked out a messy laugh, pulling her into another hug. I knew Plutomon was right. Now wasn't the time to focus on my own needs because that was selfish and sitting on the forest floor and crying was not the correct way to exist in a war. Taichi had chosen me and trusted me to do well in the face of adversity. It was hard to pull myself away from Lalamon but I knew I had to do it.

"Why are you crying, anyway?" Lalamon asked. We stared at each other, because it was a strange moment. Lalamon never asked why I was sad, because she always _knew_. But of course it wasn't possible to guess what was plaguing me. If she _had_ it probably would have been stranger.

I looked over to Plutomon who was standing in the distance, still hidden by the cover of the trees, but close enough to the forests edge to watch for the army that was searching for us. It was a terrifying concept, to have thousands of people searching specifically for you. It was just like a giant game of hide and seek, only when you were found you were killed instead of simply caught. And besides, I'd never had anyone to play that game _with_ , so I was terrible at it.

I turned back to Lalamon, sure that Plutomon wasn't listening and spoke in a quiet voice. "We don't really have time to talk about it," she seemed upset that I was cutting corners. "But it really boils down to Rei." Lalamon was completely lost now and I understood, so I continued in a quick whisper. "We found out that Hideto, Kiyoko—and possibly Kurayami, though the fairies haven't really specified—and I were all supposed to die. Autumn gave something up, and tricked destiny into letting us live."

Lalamon gasped at the revelation but she was quick on her feet, "What does Rei have to do with that?"

"Hideto is alive because Rei took the fall for him," I said weakly. "Rei's legs were given in exchange for Hideto's life."

"Oh," Lalamon realized. "So you want to know what was given up for _your_ life." I didn't answer because there was no need. Lalamon was smart enough to know that she wasn't far from the truth. "Well guess what, Mari?" Lalamon said brightly. "I think you need to stop worrying about it. If you know the truth will you feel any better? No, probably not. So don't worry about it. Simply thank your lucky stars that you're alive. If you can't do that I'll thank them for you because I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You wouldn't be alive either," I said calmly, but inside I felt a great big black hole eating up all of the euphoria that had sprouted up from seeing Lalamon again. "You were created by the hole in my heart. You're part of me."

"Exactly," Lalamon said in her sing song voice. "But Mari, if you were supposed to be dead, you would be. But you're not. You're _alive_. We're in a different timeline where we're _actually_ together for once. And besides, destiny is a word that means something _will_ happen. It _didn't_ happen to you. You didn't die. Your destiny was changed and that makes you a miracle. It makes you my perfect miracle, Mari."

"It also means that I have no future though," I said in a soft voice, hugging her again.

"Yeah," Lalamon said, nodding, "no _set_ future. You get to do _whatever_ you want with your life. It's up to _you_ , Mari."

I was staring to her in surprise because wrapping my head around something like that was going to take more than a couple of seconds, but Plutomon decided that I wasn't going to be granted that time. A hand was around my forearm and a moment later the tight grip had begun dragging me deeper into the trees. Lalamon fell out of my lap as I was dragged to my feet, and I turned back to grab her, but she was already flying after me. Instead my eyes fell to the soldiers just outside the forest. Had they seen us? Were they waiting for backup, or did we still have time to slip away unnoticed?

Plutomon stopped abruptly, and I nearly fell onto my face but stopped when I saw a snarling wolf. Plutomon prepared an attack, but I stopped him immediately. "Stop it," I insisted, slapping his hand. He released me and I stepped forward cautiously. Grey Wind leapt backward to avoid me, but I threw my hands up to show him I meant no harm. "I'm Mimi's friend," I said gently, trying to reach out. Grey Wind snapped his jaw at me and I jumped back, realizing that maybe I just didn't have a gentle enough touch.

"Let me," Lalamon said, flying up without hesitation. Grey Wind stopped snarling the moment Lalamon poked his forehead. She hummed happily and patted his head gently. "What a good puppy! Can we keep him?" I laughed, because I knew she was joking, but we didn't have time to wait around like this.

"Grey Wind," I said, looking directly to the wolf's eyes. "Can you help us find _Mimi_?" Grey Wind shook his head and I was actually a little freaked out that it seemed he understood.

"You do realize you're speaking to a dog, don't you?" Plutomon said snappishly.

"And I'm a talking ball of petals," Lalamon sang. "What's your point?" Plutomon did not reply.

"Can you help me find my friends?" I asked Grey Wind. I was definitely inclined to side with Plutomon on this though. I knew I had spoken to several digimon, some even wolf-like, Melga for instance, but it was just so much different speaking with something so… simple minded. This _was_ a dog. It was a wolf that lived in the forest, I was just hoping that it really was smarter than the animals on Earth. Already it had proven to be, but how much smarter was it really?

Grey Wind seemed upset, like he didn't really know the way but as he nervously clawed away at the loose dirt on the ground it seemed that he was thinking. He finally stopped and began sniffing the air. Lalamon was watching him with excitement but Plutomon still seemed unconvinced that he would prove to be any use. Even so, the moment Grey Wind set off Plutomon was the first to follow him. Lalamon and I ran behind them, and I reached out for her hand, holding on. It was strange to be able to simply reach out and touch her like that. It _wasn't_ a dream. I could tell it wasn't a dream. But it sure felt like one.

Grey Wind led us through the trees, weaving through the forest as he followed his nose. I was beginning to lean further and further toward Plutomon's cynical standpoint, thinking we were simply following a dog on his hunt for food or something else just as pointless.

But when the sound of a loud squealing cat filled the air Grey Wind finally came to a stop. I watched as Gatomon hissed toward the large dog and excitement rushed through me. "Mari!" Hikari gasped, holding Gatomon tighter to her side. She moved toward us, sidestepping the wolf that Gatomon was still glaring down at and they stopped in front of us. My eyes wandered over to her companion. Hikari saw that my attention had moved and she followed my gaze. "Oh he's alright."

I looked to her, feeling my eyebrows press closer together. "You believe everyone. How can we trust him?"

"Well," Hikari said, shrugging her shoulders. "He broke free of Gaia's manipulations, stole the keys from her, set the others free from the castle, helped me escape and fed me information all the while. I think it's safe to say I haven't jumped the gun on trusting him like I did with Gaia."

I was impressed actually. Hikari, while being very sweet, was never someone I particularly enjoyed spending time with. When I had first met her I had been in love with her boyfriend, and when they broke up it was a secret and then I held this resentment toward her when I thought Willis had cheated on her with me because I thought I was in the wrong and I didn't _want_ to be. Then later I found out they had actually broken up and I still didn't talk to her. She had been trying to be my friend a lot and I gave her several chances because she had never done anything _wrong_ but there was something about her that just rubbed me the wrong way. But _this_ —finding someone who could actually help us with inside information as well as saving Lalamon…

"Thank you, Hikari," I said, diverting my eyes toward Lalamon instead. "Thank you for saving her."

"Oh it was my pleasure," Hikari said with a kind smile. "It was kind of fun actually. Gaia was pretty angry though… I wonder if she's out here looking for us… _wait_ , where is Taichi?"

"We would not know," Plutomon said bitterly. Hikari looked up to him with the most innocent look in her eyes. He was the representation of the god of the dead and she held no judgment over his head. She was going to give him the benefit of the doubt no matter what and good _lord_ she was a good person. It was rather annoying actually. I was aware that Miyako was supposed to be my opposite according to Winter, but according to Gennai and the DNA evolutions, Miyako was _Hikari_ ' _s_ opposite, and that was confusing to me because in my own point of view, Hikari was _my_ opposite. "Meiyomon was incapable of transporting us away, and too useless to send the army back to where they had come from, and so we were forced to separate."

"The army?" Hikari said with a blank face. "Taichi's still out there?" She looked to me and I nodded. "We have to go!" she declared.

She reached for my hand and somehow, even before she touched me I knew it was a terrible idea.

My mind was blank for a moment until clouds of golden smoke filled my sights. All I could hear was a loud constant banging sound, like someone knocking on a door again and again. Then there was a single bullet that burst through the clouds of smoke and a cry of pain. I tried to see through the hazy vision to understand who had been shot but I saw nothing until two small children walked past, hand in hand. They looked identical, but one was male and one was female. And when I looked up again I saw Gaia, smiling as she stood, looking through the mist to things I could not see. Gaia had won.

In a dazed rage I pulled my arm away from Hikari and found that she was looking to me, though her eyes seemed glassy. She was blinking and shaking her head like she had just been taken from the vision as well. "What the _hell_ was that?" I snapped.

Hikari had tears in her eyes and I didn't know why. "I-I don't know!" she said loudly. "That keeps happening. I don't understand! I saw Gaia—I saw her and she was happy and she was victorious!" So we _had_ seen the same thing. It was a vision. Putting the pieces together in my mind wasn't difficult. Autumn had chosen Hikari and passing her visions down to her from above did not seem out of the ordinary. "I had a vision before, in the Land of White. It was of Gaia, and she was putting orbs together and then I had to break it—" Hikari was still for a moment.

"That came true," Gatomon said, looking up with wide eyes. "Gaia is putting the worlds together, and she put _us_ digimon together and you broke the prism." Hikari's mouth slowly opened in surprise and she shook her head. "What did you see this time?"

Hikari looked to me and stared for a moment. Together we turned to Gatomon, "It was nothing." It wasn't _nothing_ , and it didn't take a genius to put the puzzle together. Someone had been shot and a set of twins walked hand in hand toward a bright light. Willis was going to die.

My heartbeat quickened and I clutched my chest as Plutomon began leading the way. Hikari and Grey Wind followed, while Gatomon questioned Hikari more about the vision we had seen. Lalamon floated closer to me and rubbed my shoulder kindly. My breathing was shakier with each passing moment and I could feel myself slipping into madness already. Autumn had said it herself, visions could not be changed, and that was proven by Hikari's vision of Gaia forming a super world coming true.

I didn't think I could live with Willis dead.

I couldn't do it.

"Where are you going?" Bitoru questioned. I had forgotten he was still here. He watched Plutomon go and groaned loudly. "We need to get out of here!" I didn't bother listening to him and instead set off after the others. I would have to put the Willis thing aside for a moment and focus on saving Taichi before we left. I wasn't going to leave him behind. Daisuke and Ryou were also out there with Meiyomon and all of their digimon. We had to keep them alive too.

Grey Wind seemed at a loss of where to go, but Gatomon's ears perked up and she quickly pointed in the direction of the sound she had heard. Hikari was running ahead of us all, which Plutomon found to be unsafe. He hurried to take the lead and soon we were all running, until we came across what we were looking for. It was not a positive sight, but at least we had found someone.

Taichi had a rock in his hand and he whipped it toward Akumu as VictoryGreymon swung his massive sword around, narrowly missing Akumu with each attempt.

"Let's help out, hm?" Gatomon prompted.

Hikari's eyes had formed a glare as she stared to Akumu. "Get him," Hikari agreed fiercely. I was surprised to hear her voice come to such a dark place, but I was unaware of her history with Akumu in the Land of Dreams. I did not want to question her either. He was disturbing and I was happy staying ignorant of whatever horrors she had faced.

Gatomon evolved all the way to Ophanimon in one swift movement and she lunged forward, wielding her javelin. She cried out as she attacked, slicing into Akumu's cheek as he leapt back to avoid her. There was a streak of blood running from the cut on his face and he turned his sights on Ophanimon with anger.

I checked to see how Hikari was feeling about that, but she was already gone, throwing her arms around a startled Taichi. He hugged her back but was clearly unsure what was happening. That didn't matter. What was important was that we were here to help him, and Akumu couldn't face all of us alone. Plutomon rushed in, darkness seeping from his hands and Grey Wind even joined the fray, snarling mostly, but if Akumu came close enough I was sure he would bite him.

"Mari," Lalamon said sweetly, "Should I help too?"

I nodded, but an internal debate was raging on in my head. Did I want to risk her safety and let her fight? Was it worth it? Wouldn't they be able to win without her anyway? When I saw Akumu throw VictoryGreymon into Ophanimon, sending them both toppling to the ground, I knew my best choice would be to let her into the fight. "Go for it," I told her, nodding along. "Be careful."

"I'm always careful," Lalamon said as she turned to Sunflowmon. "Well except that one time." She turned to Lilamon. "When I died and all that." Finally she was Rosemon with her black petals contrasting against her pale skin. "Don't worry," she assured me, "that won't happen this time."

Before Rosemon had even got into the fight Akumu had made his way to Taichi and Hikari. Taichi was cast aside, but Akumu had different plans for Hikari. He held her up by her throat and pinned her to a tree. She screamed but did not let him win. She struggled against his hold and I was running across the forest floor to help her, but stopped when she cried out. "Not this time, you _jerk_!" She slammed her fist into his face and Akumu staggered backward to where Rosemon jabbed her rapier through his chest.

Akumu looked down to the sword and then his body had gone, turning into a cloud of darkness, only to reform a few feet away. Slowly he extracted an arm from the oozing darkness he used as a body and he was wielding a sword similar to Rosemon's. "Let's play then, shall we?" Rosemon said sharply. A moment later Akumu and Rosemon were in a heated sword fight and my entire body was tense and aching. My fists were balled up tightly and I realized I wasn't breathing.

I watched as Rosemon shoved Akumu back, but she was not powerful enough to keep him that way. My entire focus was on her fight and I barely noticed when Yume appeared. I was in such a bad place as I watched her go. I couldn't lose her again. I was so scared he was going to defeat her. What would happen if she died on this bizarre combination world? Would she return to Witchenly? Or would she die?

Rosemon was keeping true to her word though and was going to do everything in her power to live through the fight. "Rose Velvet!" The ground they were fighting on transformed into a mess of thorn covered vines. Akumu spread thick, gaudy wings and began to fly. Rosemon followed suit and continued the fight in the air. "Beauty Shock!" Her whip cracked and then a loud _'boom'_ filled the forest as a bolt of lightning shot straight through Akumu's chest. "Thorn Shoot!" Several thorns followed the lightning, making no damage at all.

"Hit his _face_!" I declared loudly. "His body is only energy! Hit his _face_!"

"Rose Cradle!" Rosemon sang loudly. She was going to put him to sleep! That was even better!

My heart nearly stopped when Akumu thwarted her plans. His sword came up from the ground unexpectedly and Rosemon only narrowly avoided death. She cried in pain still as the sword sliced through her side.

"Eden's Javelin!" Ophanimon shouted from behind. I watched as beams of light came to assist Rosemon as she pulled herself to her feet, untangling herself from the thorny mess she had made on the ground.

"Forbidden Temptation!" Rosemon said in a low voice. Black petals began to form around her and she was going to use them on Akumu to delete him entirely. I didn't know how safe that was, or what it might do in this new world, but it was worth a shot.

"MARI!"

I dropped to the ground instinctively and a blast of golden energy rushed over my head, aiming for Rosemon. I let out a scream and thankfully she turned in time to see it, leaving behind her petals and leaping out of the way. "R-Rosemon!" I screamed. Akumu was right behind her.

I was already crying before Akumu had even brought up his sword.

"Ulforce Saber!" With a straightforward jab, UlforceVeedramon appeared from the depths of the forest, slicing directly through Akumu's body, saving Rosemon just in time. I moaned in relief and fell the rest of the way to the ground, rolling onto my back.

"Get out of the way!" Ryou was shouting. I jolted back up quickly but he was speaking to Taichi and Hikari this time. UlforceVeedramon moved sharply and scooped the two into his arms before leaping aside. Ophanimon was in the air a moment later and Cyberdramon, with Ryou on his back rushed through followed by Daisuke and then Norn.

Yume caught sight of Norn, confused and I wanted someone to take advantage of his distraction, but eventually he and Norn had teamed up and begun marching toward Ophanimon.

"This is getting out of hand," Rosemon said loudly. "Ivy Hug!"

Vines shot from everywhere and wrapped all three of our opponents up. Akumu was already using his strange body to escape and I knew Yume would to the same, but they didn't get the chance. A massive wall of pink energy shot through and for a moment I thought Rosemon would not survive, but the energy passed quickly and all three enemies had vanished.

"You're _welcome_ ," Meiyomon said, leaping down from a nearby tree.

"We must leave _now_ ," Plutomon said firmly. "We mustn't make the same mistake twice. Meiyomon's energy can be seen, we needn't make finding us any easier on Gaia's armies."

"He's right," Daisuke said, watching after Norn as she was carried away by Meiyomon. "Let's go."

"But where?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

"Gaia," I said flatly. Hikari looked to me and we stared into each other's eyes for a moment. It was obvious that I wanted to stop the vision I had seen. I knew it wasn't exactly possible, but maybe if we could sacrifice something as Autumn had done, we could save Willis' life the same way mine had been saved. "We'll go to Gaia and we'll kill her."

 _ **Willis Kennedy:**_

"I still think I should have gone," Ken said flatly. "I've been training for my job for years and I would probably fare better than Daisuke in a war, honestly." Miyako was at his side, holding both Poromon and Mai and leaning into Ken's arm gently for comfort.

Michael was on Ken's other side and he nodded. "That's likely true," he said, "But Daisuke is a leader. He's always been that way. Do you even know _how_ to lead?" Ken looked affronted, but Michael continued anyway. "Besides, you would be thinking about Mai the whole time."

Ken looked down to his daughter and sighed. "You're probably right," he decided. "But Daisuke is always worrying about Haruki too. And now that Kurayami is gone, who knows what kind of things are going through his mind…" Ken wasn't bitter anymore, but sad. He was feeling for his friend who was in battle and had every odd weighing against him. "Where will Haruki go if Daisuke doesn't come back…?"

I didn't know the answer, and my head was lost already. There were so many people that were perfect to take care of the child, but were any of them financially able to do so? I saw Jou nearby and he was holding his son while Emiko danced around his feet, and knew that he was a great dad, but there was no way he could feed three kids and a slew of digimon, even with all the money he'd been getting lately from our company. Iori was gone too but would have been wonderful. I figured if Kurayami or Daisuke got to pick they would choose Takeru or Hikari, but as neither of them were here either…

"Okay everyone," Koushiro said sharply, coming into the courtyard with Sora. He was holding his computer in his arm and looking to the screen. "I have been working on communication devices, and they are not as easy as they might seem." He looked directly to me and then all eyes shifted my way. "Willis I may need your assistance. And Kiyoko, where did he run off to?"

"Rei went to get Hideto," Momoe supplied, "Maybe he went with her."

Koushiro nodded his head. "Alright," he said firmly. "When he gets back we'll work on that. We need to communicate with Taichi as soon as possible. I think it is fair to assume everyone here thinks that our initial plan was substantially flawed." I didn't know about everyone else but I definitely agreed. Sending half of our army to Gaia by use of Whamon was the equivalent of sending each person individually. We were stronger as a team. It was pointless to fight even _as_ a group, because Gaia was simply too powerful and had too large of an army, at least from what we'd heard. "We must call them back here."

"And then what?" Jou asked, exasperated. "We can't just wait for Gaia to succeed."

"No," Sora agreed. "We're going to talk about better strategies though." Jou seemed fine with that. "We know Morganna is sent on missions. If we can find a way to find _her_ , which should be much easier now that she is on this same world and Winter can look through her eyes, then we can take her out first. Then we do the same with Gaia's other team members. One by one. And if Gaia happens to go on a mission alone, then we take her instead. Gaia is our number one priority."

"But how are we—" Miyako began, but something caught her eye and she turned up quickly. I turned my own sights to the nearest building where streaks of colour were zooming toward us, contrasting against the night sky. A jolt of fear shot through my body as Miyako let out a strangled cry. "Run!" she shouted.

All eyes turned to the coming attack and we were all on our feet obeying Miyako, running away, except for Sora. I wasn't sure if she was trying to be the heroic leader or if she was simply more aware of what was going on. I turned to see her—to understand what she was doing, and as I did I caught sight of the orbs again. They did not look menacing at all. Sora ran directly for the red orb and realization rushed through me. My entire body tingled as I watched Biyomon emerge from Sora's heart.

Sora turned quickly and wrapped her arms around her friend, crying all the while.

Miyako let out a shriek of joy this time and began running toward Sora. She was cautious and moving slowly because of the babies she had in her arms but soon enough Hawkmon had erupted from nowhere. Miyako turned and revealed that she was already crying. She fell to her knees and Hawkmon began laughing at the sight of Mai and how big she was. He grabbed Poromon and then pushed his head toward Miyako's for some awkward hug.

Ken rushed after his wife a moment later and practically leapt through the air to collect Wormmon who was overjoyed to be reunited with his partner. Ken quickly brought him over to Miyako's awkward group hug and together they became their whole family once more.

"Tentomon," Koushiro realized and I knew he was feeling stupid, just as I was, but he did not let it overcome him. He slammed his laptop shut and he shoved the electronic into Jun's nearby arms. Haruki was hiding behind her feet, worried, but Jun was trying to comfort him. Koushiro was gone though, streaking across the courtyard to where the purple light shot straight through his chest and became Tentomon once more. "It's good to see you," Koushiro said politely.

"Hug me!" Tentomon demanded, and Koushiro laughed.

Michael was next, releasing Tatum's hand and hurrying toward the white ball of energy that I knew to be Betamon. Michael turned his back to Betamon just as he was flying toward him and Michael caught him as he came through. Betamon laughed, but was crying as Michael hugged him. Tatum and Monodramon were already making their way toward the two of them, desperate to see Betamon again too. I saw Tatum turn her eyes on both Terriermon and Lopmon and I smiled. We would be a whole family again.

"Is that Gomamon?" Emiko asked Momoe as Jou reached out for his partner. Momoe nodded tentatively, unsure of what was happening, but it was enough for Emiko and Monmon. They both hurried off after Jou and the second Gomamon had returned they tackled him into a great big hug even before Jou had a chance. He didn't seem to mind as he pulled all three of them toward him.

I was still moving toward my partners but I noticed a deep yellow ball of energy. Armadillomon?

Where was Iori?

I was nearly caught off guard when Terriermon and Lopmon shot straight toward me. Terriermon was in the lead and yet Lopmon came first. I was in such a daze at the idea of having the two of them back with me that I almost missed the flash of light in front of me. It appeared to be a girl—blonde. Had it been Alice? Whatever had happened didn't matter though, because as Lopmon passed through the girl she materialized and slammed into my chest.

I caught her with a gasp and looked down to her wide eyes that were brimming with tears already. "W-Willis!" she cried, throwing her arms around me as far as they would go. I looked back, expecting to see Terriermon but he wasn't there. My excitement dropped exponentially. Where had he gone? Why didn't Terriermon get to return?

Then my weakened excitement returned and I felt something climbing up my back. One moment later and I was on the ground hugging both of them as close to me as humanly possible. Terriermon made a big show of not being able to breathe, so I gave him some space. I would do anything for them. They were my best friends and I had been exhausting myself with the idea that I might never get to see them again. For a year now I had feared that my last image of them would be tainted by them betraying me and shoving me through the door to Earth.

"You guys are idiots, you know that right?" I said, hoping to remind them of that very incident.

Lopmon gasped, but caught on quickly. "That's hardly fair, Willis," she said. "We were only trying to do right by you."

"We were looking out for your best interests," Terriermon agreed. "You would never be happy all locked up in the Digital World with no Mari to marry." I felt my face flush and Terriermon groaned. "Where is Mari?"

"At war," I supplied.

"And your current relationship status?" Lopmon questioned. I swallowed thickly and chose not to answer. Terriermon and Lopmon shared a disappointed look. "Now who's the idiot?" Lopmon said with a little giggle. The sound made my heart flutter and I felt so silly about the whole thing. Every little twitch they did sent my heart soaring with relief and happiness. Every time Terriermon scratched under his ear it gave me a wave of memories. Every time Lopmon shuffled her feet it reminded me ever time she'd ever been nervous.

I didn't care what went on next. I had them back.

"Why don't we meet up later," Tatum offered, catching the attention of Michael, Betamon, Terriermon, Lopmon and I. "I'll make some dinner, and you guys can catch up. Then you come back with me because I missed you too."

"Dinner sounds good," I grinned.

"Are you sure?" Terriermon asked Tatum skeptically. "I just... like, not to be rude, but you're sure you want _more_ food? You're like... really fat, Tatum."

Lopmon actually _punched_ Terriermon in the side of the head and comically flew off from the force and Tatum stifled laughter. "She's pregnant you fool!" Lopmon shouted after her brother. I couldn't help but laugh because things were so normal again already. There was sibling rivalry and mean underhanded comments and a family dinner to look forward to. We would all be together.

I definitely chose to take Tatum up on her offer and grabbed my partners before choosing a place to go properly reunite. I passed by Koushiro and Tentomon and was unsurprised that they were already talking about the logistics of it all, and how Tentomon had changed in the first place. Biyomon was telling Sora the longest story of all time that included 'my new friend Gankoomon' and 'Hawkmon was being mean' and 'Mina is trapped in the Digital World!' and Sora was simply nodding along, happy to have Biyomon back to tell stories at all.

Wormmon was explaining to Ken about how he could hear everything while he was in the crystal and apparently it had been Hikari that saved them from their containment.

"Is that true?" I asked Lopmon. "Hikari saved you?"

Lopmon nodded. "She's the best." I wondered how she had done it and if she was still safe, but obviously since Terriermon and Lopmon were _here_ they didn't know the answer.

Gomamon and Jou were sitting with one another as Emiko tried to invent a fun game to play with the lot of them. Miyako and Hawkmon were sitting similarly, but they were watching Mai chase Poromon around. "She doesn't know who I am," Hawkmon realized.

"She does," Miyako assured him. "I've told her everything about you. Just give her time."

And just as I was leaving the courtyard I caught sight of the lonely ball of yellow energy. "Armadillomon..." I said weakly, thinking of Iori. If his partner was unable to return what did that mean for our friend? Was he okay? Was he injured? Was he _dead_?

I made my way through the streets, talking to my partners—who were no longer in Gaia's possession, which was just so hard to wrap my head around—and they were recalling the events of their year. They hadn't made it all the way to the end like some of the others must have, but they did their best to hide the Digimental like Taichi asked of them.

"Patamon was very heroic," Terriermon was saying. "He tried to save us several times. In the end Maugrim was too strong though."

"He brought us to Gaia," Lopmon continued. "Again though, Patamon tried to save us. Gaia got very angry and she took him first, but she didn't do it very nicely. It looked painful. When she took Terriermon it was much less so. It was like she was punishing Patamon _more_."

I realized that I would have to thank Patamon for his continued efforts in saving my partners. Of course I would probably have to find a way to do so without interacting too much with Takeru, not because I was a child and felt the need to always avoid him, but because it just didn't want to put so much effort into talking to him. And it _did_ take effort. How was he always so optimistic? It was just too much to really wrap my head around.

Lopmon was suddenly leaping out of my arms. I felt a tug in my chest as I feared she might never come back, but I knew I would have to loosen the leash a _little_. I would let them walk three feet away—no more—for now. Lopmon was still though, like she was listening. She looked up to me almost apologetically and then set off down the next street. I exchanged a confused look with Terriermon and then hurried after her.

Lopmon came to a stop when we entered the star gazer—which was basically a small courtyard with a big telescopic lens as a roof so you could more clearly see the stars. We were not alone though.

Winter stood with her back to us and there was a faint blue light shimmering around her. She stood out like a sore thumb, but it was clear that she wasn't exactly _hiding_ either. She turned to us and I saw that her expression was similar to Neo's resting face. It was filled with discontentment and disapproval. She did however catch sight of Lopmon and a faint smile showed on her face for just a moment. "What is this?" she asked.

"We're back!" Lopmon exclaimed joyously.

"Did you miss us?" Terriermon asked.

"No," Winter said harshly. "I do not know you well." That was probably true. I didn't exactly know _her_ well either. The other had all been around to hear her story, but I hadn't gotten the chance because I had been flying from Taiwan to Japan. All I really knew about her was that she had a pretty useful power.

"Winter!" I said suddenly. "Can you look through Iori's eyes?"

Winter looked annoyed that I had spoken so loudly, and she sneered at me. She waited for a moment, thinking how to respond.

Lopmon cupped her hands around her mouth as if she were about to whisper, but the voice came out rather loudly. "Willis, shut up!" she said. "Winter is _sad_!"

"I am not," Winter snapped, turning her back on us all. Her frosty wings caught my attention as the light from the stars reflected from the ice. Winter put her fingers to her temples and began using her gift. "I cannot see through his eyes," Winter said quickly, not having put much effort into it. "I do not fear for him. I do feel his presence. He is alive."

"Then why can't Armadillomon materialize?" I asked, thinking back once more to the sad little ball of light.

"Why would I know the answer to that?" Winter said flatly, moving swiftly to the center of the room where she sat on the bench and chose to look up to the sky. Terriermon slid down my legs until his feet were planted firmly on the ground and he skipped over to the bench with Lopmon. They each sat on either side of Winter, attempting to comfort her but it just made her look annoyed. She obviously wasn't one to share her feelings.

I realized then what could be the issue. I sat on the bench too, shoving Terriermon aside a little to make room. He glared at me but soon we were all sitting together which I was sure Winter hated. "Are you upset that you had to tell everyone your story?"

Winter looked over to me sharply, and I saw pure hatred in her eyes for a brief moment, but soon she looked away. She shook her head. "No," she said calmly. "I do not care what anyone knows of me."

"Okay," Terriermon said suspiciously. "That sounds fake, but okay."

Winter rolled her eyes. "Okay, I was feeling uncomfortable about the tale," she admitted, "I had never told anyone—not even my sisters—how I felt about the time before they were born. I was not always a bitter, frosty woman. I was optimistic and innocent, just like any child. That was soon frozen under a lake of reality though, and I do not care that anyone knows it once existed."

"Then why are you sad?" Lopmon asked, she took Winter's delicate hand into her arms and hugged it.

Winter seemed amused, but unsure how to reply. "I'm not sure I understand your question," she admitted. "My cruel and vindictive mother has taken my crown and is attempting to ruin everything that we have fought toward for _many_ years. She is putting the worlds back into one place and I do not know how that will affect the balance. We could very well be dying already. There is no proof to indicate that the worlds are still safe."

"That's awful," Lopmon said, snuggling closer to Winter who actually smiled this time.

"And everyone is angry with me," Winter added. "They think I do not care for their cause, but I _do_. I truly do. If there is anything I care for it is the force that plans to end my mother's tyranny. And I lost my sister once more. Autumn... Having her back for even a moment was wonderful, but now she is gone again and it was just as hurtful to lose her this time."

"You've gone through a lot of pain?" Terriermon questioned. He already knew it was true because he was actually pretty perceptive, but he wanted Winter to open up at her own pace. She simply nodded.

"You're very strong," I told her. I had not heard her story firsthand but Koushiro and Tatum had both taken notes and filled me in separately. "You've gone through everything Morganna, Gaia and Maugrim did to you. You're stronger than anyone I know—well aside from maybe Mari, and I guess Michael since that's his Crest—and I think you're amazing, Winter."

She looked genuinely surprised, and slowly she nodded her head.

"You're like Mari in a lot of ways," Lopmon realized. "That's pretty cool. I really like Mari! Maybe we could be friends?"

I thought maybe Lopmon was pushing it but Winter didn't seem to mind. She didn't respond to the proposition, but at least she didn't scream and run away. Not that I could actually imagine Winter doing so.

"Mari is like _me_ ," Winter said firmly. "That is why I chose her." I figured that made sense, since she definitely saw herself to be a pretty good queen, why wouldn't she choose someone she could relate to since that obviously would make Mari just as good. "Autumn asked me to choose a child I thought could fight in a war, and I chose correctly the first time, as you know. Taichi thought so too. Mari is out there now fighting and she is doing it well."

"Then why did you pick Miyako?" Terriermon wanted to know.

Winter sighed, "Because Mari was destined for a dark path. That path included premature death, which Autumn helpfully stopped. It did come at a price, of course, but in the end it was the right decision. When we were asked to pick once more, this time for a true trio that would take only the light halves of three Crests. I was gifted _honour_ and knew I was expected to find the perfect child..." she stopped for a moment and looked up to the magnified stars. "When I selected a child like _myself_ I had been wrong. I was forced to question my entire existence."

"That's a little extreme," Terriermon pointed out, and I couldn't help but feel it was a bit rude. I rubbed his head though, happy to have him around _to_ be rude.

"Perhaps," Winter allowed, "but you see, if I was always wrong, surely that meant Summer was always correct. My next choice was selected with this in mind. I challenged myself to locate someone who was closer to who I should have been. Who I was _meant_ to be. I selected Miyako because she was warm, intelligent, often loud, and surrounded in love. I chose her because she was like my opposite—she was like Summer." Winter actually _did_ seem sad now and I was unsure how to comfort her. "I respect Miyako," she said firmly. "I do. In so many ways, I respect her. I do not know of a way to express that, and she despises me because she is unable to understand how I look out for her. I love her in a way that I love my sisters, but protection and caring is often times how a weaker human is formed. Miyako must be _strong_."

Lopmon looked to Terriermon who was the brave soul who spoke next. "Miyako was tortured by your father's spirit and she held on the entire time, and then he came _back_ and tried to steal her baby that was born prematurely and was supposed to be dead. She's been through enough crap to consider her strong and I don't think helping someone makes them weak. It only makes them aware that you care for them." Winter looked to Terriermon with a harsh expression but he didn't back down. "And for the record, Summer isn't always right either." Winter's harshness faded immediately.

"He's right," I told her. "You might be harsh and always thinking about the bigger picture, but she's always thinking too emotionally. She focuses on every small detail and nothing would ever be accomplished if she was left to make the decisions. Neither of you are right, but perhaps if you could meet in the middle—or even work together—you would find that much of your decisions could overlap and you would be able to accomplish much more." Winter seemed thoughtful and she turned her gaze back to the stars. "Also you should totally just tell Miyako you care about her. She would love that, and I bet she'd like you to be involved with her baby."

Winter slowly turned to me and a faint blush fell across her cheeks. I wondered if Winter had ever thought about children, but it seemed unlikely. Autumn had birthed two children with Michael's dad, Summer was in love with Yume and it was clear that Spring and Bitoru had a sort of thing, but Winter had never shown signs that she even liked anyone at _all_ let alone loved someone. She didn't need to love someone to have a child though.

"Thank you for speaking with me," Winter said flatly. "I think I will spend the rest of the night alone if you do not mind." She pulled herself to her feet and I wasn't sure if she wanted us to leave or if she was going to, but she closed her eyes for a moment as I gathered Terriermon and Lopmon into my arms. "Your friends are returning to the Temple."

I was confused, but I left Winter with that, hurrying to the Temple gates, hoping to find Mari, but it was not her. I wasn't disappointed though. Hiroaki and Natsuko were leading the group, and soon Garurumon walked in behind them. Takuya and Izumi were on his back, and Angemon was carrying Tomoki. Seasarmon had Koichi and Kouji on his back and Melga—as MetalGarurumon— had Junpei and Yakiimon. Liollmon was bundled up in his partners arms, while Psychemon and Kokuwamon were being carried by Piedmon. Wargreymon—who was really Warg—had Tomoki's Elecmon and Hyokomon in his arms.

Then Yamato and Takeru were walking in, and then Neo, Rei and Dracomon. Aesop and Spring came next and finally Kiyoko and Hideto. It was strange to see all of Alias III without Mari.

My mind reeled as I understood what I was seeing. The original Digidestined had been sent off to Sidhendor—why were they here? What had happened to them? Was Mari okay?

Fumiko Hida gasped and hurried toward Kurayami who made up the very end of their parade. Kurayami looked up nervously to her and they stared for a moment. "Kurayami," Fumiko said weakly, "Your father has been so worried!" I could tell Fumiko only wanted to ask one thing though, and she didn't wait long to ask it either. "Where is Iori? Is he okay?"

Kurayami's nostrils flared and she was trying to hold herself together but she couldn't. Instead she began sobbing as she threw herself into Fumiko's arms. I heard Lopmon gasp in my arms and Terriermon gripped my arm. My own eyes began stinging with tears but we didn't know he was dead. We didn't know what was going on. He could still be okay.

Even if the floating yellow ball that was Armadillomon seemed to say otherwise.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** The final chapter of this arc is next, and Daisuke and Takeru are taking us through the goal.


	69. Be Prepared

**Y/N:** Daisuke has some more action. Two chapters full of action, so close together. Daisuke's chapters were quick and easy to write because of it, so I wasn't about to complain. And Daisuke's always in the centre of the action, which just doubles the fun.

 **U/N:** It seemed to work out that I was given all the awkward transition chapters. I only had so many ideas of how to make those happen so I hope this doesn't come across as too odd or out of place.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 5: Annihilation**

 **Chapter 69: Be Prepared**

 _ **Daisuke Motomiya:**_

Mari's declaration was met with shocked silence. My mind was reeling. How could we just walk up to kill Gaia? It was a terrible idea, wasn't it? I wasn't the only one thinking that way either. I could read it in the faces of Hikari and Taichi. Ryou seemed game for anything, but I hadn't seen him react any other way to anything yet. I mean, I barely knew the kid, but he seemed very 'go with the flow'. Mari was determined though, and I knew she would be heading in there with or without us.

And really, what was stopping us from giving it a go?

Meiyomon had taken her main fighters and thrown them _somewhere_. Morganna was probably still around, and maybe Mimi too, but Merlin probably wasn't. I had no logic to back up that claim, but I figured it stood to reason that if Gaia sent Yume and Norn, she would send Merlin if he was available. He was definitely the most powerful—even if it was just because Norn didn't fully understand her abilities—and was most likely to be able to defeat us. It didn't really matter anyway, since Maugrim would probably be there.

My mind was spinning in circles. I was half trying to talk myself into going, and half attempting to convince myself to run for the hills. It was dangerous, and unprecedented. We needed backup. We needed all of our friends and their partners. We _always_ needed them in the past when facing powerful foes.

But all of our past foes—Fanglongmon, Dragomon, Yggdrasil, Arkaidimon—had immense abilities and very few weaknesses. Gaia had the abilities down pat, but she had weaknesses that could be exploited. She was from Pangaea. She wasn't necessarily human, but she was definitely closer to being human than she was to being a digimon, and humans were fragile. It took so little effort to break a bone, or stop a heart. Our bodies weren't meant for the type of fighting that the digimon got up to. Gaia's body similarly wasn't built to withstand an onslaught from a single mega digimon, let alone a super ultimate, four megas, an ultimate and a champion. All we would need was a single moment of opportunity.

Once her heart stopped, she couldn't continue her reign of terror.

Were we lucky enough, though, to get that _one_ shot that we'd need? I wasn't sure. It was far too dangerous. It was also very stupid. We _should_ have gone back as soon as we realized that those of Witchenly were back under Gaia's command. But we couldn't do that until Whamon came with the rest of our friends. We couldn't just ditch them, and leave them to Gaia's mercy. That would be horrible of us. So, it wasn't like we could _leave_. We had time to attack. We wouldn't be doing anything else during that time—except potentially running for our lives.

Norn, Yume and Akumu weren't the only ones in these woods. There were three branches of Gaia's army roaming the trees, searching for us. Humans and digimon were being forced to do Gaia's bidding, while the nightmares were acting of their own accord. It was unnecessarily cruel for Gaia to be forcing _anyone_ to fight for her. It was worse, though, to have the humans and digimon hunting us down—us, being humans and digimon as well.

All of our past enemies had managed to get people to work for them without mind control. I mean, sure, Fanglongmon _did_ it, but he also had the four sovereign and the crest digimon that worked for him voluntarily. He only used his mind abilities on us Digidestined. I could never think positively about Fanglongmon, because of all he'd done to Kurayami. But there was something inherently _worse_ about Gaia. At least we Digidestined were _involved_ with this whole mess. Even Yume and Norn were somewhat invested. I mean, Yume was involved with _Summer_ and Gaia was her mother, and then Norn took over for Yggdrasil and was his daughter—and therefore Sigma's sister.

But these humans that she brought to Sidhendor didn't know what was going on at all. They were mothers and brothers and daughters and friends. They had people waiting for them, worried for them. Or they _did_. Gaia had the entire Earth searching for us now. There weren't very many humans that were able to resist her pull. I was surprised my father was one of them, to be honest. But she was taking control of the innocent and uninformed. It was cruel and rude. And then the digimon were taken too. They were a little more in the know than the humans, because their world had been terrorized so many times, but it wasn't fair for them either.

None of what Gaia did was fair.

"Seriously," Mari said. "Let's go kill her."

"You're crazy," Bitoru said firmly, right as an explosion of voices burst from the lot of us.

"We can't," Taichi said confidently. "It's too dangerous."

"She's got Mimi on her side now," Hikari said anxiously. "We can't risk hurting her. I couldn't live with myself if she got hurt because we rushed into things."

"We should really get some backup," I suggested.

"I think it's a _great_ idea!" Ryou said.

"It _would_ be nice to be finished with her," Ophanimon said, reluctantly. Hikari looked betrayed for just a second, before she nodded, agreeing with what her partner was saying. And Ophanimon _was_ right. Being rid of Gaia would've been the most amazing thing in the world.

"I suppose I could be tempted," Plutomon said casually, though he seemed raring to go. I wondered if he was offended on Olympos XII's behalf, or whether he intended to rub it in their faces that _he_ escaped Gaia's control, while they couldn't.

I hoped he wouldn't do that—but I couldn't be sure.

"It's agreed then," VictoryGreymon declared. Taichi protested, but it was out of his hands. His little sister was going with Mari, and so was his partner. If he chose to stay behind, he'd worry himself sick. He had always been determined to watch over Hikari. Every decision he made was with her in mind. He'd spent an extra long time plotting _this_ excursion because he didn't want to accidently cause Gaia to hurt Hikari. He didn't want to put her under more distress—if she was still alive.

But she _was_ alive, and now she was free—and she'd saved our partners in the process. She was every bit as much of a fighter as we were, even if she didn't use her fists to do the fighting. Sometimes, it was enough to just stand up for what she believed in. There were plenty ways of fighting, and over the years we'd taken part in all of them—probably.

"Okay," Taichi said with a sigh. "But we're going to be careful."

"You're _all_ crazy," Bitoru said. His eyes bugged out and he backed away from us. He targeted Hikari, since she was the kindest. "You just got free. You don't want to get caught again. Gaia's not going to take it graciously that you escaped _and_ stole her Crests."

"The Crests were never hers to begin with," UlforceVeedramon protested instantly. "I'm _glad_ that Hikari took us from her. I didn't enjoy hanging around Gaia all day every day."

"Let's go save the world," Mari said confidently, locking eyes with Rosemon's. Rosemon nodded at her partner and I realized there was no point in arguing. I wasn't going to let my friends go into this without me. I wouldn't abandon them. Meiyomon sighed, and took a step forward to show that he was on board with our plans, and I cautiously followed suit.

"Alright," Taichi decided. "Let's get going."

"NO," Bitoru protested loudly.

"You're right," Hikari said, looking to him sadly. "We can't force you to come with us. And while _I_ trust you, I can't say the same for our friends that are coming with Whamon. We can't leave you here alone." Taichi's eyes lit up and he was about to suggest that _Hikari_ stay with him, but Hikari put a hand up to stop him. His shoulders slumped, embarrassed at being caught. "Ryou will be staying with you."

Even Taichi couldn't argue against that. Ryou _tried_ , insisting that he was actually _older_ than all of us, and that we didn't need to protect him. But I couldn't go along with that. I could logically understand, but I couldn't believe it. I looked at him, and I saw a fourteen year old kid. I had been eleven when the fate of the worlds was first shoved on my shoulders, but that was a long time ago. Now, because I was older, it felt _wrong_ to send children into this war.

"I won't stay," Ryou said grumpily.

"I will make him," Cyberdramon countered. I smiled, thankfully at him. I wouldn't have to worry about Ryou's safety anymore. I didn't want to give Morganna the opportunity to steal _his_ heart too. It was bad enough that we'd lost Mimi.

We left them on the beach with Grey Wind. I could trust that Cyberdramon would keep Ryou there, even if he tried to follow us. Cyberdramon was worried about Ryou's safety too—but just in case, Grey Wind would be able to track him down, if Ryou tried to wander off. I hoped that the fight club, and the other backup would at least take the time to listen to what Ryou had to say before attacking Bitoru. I actually couldn't be sure that they _would,_ but I wasn't able to devote time to worrying about it all.

Mari was leading us into the woods. Our partners remained at their strongest levels, because we might need their strength at any given moment. Also, Plutomon was kind of big anyway, so it wouldn't help us to hide if they weren't around. Plutomon stood next to Mari, on her left side. Rosemon stood on her right. I was very glad they were on _our_ side. The look on Mari's face was murderous, and it actually sent chills down my spine. Hikari and Taichi walked right behind them. Their partners flanked Meiyomon, and were directly behind them. UlforceVeedramon and I took up the rear—mostly because I couldn't walk as fast, due to my tired ankle. I was adamant that it wasn't broken, but it definitely could have done with some rest.

I didn't _get_ any though. I didn't expect any, but it would have been nice if we ever had the chance to sit down and just discuss strategy. I couldn't help but realize this was a half baked plan, and we were going to fail. I just _knew_ we were. I tried to psyche myself up, because I knew that _believing_ in something was half of making it happen, but I couldn't really achieve my goal.

"I'm sorry," UlforceVeedramon told me. We were falling behind a little, but no one had noticed yet—and until there were enemies attacking me, I wasn't about to draw attention to it. I wanted a few moments with my partner in pseudo-privacy.

"What are _you_ sorry for?" I asked with a snort.

"I feel like I let you down," he said. I told him _exactly_ how I felt about that. He'd been taken while fighting against Gaia. He had nothing to be ashamed of.

"No," he said shaking his head. "I didn't keep your cart going. I lost Labramon. I let our digital family fall apart. I don't even know where DemiVeemon _is_."

"He's with Haruki right now," I told him. "Our family is together again. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I let Gaia take me," he protested firmly. "I shouldn't have let her get me. I should have escaped. I don't know _how_ but I probably _could_ have at some point."

"Don't," I warned him. "That's not going to help anything. If you absolutely _have_ to dwell on the past, dwell later. Don't spoil this. I got you back."

"What's with that anyway?" UlforceVeedramon asked suspiciously. "I thought forever was meant to mean _forever_ this time. Couldn't stay away from me and my magnetic personality, huh?"

"I'll have you know that Kurayami had to _drag_ me along," I teased, not able to stop the smile, revealing my lie for what it was. He laughed, and I grinned at him. It felt _right_ to be with him. He was the other half of me. We were two halves to _one_ whole. There was no way we could stay apart forever. It hadn't worked out the way Taichi had expected it to, so hopefully that meant that we wouldn't be trying it again.

The problems were better now. I couldn't exactly call them _fixed_ , but they weren't nearly as terrible as they had been before. Rida wasn't pulling the strings anymore, and Miyako was getting laws put in place for the digimon. Some might need a bit of tweaking—especially the one that prevented the police force from actively taking a threat down, such as Astamon, who had gone on a rampage and killed some people—but for the most part, digimon were safe now.

There were a few glaring issues, but we couldn't take care of _them_ without our partners at our side. Gaia was the main one, of course, but she had an entire collection of actual evil and forced-to-be evil people working under her command.

"Your vacation's over," I warned UlforceVeedramon.

"Worst vacation _ever_ ," he joked, and I smiled again. "It wasn't so bad once we were actually together, but becoming an orb of light isn't fun. I don't recommend it."

"Good to know," I said, nodding along.

"But it felt kind of cool when we were all one. I've always felt like this about Wormmon, because we've fused several times, so our hearts and minds were one. But it was on a whole other level to have _all_ of our friends' hearts beating with mine—hypothetically since I'm not sure we actually _had_ hearts while we were a prism—and our minds all working simultaneously. It was weird, but...I liked it. It made us feel united."

"And of course you all felt the same way about Gaia, so that probably helped," I pointed out.

"Totally," he said with a snort. "We were definitely united on that front. Our favourite pastime was to just make up mean names to call her. We couldn't _share_ them, because we all thought at the same time, and so talking was pointless, but it was still fun."

"You were very bored, weren't you?" I asked.

"There isn't much you can do when you're a bodiless spirit melded together with twenty other bodiless spirits," he said defensively, before we both started laughing again.

"Can you be _quiet_?" Plutomon growled loudly. I wanted to say something about the pot calling the kettle black, but I figured he wouldn't like me to point out his hypocrisy. He was _way_ louder than we were though. It was kind of rude.

But when a Snimon, a Kiwimon and two Machindramon walked by with a red headed woman—she was speaking English, so I didn't know what she was saying, and I couldn't identify her country of origin either—and an Indian man—who, evidently, _didn't_ speak English, since he only responded with his own language. She didn't seem to notice though. They were having a conversation, without being able to understand each other's words. I wondered if Gaia's manipulations were able to overcome that issue. They walked like they were in a trance. They could've just been repeating Gaia's instructions for all I knew.

"They're from very different parts of the world," Mari commented, once they passed. "She delivers mail to Willis' house, so I'm going to assume she lives in New York. It would be a killer commute if she didn't. India and America are pretty far apart."

"That just shows how far Gaia's manipulations have spread," Hikari commented. "It's horrible."

"We'll save them," Ophanimon assured her.

We saw people and digimon much more frequently after that point. If they didn't see us, we just stayed still until they passed by, but if they _did_ , Meiyomon took centre stage and whisked them away. Once he did, we had to move at a much faster pace in order to escape further notice. Morganna had been right about the data streams being legitimate beacons that pulled enemies towards us. After that first time he had to send them off, we were spotted almost consistently. It was exhausting, and we were all getting pretty tense about it. I knew that my shoulders were pretty much nothing _but_ tension by the time the castle even came into view.

And by the time we ended up at the castle walls, I didn't even remember what it was to _not_ be tense. The Sidhendorians were vigil. They stood at their posts, and screamed when they caught sight of us, instead of just charging at us, like the digimon and humans had in the forest. Plutomon got _very_ annoyed by their screams, and lost his sense of calm and nearly slaughtered the nearest people, so Meiyomon took them away with a data stream— _all_ of them—before travelling himself so that he could unleash an enormous explosion in the woods, to distract Gaia's soldiers in the forest. I couldn't find the nightmares, and I didn't _want_ to worry about it. I wanted to just count our blessings and be thankful that they weren't attacking us. I just couldn't help but worry about who they could be attacking instead of us.

Hikari led us to a garden, where the servants grew the food that fed the people within the castle. There was a door that led us directly into the kitchens, and she hastily whispered that this was the path that Bitoru had used to get her out. Without Bitoru, we didn't actually know where to go once we got inside though. Hikari thought she _might_ be able to bring us to the room she'd last seen Gaia in, but she was _far_ from positive. We were too large of a group to risk on a thread of hope. We couldn't exactly hide.

"So we split up," Mari said simply. I could tell that even she didn't like her idea, but it was the only thing we could do. Our partners were simply too large to blend in. Taichi didn't protest to the idea—probably because it was a favourite of his—though Hikari tried to. We just didn't have time for that. Taichi grabbed his sister's hand instantly, daring Mari or I to suggest that they split up. We didn't bother, because we knew it would be a waste of time.

Meiyomon went with Hikari, Taichi, Ophanimon and VictoryGreymon, while Mari, Rosemon, UlforceVeedramon and I took Plutomon—because he refused to follow anyone except Mari, because she was worthy of Olympos or something. I didn't really understand Plutomon. I didn't bother to _try_. I knew very little about the Olympos XII as a whole—though he wasn't technically part of the Olympos XII, because he wasn't under Gaia's control.

We just kind of wandered around the castle, hoping that Rosemon or UlforceVeedramon would recognize something, and be able to lead us to Gaia. They hadn't found anything. I wondered how different the world looked when they were a prism, but I figured it was probably insensitive to ask. We crept through the halls. We didn't have Meiyomon anymore to save us if we got caught.

And we _did_ get caught.

A tiny woman with a basket of laundry in her hands screamed so loud she practically popped my ear drum. Mari slammed her hand over the woman's mouth, and the woman just started screaming _louder_. We didn't know what to do, and so Rosemon threw a storm of petals at the woman, whispering "Rosy Cradle" as she did so. The woman was put to sleep immediately, and the beautiful, flower digimon caught the woman and laid her down gently along the wall, with her basket next to her. She was covered in rose petals.

I thought that would be the end of it, but I was wrong.

The woman's screams brought one of Morganna's puppets to us. It wasn't Norn, who we could've overpowered without much force. It wasn't even Akumu, who I honestly wouldn't mind attacking again.

"Jupitermon," Plutmon growled angrily. He stepped forward. Mari tried to stop him, reminding him that Jupitermon wasn't under his own control anymore. "Step aside girl," Plutomon told her. "Continue your quest. I shall best Jupitermon."

"We should all run together," Mari insisted, though I could see in her eyes that she'd already accepted the truth. We _could_ run together, but Jupitermon would always be following behind us. Plutomon stood the best chance against the king of Olympos. He had been with Jupitermon since Olympos had been formed.

We left him, though we worried constantly. Plutomon was grumpy and rude, but he was still our friend and ally. We needed him to be okay. Rosemon always cast her Rosy Cradle down a hallway before we walked down it, just in case anyone was there, now that we didn't have Plutomon to help us. There was a flash of green around one corner, and I almost made UlforceVeedramon attack, but Mari realized who it was before I did.

"Palmon," she said.

I looked to Mari like she was insane, but when I glanced back to the light it seemed to dance around at the thought of someone recognizing her. Veemon _had_ come in a ball of peach light. Could this ball of energy really be Palmon? "Can you take us to Mimi?" I asked. The light bobbed up and down, and I started to walk towards her, but Mari caught my arm and shook her head. I pulled my arm loose, angry that Mari wouldn't want to save Mimi, but Mari was very adamant about it.

"I want her back too," Mari insisted. "But taking her body won't help her. If we take her, then she'll be of no use to Morganna. Morganna has her heart. If Mimi's no use to her, then Morganna will have no reason to _keep_ her heart."

"I don't like it," I argued.

"You don't have to," Mari said. "Palmon will watch over her, won't you?" Palmon's light bobbed up and down again, slower this time, as though she was disappointed at Mari's logic. Rosemon reached her hand out and caressed Palmon's glowing orb. "Unless...do you know where Mimi's heart is?" Palmon moved side to side. "I guess not. It makes sense though. If you knew where it was, you wouldn't be an orb right now."

"Can you lead us to Gaia?" I asked. Palmon moved up and down again, but was hesitant about it. She didn't want to be near Gaia. My guess was that Palmon had been hiding since Hikari freed her. Gaia wouldn't be nearly as powerful with only one Crest, but _we_ needed the Crests on our side, even if Palmon wasn't able to help us just yet.

"Would you be able to take us to Morganna's rooms too?" Mari suggested. Palmon was much happier with _that_ idea, but we couldn't start looking for Mimi's heart until we'd taken care of Gaia. It was our mission after all. I knew we would probably regret not doing that first, but we had actually managed to psyche ourselves up to attack Gaia, and I was too afraid that I would change my mind to deviate from that plan.

Palmon led us along the hallways, and we ended up running straight into Taichi and Hikari, who were just opening a door. Palmon flew behind us, and hid there. I figured that meant Hikari had succeeded, and found her way back to Gaia's rooms. I took a deep breath, and tried not to panic as I watched Taichi and Hikari step through the door before their partners had a chance. Ophanimon and VictoryGreymon raced through, after their human counterparts, and Meiyomon hesitated.

"Stay with Palmon," I suggested. He was relieved, and Mari and I followed our partners inside. Gaia was sipping tea calmly, pretending that she hadn't even noticed the four powerful digimon and Digidestined that had invaded her privacy.

"I'm back," Hikari told her. Gaia's lips twitched, and she stood up, and smiled at Hikari. "Did you miss me?"

"Have you come to return my Crests?" Gaia asked. "Have you come to help me _again_?"

"You know that's not the case," Taichi growled. "VictoryGreymon, let's get this over with." Gaia's eyebrows lifted slightly as her curiosity peaked. It was as if she didn't even _care_ that we were here. She wasn't scared in the slightest. She knew she wasn't going to lose no matter what happened, and that could only mean one thing.

"On it," VictoryGreymon said, lunging forward with his enormous sword. He swung quickly, heaving his massive weapon through the air and Gaia moved swiftly, ducking under the blade and popping right back up, kicking her foot out toward VictoryGreymon who was flung back toward Taichi who had to dive out of the way to avoid crashing into the opposite wall like his partner had.

Rosemon didn't hesitate before jumping into action herself, but Mari reached after her, begging with her eyes to stop her partner from going into the fight, but Rosemon ignored her. UlforceVeedramon joined her, racing forward to engage into combat with our enemy. Without prompting UlforceVeedramon shot his Ray of Victory toward Gaia who reached up quickly, summoning vines to protect herself.

"Ivy Hug!" Rosemon called out, summoning her own vines that held Gaia's at bay, allowing UlforceVeedramon's attack to slam directly into Gaia's chest.

She slammed into a wall just as painfully as VictoryGreymon had, and my heart was racing. Seeing her down, as she was now, with small bits of the cracked wall falling down on her felt way too satisfying.

Rosemon wasn't finished yet though, and her rapier shifted quickly into a whip that extended and wrapped around Gaia's wrist, shocking her with electricity in an attempt to tame her and take control of her mind, body and soul.

Gaia's face looked pained for only a moment before she understood what Rosemon was attempting to do and then she let out a wicked laugh, tearing the whip away from her wrist without hesitation. "That's not going to work sweetheart."

Hikari looked sharply toward Ophanimon who did not hesitate to solve the issue at hand, lunging forward with her spear in hand, held directly in front of her. Hikari turned her head but I couldn't. I had to be sure nothing went . I winced as Ophanimon's spear squelched and punctured Gaia's skin. The spear stabbed directly through the center of her chest.

She hadn't even tried to defend herself. She just sat there and let Ophanimon stab her. Her head lolled forward and the smile fell from her face. It actually seemed she was dead, but I knew it was too good to be true. Ophanimon slowly pulled her spear from where it rested inside Gais's limp form and we all watched her lifeless body fall—somehow _gracefully_ —to the ground. Her hair fanned out around her body, and we watched as blood started to stain her shirt and pool on the floor.

"Is that it?" Mari asked, sounding just as confused as I felt.

"I'm not sure" Hikari said. She had tears in her eyes. She didn't like Gaia, but she was a fan of life, and didn't enjoy seeing it be taken away. Something snaked its way around my ankles, and the next thing I knew, I was hanging upside down in the air. I let out a shout, and found that Hikari, Taichi and Mari were dangling just as I was. There were _vines_ holding us tightly. Thorns started growing out of the green coils, cutting into our skin. We all cried out in surprise and pain.

A loud, wicked laugh echoed around the room. Gaia pulled herself off of the floor and touched her chest. She laughed hysterically, looking at the already coagulating blood on her fingers. She threw her head back and practically _cackled._

"You didn't think I would allow myself to die, did you?" Gaia asked. She had a cruel twist to her lips, and her eyes were glinting dangerously. "I'm not an idiot. I had to take steps to ensure my permanent place as Queen of All. I will _never_ be taken from my throne. You Digidestined have lost. You should have left when you had the chance."

"Now!" Mari called. Rosemon threw her Rosy Cradle at Gaia, and while Gaia fought of her sudden bout of drowsiness, UlforceVeedramon and VictoryGreymon cut us down with their swords, catching us before we could fall.

We ran from the room. I hated that we were running, but I couldn't feel anything aside from true confusion over what we had just witnessed, even if my mind was practically begging me to admit that what I had previously feared could be true.

"Come on, it's not safe here," Hikari called to Palmon. Palmon flew towards us quickly, understanding the severity of the situation. I started leading us back the way we'd come. Meiyomon protested, saying that Hikari's method was obviously quicker, since they'd gotten there first, but we couldn't leave without Plutomon. We caught sight of him fighting—and losing—against Jupitermon. Rosemon sent a petal shower towards Jupitermon—which didn't work, but distracted him for a few seconds—and Mari crashed into Plutomon, shoving him down the hallway. We raced through the halls until we stumbled into the garden, and Meiyomon was able to catch us up in a data stream.

"Take us to Ryou," Taichi ordered. Meiyomon nodded and we tore through the sky.

"And we thought she was unbeatable _before_ ," I said, frustrated.

"How is that even possible?" Hikari asked, upset that she'd cried for Gaia's non-death.

"It's Sigma all over again," Mari pointed out. "He wasn't able to die, not until he was absolutely destroyed, _heart_ , body and soul."

"Where the hell is her heart?" Taichi cried out, angrily. It was what I had been afraid of. Gaia's heart wasn't in her chest. She was like Sigma. If her heart was gone, then where had she put it? We all felt the same way. We'd been outmatched _before_ , but now our sliver of hope was useless. We couldn't beat an immortal without a heart.

 _ **Takeru Takaishi:**_

"It's so weird to have you right here," I said in a soft voice to Patamon as he fluttered around my head.

"I'm sorry," Patamon said sarcastically. "I'll just leave then, shall I?"

"Patamon," I groaned, pulling him from the air and into my arms. "I never want you to leave again," I explained. "You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

"Better than your wedding?" Patamon asked hopeful.

"The wedding that never happened?" I asked dryly. "Of course you are."

Patamon seemed pleased by this and he pressed himself further into my chest and I held him tighter. I didn't want him to worry as I was, so I wouldn't say anything, but every mention of Hikari was bringing me closer and closer to vomiting. I was so scared she would be dead by now that I could hardly breathe. I knew she had Gatomon now, and that she had saved Patamon—as if she hadn't already done enough for me—but I just didn't see how Gatomon would be enough to protect her from Gaia and everything she had up her sleeves.

Kurayami knew more than either Yamato or I did, and our parents knew more too, but clearly Kurayami had been the most aware while being brought to the castle, so she was the one speaking out against Gaia. It had taken a few hours to convince her to leave Fumiko and Okotte's side, and we didn't want to push her but it _was_ war after all. Finding out that Daisuke was now probably in Sidhendor was something that set her off even further. She had just missed him. Winter promised that he was there _somewhere_ , but that wasn't enough for Kurayami. Fumiko was just as worried for her sons who were both out of her reach now too.

Natsuni sat nearby with Kana and was playing a game of catch with Haruki and Kurayami watched the entire time, wanting to play, but feeling too distant and disoriented to even bother trying. Labramon was always by her side though and he was going to help her through her funk. I knew it.

Eventually she wandered over to Sora, Tentomon, Biyomon and Koushiro and started talking. I was nearby so I could hear most of what she was saying but she simply relayed what she knew about their armies and what she had heard of Maugrim and Bagramon and that Iori was being _tortured_. The news was troubling but the longer she spoke the more confident Koushiro seemed to grow. When she was finally finished with her tale Koushiro got up without a word and took Tentomon with him toward the council hall.

Kurayami didn't seem to mind that he was leaving because it meant her role was done and she could return to whatever was left of her family. Sora and I exchanged glances and then hurried after Koushiro. Patamon and Biyomon flew behind us trying to keep up, but Koushiro was moving surprisingly fast. When finally we had reached the council room I realized that Koushiro had made himself at home. There were papers and empty food containers strewn about the room.

"This is disgusting," Biyomon said quickly. "You know I'm sure if everyone just picked up three things we could clean this place in no time, and I think a clean working station is the way to a healthy nation! That rhymed! Oh my god I'm going to be such a great poet in society when the worlds finally let us back in with open arms. I know what you're all thinking—is that going to happen? Of _course_ it is! And ultimately—"

"What are you doing?" I interrupted Biyomon, but she didn't seem too upset. She never did. I figured she knew she talked too much and to give room to others she would have to stop eventually. "Why are you here?"

Koushiro wasn't answering right away, because he was going through his papers.

"Did Kurayami say something helpful?" Sora wondered, trying to think back to what had been said.

"Not especially, no," Koushiro said, "but I do have an idea." He pulled out a file on the DWD—the Dimensional World Divider, as Aesop had informed us all it was truly called—and he slammed it on the table.

Tentomon flew quickly upward to look down on it and hummed softly. "What will this help for?"

"Not a lot," Koushiro admitted, "because it is powered by Earth, just as our phones are—of course this is for different reasons that I will not get into. We cannot use this device even if we recreate it, _but_ if we were to change everything aside from the core principal…"

I looked to Patamon and he was just as confused, but thankfully Sora seemed to be on the right track. "We could make a bigger version," she said. "We could send the entire army to a different world and leave Gaia defenseless!"

"Exactly," Koushiro said, beaming to Sora who always seemed to be on the same page as him. "This is one of many ideas that have run through my mind. Will any of these thoughts prove to be useful? I do not know."

"We _can't_ know," Tentomon said, "not until we try at least." Koushiro looked to his partner and smiled again, nodding his head. "So let's start, shall we?"

I wasn't sure the idea would work and, even if it did, the only world we had left to send them to was Earth and we couldn't send an army as large as that to _Earth_ because everyone would die! Whatever the case, it gave Koushiro some purpose and it was helping Sora with her constant stress because she didn't have to be in charge of everyone else and was instead focusing on helping Koushiro figure out even one of his ideas. Biyomon seemed out of her element, but at least she had Sora again.

Gabumon and Yamato were sitting with Mom which was strange but understandable. I didn't want to interrupt them because they seemed to be talking rather quietly and seriously. The light that was supposed to be Armadillomon was flying around Goblimon's head and dancing around with their egg. He was happy to see everyone, and he was practically in love with Kana, and she giggled whenever he came near, but I was sure she would like him a lot more whenever we could get the real Armadillomon back.

Wormmon and Hawkmon were spending time getting to know Poromon and Mai better because they hadn't really had the chance before and now that Mai could walk—sort of—they were able to actually play with her. Hawkmon was frustrated whenever she pulled on his feather, but Wormmon spent the entire time with teary eyes, too caught up with the beauty of life to care too much with how roughly she pet him whenever she got the chance. Poromon was Mai's partner so he was going to have to learn to put up with the way she carried him. Thankfully he didn't seem too upset by it yet. Miyako and Ken were never far away for many reasons. I didn't understand what it was like to have a child, but I definitely knew the feeling of wanting to keep Patamon with me everywhere I went. I was lucky that Patamon wanted nothing more than to sit on the top of my head all day.

Pal, Pul, Dracomon, Warg, Melga and Tapirmon nearly bowled me over everywhere I went because they were in a constant game of tag and their partners weren't about to stop them. They had spent so long trapped in a strange crystal and now they were getting a chance to spread their legs. Neo didn't seem to be too affected by Dracomon doing whatever he wanted but Kiyoko clearly wanted to spent time with Tapirmon—so much so that he often joined their game for a few minutes at a time just so he could tag Tapirmon and hug him all the while. Hideto spent most of his time sitting behind the others, speaking with Rei, but his eyes followed his partners whenever they came near.

When night time came those who spent most of the day in the hospital returned with their partners claiming that Jenna wanted to catch up on some sleep. Aesop and Spring found Summer and the three of them sat for some tea, while Gomamon and Jou hurried back to their family that was finally put back together again. Michael and Betamon were whispering to one another, probably about Jenna and her safety again. I wondered how Tatum felt that all of Michael's attention had been taken away from _her_ baby and placed on Jenna's instead. I would bet that she understood because Jenna was in much more danger. Tatum was walking with Willis, holding Lopmon while Terriermon sat on Willis' shoulders. Monodramon was wandering along behind them, kicking a stone playfully.

I didn't want to offend Patamon by saying it again, but it was _really_ weird to have the digimon back. Weird in the best way though. I was constantly reaching up to ensure that Patamon was still there, or glancing to the group playing tag. I wanted to make sure they were really here. If they weren't—and they left again… I didn't think I would be able to keep myself together.

But they _were_ here. Thanks to Hikari. And I was starting to worry that it would be the very last thing she ever did for me when, with an excited scream from Emiko, the others returned in a flash of pink light from Meiyomon.

I hurried through the streets and the crowd, nearly knocking Winter over and I leapt into the open to see them all. Meiyomon was standing front and center and Fumiko was already hugging him tightly. Taichi was moving toward Rei again with Agumon leading the way. Veemon had nearly knocked Haruki over in his attempt to hug him, but Haruki didn't seem to mind. Kurayami was crying into Daisuke shoulder at the sight of Iori not being with them. Lalamon was dancing around with Tapirmon already and Ryou and Cyberdramon found enjoyment in the idea of food nearby. He was closely followed by the fight club and their digimon.

Whamon had apparently been left in the ocean, but Shin was caught off guard when he tried to follow Tafu, and he and his Jagamon were embraced by his family. Katsue and Amai found Yamato and the Teenage Wolves and it seemed they were all relieved to have their group back together again. Why had Amai been sent out into the first wave of the war anyway? The council was following Taichi and that left only three figures standing in the clearing.

Mari caught sight of Willis and she slowly walked toward him and stared at him like she thought she might never see him again. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and he hugged her back. While I was caught off guard Hikari had tackled me into a hug. "Takeru!"

"Hikari," I breathed softly, holding her as tightly as I could. It felt so strangely foreign but I didn't mind. I could get used to this again. "You're okay…"

"Gatomon saved me," Hikari explained.

"That's not true," Gatomon said from somewhere at our feet. "Hikari, you saved _me_. You can't take the credit away from yourself. You should have seen her, Takeru. She betrayed Gaia, tricked her, smashed the crystal and it was all very exciting."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," I said, kissing the top of Hikari's head.

"Hey," Hikari said, pulling away quickly. "Where're Kura and Iori?"

I looked over to Kura and Daisuke who were in a group hug with Labramon, Veemon and Haruki now. Hikari smiled but looked back to me, waiting for news on Iori. "He's…" I wasn't sure if I should tell her about the torture. Was it the right time for that? It didn't matter; Hikari already knew something bad had happened. Her eyes were wide and I swallowed thickly. "He's in the castle still."

"No!" Hikari shouted, her breath already shaky and there were tears in her eyes. "I-I-I—no! Gaia said my friends escaped!"

"That would have been me, I guess," I said, taking her hand. "Yamato and I escaped with my parents and Kura… we couldn't save Iori, though." Hikari looked entirely distraught, but she turned quickly when she heard Spring cry out.

"Bitoru!" we all looked to the nervous man standing by himself. His arms were crossed and he was rubbing his fingers along the sleeves of his jacket nervously. Spring came marching toward him looking infuriated. "You can't ever trust my mother you big dummy!"

"I… I was confused," Bitoru admitted.

"I know," Spring said, crossing her own arms. She tilted her head back to look disapproving to him and her mess of curls fell back dramatically. "I don't care what your instincts tell you. Never work for her again. You know she's a manipulator."

"I was doing it for you," Bitoru said, feeling the pressure of many eyes on him.

"That's offensive," Spring said coldly. "I would _never_ want that and you _know_ it. You know how much I fear her, so why would you do something like this to me?" Bitoru began stammering foolishly like he wasn't quite sure what the correct answer was. "I don't know what you've heard about me," Spring said, "but I am not helpless. I don't need you to save me, Bitoru. I just need you to be _with_ me. You picked my mother over that need I had."

"I… I thought I would never see you again," Bitoru said.

"That shouldn't matter…" Spring's confident stance fell apart and she looked down to her feet. Summer was by her side a moment later to comfort her while Aesop hurried to his grandson's side. He hugged him quickly and I could tell he was crying happily at the thought of having him back on his side.

"If it helps," Bitoru said, clearing his throat, "I've got these."

Spring and Summer both looked back to Bitoru who was holding up a key ring.

"I'll take those," Taichi said immediately. Bitoru allowed it and tossed the keys to Taichi who was already grinning about how much this would change the current path of the war. If Hikari saving our digimon wasn't enough, we had the keys now.

"Taichi," Koushiro said in a voice that was oddly emotional. "What is that?"

I looked to where he was pointing and saw that there was a green ball of light, just like Armadillomon's. I realized then that Mimi hadn't come back and my heart dropped. Hikari turned back to me and pressed her face into my chest, like she knew what was going on with Mimi.

Taichi turned to Koushiro apologetically and the entire area went silent. "It doesn't matter," Koushiro lied in a thick voice. "Let's get to work."

The next day was a pretty positive one, even with all of the problems still at hand. Neo had a brilliant plan that he shared only with the Digidestined in a closed room. Merlin was spying on us and we were going to use it against them. I wasn't sure how it would work, but Neo was left in charge of working on that. It was something to think about even if it wouldn't work and that was something we needed. There was so much negativity going around and we needed something else to focus on.

The positivity of spending most of the second day with Hikari, Patamon and Gatomon alone was enough to cancel it all out if only for a little while. When we returned to the others it all came crashing back down on us and I could only think of Iori and Mimi that night when I was trying to sleep. Mimi was either dead now or being used as a pawn in Morganna's game, just as Norn, Yume, Jupitermon and Merlin. Iori was being _tortured_ and there was no telling what kind of punishments he had been given for everyone getting out alive.

Winter was in the courtyard with Summer and Natsuni the next day. Natsuni looked like she had been crying for weeks. She was sitting next to Summer on a bench while Kana played with Goblimon and the Armadillomon light that danced around her head playfully.

"I can see through his eyes," Winter assured Natsuni. "He is alive, but I cannot see where he is. I see only a closed room that I am unfamiliar with."

"That's alright," Natsuni said, diverting her eyes.

"No," Winter said flatly, "it is not. I will do everything I can to find him. For now though, you know he lives." Summer sent a warm grateful look to Winter who returned the gaze with a cold eyebrow raise. "Yume lives as well."

"I don't think they will kill him," Summer admitted. "I don't know if they _can_ … but that does not change how sad it is that he is gone."

"I'm sure it is sad," Winter nodded, but she seemed much less sympathetic to Summer than she had to Natsuni.

"What about Mimi?" Natsuni asked.

"She too is alright," Winter said, "though she appears to be out of Sidhendor now. Yume as well."

Wherever they were was mostly irrelevant. For now at least, but only because we had no ideas how to save them. And that needed to change. Seeing everyone who was so hurt by this—Natsuni, Koushiro, Hikari, Kura, Fumiko, Satoe, Keisuke, Jou and the list just went on and on—was enough motivation for me to march all the way to the council room. Patamon was encouraging too and without him I may have lost my nerve, but when I burst through the doors Taichi and his council all looked over to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked loudly.

Taichi knew I was directing my question mostly to him, but he seemed too startled to speak. Babamon helped him out. "We're plotting how to defeat Gaia," she said. "We're going to use your brilliant suggestion of the Looking Glass. It will bring us directly into her castle."

"Okay," I reasoned, "are there any ideas on the list relevant to saving Iori and Mimi?"

"They are but two members of an army," Babamon said bitterly. "We cannot put any more focus in them than we do in the others."

"Wrong," I said flatly. "They're not just two members. They're Digidestined and while Koushiro might be too scared to admit he wants them saved, you know he does. He'll do anything to save Mimi and that's what we should be doing. We can't win without a full set. Haven't you been listening for the past few decades? The Digidestined are supposed to save the world."

"Takeru's right," Patmaon said, "and we can't be a full team without Iori and Mimi."

Taichi looked down to his papers and a smile crept onto his face. "I'm going to say that Takeru is a temporary council member," he said with a thankful grin. "He and Patamon just swayed the vote in my favour. Drop what you're doing. We're changing strategies. How to we save Iori and Mimi?"

I felt a little startled myself, but slowly backed from the room. I had done my duty to my friends. I knew Koushiro was a better strategist than I'd ever be, and he obviously knew that without Mimi's heart she could not be saved, so Morganna was to be the target, and to save Iori… well, I had no ideas.

But like I said, it was a good thing I wasn't the strategist. The next morning Taichi had sent Ken, Yamato and Kurayami off with their partners to get Iori back. It was rather nerve-wracking waiting around for them to return, and I wished I could have gone with them. Hikari was clearly aware of my wishes and she held me close the entire day, afraid that I would do something stupid and run off to help them. I didn't think I would, but sometimes irrationality slipped into my personality and it _was_ my brother going out there…

But they all returned safe and sound. Without Iori.

"What happened?" Taichi asked, disappointed. "What's going on? Where is he?"

"We don't know," Ken admitted. "There was no one there… the armies were gone. Gaia was gone. Everyone was gone."

"Dammit!" Taichi snapped.

My guess would be that she grew too aware and uncomfortable with the fact that we knew where she was and how to get to her room. Taichi and the others had gone in to actually fight her, and she probably fled to somewhere safer. Where? Well, Winter was sure _she_ knew.

"She is going _home_ ," she explained. When no one seemed to catch on she clarified. "She's going to _Earth_." But apparently Winter could no longer see through her mother's eyes. Obviously Gaia had taken every precaution she could to ensure that she would not be defeated. Never had we faced someone so many steps ahead of us… I wouldn't admit it, but I was really scared.

I wasn't the only one.

I heard Winter speaking with Spring when I was sure I wasn't supposed to. Spring was crying softly and Winter comforted her by saying "I'm scared too, Spring. Listen, we won't let her win. You're courageous. We have to face our fears to be good leaders. I know you can do this."

" _We_ can do this," Summer said.

Winter looked up and nodded, "We'll do it together."

"Together," Spring agreed, feeling much more comfortable with the idea. "I like that!"

When Natsuni returned to Winter to see if Iori had been moved somewhere more descriptive—and the answer was no—Tatum nearly dropped her laptop in fear and her scream caught the attention of many. But she wasn't the only one with a problem. Every cell phone screen and computer screen and even television screen had been filled with the very same image.

It was Gaia.

"Hello," Gaia said clearly. "My people, I remind you once more who I am. I am your queen and you have all been doing well under my rule. You have all slipped seamlessly into your new lifestyle and for that I am grateful. It is time for judgement. All those who are able, come to my castle and I will make my final decision about your life. If you pass inspection then you will be permitted to live in my new land. If not, then I will execute you." There was a pause and Gaia smiled sweetly. "That will be all. See you soon."

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** The final arc of the story starts up next, led by Sora and Miyako as we move toward the total climax of the trilogy!


	70. Break Free

**Y/N:** Miyako's chapter was something that was a long time in coming, and it was so important for her character. Also, I liked writing it, so that was a bonus.

 **U/N:** I think this might be the last of Sora's sort of pointless chapters ! Basically though, Sora got the short end of all the sticks and it was sad, but she does start something up in the end here, so hopefully this is the last of those that are important but not to her.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 70: Break Free**

 _ **Miyako Ichijouji:**_

I was _supposed_ to be informing Jenna of everything I knew about pregnancies and infants. We didn't have any baby books lying around and she was freaking out about the whole idea of it. She was getting more and more stressed, and Jou had finally had enough of it. She refused to tell him what was wrong, but he had a keen eye—and had been through this with Momoe _twice_ —and had pulled me aside.

" _Miyako," he said. "Go to Jenna. I know you've got a lot of things you should be doing, and this is going to seem inconvenient, but she needs reassurance. You're the only woman I know, or have access to, that has had a premature baby. You're also one of the most knowledgeable people here when it comes to infants. Use that knowledge and calm her down or the baby's going to come_ now _under duress."_

It was frightening to see how worked up _Jou_ was getting about this too. I knew that the stress of everything was getting to him. His best friends were currently at Gaia's mercy. Mimi was a heartless puppet and Iori was...he was... I couldn't even think it without wanting to break down. I couldn't begin to imagine what he was going through while I sat and talked about _babies_. Yes, I wanted to help Jenna through this incredibly stressful time, and yes, I wanted her baby to be happy and healthy and _on time_ , rather than early. But the little boy I used to babysit when I was only a little kid myself needed help, and no one was able to give it to him. I was so scared for him. He was a tough cookie, but there was only so much pressure that a cookie could take before it started to crumble. I was scared that he would break, or outlive his 'usefulness' and they would dispose of him.

I was crying already at just the thought. Jenna reached out and took my hand. I wiped furiously at my eyes. I should've been happily watching Chi as he rocked Mai in his arms, practicing how to hold a newborn baby—with a baby that was actually capable of holding her own head up. She thought it was a fun game, and kept trying to reach up to the antenna that were sticking out of Chi's head. He wasn't having as much fun—because she kept succeeding, and she had a strong grip for such a little girl. I should've been marveling at how easily Hawkmon slipped back into his role as a parent to Poromon, while he was instructing Chi on everything that _he_ knew.

But I wasn't doing any of that. I was crying about something that I couldn't change. I couldn't go out there and save Iori. I didn't know where to begin looking. And even if I did, what good would I do? Everyone was always saving _me_ , not the other way around. I would probably just cause Iori more trouble, and he'd be in more pain because of my actions.

"We can do this another time, Miyako," Jenna said, though her fear and anxiety were evident in her voice. "I can tell that your heart isn't really in it."

"I want your baby to be okay," I said, crying like an infant myself. Mai started whimpering at the sound. She didn't like it when Mommy cried. I'd been crying a _lot_ in the past few days. It was _hard_ being a single parent. It wouldn't be so bad, if I wasn't so worried about Iori and Mimi. I could handle one or the other, but I couldn't handle having Ken gone while I worried.

But Taichi had made the call.

" _Okay, so the council isn't happy about wasting resources trying to save just two people," Taichi announced while everyone was sitting in the courtyard, on the logs around the fires, or on picnic tables, or at cafe tables. There was an outrage immediately._

" _My daughter is one of those two people," Satoe snarled, getting up and starting to stalk over towards Babamon. Koushiro caught her, and pushed her back into her husband's waiting arms. "She's your wife, Koushiro. Can't you do anything? You're on the council too!"_

" _I want my son," Fumiko added, bursting into tears. I was guilty of doing the same._

" _We let you go for them," Babamon insisted. "But they weren't there. They're gone. We need to focus on the real issue."_

" _But I'm stubborn and want the other Digidestined back," Taichi said loudly, stopping Babamon from continuing. She looked rather insulted at his behaviour, but Taichi really didn't seem to care about that. He was in charge in the long run anyway. The fact that he allowed the council to have a vote just said a lot about his character. He could overrule them at any time. They'd given him that power, and he didn't like to abuse it. But he would, if it meant getting Mimi and Iori back. "I've worked out a compromise. Winter, I want you to keep your watch on Iori."_

" _I was already planning to," Winter said, not liking the idea of_ receiving _orders, since she'd been a queen not long ago, and was now used to giving them._

" _I know, I just needed Fumiko to know that we've never stopped looking for Iori, and we never will," Taichi said, looking directly into Fumiko's eyes. Natsuni was a trooper. She had a heart full of love and hope, and she watched movies with Wormmon and the orb that used to be Armadillomon, about prisoners of war returning home. It was really helping her keep her hope alive. All of the movies had a happy ending, so she was waiting for hers—all while trying to convince her daughter that Daddy was okay, and would definitely be back soon, so she could stop crying._

" _But there's been a new development that we can't ignore," Taichi added. "Gaia's going to sentence everyone on Earth to death, because they haven't handed us over, and because we tried to kill her. She's mad, and she's taking it out on our kind, since she can't get to us. We can't let the human race walk themselves up to Gaia for her to slaughter. We can't do that."_

" _What about my baby?" Satoe demanded._

" _Mimi's fine," Daisuke said, though he didn't sound too sure._

" _Morganna wants to keep her," Hikari added, sounding disgusted just saying the words. "She won't kill her unless she fights against her, and since Morganna has her heart, Mimi is incapable of doing that."_

" _We need to split our focus," Taichi said loudly, glancing about awkwardly. I wondered if he was talking loud enough for Merlin to hear, wherever he was. All we knew was that he was spying on us, and that Neo planned to use that in our favour. "We'll need to get her heart back at some point, and we need to save Iori too. Those are priorities, but for now, the Digidestined are going to Earth to stop the humans from walking to their deaths."_

Not long after his announcement, Taichi had sent In-Training digimon—mostly Yokomon and Koromon, from the villages—with messages. Mine told me that I needed to go to Daisuke's house to celebrate Haruki's birthday—which had recently passed actually, and without much fanfare, because everything was too intense to summon enough enthusiasm for a toddler's birthday—at specifically three-twelve in the afternoon. I thought it was strangely precise, and odd, because Ken's said to come at two-forty-three. But I followed the message, and I brought Mai with me, and made a party hat for her out of construction paper, and found myself _not_ at a birthday party, but a secret meeting instead.

" _We're not all going to Earth," Taichi announced casually. "I'm not stupid. We can't all go. Merlin would attack instantly, and all the children are here. I'm going though, and I want Ken, Yamato, Takeru, Hikari, Daisuke and Neo. We're not fighting, we're just going to find her castle. That's where she's sending the humans. If we can find that, we might be able to stop them from being killed."_

" _And the rest of us?" Jou asked._

" _Sora's in charge of the Temple, with Koushiro," Taichi said. "Keep out of sight if at all possible, but don't worry about it if you're seen. I need the rest of you to keep up morale. Jou, you're needed for Jenna, or else I'd take you with me. Michael, Willis, you're needed for the same reason. Kurayami, you've got a son. He's missed you for a long time, since you've been gone, I can't take you away from him just yet."_

" _Thank you," she murmured, still in her sort of trance about Iori being left behind._

" _Miyako, you've got a daughter, and you made that declaration to never leave the Temple. If we need you, I'll send word, but for now, I'm letting you keep your promise," Taichi said, looking at me. I smiled, thankful. I made a big show of not leaving, and I didn't want to go back on my word so soon. "Alias III will stay, because they need to be together. I'm scared about the lack of destiny. I don't want anything happening to you."_

" _We'll be fine," Mari insisted._

" _Sure, you'll be fine, and you'll do that_ here _," he said firmly. "Now, let's celebrate a birthday. He's getting big and he deserves it."_

" _You do, don't you buddy," Daisuke said, kissing his son's cheek. Haruki giggled and agreed._

" _It's my birfday!" he cheered._

" _It_ was _your birthday, on the fourteenth of February," Kurayami corrected. "That was a few weeks ago._

It was a while after that by the time we realized that Ryou hadn't even been invited to our secret meeting, and when confronted, Taichi said it was being Ryou was a stubborn little brat, and would try to sneak his way onto the Earth team, just like he and Mimi snuck their way into Whamon, and Taichi was worried about him.

Ryou was upset for about three seconds, before his sunshiny nature took over. He was an agreeable boy, and was quick to concur that he was a risk—but he was worried about his dad, his uncle and his younger self, so if Taichi could check in on them...he would appreciate it.

And then they left, and I was alone to deal with my fears. Typically, when Ken wasn't available, I went to Iori, but since he wasn't available either—and was the source of my worry—I was having quite a difficult time of things.

"We all want my baby to be okay," Jenna said, bringing me back to the present, "but the baby isn't going anywhere. Trust me. I want it out. It hurts so badly that I can't even sleep anymore. I don't know what I'm going to do. But the baby isn't trying to come out yet, so I know it's not ready. God, I wish it was ready. My spine feels like it's going to break from all the tossing and turning this little guy is doing, and I can't go to the bathroom on my own anymore, which is embarrassing and sad—and I need to pee all the time, because this guy can't stay off of my bladder."

"I didn't have those troubles," I said weakly.

"No," Jenna said. "And I'm trying to be happy that I have them, because I know why you didn't. I'm _happy_ that my baby is super active. I just wish it would grow slower. Have you seen my stomach? It's a mess."

"It's beautiful," Chi argued quickly. "You're beautiful, even if I still don't fully understand how you're growing a child inside of you. Digimon just use eggs."

"I _wish_ this baby would've just been an egg that magically popped out of nowhere," Jenna groaned. She rubbed her belly and winced painfully. Spring abandoned the embroidering project she was pretending to work on and raced over to rub Jenna's belly for her. Whatever birth magic Spring was saturated with seemed to ease Jenna's pain, and she moaned happily at Spring's magic touch. Aesop laughed quietly to himself, before being questioned by Tatum again. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that the three of them were there. Bitoru hadn't been allowed to join them, because Michael drew the line at letting the man that helped steal our digimon be in the room with his pregnant sister. But Spring, Aesop and Tatum were almost always there.

Tatum was taking advantage of Aesop's presence, and was interrogating him about his own life, in addition to the lives of the princesses—Michael's mother included—Gaia, Sigma and Maugrim. She was fishing for more details about Evelen—and therefore Bitoru's—mother, but Aesop didn't have much information to give. He'd never heard of this Terra lady, and had only been told that Bitoru was an accident that had nearly resulted in Maugrim losing his life at the hands of his lover, Gaia.

It wasn't much to go on, but Tatum kept asking anyway, writing down even the most trivial of things—Gaia adored the royal colour of purple, Sigma liked weird turquoise fruit that was similar to an orange on Earth, Maugrim could not stand the sight of those fruits—potentially because of the similarity between the colour of the fruit and the hair on his children's mother—and Bitoru had learned to write before he'd bothered to learn to walk.

I'm sure it would have been fascinating, if I wasn't so worried all the time.

"How often do human infants need their diapers changed?" Chi asked, wrinkling his nose and trying to hand Mai back to me. I gave him an unimpressed look and handed him a new diaper, some wipes and a bottle of baby powder. "I can't change her! I don't know how."

"You'll allow me to demonstrate?" Hawkmon asked, grabbing a diaper for himself, and showing Chi how to change a diaper, using Poromon as his demonstration. Poromon didn't appreciate it, but Mai thought it was funny.

"Spring!"

Spring got to her feet and headed to the door before Winter was even able to walk into the room. Winter looked directly to Spring, and swayed on her feet a moment, before she grabbed Spring's hand and pulled her outside. It was so abrupt, that I couldn't help but be intrigued.

"What's that about?" Jenna wondered, clutching her stomach that was no longer magically comfortable. Chi tried to hand Mai to me, and I hesitated. Jenna hit Chi on the arm and he held Mai close to him again. "Go find out," Jenna ordered me. I raised an eyebrow at her. "We'll get some baby practice or something." I hesitated again. "Tatum and Aesop are here. They aren't clueless like us."

"Okay," I said. I kissed Mai on the top of her head quickly, and headed out into the street. Hawkmon flew after me without a second thought. He was able to spot Winter and Spring from his place in the air and we followed after them.

We passed Emiko, who was bawling her eyes out, because she didn't understand what was happening, but she was nosey enough to have heard plenty of scary words. She didn't understand what Gaia said, but she watched the broadcast. She'd had nightmares any time she tried to sleep since then. Momoe was trying to comfort her, but Renjiro was crying too, because his big sister was crying, and Momoe was scared enough to cry herself. Jou was helping Sora and Koushiro with something, but Dad was with her, holding his youngest grandson, trying to lend a hand.

Kurayami was holding Haruki close. Her eyes were searching always. She was terrified that Merlin was watching us. She wasn't thrilled by the idea like Neo. She wanted to run somewhere else, somewhere that Merlin wasn't watching her son. She wasn't alone though. Her father, Okotte, was trying to comfort her. He hadn't let her out of his sight since she returned, and in turn, Kurayami refused to leave Fumiko's side, since she blamed herself for not saving Iori, and so Fumiko and Meiyomon had joined Kurayami and her father.

Mari was with Plutomon and Lalamon. They, along with Hideto, Takuya and Yuuko Yagami, took turns doing lax perimeter checks. They had to be lax, because we _wanted_ Merlin to stay close. Or we were _supposed_ to want him there. I didn't. I wanted him far away, just like Kurayami did. I was terrified for Mai's safety. I thought I was done worrying about someone taking her away when Sigma had finally died.

"She's over here," Hawkmon told me, flying in front of me, cutting me off so that I could take the turn before I passed it by. He landed on the ground and peered around the corner. It was an observatory, meant to study the stars. I thought it was a strange thing to have inside the Temple, but then, there were probably a lot of digimon that _usually_ lived there that enjoyed watching the stars. It was mostly abandoned now though—but not _completely_.

Spring was sitting on her knees, with her hands crossed on her chest over her heart, in front of Winter, who was on a bench with her eyes closed and her fingers at her temples. Summer was standing behind Winter, with her hands overlapped and hovering just above the top of Winter's head.

"What do you see?" Spring said, wincing in pain at whatever Winter was feeling.

"I'm in a room. Always the _same_ room. I'm alone. It's dark. There's blood on the walls. I think it's mine," Winter said with a hollow and distant voice.

"It is," Summer murmured. "Bagramon did that to you. He wants something, but you won't give it to him."

"No," Spring said firmly. "You would never be so disloyal. You would rather die than betray your friends. You're doing this for someone special to you. You feel such pure undiluted love for this person."

"Your daughter," Summer supplied. "You're protecting your daughter."

"Yes," Spring said with a smile. "That makes sense. It's so beautiful."

"The room is not," Winter said in that same detached tone. "There's a table. It's metal and coated in coagulated blood and grime."

"You fear it," Spring commented.

"It is where Bagramon places the instruments each day," Summer explained. She was crying. "So many different tools. So many blades."

Winter winced at the words. "I'm in a chair. My hands are bound to its arms. I can't escape. I keep trying. Why do I keep trying? It's so painful. My wrists are rubbed raw. Each escape attempt costs me greatly."

"You need to escape," Spring murmured. "You're terrified, not just for yourself, but you do fear for your life. The room has seen so much fear. It's saturated in it. You are not the first to be there."

"I think...you've been there before," Summer gasped. "Maugrim was there. You were hurt so badly, Winter."

"It's not about _me_ ," Winter said, coming back into herself, and shaking off the person she'd been watching. "It's about Iori. We're trying to find him."

"I think we have," Summer insisted. "I've seen this room. I wasn't sure, but I am now. You've been there before. Maugrim kept you there when he was trying to teach you, and you weren't learning fast enough. It's been modified, it's not just a cell anymore. It's meant for... _this_..."

"Then he _is_ in Sidhendor," Winter said solemnly.

"But Mother fled the castle," Spring said frantically.

"She made us think she took everyone," Winter said bitterly. "He's been there the entire time. He's been under our noses, and we couldn't do anything."

"It's not the dungeons?" Spring wondered.

"No," Winter practically spit out, with how disgusted she was by the thought of that room, let alone that she hadn't recognized it due to the changes, and the way she'd been blocking such memories. "I couldn't send a storm from the dungeons. It's in the tallest tower, so that the storm had the clearest path."

I didn't care that my heart was beating a million miles a minute or that my eyes were welling with tears. I didn't care either that I felt empty inside. I knew exactly where Iori was now. I did not know how to handle the information. I felt like I needed to _do_ something with it. It wasn't usually my job to do the saving, but for _Iori_ , I could do it. I _would_ do it. The fairies had known just as long as I had, and I was already making plans, which was more than I could say for them. They were just standing there. Summer loved Iori, and Winter liked him at least—better than me, I was sure.

"Miyako," Winter called sharply, turning to me. I wondered if she'd been looking into my head, and I glared at her. I didn't know why she _would_ be. I wasn't in any danger, not like Iori was. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I'm going to save Iori, that's what I'm doing," I said firmly.

"You were spying on us?" Winter said, sounding affronted, though she must've known I was doing it, or else she wouldn't have known I was there in the first place. And besides, that meant she was spying n _me,_ which was pretty hypocritical. She shook her head. "It's too dangerous for you."

"Too dangerous for _me_?" I clarified. "I'm sure it's at least twice as dangerous for Iori, and he's been there for weeks already. I'm not leaving him there to suffer any longer. He's got a little girl that's desperate to see her daddy."

"And you have a little girl of your own," Winter pointed out sharply. "Do not leave her alone."

"She's not alone," I said. "She's in good hands. My whole family is here except for Ken and Wormmon. She's not going to be alone _ever_."

"And we'll be coming back for her," Hawkmon added.

"You have to stay where it's safe," Winter insisted.

"Because I'm not good enough," I said, nodding. I didn't like hearing her basically confirm my own fears, but that didn't make it any less true. I _wasn't_ the one people went to when there was a rescue mission. "But that doesn't matter. Iori needs me. And I will _always_ go to him when I am needed."

"You have a good heart," Winter said, looking to the ground. "I do not wish to see it be broken."

"You won't," I said firmly, feeling off-kilter. It was the nicest thing I was sure she'd ever said about me. But I couldn't let her flattery distract me. Iori needed to be saved.

"Wow. I didn't see that coming," Labramon said, excitedly. "Let's save Iori!"

"No," I said quickly, surprised to see the dog digimon. He was hiding under the bench Winter was sitting on. He raced over to my side, wagging his tail happily. When I declined his offer for help, his tail stopped wagging.

"But you need help," he whined.

"You need to tell people if I don't come back," I said. He thought about it, and ran off. I didn't have time to protest. Winter looked to me, raising an eyebrow. "I _will_ come back," I insisted. "I just wanted him to have a reason to stay."

"Then we have something in common after all," she said pointedly looking at me. I shrugged off her words and raced away from the observatory. I needed to get out of here. I thought I should _probably_ tell Sora or Koushiro where I was going, but if this turned south, I didn't want to take anyone down with me. I needed to come back with Iori, or I knew I wouldn't be coming back at all.

But I also couldn't go unarmed. It wasn't much trouble to sneak into Taichi's apartment. It wasn't far from my own in the street of temporary Digidestined housing. Rei wasn't in, which was fortuitous, because I didn't want to explain myself to her. She'd get it in her head that she needed to come too, and she could get hurt because of me, and I couldn't handle that.

In a drawer at Taichi's desk—unlocked, which was _so_ dangerous that it wasn't even funny, and I would definitely be talking to Taichi about it when I got back—there was a gun. It was shiny and I knew it housed small capsules of the virus. I slipped it out of the drawer and tucked it in my pocket only after making sure the safety was on. I wasn't going to accidentally kill my partner. But I wasn't going to go without the gun. Jou had made it to use in dire situations. Iori's situation had to count.

Once I had the gun secured, I slipped out of the house smiling at Fumiko when she looked at me strangely for coming out of Taichi's house, rather than my own. Okotte was eating some tempura vegetables, looking for his daughter. I didn't know where she went, but I was afraid of asking. I didn't want to stall anymore—and I couldn't trust myself to not reveal my intentions if I was to talk to Fumiko. Hawkmon and I walked through the streets until we made it to the main entrance. It looked like Mari and Plutomon had gone on patrol. I smiled to myself. Good. They wouldn't be around to see me leaving then. They wouldn't try to stop me.

"Digivolve, Hawkmon," I suggested. He did so, and I climbed on Aquilamon's back. Together, we flew over the Digital World, until we made it to the Coliseum. It was definitely a much shorter trip when I had a ride. We landed near the Looking Glass, an Aquilamon reverted back to Hakwmon.

"Took you long enough," Labramon said smugly, stepping out of the tree line. I screamed and whirled on him. I was glad I recognized his voice before my hand went to the gun. I was so scared. I was doing something unlike anything I'd ever really done. It was dangerous and it was stupid. I didn't want to bring anyone else's partner into this.

"Are we going?" Kurayami asked, following her partner out of the trees.

"How the heck did you get here?" I asked. "Your dad's looking for you!"

"Weren't you given a mission, Labramon?" Hawkmon asked sounding like a father scolding a child. I wondered if I sounded the same, and figured I _did_ sound like I was mothering Kurayami and tried to mentally take a step back. It wasn't my place. She wasn't _that_ much younger than me.

"This is more important than a boring old mission," Labramon said, dismissing it easily enough. "Besides, the fairies know where you're going."

"I kind of hoped they'd show up and come with me," I confessed.

"You've got us," Kurayami said. "That's going to have to be enough."

"I think it will be," Hawkmon decided. "We're a small group. We'll be able to get in and get out without too much trouble."

"But Haruki—" I tried to protest.

"Mai," Kurayami said simply. Then she sighed. "Please. I need to help him. I need to save him. I can't stand the idea that he's still trapped there. I need to help him out."

I was losing nerve, so I figured I couldn't wait any longer to just jump right in that Looking Glass. I could've argued all day with Kurayami out of fear alone. I needed to keep thinking about Iori and how he was all alone, and Babamon didn't even want to save him.

That probably wasn't very fair to Babamon, since she never said that exactly. She didn't even have anything against Iori. She was just seeing the bigger picture. But I couldn't do that. I couldn't look past the small picture, where Iori was trapped in a room waiting for some digimon to come and...

No.

I couldn't think it. I just needed to get to him.

"Fine," I told Kurayami before I took Hawkmon's wing in my hand and jumped through the Looking Glass. Only once I was inside did I realize I wasn't quite sure how it worked. I'd been escorted by Winter the only time I'd used it. But we ended up in that same garden that Winter took me to when she brought me to Sidhendor that first time, so I figured I'd done it right.

I was going to just walk right through the garden, because Ken had said everyone had abandoned the castle, but Kurayami—who had followed me pretty closely through the Looking Glass—pulled me down quickly, throwing a hand over my mouth so that I couldn't cry out. She held a finger in front of her mouth, telling me to be quiet. I nodded, and she let me go. She pointed carefully towards the flowerbeds at the opposite end of the garden.

A scream _nearly_ escaped my mouth.

Not _everyone_ had left with Gaia. Maugrim was bent over the flowers, carefully tending to them. I thought it was a strange image, since the man's power was simply _war_ , but I couldn't fault him for this particular pastime. It was so much _better_ than that one thing he did, where he kept kidnapping my friends and handing them over to Gaia. It almost made him approachable. But only _almost_ , because Iori was still being held captive in the castle, and this man hadn't exactly let him go. From what Jou told me, this Bagramon guy that was in charge of Iori's... Well, that digimon was Maugrim's partner.

No amount of gardening could make me forget _that_ little detail.

And no amount of creeping could make the four of us be silent enough to avoid catching his attention. We hadn't been making any noise that _I_ could hear, but he quirked his ear, and turned to us. He looked at his flowers and started glowering, as he stepped menacingly towards us.

"Labramon, now," Kurayami ordered. Labramon was quick to follow the instructions. Soon we had Anubismon standing tall before us. Kurayami shoved me towards the castle. "Go," she told me. "We'll hold him off."

"But ZeedGarurumon wasn't strong enough," Hawkmon pointed out, which just freaked me out and made me worry even more than I already was.

"Fine," Kurayami sighed. "We'll _distract_ him. Go save Iori."

I nodded. I didn't want to leave her, but I also knew that Anubismon would be able to fly Kurayami out of there if things went south. She could technically use the Looking Glass too, but we couldn't afford to inform Maugrim that we had a way to directly deposit ourselves in his castle. I mean we _could_ , but he was smart enough to figure that it went both ways—and then soon enough we'd be facing a huge battle in the middle of the Temple, where my daughter was, and Kurayami's son too.

Hawkmon flew ahead of me. He was more familiar with the castle than I was since he'd had to follow Gaia around for months on end, but Gaia hadn't ever visited Iori that Hawkmon knew about, so he didn't know the exact way. It was easy enough at least to spot the highest tower. It was obnoxiously tall.

Nothing was labelled, but we knew it was close. We found a wooden doorway that opened to a large, winding staircase and I made an educated guess that this was it. It wasn't like Gaia really needed to _hide_ it. There was a chance that these steps led up a slightly shorter tower but I had to start somewhere—and the stairs looked like they went on forever.

There were windows every four feet or so, each capped with a pleasant looking awning, as we went up the stairs and Hawkmon and I peered out of them each time we were at the right angle to see Anubismon and Maugrim fighting. It didn't look good. Anubismon was going down and Hawkmon jumped into the glassless window, and dived out into the open air, digivolving as he did so until Valkyrimon was soaring through the air with Maugrim in his line of sight.

I wanted to scream after him to not leave me alone. I didn't know what to do if I was alone. What if Bagramon was there? I didn't actually know how to use Jou's gun. I could use _EVOLVE's_ virus gun, but there were way fewer safety precautions on that particular weapon, and Jou was all about the safety.

But I couldn't scream for the very same reason that I was frightened to go alone: Bagramon could be up there.

I was helpless to stop my partner from jumping into the fray. I was freaking out, but there was nowhere to go but up. I couldn't turn around now. My friends were risking their lives so that I could find Iori. I couldn't—and _wouldn't_ —give up. He was worth all the danger and the fear. He was so important to me. He'd helped shape me into the person I was. He helped me survive the Dark Ocean. He helped me practice being a mom. He was my secret keeper and the guy that I depended on to help me centre myself. Yes, Ken was around, but Ken wasn't Iori. I didn't love them the same way, but I loved them both very much. I couldn't handle losing either of them, and I would fight as much as I had to, to make sure that I didn't need to lose Iori now.

The door at the top of the stairs was ominous. I wanted to watch the fighting out the window because that was less scary to me—the potential of watching not only my friends but my _partner_ die—than that door was. I didn't know what was on the other side of it.

There was only one way to find out.

I had to open the door. I had to save him. I thought about Kurayami and how she had saved me from Moretsuna. I thought about Ken and how he had saved me from Daemon. Hawkmon saving me from countless digimon, Machinedramon included, flashed into my mind. The moment Michael had turned Rumplestiltskin to gold to save me and my baby from his grasp. I thought of Mari and Aneko and how the two of them had saved me from Sigma. So many people had been saving me when I should have been learning to save myself, but I could never do it. I could never do what I needed to.

This time was different. Because it was for Iori and he was on the other side of this door and I loved him very much. I had to do the right thing. I had to be the honorable person. I had to save him.

I opened the door, hoping against all hope that Iori would be alone in the room. Of course, I was wrong. The first sight I saw upon entering the room wasn't the metal table with horrifying instruments of pain, or the blood that decorated the walls. No. The first thing I saw was a large, dark blue cloak that tried its best to hide the digimon that wore it. But the cloak wasn't big enough to hide the arm that was crafted out of Yggdrasil, or the head of silver hair, or the blood red horns that stuck out of his head.

My heart stammered at the sight. I was losing my nerve. But it strengthened again as Iori—hidden behind this monster of a digimon—let out a strangled, _mangled_ sound. His voice was exhausted. That was all the volume he was able to manage, and it was only a soft, broken whisper. My heart broke, and while it broke, my resolve strengthened. I felt for the gun in my pocket. I still didn't know how to use it. But I would have to wing it. I took in the room. There was the metal table and there was Bagramon, hiding Iori from me.

"I don't think you understand the purpose of this exercise," Bagramon said cruelly, and with far too much amusement filling his voice. "You've lost one tooth. I'm interested to see how many I can pull before you pass out from blood loss. I think I can get pretty far. I might even get them all out. Only one way to find out... _or_ , you could tell me where Autumn is. It's a fair trade I think."

Iori was silent. Bagramon seemed to enjoy that silence, if his laugh was anything to go by. Iori started making that pained, strangled sound again, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Let my friend go," I said firmly. Bagramon's back stiffened, and he turned to me. The lower half of his face was covered in a grey beard, and his body was disproportionate. One half was larger than the other, and didn't look like it was _his_. It looked like he'd taken bits of Yggdrasil and sewed them where his body ended.

"Have you come to play?" he asked me. "I do so enjoy new players. They're so much fun to _break_."

"I'm not so into the breaking thing," I said anxiously, rushing along the wall. I got my first glimpse at Iori, and he looked bad. He looked _so_ bad. But I couldn't look at him, like I wanted to with Bagramon following me around.

There wasn't anywhere to hide. There was nothing to use as protection while I figured out how the gun worked. This was a terrible idea, and I wished that I'd made Ken come with me—I didn't care that Taichi needed him on Earth. I needed him with me right then.

I pulled the gun out, and took of the safety, pulling the trigger when I pointed it at Bagramon. Nothing happened. He swatted the gun from my hand, and it clattered to a stop under Iori's chair. I wanted to cry, or scream, but I didn't. Instead, I ran around the room, towards the door, and slipped outside. I closed the door, but I couldn't lock it from the outside. There was a wooden plank leaning against the wall that would do it, but I'd left it inside. Bagramon came crashing out soon after, and I found myself being backed against the wall, wanting to keep him in my sights, rather than to turn my back to him. He was terrifying, and pleased that I wouldn't be able to escape fast, if I wasn't going to turn away from him.

I peered down, out the window that I'd been forced to cower against in fear, and caught sight of the sturdy yellow awnings that disguised this tower of pain, making it seem anything _but_. I flung myself out the window, taking care to stay close to the tower itself, so that I didn't fall to my death. I nearly toppled off. I bounced a bit when I landed, and there wasn't anything to hold on to.

"Playing _tag_ , are we?" Bagramon asked. He held onto the awning above the window I'd exited with his long, Yggdrasil arm, and lowered himself towards me. His hair was whipping around him, making him look more crazed than I already thought he was. My own hair was going wild though, and I tried to keep it contained. He had a fairly long reach, and I didn't want to risk having something as simple as hair pulling be the cause of my capture.

He was getting too close for comfort, and the only thing I could think to do was to _jump_ to the net awning. It was lower than the one I was on, so I knew I could make the jump. I was just worried about being chased _down_ the tower on the outside. It was terrifying, but so long as he was chasing _me_ , he was leaving Iori's teeth alone.

I took a deep breath, before throwing myself through the air—however many feet of the ground—and landing on the next awning. I bounced again, and fell to my knees so that I could clutch at the fabric with my fingers. Bagramon's arm caught my leg and tugged. I screamed loudly, and kicked him away. I was holding on to the frame of the awning with my fingers. I couldn't pull myself back up. I kicked him again, freeing my ankle from his grasp, and swung myself into the window under the awning. I was back on solid ground, and my knees thanked me for it.

Bagramon effortlessly reached for the awning's frame as well, and started swinging himself after me. I screamed loudly again, knowing that Anubismon—with his keen, canine hearing—would hear me, even if Valkyriemon couldn't. Then, I ran back up the stairs as fast as my feet could carry me. I slammed the door shut behind me and hooked the heavy wooden beam through the metal fasteners on either side of the door, effectively trapping Iori and me in the windowless room.

I couldn't afford to take any time to panic about the thought, because I needed to get Iori free of his bindings. It was a testament to how weak he physically was now, that I was able to undo the knots with ease. His wrists were red and ripped ragged, from all his attempts to free himself. His cheeks had sunken in, though his right cheek was swelling up. Blood dripped down his chin, and I thought I saw his bloody tooth on the ground. I hesitated for a second, before putting it in my pocket. I didn't want to leave _anything_ of Iori here for Bagramon. He wouldn't take pleasure in any of Iori's pain, even by reminiscing over a tooth. I couldn't stand the idea.

Most of Iori's skin was a patchwork of blood, bruises and cuts. He was dirty, and ragged, and I wasn't sure how well he could stand—or if he could at all. I didn't know if they'd been feeding him, or what disgusting horrors they were if they _had_ , but Iori definitely looked like he needed a decent meal, and a ton of tender love and care. I was willing myself not to cry as I made quick work of the knots.

Bagramon was banging on the door, and it was cracking under the sheer strength he put behind each blow. I didn't have a plan, and though Iori was freed, he wasn't exactly in any shape to come up with one. The gun though, on the floor sparked an interesting idea within my mind. I picked it up with shaking hands, hearing the _thud, thud, thud_ of Bagramon's break-in attempts. I fiddled with a few switches, and fired at the wall. Nothing happened. I fiddled with a few more. _Thud, thud, thud_. Nothing happened again. I looked up to Iori—but not his eyes. I couldn't do that yet. Not until we were safe. _Thud, thud, thud_. I wasn't emotionally stable enough. I needed as clear of a mind as I could manage. I fiddled with the switches again. I fired at the wall. _Thud, thud, THUD!_ Bagramon broke through the door, just as the gun blasted at the wall. I watched as the stone walls melted away with the strength of the concentrated virus—a perk of the world now being fused with the Digital one. I flipped a single switch, knowing it wouldn't work anymore, because it was seriously picky, before hauling Iori out of the chair and through the hole I'd made in the wall.

We fell fast.

It was a terrible idea, I thought, as we soared towards the ground. I screamed for Hawkmon's help, praying that he was still alive, and hadn't been killed at the hands of Maugrim. He hadn't been killed, thankfully, and he swooped down as Aquilamon and caught us without causing Iori _too_ much extra pain. He was quiet, on Aquilamon's back, and I scanned the skies for any signs of Anubismon and Kurayami, relaxing only when I saw they were already on their way towards the ocean. We'd have to fly all the way back to the Temple, since we couldn't risk leading them through the Looking Glass. But I thought Iori might like that. He'd been cooped up for so long like a bird in a cage. He might like a chance to spread his wings.

I carefully turned around on Aquilamon's back, so I could make sure Iori hadn't passed out or anything—which terrifyingly enough, looked like a legitimate option—and our eyes met for the first time in a _long_ time. His eyes were haunted and pained, but they were happy. He was so happy to be free, and I couldn't help but throw my arms around him and hold him close.

"Let's get you to your little girl," I told him. And there, high above the ocean, Iori broke as he hadn't for Bagramon. He unleashed a sea of his own, made from tears, as he cried, happy for the chance to be going home again, and to see Kana, like he never thought he would again.

 _ **Sora Takenouchi:**_

With the news that Gaia was going to 'judge' each human the entire Temple fell once again into my control. I _hated_ this. Taichi thought that he was treating me with respect or something, I assumed, but really having this much power only frustrated me. I was unable to have a moment to think of anything at all and instead was left to making sure everything was running smoothly, which was hardly ever the case. At least once a minute _someone_ had an issue that needed to be 'professionally' dealt with.

I was certainly _not_ the person who was best suited for the job and honestly everything everyone had come to me with seemed rather petty and like they could have figured it out themselves. I was very close to turning to my mother and tossing her the metaphorical goggles just to let her know that I was done being in charge.

I knew I could be a pushy person sometimes, so perhaps this was the universe turning everything around on me since I no longer had to pry for information and everyone was so willing to simply hand all of their inner thoughts over to me. But that didn't mean I was comfortable with all the attention. I was actually very upset that I hadn't been asked to scout out Gaia on Earth. She was obviously there and Biyomon and I would be such a good team to find her. We could at least lure her in by flying around together. _Anything_ that would give me a chance to spend more alone time with Biyomon would have been appreciated.

Of course I was thinking selfishly in that aspect because Biyomon was not the most important piece of this war, but I missed her so much and even though she hadn't left my side since I had gotten her back it just felt like I wasn't given enough time to really reunite. And I was sure people had noticed, but they didn't seem to care because there was always another problem. And maybe I was being too harsh on the people here because not _all_ of the problems were petty and several of the residents came to me with new ideas that I would later relay to Taichi whenever he got his butt back to the Temple. Then maybe he would stay and let _me_ go out instead. He would always be a better leader than I was anyway.

I was never _meant_ to be a leader. Taichi had said it himself, I was the heart of the operation. I wasn't supposed to think critically or logically or make any rash decisions. I was there to ground others which I suppose was a bit ironic with my bird digimon and my desire to take to the skies. But Biyomon and I made a _really_ good team and if Koushiro and I weren't stuck here in the Temple we could go beat Gaia—or we could at least try. I knew we weren't the only team but I couldn't think of a time when the two of us had lost a battle and we were both really competitive. Without Taichi as our leader we had to work together and we could make some pretty serious judgment calls at the end of the day.

We had defeated Ghoulmon, helped with Dragomon, Kiyoko and Piedmon and _countless_ other foes and I wasn't trying to brag but we would be a _great_ team to go out into the field. And I had told Taichi that.

" _Listen," I told him calmly as he was trying to leave the Temple again. "You can't leave me here. I don't know how to handle this kind of stuff, so let me go out with you. Koushiro and I can help you!"_

" _I need you to stay here with the others," Taichi repeated for the millionth time._

" _But I was sure we had addressed how bad it was to split up," I tried to reason._

" _When going into war, sure," Taichi agreed. "We're not going to try that again. I'm not sure what I was thinking there. This is just a scouting mission. It works better with less people. Stay behind, Sora. I trust you to do this."_

I was _sure_ he was simply trying to be a good friend by keeping me out of danger but didn't he realize that I had been working toward this goal of peace just as long as he was? Keeping me out of the line of danger wasn't going to work anyway. Everywhere was dangerous! So why couldn't I _help_?

I just wanted to help.

Taichi's team was a good one though so I couldn't even complain that I was left out for bad choices. Not that anyone on our team _was_ a bad choice, but at the moment people like Kurayami or Hideto might be the wrong members to pick because of their emotional state. They were brilliant fighters and intelligent people but neither were holding themselves together well. For good reason. Taichi had obviously taken Hikari which I thought made sense and I was happy to see they were given more time to spend together after her return. Neo also went and he—with Dracomon—was one of the three strongest individual team members, tied only with Willis' team of Terriermon and Lopmon, and Hideto with Warg and Melga simply because of their ability to fuse _alone_. Ken and Daisuke had gone as a team leaving their wives and children alone and I would never object to that because they had every right to fight for a better future for their kids. I loved Haruki and felt attached to him, so I wanted him to survive this war with a full family intact but Daisuke was an adult and could make his own choices. Takeru obviously went as well because he did not want to let Hikari too far out of his sights, and Yamato was Taichi's special right hand man.

" _You're going too?" I asked, catching sight of Yamato as he made his way toward the portal across the courtyard. He jumped, not having noticed me and Gabumon smiled, hurrying over to give me a hug. I hadn't gotten a chance to see either of them so I quickly pulled him into a big hug which Biyomon helpfully joined in on._

" _Gabumon you better be careful," Biyomon told him. "I don't want you to get hurt before we can have a big party."_

" _Do you really think now is the time for a party?" I asked._

" _Of course not," Biyomon said seriously. "I want to party, but I can wait until the war is over. Even if it takes years and years." Gabumon seemed impressed by Biyomon's priorities and he released her, letting the hug fall apart. When I looked back up I saw that Yamato looked rather ashamed that he was leaving at all and he looked nervously to the portal, adjusting the strap of the backpack he had thrown over one shoulder._

" _You don't have to you, you know," I reminded him. He shook his head like it wasn't really an option and I understood. If Taichi hadn't left me in charge then I would have been determined to go as well. This needed to end and it seemed that the only way that was going to happen is if we could_ find _Gaia. "I get it."_

" _I know you do," Yamato said._

 _I stared at him and when I felt my face flushing I turned away quickly. Yamato did the same, but dropped his bag in the process. A water bottle fell from the side pocket and rolled toward me and both Gabumon and Biyomon looked up to me helplessly as if they couldn't possible pick it up. I smiled to myself and shook my head, picking the bottle up. When I returned it to Yamato he took it nervously, his own face flushing now. "Don't die," I advised._

" _I'll do my best," he promised. As he threw the bag over his shoulder again he pulled me closer to him and hugged me. I returned the gesture and ignored Biyomon's excited gasp. "I'll be back soon." I nodded and we pulled back. It was always strange—in the best way—to be this close to him, and I could tell he was just as nervous as I was. "I'll see you soon, Sora."_

" _Right," I nodded. And then he and Gabumon were walking through the portal._

Strangely I could not find most of the Digidestined that were still supposedly still in the Temple and I was handling almost all of the family, friends and other digimon all alone—with Biyomon of course. I was sure I would have gone completely insane by that point if Biyomon hadn't been around as my perfect little helper. She was ensuring that everyone was kept in an orderly fashion and things were able to run _relatively_ smoothly, but I wanted to find the rest of our team.

I didn't want to be un-included any more than I already had been. When Biyomon popped up by my side, obviously sensing that something was up, I quickly whispered my thoughts to her. "We need a break," I suggested. "Tell them it's a lunch break. We need to rest."

"Sure thing, Sora!" Biyomon exclaimed. She jumped out into the group and yelled as loud as she could, "GO AWAY!" Everyone stopped and turned to stare at her. "Sora and I are going to get some lunch. I'm very sorry about the inconvenience and I assure you that all of your comments and concerns mean a lot to us. We will be back soon. Don't go too far!"

I didn't wait around to see the general reaction to Biyomon's declaration and instead just caught her as she flew my way. I did see my mother's face and she nodded quickly before turning to the others to ensure that our decision was finalized.

I hurried down the nearest street with Biyomon held close to my chest and when she began laughing all of my stress faded away into nothingness. I felt a lot better about leaving than I thought I would. I really _did_ need the break.

"I think everyone is over here," Biyomon said helpfully, slipping from my arms. She grabbed my hand and began leading the way to where she was so sure they would be. "I think I can hear someone talking."

She was right of course. When we came into the 'Summer Park' I caught sight of Mari speaking with Kiyoko. Lalamon and Taprimon were both sitting at their feet and across from them was Warg and Melga. Hideto was sitting by himself in a corner, looking at a stone that he was spinning between his thumb and forefinger. Michael, Jou, Kudamon, Chi, Gomamon and Betamon were all crowding around Jenna who was getting her daily dose of fresh air and she looked like she wanted to punch all of them for being so close to her all the time. Aesop was watching her from afar with Tatum and Monodramon who all seemed to understand that Jenna's 'fresh air' was only going to be fresh if it wasn't diluted by the worry of everyone crowding around her. Willis, Terriermon and Lopmon were playing with a pink tennis ball that was obviously taken from Emiko who was trying to play with them, but was being too aggressive to be allowed to join. Monmon was nearby with Momoe, MarineAngemon and Renjiro who were all in the grass. Renjiro seemed to love the idea that he could simply roll around and feel the freshness all around him. Natsuni had Goblimon, Kana and the floating light that represented Armadillomon nearby but the atmosphere around that family was much different. I couldn't stop my mind to focusing on Iori, and of course Koushiro was here too.

I wandered toward where he and Tentomon were speaking with Plutomon. Mari and Kiyoko were nearby as well, listening in on their conversation but still speaking exclusively with each other.

"Sora," Tentomon said, surprised when he saw me. Koushiro and Plutomon both looked my way for only a moment before resuming their conversation. "I'm surprised to see you," Tentomon admitted.

"We needed a break," Biyomon said with a sigh, though I had really been doing most of the work. "It's really hard to help everyone all at once, but it's okay because Sora loves helping people and me too! I love it a lot, but it's weird because we're kind of the temporary stand in leaders but we don't get to make any big decisions or do anything on our own and we're constantly weighed down by the pressures of everyone else _and_ we don't even get a cool set of goggles to wear. What's the point of being the leader if we don't get goggles?"

"Well I think you do deserve a break," Tentomon said, ushering us over to where Koushiro was standing. "Plutomon is telling us information about the history of Witchenly. It is very interesting."

My mind was spinning immediately, trying to think of an excuse to get out of it. It wasn't that I wasn't interested but I wanted my first break to be spent on relaxing, and maybe even _eating_. But I could not think of anything that would suffice and I soon found myself standing with Koushiro.

"…The monarchy did not last long," Plutomon was saying, "and the patriarchal society fell once more to the better known 'wild lands' and soon wars broke out. It was not until my brothers and I stood up against the battles that order began to form once more."

"You have brothers?" Biyomon asked, "That's strange. I don't have any brothers or sisters."

Plutomon looked to Biyomon like he was annoyed, but he eventually sighed. "They were my brothers in a sense that we knew each other well. We spent much time together and in fact grew side by side."

"This would be the Olympos members, correct?" Koushiro asked. I noticed that both Kiyoko and Mari paused in their conversation to more accurately eavesdrop. They were amateurs at best apparently, because a master eavesdropper would know how to completely disguise what they were doing.

"Only but two of them," Plutomon said flatly.

"Yes," Koushiro said, "I noticed that when the fairies told their story they had mentioned the Olympos VI. I found this strange as you refer to yourselves as the Olympos XII now and you still only have eleven members. What changed?"

"Firstly," Plutomon said, "I would like to clarify that I am not in fact a part of their team." Koushiro blushed, having let that piece of information slip his mind. "And secondly, the first six members of the Olympos were Jupitermon, Junomon, Neptunemon, Marsmon, Junomon and Bacchusmon."

Mari no longer cared about any kind of secrecy and she turned her entire body toward the story and Kiyoko did the same. Soon enough the others were all perking up as well and listening as if Plutomon were about to tell a comforting story. Even Hideto was listening.

"How did that come about?" Koushiro wondered.

Plutomon was not annoyed, but bitter about the truths the story was to hold, but he jumped into the tale nonetheless. "Jupitermon, as my eldest brother, took the leadership role and while both Neptunemon and I were by his side through everything he eventually was crowned as the ruler of Witchenly. I do not know how he met his wife Junomon, nor do I care, but she was crowned queen soon after. There were now two rulers of the realm and Neptunemon and I were both cast in the shadows."

"That's not very fair," Lalamon said, jumping over with Tapirmon following behind.

"Why didn't you say something?" Tapirmon asked.

"I did," Plutomon said simply. "I told my brother that he was vain and selfish. We swiftly fell apart and I left the castle in search of a more fulfilling role. I soon heard news of war, and this was followed quickly by the news that Neptunemon had been appointed as a third ruler. Together they became the Olympos III."

"Like Alias III!" Warg shouted.

"But they were digimon," Melga said. "And they were Olympians."

"Yeah!" Warg nodded, like that was what he meant all along.

"The army that was meant to fight in the war was hand selected by Neptunemon," Plutomon explained. "The head of this army was none other than the town's most aggressive individual. It was Marsmon, as you already know. He ruled the war and impressed Jupitermon very much. Junomon had her suspicions because he was far too barbaric, but eventually he proved himself even to her and he joined the Olympians."

"So who was next?" Momoe asked. Plutomon looked over to her and she blushed, realizing that she had spoken aloud.

"Next was Venusmon," Plutomon said. "She was a saint. She was kind and sweet to everyone she met. Naturally we did not get along well. I knew her long before my brother ever met her, but I did not think to introduce the two. Marsmon always loved her and he was shocked when she came to the Olympos gates, preaching some nonsense about love and peace."

"That's not nonsense," Biyomon objected, grabbing my pant leg. "Sora represents Love too and it's really powerful! You shouldn't be angry just because someone else was able to find and understand love. You're probably just jealous." I grabbed Biyomon's arm protectively, afraid that Plutomon would become angry. He did turn to her and glare but she stood her ground. "You don't scare me! Love is great, right Sora?"

I nodded slowly, "Yes, of course." I didn't want to admit it, but I wasn't nearly as brave as Biyomon was.

Plutomon chose to ignore the pair of us and continued. "Junomon seemed pleased by Venusmon's declarations, just as you were, small annoying bird. When a new threat came to the land, known as Bacchusmon, Marsmon's apprentice Volcanusmon, who was making all weapons used in the war was placed under much pressure to work harder than ever before. Venusmon then stood in the way of the war and expressed only her foolish kindness and love to Bacchusmon."

"I bet it worked," Biyomon said under her breath to Tentomon.

He nodded to her. "It must have," he agreed in a whisper.

"It did," Plutomon snapped, having heard them despite their attempts to stay quiet. "Bacchusmon joined the Olympians because he enjoyed their ideals. I thought they were foolish."

"Yeah, you've made that clear," Mari added. Kiyoko grinned at her, impressed by her ability to talk so normally to such a menacing digimon.

Plutomon ignored her. "This was when Autumn came to the land." Michael and Jenna both stood abruptly, hearing the name of their mother. "I found her and she did not fear me."

"Why would she?" Jenna asked. "You're so charming." Plutomon huffed, not impressed by all the sarcasm Jenna was throwing his way.

"Mom was pretty brave," Michael said as though he were explaining this to Betamon.

"I brought her to the Olympians," Plutomon explained. "She explained that our old nemesis would return."

"Bagramon," Koushiro nodded as if that had already been stated. Everyone turned to him, confused including myself and Koushiro looked startled. "To sum it up," he said, "before Bagramon was partnered with the exploring Graul Maugrim he was the enemy of the 'Wild Lands' that were later named Witchenly. He was defeated and in his shame he fled the country with Maugrim."

Plutomon nodded, thankful that at least someone was respecting his story. I rolled my eyes. "With Bagramon's return we would need to work hard to prepare for his second rise. Autumn also foretold eleven members of the Olympians. There were five empty seats available then and I wondered if perhaps I was meant to join, but Autumn had also seen the faces of the unnamed members. She knew who they would be and soon the walls of the castle were decorated with these faces. The murals were carved and painted. Autumn also delivered the Digimental of Strength to them to keep safe."

"And she explained the history of us, right?" Tentomon asked. "There was a mural there that explained that I was once the spirit of thunder."

"She did not," Plutomon said. "It was Gennai that explained that much. Not that it was of any real importance to us." Again, I rolled my eyes, but pat Biyomon's head. It was hard to imagine where she had come from. Her original form had been the spirit of the wind and I thought that was just incredible. "Volcanusmon was surprised when he was promoted, but was so because Autumn had seen him. When I was visiting—which I assure you did not happen often—one of Bagramon's members came to the castle to steal from us, but Autumn saw this in advance. The thief was caught and revealed himself to be stealing for his own benefit. He was never involved with Bagramon after all. Jupitermon was amused rather than angry—the fool that he truly is—that this thief had stolen from them before and left unnoticed. And because this thief was drawn on the walls of the castle Jupitermon allowed Merukimon to join the Olympians."

"That makes eight," Kiyoko said and Plutomon nodded. "So where did Lunamon and Coronamon come from?"

"When Autumn left she told Junomon where to find a set of eggs," Plutomon said. "They did not hatch for many years, but when they did it was the two weaklings that are now known as Lunamon and Coronamon."

I knew that this made up the rest of the Olympians, and that Minervamon joined the others only very recently and I was hoping that maybe I could use this opportunity to slip away from the group and maybe find something to eat. Mimi wasn't around anymore—which was horrifying to think about—so Digitamamon was running the restaurant mostly alone, but hopefully he could feed me before I would be forced to go back to work.

"Autumn did not leave us forever," Plutomon said. "She came back once more, recently. She explained to us that she was soon to die and that she had changed the future of the world. I thought that sounded dangerous, but said nothing. She did inform us that there was finally a twelfth member that we would be expecting and that," Plutomon said, gesturing to Lalamon and Tapirmon, "would be these two."

With all eyes on the two digimon I reached down and grabbed Biyomon's arm and backed up. I nearly bumped into Hideto but he didn't seem to care that I was leaving and when I pulled Biyomon up into my arms she waved dramatically to the others. "Bye!" she called out. I felt my face turn red and avoided turning back to them all.

When I got to the restaurant I saw Spring sipping some tea and staring toward Bitoru's back as he worked at a different table, and I saw that Summer was sitting nearby, pretending to be happy. I wondered how many people she was tricking, but knew that it didn't seem very likely that it was many. Yume's heart had been taken and she was definitely in love with him, and she had recently been teased with the idea of having her sister back, and also Iori was…

Well.

Just as I was sitting down at a table, Winter appeared, storming down the streets. "Summer, Spring," she said loudly, catching the attention of everyone in the area. "Something strange has happened on Earth."

"What's wrong?" Spring gasped.

"The people have gotten their minds back," Winter said.

"They've won?" Summer asked skeptically. "Mother is dead?"

"Of course not," Winter said, shaking her head. "They—" She turned her head to see a bird in the sky and she seemed confused. She shook her head and then looked back to her sisters. "They have not killed her. I think mother might not be on Earth."

"So we get to find her?" I asked, hopeful. "I can put a team together, and we can go out. We'll find her instead. We can help to—"

"No," Winter said harshly, "let me think longer before you make any decisions." She sighed. "There is a large accumulation of digimon gathering in one place."

"How do you know?" Spring wondered.

"I have seen it through Miyako's eyes," Winter admitted. I began thinking quickly, trying to remember where Miyako might have said she was going, but was drawing a blank. How had I missed that she was gone? "In the meantime, let us celebrate our small win."

"And what win is that?" Summer asked. Winter simply pointed over her shoulder to where Aquilamon was landing. Miyako was sitting on the front and Labramon was there too, but it was the man in Kurayami's arms that really caught me off guard.

"Iori!" Summer gasped.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Hideto and Ken are next and there's nothing stopping the end of the war from coming into focus.


	71. Battlefield

**Y/N:** Ken and Hideto get to narrate this time around, and there's a lot of action happening. There's just a lot happening period. We're at chapter 71, and that means we're gearing up towards the finale—and there are a _lot_ of loose strands that need to come together before the ending is upon us.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 71: Battlefield**

 _ **Ken Ichijouji:**_

"What are you doing back?" Jun asked as we stepped through the portal. It was weird being back. I mean, we had _good_ news, but we didn't need to do anything to get it. We just wandered around Japan, starting to schedule plane tickets, for those whose partners could just _fly_ them across an ocean. We needed to find Gaia's castle.

 _Several computers were up and running in the library. Takeru was searching a list of famous castles around the globe. Hikari was looking over his shoulder, pointing to pictures as they appealed to her. She was trying to think with Gaia's lavish mindset._

" _That one's pretty," she murmured, pointing to a very boxy looking castle. It had the turrets one usually associated with a castle, and it had a long bridge that lead to its front gates._

" _Bodiam Castle," Takeru said. "It was only made in 1385. I don't know if that's old enough for Gaia. I don't know what time frame we're looking for."_

" _It's in England anyway," Hikari sighed. "Her sister Terra was found in Australia. If Gaia's prison was_ there _, then I'm pretty sure her castled wouldn't be way over in England. I think her castle would be close."_

" _Then let's search Australia," I suggested._

" _Having any luck?" Taichi called from his computer on the opposite end of the counter. "I'm not. I can't find anything about travel plans. You'd think that with everyone travelling to the same place, that the planes would bring them there too, but they're not. They're bringing people all over the place, just like usual."_

" _Maybe none of them know which castle is Gaia's either," Hikari suggested._

" _That's the thing," Yamato sighed, "Gaia has claimed to be ruler of_ all _the worlds, and therefore she owns everything."_

" _Including_ all _of the castles," Daisuke said, sounding miserable. "There aren't enough of us to go to every castle. It says there are over two thousand in Scotland alone."_

" _We'll need a new plan," Taichi groaned. "We should head to the nearest one just to check it out though."_

But the thing was...none of the castles we'd seen were housing Gaia. We just looked like desperate, frantic tourists when we showed up. The people walked around on autopilot, not even looking at their wonderful surroundings. I thought Kiyoko might get a kick out of a castle tour, since he was so interested in architecture, but I didn't know about all of those things. I still thought the castles were beautiful though. There was something about an old building that once housed _countless_ people that really got my mind spinning. There was a haunted echo of the lives that were no longer in existence. There were few—if any—traces left of them, but I knew that they'd existed at one point.

And Gaia once lived in one of these castles. One of these was _her_ home, and held traces of _her_ story. That took away from my appreciation. Any castle we visited—many of the over one hundred that Japan boasted, though there were once more than five thousand—had a bitter tale to it, until we were certain that Gaia had never lived there.

We _were_ certain too.

Gaia had never lived in Japan.

And then, all at once, none of our efforts seemed to matter.

 _We were in the middle of a tour. Some man on autopilot was telling us, in the least interesting voice I'd ever heard, how old the stones were that the walls were made out of, and how some emperor or king had had so-and-so executed right in the middle of the square, when the people all around us stopped walking. They started to blink their eyes and look around in confusion._

" _Where am I?" a woman asked, running her fingers through her hair and stepping quickly away from the man whose hand she had been holding. "Who are you?"_

" _Who are you?" the man countered. They looked down to the buggy in front of them. "Is this yours?"_

" _Is it yours?" the woman asked, after frantically shaking her head._

" _It's not mine," the man insisted._

" _What the hell is happening to me?" the woman cried._

 _There was mad panic as the people around us all seemed to be coming out of their spell. Each person finding out they were with absolute strangers, far from home, on a tour of some castle that they might never have heard of. There were children screaming out of terror, because the people they'd though were their parents simply_ weren't _, and the men and women that found themselves as the unlucky temporary guardians were panicking over the potential kidnapping they may be accused of. The luckier few, like that particular man and woman, found out that their infant was simply a doll, meant to make their make-believe family 'perfect'._

" _What about Gaia?" Daisuke demanded. He and I were one team, while Taichi and Yamato paired off, Takeru was with Hikari, and Neo was alone. I wasn't even sure Neo was looking at castles. I had a suspicion he was testing the waters, seeing if he could locate Evelen while still giving her the space she wanted, and continuing to do his actual job, which I hadn't needed to do because all my coworkers except for Kimi and the chief had been turned into puppets that only obeyed the strings that Gaia pulled. It was far too dangerous for me to actually go to work, because they all wanted to hand me over to her, since I'd foolishly declared myself a Digidestined in their presence._

" _Who?" an elderly woman asked him._

" _The so-called queen of everything," Daisuke reminded her. "Is that not ringing any bells?"_

" _Now that you mention it...yeah," a teenaged boy said, thinking hard to himself. "She wanted us to kill people. Why would she make people kill people?"_

" _How did she do it?" a businesswoman asked pointedly, narrowing her eyes at us._

" _It has to do with the digimon," some moron called. "They all have powers. They did this. EVOLVE was right! We're so screwed now."_

" _It wasn't a digimon," I called loudly, flashing the badge I was mostly wearing for show. People tended to shut up when a police officer was present. They either got too curious about the potential gossip they could gather, or were scared that I'd turn my attention onto them. "Gaia is from Earth. She's not exactly human either though. She's an ancient being, and plans to rule the world. You have all been the unwitting pawns in her chess game. I don't think the game is over. Be aware, and hopefully, you'll be able to protect yourselves next time."_

" _I don't want a next time," a child pouted. "I wanna go home!"_

" _I'll call this in, your parents will be found," I assured the kid, and also everyone else. I called Kimi quickly, as Daisuke called Taichi._

" _Busy," Daisuke muttered. "It must not only be happening here."_

" _It can't be the whole world, can it?" I wondered._

" _What is Gaia playing at?" Daisuke questioned angrily._

 _It didn't take long to figure out—once Yamato pointed it out anyway—that Gaia can't control people without being on Earth. She could to an extent if Maugrim was there, and she wasn't, as evidenced by the fact that everyone was trying to hand us over to her, but to have the humans' minds returned to them meant that Gaia and Maugrim both weren't on Earth._

"And there was only one other place for them to go, which is why we're here," I told Jun hastily. She looked to her husband, Shuu, and extended her fingers towards Haruki, who was sleeping in his grandfather's arms. Okotte looked a little lost, and I wondered momentarily where Kurayami had gotten to, in order for her son to be left with her father—who she usually never actually allowed to babysit.

Daisuke moved to take him instantly, which Okotte was grateful for. Mai had obviously been passed around quite a bit, since she was with Sora's mother now—which was strange, but totally acceptable—and she made grabby hands for me. I smiled, and took her as she tried to launch herself out of Toshiko's arms. She giggled excitedly, and nuzzled my neck.

"Gaia's back then?" Natsuni wondered. She was trying to sound nonchalant, but I knew she was worried about Iori. We all were. She held Kana closer, and started shifting her eyes around the courtyard, as if she was expecting Gaia to pop out of the woodworks at any moment.

Instead of Gaia, however, Sora came running into the courtyard, with Biyomon flying frantically behind her. She couldn't have known we were back already—unless she was watching her digivice and just waiting for it to happen, but that seemed highly unlikely—and yet she was desperate to get here. She was panting and braced her hands on her knees. When she lifted her face, we could tell that she'd been crying—and still was, if the steady stream of tears was anything to go by—but she was wearing the most blinding smile I'd seen from her in ages.

"Natsuni," she said. Her shoulders shook with her happiness, and Biyomon took over, since Sora seemed unable to continue.

"Miyako and Kurayami snuck off with Labramon and Hawkmon, because they overheard the fairies talking, and they didn't even tell anyone, which was really very dangerous if you ask me—but they're okay and Hawkmon is alive which I'm super happy about—but anyway, they went all the way to Gaia's castle in Sidhendor, and they fought against Maugrim, which is really impressive since they're all still alive, but while Hawkmon—while he was Valkyriemon—and Labramon—as Anubismon—were fighting Maugrim, with Kurayami there for support, Miyako went to fight Bagramon all by herself. I mean, she had a gun, but she didn't know how to use it!"

"What?" Daisuke and I said at once with strangled voices. I felt Hikari's hands curling around my arm. Her fingers were shaking. She was expecting terrible news, and I might've been too, if Biyomon and Sora didn't seem so excited. But the thought that Miyako fought Bagramon—Maugrim's partner—alone more than just freaked me out, and the idea that Kurayami was right there, facing off against Maugrim—even _with_ two mega level digimon at her side—was terrifying.

"Anyway," Biyomon added. "Miyako won somehow, even though she claims she didn't actually _win_ , but I think tricking him counts as a win, and then they jumped out of a window and Hawkmon—as Aquilamon now—caught them, and then Labramon—as Anubismon—gave them Kurayami later, when he was tired of flying, and then Labramon—as Labramon—got on too, and they were all happy and together, and they're all back. Alive!"

"That's great," Natsuni said, looking both confused and disappointed.

"You forgot the best part," Sora said, teasing her partner. She turned to Natsuni and walked right up to her, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "He's okay. They got him. They saved him."

"Iori?" Natsuni asked, hesitantly, not wanting to get her hopes up, but they were already rising. Her entire body sank with fear and skeptical relief as she stared back into Sora's watery eyes.

"Jou's got him," Sora said, nodding and crying again.

"I have to go," Natsuni gasped, looking around, and wondering where exactly her husband could be.

"Natsuni, it's not pretty," Sora warned cautiously.

"I need to see him," Natsuni said. Her lips were quivering, and she was trying not to cry, but she couldn't help it. She was scared and happy all at once. Fumiko burst into tears herself, frightening Sora. Sora looked ashamed for a second.

"I didn't know you'd be here," Sora said. "I was going to find you next. I had to find Natsuni though, because Iori wants to see Kana. She's the reason he's okay. He—"

"He wanted to come back for her," Fumiko supplied. It was hard to understand, through the heavy sobs that wracked their way through her body. "He came back, like his dad never did. Kana. She saved my son. She saved my baby."

"Miyako did too," Natsuni said, wiping the tears from her face with one hand, and trying to balance Kana with the other. Sora took Kana out off Natsuni's hands, and Jun hugged her from behind, before she could collapse with the weight of her emotions.

"Let's go see him, shall we?" Sora murmured. Biyomon flew ahead of everyone, and Veemon picked Wormmon off the ground, before running after them. Patamon and Agumon were close behind, but Gatomon and Gabumon were mature enough to wait their turn. Natsuni couldn't run. She was too shaky for it, but Jun helped her along, and Hikari helped too, despite her own shakiness. Hikari couldn't even see through the tears in her eyes, but she was stubbornly being strong for Natsuni. Okotte and Yamato helped bring Fumiko, who had collapsed twice already, so they were practically carrying her.

It was a slow transition, but when we saw the digimon standing outside, around what appeared to be a mattress, Natsuni found more strength, and ran to her husband's side. I looked to Momoe, who was trying to get Emiko away, because her curiosity was getting out of control, and saw that both Hawkmon and Labramon were standing with her, lending a hand—or wing and paw. Miyako and Kurayami were knelt at Iori's side, and they moved, after smiling at him, when Natsuni came rushing over.

Seeing him caused Natsuni to cry all over again. I could see that her father was here too, though he wouldn't get close. He was taking cues from Taichi, and blaming himself for what happened, even though the blame belonged to his ex-wife, Gaia and Bagramon.

"I thought I'd lost you," Natsuni cried, peppering Iori's face—bruises, blood, dirt and all—with gentle kisses. "I was so _scared_."

"S'rry," Iori slurred. As he spoke, more blood came from his mouth. Jou came rushing out of Jenna's room with his emergency bag, barking quick orders to his brother Shin to get better supplies from the infirmary—where both Shin and their father volunteered to work when needed. Shin took off, and Shuri—the fight club's medic—went with him, unable to think of any other way to help. "K'na?"

"Sora has her," Natsuni murmured, petting his hair, and not grimacing, despite the strange residue that came off on her hand. Fumiko was set down on his other side, and she continued to sob.

"I c'me ba'k," Iori assured his mother, still having difficulty with his speech.

"Here she is, Iori," Sora offered, kneeling down and showing him his daughter. He smiled as best he could with his cracked lips and he started crying at the sight of her. He reached out to her, but stopped himself, looking at his hand with disgust.

"You came back to us," Natsuni said, smiling through her tears and kissing Kana, before kissing Iori's forehead again.

"B'cause I love you," Iori said, which just caused his mother to burst into more tears. I wondered if it was something to do with his father, but realized it was none of my business. I was glad to see him alive. I was glad to know that he was safe, and so were Kurayami and my wife. Mai was squirming, because she wanted Miyako now, but Miyako was covered in the grime and blood that Iori was, and I knew Mai wouldn't like that.

Willis came running back with Meiyomon in tow, and Meiyomon grinned happily at the sight of his older brother. He made his way to his mother's side and hugged her tightly, since he was afraid of breaking Iori if he hugged the tortured man. Goblimon had been playing in the Summer garden with Alias III and Ryou, but Michael had been sent with the news of Iori's return, and he came with Michael—Alias III in tow—with Armadillomon's ball of light following him. Goblimon was holding Armadillomon's egg, and then the family was finally together again. Goblimon nestled himself in next to Natsuni and helped—with one hand—prop Iori up with Jou, who was looking anxiously to Miyako and then down to what looked like a bloody tooth in his lap. Iori opened his mouth obediently, but flinched away spectacularly when Jou tried to get a closer look. Iori winced and backed away, which kind of freaked us all out, because he was always so stubborn and tough, and here he was, afraid of his best friend—but we also all understood that he'd been through more than we'd ever know about.

Armadillomon took that moment to fly through Iori's chest—choosing to go through the front, so that he could appear _behind_ Iori, rather than on top of him. A peaceful look crossed Iori's face and he relaxed when his heart and Armadillomon's entwined. "Iori!" Armadillomon cried, racing around Goblimon and Natsuni and Sora on his quest to getting close to his partner. He knocked Goblimon off balance, and before Goblimon could catch himself, the egg rolled out of his hands, and onto Natsuni's lap. She dropped Iori's hand, which she'd been clasping, and tried to catch it. The egg nearly slipped from her hands, and she caught it with her fingertips, before it could smash directly into Kana. Sora started to move the baby away, but Kana reached out to the egg, giggling.

The egg cracked.

We watched with amazement as that fossilized—and thought to be dead—baby digimon broke his way out of the shell, and a small Tsubumon took his first look at the world, making excited sounds at the sight of Kana. She reached out and pulled on the fin on top of the digimon's head, and the baby digimon cried out. Armadillomon was a sobbing mess.

"My baby," he said, so happy. "I get my baby and my partner on the same day. I'm the luckiest digimon in the whole world."

"I'm the l'cky one," Iori said, patting his partner's head. "I g't you."

"Let's leave the family to get reunited," Taichi suggested—though everyone except Jou agreed to walk with him back towards Summer Garden, which wasn't far away. Taichi let everyone talk excitedly about Iori and Armadillomon's return, and Hikari thanked Kurayami and Miyako over and over again. The fairies, who had been watching Iori, came with us, and Summer was gushing over the girls as well. Winter even seemed proud of Miyako, though I doubted Miyako could see it.

It was a good twenty minutes, or more, before Taichi finally managed to get everyone to calm down enough to start talking about what happened on Earth. Sora seemed to already know that the humans had their minds back, and she glanced at Winter, who I supposed didn't have enough time to share that information with everyone else because of Iori's arrival.

"There are digimon accumulating," Winter said, offering at least that much, since we'd taken the wind from her sails by announcing the bigger news of the free humans—however temporary that freedom really was.

"Where?" Taichi asked immediately.

"Why?" Michael wanted to know.

"I do not know the purpose for their gathering," Winter said solemnly. "But I do fear for them. It is no secret that Mother despises digimon more than anything else. She absolutely loathes them."

"So gathering them in one spot _could_ be..." Hikari said, trailing off.

"A mass execution," Yamato filled in for her, when she was unable to even think it. Gasps and horrified comments filled the air again, and Mai started crying at the sound of all the voices clashing with one another. I got everyone to be quiet, using Mai as a logical reason, and then Jou and Iori came to join us, and everyone started talking again as if it _weren't_ totally insane for him to be out of the hospital already. Daisuke held up his hand long enough that people noticed, and quieted down.

"Shouldn't he be resting?" Daisuke asked Jou, before turning to Iori. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Yeah," Jou said softly. "But he wants to tell us something."

"Let's hear it," Taichi suggested, most likely hoping that the quicker this was done, the quicker Iori would go back to rest.

"I nev'r gave th'm the inf'rm'tion they w'nted," Iori said in that same slurred voice. "They w'nt Aut'mn. G'ia c'n _f'l_ her."

"How can Gaia feel my mother?" Michael demanded, somehow understanding Iori with such ease. "She's dead."

"We know that," Summer said, "but perhaps, Mother doesn't."

"How does she _feel_ her though?" Michael asked again.

"I don't know," Spring told him, shrugging her shoulders.

"We don't have time to find out," Taichi sighed. "We need a team to go check out the situation. No, Iori, you can't volunteer."

"I wsn't g'nna," Iori lied, looking at the ground.

"Jou, take care of him," Taichi pleaded. Jou took Iori back towards the mattress—that I'd learned later was only outside because Iori wanted to see the sky, not walls—and Taichi looked over everyone.

"You're not allowed to go," Sora informed him quickly. "I'm not waiting around here doing your job for you. I'm not a leader. I can't be a leader. Please don't make me."

"Fine," Taichi sighed. "It's just a scouting mission anyway. Takeru can go, and Daisuke, and Ken." I was pleased he had said my name. I didn't want to wait around and do nothing any more than Sora did.

"And me," Hikari said sounding like she was volunteering, but really she was just ordering her brother around because she was determined to help while he was just as determined to keep her safely out of harms way. Taichi winced and tried to protest, but he caught sight of Kurayami refusing to take Haruki—who then got passed to Sora—because she was going too, and realized he couldn't win. I handed Mai to Yamato—who was surprised—because Miyako's hands were still shaking, and she needed a good long soak in the tub, both for relaxing and cleaning purpose and because Mai was a very particular baby. She didn't like dirt. I kissed Miyako gently, and picked Wormmon up from where he and Veemon were trying to interact with Armadillomon, and I followed behind Daisuke, who was getting directions from Winter. Veemon noticed our leave and hurried after us.

"I know the place," Daisuke said, nodding. We ended up travelling on the back of Cerberumon, while Takeru and Hikari were flown by their respective angel partners. Wormmon flew as Stingmon, and Veemon was crammed onto my lap, as Kurayami and Daisuke cuddled up on Cerberumon's back. We travelled quickly, and relatively quietly, I thought.

The digimon really _were_ gathering. There were hundreds all standing at attention, staring off into space. I'd seen the humans doing that very same thing not long ago. I was afraid for them. I tried to get through to a Frigimon, while Daisuke tried to wake up a Deramon from the trance. Veemon and the reverted Labramon tried shouting at a Veggiemon, recognizing him as one of the digimon that D'Arcmon had loved and cared for, and had been abandoned by its partner. Sure enough, the Crabmon, Kunemon and Penguinmon weren't far away. At least DemiDevimon had found his partner, and Gekomon had been taken to the Temple by Jun, so that they were safe. Kurayami talked quietly to Penguinmon, while Wormmon tried to reason with Crabmon and Kunemon.

But it was no use.

Takeru and Hikari wandered over to a different set of digimon, thinking that there had to be at least _one_ digimon that had some resistance left in their mind. I saw Takeru talking to a Kokotorimon, trying to remind it of some cruise ship that it had terrorized the Digidestined on, and Hikari was with Gatomon, trying to break through a Scorpiomon's spell. Patamon was flying circles around a Cherrymon, but was unsuccessful in even annoying it. And then, they wandered further into the crowd, and I lost sight of them.

"Come _on_ , Frigimon," I groaned. "Don't give in to her."

"ATTENTION," a voice that was undeniably Gaia, called from... _somewhere_ in the sky, "Your time in this land is coming to an end. You scum are a dirty spot on my new world and we must make room for those who are more worthy of your land. You will now accept your deaths as readily as you accepted me as your leader. Goodbye."

The voice disappeared, and the digimon all nodded as one. They were just going to let Gaia kill them, because she told them they should. That wasn't right. I couldn't figure out why they had such little resistance to her. We knew some of these digimon. They weren't meant to just roll over and give up. They were meant to fight.

"How do we stop this?" Kurayami asked, pained by the idea.

"I don't know," Daisuke told her. "But it's too late to go back for backup. I guess this wasn't really a scouting mission after all."

"Wormmon, stay close, I might need you," I warned my partner. He was already moving towards us.

It was the sound of footsteps that clued me in. None of us were moving. Takeru and Hikari were too far away by then to be heard. I turned and gasped. I knew exactly how Gaia was planning on having these digimon killed. Yume, Norn and Akumu were walking, and two of them were making rather prominent footsteps, while Akumu just glided along the ground.

"No," Daisuke gasped. "Watch out for the nightmares! TAKERU, HIKARI, THE NIGHTMARES!"

"You're Zeta's curse," Kurayami accused Akumu. He didn't respond. None of them did. They simply stepped forward, looking at the digimon they were here to destroy. "It's so nice to finally meet you." Kurayami's sarcasm was almost sickening, but her voice attracted Akumu's attention, and he narrowed his eyes at her, before lunging.

 _ **Hideto Fujimoto:**_

So, Gaia was in the Digital World and basically, that sucked. Winter couldn't see where she was, because Gaia had wised up to that trick, and was always careful. She knew her daughters' abilities like the back of her own hand. Not only had she selected them, and gifted them to her children, she took the abilities for herself as well. Gaia could see everything we were doing. I wasn't sure why no one else seemed to grasp that, but she could. Merlin was here to spy, and so maybe Gaia had deemed us unworthy to spy on, but maybe she was just trying to psyche us out. I didn't know, and I knew I'd probably sound like a moron if I actually asked, so I kept my mouth shut.

Warg and Melga talked enough for the three of us anyway.

Having them back was like having confidence. I hadn't realized just how much I relied on them to feel good about myself. A long time ago, I thought maybe I was important enough to need two digimon, and that made me special, but now, I knew the truth. Spring gave me two digimon, because I _needed_ two, not because I was special. I was sad, and lonely, and I needed two digimon to represent the two sides of me. I was two faced, apparently, and it sucked to be told that so soon after hearing that I was supposed to be hit by a transport truck. Rei had been lucky to be only paralyzed. She could have taken the fall for me. Kiyoko's parents had been killed. I should be _happy_ that Rei only had to use a wheelchair. I was definitely more in favour of the chair than I was a casket, but it didn't really make me feel better at all.

But Rei was persistent, and had assured me that she was over the damage that had been caused by my meant-to-be death— _literally_ over it, because Gaia healed that damage and so it was a thing of the past.

" _And besides," Rei said, glancing over at Taichi. "I never would have met my husband if my chair hadn't gotten stuck in that elevator_."

It was kind of special, I supposed that her paralysation hadn't hindered her love life at all, and in fact had led to her eventual marriage. It was like I'd unwillingly and inadvertently matched the two of them up. I didn't claim that one, like I had so many others though. I used to match people up all the time in high school. I dated a lot, which should have given me confidence, because people kept saying yes when I asked them, but none of the dates worked out well, because I always knew who they'd be best suited for—and it was _never_ me. Some of those pairs were married now, and I'd been given invitations because I'd gotten them together in the first place, but I never went. I didn't want to go and see people who weren't suited for me after all get married to someone else.

Besides, any date I brought always left with someone else, so it was like a double whammy.

"Hi," Kiyoko said softly, as he sat next to me on a log. I poked the fire with a stick again, and tried not to feel uncomfortable. I was always on edge around him lately, because I wanted to be with him so badly. I was the one that screwed it up, because I'd decided to grow as a person, and I did understand myself better. I wasn't perfect, but I could at least understand. Spring helped with that a lot, and the fact that Neo never put up a front and was brutally honest about how he felt about my actions and wallowing. It seemed like harshness at first, but I realized that he wouldn't be paying attention to me if he didn't care—okay, so Neo literally told me that, rather than me making a miraculous realization, but it still counted. Neo didn't do stuff like that. He was never phony. He wouldn't talk to someone just for the sake of talking. He didn't get invested in strangers. That was beneath him.

"Hello," I said, trying for casual, and ending up with horrendously nervous. I turned to find Warg and Melga, wondering if they'd help me with this, but they were playing tag with a bunch of other digimon. Tapirmon was there, and so was Gabumon, Agumon and Hawkmon. Biyomon was currently 'it' and Monimon was trying to disguise himself as a bush by hiding behind a single leaf, much to Katsue's embarrassment.

"Am I allowed to help you yet?" he wondered.

"I'm supposed to do it by myself," I pointed out.

"I couldn't do it by myself," he reminded me. "And I _did_ use Mari, even if you pretend I didn't. You don't have to hide from Alias III just to be independent. Having help doesn't make you less of a person. I think...I think it actually shows how much stronger you are."

"Really?" I asked, liking the sound of it more than I probably should.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I was trying to be my own person, with you and Mari around, and I kept reverting to my old self, the shadow that Sigma left behind. But I didn't want to do that anymore. You left, and pointed it out, and then I made Mari stop me, any time I did it. It would have been easier if you were around to stop me too, but maybe it was for the best. I was afraid you wouldn't like the newer, less fearful version of Kiyoko. I wanted for you to love me, and you loved the _old_ Kiyoko, so I thought maybe..."

"I love you any way I can have you," I told him honestly. "Don't worry about changing. You're still you inside. You just have an easier time showing your true colours now, that's all."

"And you?" he asked, hesitant and hopeful all at once.

"I'm not as confident as you," I told him. "I'm pretty shaky really, but I think I've found the things I like. Spring told me to focus on the things I _liked_ rather than the things that bother me. And I like the way I am when I'm cooking at Mimi's restaurant. I feel confident when I'm throwing flavours together, and even when I have to yell at annoying customers that refuse to pay, or complain about pointless things like who they're seated next to, I have the confidence to do it. I don't want to do that forever, but I like working with people. I like being around them, and I like that I can make them happy."

"I like that too," he said with a smile. "And I like the way your eyes sparkle when you work out what subtle steps you need to take in order to get the results you want."

"I like _getting_ the results I want," I told him. "And I do get them."

"Consistently," he agreed with a smirk.

"I like that I still manage to be nicer than my sister, even _with_ my manipulations," I said. "I don't like that Yorokobi _is_ my sister though."

"No one would," he assured me. When I didn't add anything else, he hesitated, before moving closer to me. "I like that you didn't take what your family was giving you. I like that you had the courage to leave the situation."

"Some would call it cowardice," I pointed out.

"Some are _wrong_ ," he insisted. "I like that you're trying to repair your relationship with your brother, and that you didn't just ignore that chance. I like that you're so much better than your family because of that one little decision. They wouldn't have given you a chance."

"Very true," I said. He was leaning closer to me with every point he made, and I was debating whether I should stick with my original plan of simply avoiding him until I had confidence to spare, or to just go with the flow.

"I like that you pay attention to Warg and Melga's needs, and offered them the individuality they needed in order to feel important in a group that already had an Agumon and Gabumon," he continued. "I like that you spend time with Tapirmon, even though you're avoiding me, because he loves you too, and it makes him feel special. I like that you never treat Spring like she's crazy, even if she is."

"Crazy and stupid are very different things," I said with a thick voice. He smiled, and I tried to return the favour, but I was a little choked up with all the things he was finding that were actually rather likeable about me. I was impressed. I hadn't found nearly so many.

"I like that you know that," he murmured. "I like that you know us all like the back of your hand, and that you always drop everything if we're ever in trouble. I don't like how you haven't realized we'd do the same for you."

"I'll try to remember," I promised.

"I like the way you smile, shyly at first, before you accept it," he told me. "And I like the way you always give Mari the best spot on the couch. I like the way you can't watch a movie without popcorn, and the way you always pretend you're not crying when there's a happy ending."

"I _don't_ cry," I lied poorly.

"Uh huh," he said skeptically. "I like the way you hold your breath when I kiss you. Every time." He kissed me once, quickly, and just as he said, I held my breath. It was a habit. It was like I wasn't sure if he really meant to kiss me, or if he'd made some sort of mistake, and I wasn't going to do anything to scare him away. He smiled, and pulled away. "I would like it, I think, if you let me and Mari help you. Aneko would be a big help too. She's always telling us what she likes about us. Not once have I heard her comment on a bad thing."

"I think I might like that too," I said hesitantly. "But we've got to get through this first."

"Oh, definitely," he agreed, "whatever _this_ is. What's Gaia up to, do you think?"

"I think she's planning on taking over her original castle," Mari said, plopping down beside me, opposite to Kiyoko. "I'm sorry. Was that a private moment? I can walk away and come back and do this again, if you want me to, but I think it might save time if I stayed."

"Explain," Neo ordered, scaring the crap out of me. He was standing behind me, and had obviously come over with Mari—and Lalamon, who had quietly stayed _behind_ the log and far away from the fire—letting Dracomon go join the game of tag.

"She told the people to go to her castle, right?" Mari prompted. "Well, no one knew where it was. Ken, and Taichi, and Hikari and everyone couldn't find it. I don't know if it even still exists, because we don't know what time frame we're meant to be using. When was this world sent away from Sidhendor? When do scientists say that Pangaea broke up?"

"I don't know things like that off the top of my head," Kiyoko admitted. "Koushiro might though."

"That's not the point," Mari insisted. "We can't even begin to find the castle. We don't know where it was before Pangaea split, we don't know if there's any trace of it still standing. But I think, wherever it is, is where Gaia is headed."

"That's great," I said. "She told us that already though."

"Yeah," Mari sighed. "But everyone thinks it was just a way to distract us. I don't. I think she's still after her castle. The problem is that we can't protect it from her."

"It is merely a castle," Neo said. "I do not see how it could help her gain anything in this war."

"I know, logically," Mari said. "But I don't know... It's like my heart is telling me something different." That was troubling. Mari was intuitive beyond compare and if she was feeling ominous about the situation, then so was I.

"Tell it to speak louder," Kiyoko suggested. "I don't like it either."

I turned my eyes to the stormy skies. The clouds were thick and dark, and thunder was heard on the horizon. The night sky flashed, and dread settled in the pit of my stomach. I gave Mari a dirty look for instilling fear in me, and she looked sheepish.

"Time for bed, Biyomon," Sora called loudly. Biyomon sighed, and the game of tag broke up, as the digimon all ran back to their partners. Warg and Melga jumped on me, and I groaned playfully, before getting to my feet. Kiyoko looked at me, but I shook my head. I needed one last night on my own before I was ready to go back to the Alias III apartment—which was sandwiched between Taichi and Rei's, and Neo's. I was staying with Puraido. We weren't really talking, but I thought we were getting along alright, all things considered. Kiyoko sighed, and watched me go. I tried not to look back, but I couldn't help it. He waved to me, and Mari rolled her eyes. Neo was already gone, having finished what he'd come for.

"We had a great day," Warg told me.

"It would've been better with you though," Melga admitted.

They were quite different, but not everyone saw that. They saw a pair of meddlesome trouble makers. I saw them as separate individuals. Melga was the softer spoken, and more _open_ of the pair. She was my inner self, while Warg was outspoken and outrageous at times which made his personality represent what I showed to others. When they fused, they were merged together, finally representing my full self. Omnimon was my true self personified. But Spring said I hadn't figured it out yet. So maybe that wasn't even true. She was right when she said I wasn't a good person, so she was _probably_ right about that too. I had no proof, but I knew she wasn't crazy. Everything she said had a purpose. I just had to figure out what I was supposedly doing wrong.

"Kiyoko kissed me," I told my partners.

"That's good...I think," Warg said, unsure what reaction I wanted from him.

"You want that," Melga reminded me. I nodded, and left it at that. I didn't need to keep testing their reactions. I knew them well enough. I just hadn't known _before_ Gaia took them what they represented about me. Spring had never told me. She just gave me two digimon and told me I was special.

I walked passed the restaurant Mimi was running before she'd been taken—the one that Digitamamon ran now—and saw Gravimon folded into a tiny chair, using his gravity abilities to lift a tiny tea cup while Aneko laughed happily. Fangmon, Porcupamon and HoneyBeemon were around the table too, and Aneko was handing out cookies for everyone. Mari had probably fled when she realized Aneko was going to try to sucker her into a tea party.

At another table, Katsue and Amai were having a date—with their partners watching from behind a decorative plant, giggling any time the two women so much as brushed fingers. It was adorable. Melga awed at the sight and I practically had to drag her away before she joined the two smaller digimon.

"Jou's having trouble," Warg pointed out. Jenna was on the ground, holding on to Jou's shirt as he tried to leave her rooms. Chi was trying to help Jou, and at the same time, get Jenna back into bed.

"OKAY, I'M READY TO TAKE THE BABY OUT OF ME," Jenna growled.

"It doesn't work that way," Jou tried to reason with her.

"My body physically can't handle any more," Jenna cried. "I can't sleep without Spring holding my stomach. I can't eat without the baby squirming so much that I spit it back up. Jou, I can't live this way."

"I'll look into it," Jou promised. "We need to do this safely. We want both you and the baby to make it through to the other side."

"You're right," Jenna agreed. "Of course you're right. I want the baby. I really want this baby. I can't give up just because it's getting hard."

"No," Jou countered. "You should have brought these things to my attention much sooner. I might've been able to help earlier if you hadn't been hiding the truth from me."

"I didn't want to seem weak," Jenna admitted.

"It's not weak to need help sometimes," Jou said, unknowingly echoing the words that both Spring and Kiyoko had said to me. Maybe, I thought, they really were right.

There was something rather ominous about the way things were being laid out, and I knew it had to be Mari's fault. She had gotten me worked up with her nerves, but when had Mari's gut instincts ever been wrong?

Winter walked quickly passed me, toward the main gate, and Spring screamed from within Jenna's room, before racing out to catch up with her. With a sudden twist of my insides I realized I definitely wasn't going to be getting any sleep yet, and got ready to chase after them. Summer was in Main Square already by the time her sisters got there. She reached out and took one of each of their hands. Winter looked up at the high wall that encircled the entire Temple, and waited for... _something_. Warg, Melga and I stood hesitantly at the edge of the Square, waiting just as they were.

"She's here," Spring whispered frantically. My mind went immediately to Gaia, because I knew Spring feared her more than anything else in the entire world, but that wouldn't make any sense... unless Gaia wasn't looking for her castle at all and was tricking us before coming to the Temple. Wait, no. The Temple could have been built using the ruins of Gaia's castle—or had simply been Gaia's castle that Gennai's Agents had repaired, before putting in additions designed for each of Gaia's four daughters.

But that _had_ to be a stretch.

Gaia couldn't be _here_.

Not now. Not while we were too unprepared to fight back.

But it _was_ Gaia. I saw her as she was raised into the air by the vines she was so fond of. She floated up to the top of the wall, and then the vines set her down gracefully, where she balanced on its ledge. "Children," Gaia said somehow sounding both incredibly cold and kind at the same time. It was a balance only Gaia could pull off. Beside her, was the ten tonne Gennai statue that I thought was a bit ridiculous, but everyone in the Temple just _loved_. A twisted smile found its way onto her face, and then she struck the statue with Kurayami's darkness and the ten tonne Gennai fell through the air towards her children. Winter shoved both Summer and Spring out of the way, but didn't budget her time in order to free herself, and Summer flew as fast as she could, back into danger, just to get her sister out.

"First Iori, and now you," Summer scolded. "Why don't people just _run_ anymore?"

Gaia lowered herself down gently where she rested her bare feet on the leg of the Gennai statue. Her eyes flicked to me for only a moment and horror filled me instantly. I wanted to go warn the others, but for some reason I couldn't move. I was able to only stare at Gaia.

There was a moment of intense stillness as the daughters stared to their mother. There was a distant rumble of thunder, and I knew it would rain soon, but for now the night was calm and quiet.

Winter broke that stillness with a quick movement. She reached both hands out to opposite ends of the Temple courtyard and two massive icicles formed against the walls, reaching all the way to her hands where they formed their point. She roared as she ripped the icicles away from the wall bringing them crashing together where their mother stood.

Gaia leapt out of the way as the ice crashed into many pieces, but that wasn't all that the girls had to throw at their mother. A burst of white hot flames had erupted from Summer's open palms. Gaia tried to avoid the attack, but Spring formed several trees around Gaia and she had no escape.

I should have known better though, and the brief excitement I felt fell. Gaia had all of her daughters powers, and that included Autumn. The trees around her died and shrivelled just as quickly as they had grown and she was given an escape. The dead trees lit up with Summer's fire, but Gaia was free, and was now on the offensive.

Fire and ice came flying at opposite sisters, but both of them protected themselves against the blasts. Steam and smoke was billowing everywhere, and I was distracted for only that moment. Spring screamed bloody murder at the sight of her mother coming straight for her, but she had to keep her confidence up. A massive tree sprouted up right in front of Gaia who slammed into the trunk, expecting a clear shot at her daughter.

I heard Warg snort at the sight but I didn't think any of this was particularly funny. And neither did Gaia it seemed. When she revealed herself from behind the tree she had a very bitter scowl on her face and suddenly vines were surrounding her again, lifting her into the air. "And here I thought we could be friends," Gaia said.

Not one of her daughters made a comment and that only angered her more. But that anger slowly shifted into her familiar wicked smile.

"The doors!" Spring screamed, pointing towards them. The gates were opening, despite the locks we'd put in place. Gaia had destroyed our man defense. I was really wondering why we had _locks_ as a defense when I realized that was a terrible time to be debating _anything_. An army of rabid humans—I couldn't be sure they really _were_ rabid, but they could have been, since I had no proof they weren't either—was waiting on the other side, and once the doors broke open, they started flooding in. The three fairy sisters flew into the air, to avoid being trampled, but Warg, Melga and I didn't have that opportunity. I grabbed their hands and started running back the way I'd come, screaming warnings that hopefully everyone would hear before I reached them. The army was moving _fast_.

"ANEKO, GET INSIDE!" I shouted, when I realized she was trying to keep her tea party going. She looked up and saw the mob behind me and panicked, screaming her head off. Fangmon planned to stay and fight, but Warg had other ideas, and shoved the wolf in the opposite direction. Melga took Porcupamon's hand and I grabbed Aneko around the middle and threw her over my shoulder. Gravimon started using his gravity abilities to rip roofs off of houses an drop them in the street, to block the path of the savage army.

The people hadn't been taken care of. Their clothes were tattered, and their hair was a mess. I wasn't sure if they were meant to be terrifying, with their barbaric ways, or whether Gaia simply hadn't bothered to care for them—though I suspected it was the later.

While Gravimon fortified the street, I raced down along the Digidestined apartments and banged loudly on every door, with Aneko still over my shoulder, screaming—which told me that the army was climbing over the roofs that Gravimon was using. I didn't even have to look. I couldn't afford to, but I could imagine it: the people crawling with their dirty, bare feet, racing over the roofs, not caring if they were damaged in the process, because they were doing Gaia's bidding.

"What the hell is going on?" Taichi demanded, coming out of his door. Rei followed him. She caught sight of the people first and clutched Taichi's arm.

"I'm getting Pal, Pul and Agumon. You get out there and do what you need to do," she said.

"You'll get out?" Taichi asked.

"I'll get as many people out as I can," Rei told him, not confirming what he wanted to know, but not denying it either. She wouldn't be lying then, no matter how this turned out. She'd learned so well. "The Digidestined are a priority," Rei said firmly. "You _will_ get out, or you'll regret it mister."

"You're _my_ priority," Taichi protested. But Rei wasn't having that, and glared at him pointedly, before rushing into her house to find a pair of shoes, and their partners. Taichi threw his slippers—sturdy ones—on his feet and headed out into the crowd to manage some control in the chaos. I trusted Rei to ensure that everyone else on the street got out, but I made a quick stop at the Hida household.

"Meiyomon," I said loudly. "Get Iori out. He can't fight, and he'll slow everyone else down. Gaia's here to take the Temple. If you don't get him out now, you might not get a chance."

"Get some other people together so that I'm not wasting my chance," Meiyomon said.

"Summer Park, ASAP," I called to him, as I raced down towards the courtyard where the fires were. Fire could be a good weapon, if nothing else—and Mari was there.

"Put me down," Aneko whined. "It's not ladylike."

"It's not ladylike to be dead either," I argued, "so shut up."

I shouted at every turn for people to head to Summer Park. It would mean nothing to Gaia, because it was in Summer's quarter of the Temple, and if this really _was_ Gaia's true castle, then she wouldn't know the layout that her daughters had designed. She hadn't even realized that Autumn was dead yet. She was behind the times.

"SUMMER PARK PEOPLE, NOW," I shouted, until my throat was raw. Fangmon, HoneyBeemon and Porcupamon all split up to spread the word. I saw Jun being escorted by Shuu and Meramon, while she was holding her nephew, Haruki. Otamamon was in Shuu's arms, and Gekomon was holding onto his pant leg. Following them, was the largest collection of amphibious digimon I'd ever seen. ShogunGekomon was attacking anyone that dared to follow him or his people. Natsuni had enlisted Shoto and Jin of the fight club to carry Iori, while she struggled with Kana and the diaper bag. Goblimon held Armadillomon under his arm and Tsubumon in his free hand. Fumiko was behind them, with Okotte Higorashi, Mr Ando and Meiyomon at her tail.

Yuuko was running with Dorumon and was dragging Kotemon behind her, followed by DemiMeramon, who at one point had been Wizardmon. She looked angry that she was fleeing at all, but her husband was at her heels with Kamemon tucked under his arms, and it looked like he'd given her little choice—though, with a weakened partner, he definitely had the right idea.

Kazuya Ichijouji was leading the colony of Numemon, including the exuberant Yuk and Huh, towards the park, and I saw the first pillar of pink light escort a group—which I was thankful to see included Iori and his family—just out of reach. I was pretty sure Meiyomon was sending them to Primary Village. It wasn't too far, but it was out of reach of the army at least. Daisuke's mother, Haruka, was in the middle of the slimy green sewer dwellers, and she was holding DemiVeemon, who had been left behind in Jun's haste to get Haruki out of there. I was surprised to see that Daisuke's father—the bitter Manabu—was holding the arms of two Veemon as he led their small numbers—and the Wormmon from the library—toward the park as well.

I thought about following them all, since I had Warg and Melga and Aneko, but I couldn't abandon Alias III, and so I trekked onwards, witnessing Miyako thrusting her daughter into her grandmother's arms.

"Take her," Miyako begged. "Get her out."

"You'll come too," her mother ordered. Chiziru grabbed Mai and Poromon from Miyako on her way by, glaring at their mother, and Dansei, her boyfriend, followed behind her quickly, with Masa tucked against his chest. Pumpkinmon ran ahead of them, trying to catch up to Gotsumon, while also wanting to make sure the path was cleared for them. Kunemon was having trouble keeping up, and Sayuri—Miyako's sour mother—hesitated only a moment before she picked Masa's partner off the ground and cast one last look at her youngest child, before Miyako sent her towards the park. Miyako was crying, but she remained strong, with Hawmon at her side. They would stay until they were sure they'd saved as many as they could. Miyako had vowed to not abandon the Temple, and she was going to stick to that promise as long as possible, even if Gaia made it impossible for her to keep it forever.

I spotted a dreaded face in front of me, and I realized that it was too late for everyone to simply _flee_ Gaia's human army. Yorokobi was already among us. She was holding Puraido by the ear and lecturing him. I wondered why she had kept so much of her personality, while so many of the others were simply mindless drones, and then I realized Yorokobi had actually snapped. Her mind wasn't being controlled the way the others were. She actually believed in what she was doing.

"You're a disgrace to our name," Yorokobi hissed at Puraido. He didn't want to hurt her, and so he hadn't pushed her away. Gomamon had no such hesitations, and rolled under Yorokobi's feet, causing her to fall into the street.

"Come on," Gomamon instructed Puraido. Gomamon looked for Jou, but couldn't find him and resolved himself to being the safe one for once—even if the idea didn't appeal to him at all. A second pillar of pink light lit the sky, and I saw that Daisuke's family was gone, and safe, along with numerous frog digimon

"You'll pay for that you stupid seal!" Yorokobi snarled. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me _twice_ —"

"Shame on us again," Sora said. "Yeah, I got that the last time you said it."

" _You_ ," Yorokobi said narrowing her eyes and diving at Sora. Sora had to fight back, and as much as I would've loved to watch Sora beat my sister in a fight, I had to keep going.

The courtyard was a mess. There were savages everywhere, clawing at the digimon and the people alike. One caught Emiko's hair, and Monmon screeched as he attacked the woman's face. Jou ran over and knocked the woman to the ground, and grabbed his daughter around the middle. Mari was protecting Lalamon, while Piedmon tried to protect both her _and_ Kiyoko. Neo was standing face to face with Evelen's brother, and refused to lift his fists.

"Fight me, Neo," Kansui demanded. "Gaia expects this of me. She thinks I'm worth something. She's the only one that's ever thought that."

"You are wrong," Neo told him. "Stop this foolishness."

"You don't understand," Kansui shouted. "She thinks I'm worthy!"

"As do I," Neo said firmly, "and it appears I am not inclined to demand you murder countless human and digimon. I apologize if Gaia appeals more to you."

"You think...do you really...roomie?" Kansui asked, sounding completely blindsided. He dropped his fists, and hugged Neo tightly. Neo looked horrified, but endured the hug for a second or two, before shoving Kansui away.

"I will not repeat myself," Neo informed him.

"Go, roomie," Kansui told him. "Be free. I won't chase you."

"Splendid," Neo said, pointedly looking at the destruction and chaos surrounding us. Kansui's declaration meant very little, in the grand scheme of things.

"Gomamon!" Jou called frantically.

"He's with my brother," I shouted back.

"Of course he is," Jou said, nodding to himself. For once, he didn't seem hesitant about their friendship, but I assumed that, having just got Gomamon back, Jou was thankful that Gomamon was safe at all. Emiko squirmed out of her father's grasp and ran towards a ball that she'd dropped days ago. Monmon raced after her, and Jou tried to get to her, but a new wave of savages came, and with them, came Mimi. She was wilder than I'd ever seen her. She had black face paint smeared around her eyes—or maybe it was actually charcoal. I couldn't be sure. She was just as mindless as the others, if not more so. She was relentless—and she was attacking her parents.

As Jou tried to work his way through to his daughter—desperate, as any true father ought to be in such a situation—I put Aneko down, and tackled Mimi, before she could take the dagger she was wielding and stab her father with it. Satoe was bawling her eyes out, and Keisuke seemed at a loss. He couldn't fight his daughter, but she had no qualms anymore about fighting them.

"Mimi, you don't want to do this," I told her. She squirmed, trying to break loose of my hold. "Those are your parents. You love them. You remember love, don't you? You remember your mom and dad. You have to remember them. They love you, and you'd do anything for them. Don't let them down now."

Mimi's clouded eyes seemed to clear for a moment, but it might've just been the lighting playing tricks on my eyes. I couldn't confirm anything. And then the rain started falling, dousing the lights. I couldn't find Aneko, and Mimi wiggled free.

"Get to Summer Park," I told Satoe and Keisuke, but they refused.

"We're going to stay with our daughter," Keisuke said firmly.

"We can't lose her," Satoe said fervently. I didn't argue with them. They could handle themselves. They continued to fend off the savage barbarians, and I nearly punched Mantarou in the face—and would have, if the lightning hadn't flashed and showed me his identity. We were soaked, and I saw that he was trying to lead his girlfriend, Iruka, and his father to Summer Park, depending on Bearmon and his own instincts to get them there. I pointed them in the right direction, before I started searching for Aneko again.

I found Mari instead. "Where's Aneko?"

"I thought _you_ had her," Mari told me. Her voice grew panicked, and she started searching for her sister. Kiyoko looked to me, and then told Piedmon to do the same, before he ran towards Gravmon—who glowed in the darkness due to his bright colouring—to ask him if he'd seen her.

I saw more than just Mimi's familiar face in the crowd. Tako, who Mimi had brought here for safety at some point, was facing off against her old best friend, Michan, and Sukamon and Chuumon were doing their best to help her, though Sukamon looked sad to be doing so. The men that burned Mimi's restaurant were there as well, and I wanted to scream at Mimi that she was meant to hate these people, not work with them. But she'd disappeared again, and in the dark it was hard to find anyone.

Dan of the fight club, and Takuya of the original Digidestined were working with Tuskmon, Hyokomon and Tankmon to transport the babies from Primary Village, as well as the Punimon from the Punimon village, and the inhabitants from the various In-Training villages, to Summer Park. Tafu was with them, as was Shin. Shin's Jagamon was fighting the humans off as gently as he could, whilst still being effective. Candlemon was being hidden beneath a jacket that Izumi was holding out, so that the poor guys flames wouldn't go out. Izumi's Yakiimon was helping three of the remaining Fight Club digimon (Falcomon, Hagurumon and Starmon), to keep the savages away from the smaller digimon, just as Jagamon was doing. Elecmon wasn't far away, since it was his duty to watch the children. He'd been doing it for longer than he'd been Spring's partner.

Palmon was lighting the way for Yoshie Izumi, Kae Ichijouji, Mary Washington—who was carrying Datirimon—and two of Jou's step-sisters (Kazue, the flight attendant, and Cho). I knew they'd make it to safety, and I followed after as best I could, hoping that Palmon would light up Aneko so I could find her. I saw Kae grab HoneyBeemon, and knew that we were down one of our numbers. I was glad that he would be okay, but knew that Aneko wouldn't leave without _knowing_ that, so I definitely needed to find her.

I was nearly toppled over by the twins, Kouji and Kouichi, as they—and their partners Psychemon and Liollmon—dragged Tako, Sukamon and Chuumon away from Michan, and towards safety. Tako was very upset about being taken away from her chance to get back at Michan for all the years of being a cruel person, but in the end she gave up and let them take her away. I caught sight of Babamon and Jijimon when the lightning struck again, and saw that Babamon was dragging Jenna's partner, Kudamon behind her, despite the small digimon's protests. Jijimon was trying to rally the insect digimon that had been collected, since his plant digimon were escaping on their own already. They weren't together, but they were all headed for the same place. It was nice to see.

But they weren't Aneko.

And if Kudamon was _here_ , where was Jenna?

Pixiemon grabbed Tatum and Monodramon who were trying to get to the park, but were having difficulty because she was pregnant and had to be very careful. Pixiemon, however, had magic, and whisked them off wherever Meiyomon was bringing everyone, and then was back in a flash of light, grabbing hold of Michael's father before disappearing again. He came back a third time (for Terriermon and Lopmon), a fourth time (for Digitamamon), and a fifth time (for Eri, Jou's third step-sister), but when he attempted his sixth, Mimi stabbed him with her knife. I knocked Mimi back, screaming at her for losing herself to Morganna and attacking her friends, and Tomoki grabbed Pixiemon, rushing him to the park, where Meiyomon would be able to get him out of there. They were followed by Tomoki's partner, the purple Elecmon.

"The angels should be here," Amai cried. "The angels are supposed to save us. They're _angels_."

"Takeru and Hikari went to investigate," Katsue reminded her. "There are no angels here."

"What are we going to do?" Amai wanted to know. A large man—one I recognized as one of the arsons at Mimi's restaurant—tackled Amai to the ground. His friend threw a punch at Katsue, knocking her glasses off her face. I was glad she seemed alright otherwise, but I was trying to find Aneko, and having a bit of a crisis in my head, because I knew I really should save them, but I didn't have time. Warg and Melga weren't too far away, but they were far enough that they might not get to me in time.

"I'll save you," DemiDevimon shouted. Monimon jumped into the fray as well, but he wasn't meant to be a fighter, and was defeated easily enough. Katsue grabbed him and kicked the man that was still on the ground, trying to knock Amai unconscious. DemiDevimon wouldn't allow that to happen though, and dived at the man. He swatted away the bowling ball with wings, and when DemiDevimon came back for a second strike, he wasn't a bowling ball anymore.

" **DemiDevimon digivolve to... Piddomon!** "

"An angel!" Amai screamed. "You're an angel. I always knew you'd be one. I told you so."

"You did," Piddomon told her, looking pretty snazzy with his pink ribbon—though otherwise I would've assumed he was an Angemon, since he didn't look too different, and really, all she'd ever wanted was an Angemon anyway. I thought she got a pretty good variation though, since he stood out from the crowd. His weapon was a little fancier than a stick too—not that I disliked Angemon's weapon of choice either. Anything was good so long as it meant the enemies would back away and leave us alone. "Fire Feather!" Piddomon called, and he unleashed a barrage of feathers that were lit with a holy fire—it _must've_ been, because the rain wasn't dousing those flames—and showered down upon the man. He shouted and rolled off of Amai, who had been unhurt by the flames. Piddomon grabbed Amai, and lifted her off the ground.

"Take Monimon!" Katsue shouted. Her strong, assured voice was fearful for the first time really since I'd met her. I turned to her and saw that she was being dragged away. I chased after her, but I was tackled to the ground by barbarians. Amai and Piddomon tried to chase after her, but Amai looked at Monimon, abandoned on the ground, and decided to follow Katsue's orders first. Amai was crying, but I knew we weren't going to leave Katsue here. We weren't going to leave _anybody_. And I would make sure of it, once I found Aneko.

"Hideto," Warg called, as he ran over to me. He grabbed my hand, and Melga followed soon after. I thought maybe they'd seen Aneko—and when I spotted Aimi Kido holding Porcupamon's hand daintily as she headed towards the park, I _really_ hoped that's who they found. Another two pillars of light headed away from the Temple, and I spotted Masami Izumi and several Gennai Agents. I couldn't tell if they were any of the few that I could name, or if they were some of the other—nameless to me—ones.

"Where is she?" I asked my partners.

"Who?" Warg asked.

"Michael's fighting Merlin," Melga explained. "I saw GigaSeadramon. But he's losing. He needs help."

"Fine," I said. I couldn't let Michael lose, just because I wanted to find Aneko—and Mari and Kiyoko. We were meant to be dead. We didn't have destiny to protect us anymore. I didn't want anything to happen to any of us.

We arrived in time to see GigaSeadramon crash down on the ground and knock out two rival convenient stores. He was having trouble getting back up, but Phoenixmon came flying through the air, trying to attack Merlin. He manipulated gravity—ala Gravimon—and sent the giant, golden bird crashing to the ground on top of GigaSeadramon. I was disappointed to see that Merlin was winning so easily. It was like he'd expected their movements.

And then I wondered if my earlier realization was so stupid after all. Obviously, Gaia's powers were immense, but that didn't mean she was infallible. Winter had two powers, as did her sisters. Gaia had all eight. There was no way she was as well versed with clairvoyance as Winter, or visions as Autumn had been. Spring's mind was proof enough that she couldn't do what Summer managed so effortlessly. Gaia had probably _seen_ what was happening right now, and had instructed Merlin accordingly.

I mean, she _probably_ did. I doubted she meant for so many of us to escape though. Maybe her visions were a fifty-fifty chance or something. I didn't know. How _could_ I know?

"What don't you understand?" Michael growled, as GigaSeadramon struggled to get up. "My mother, aka Autumn, aka your bosses daughter, is _dead_. She's not here. So you can turn around and march back to my grandmother and inform her to keep her damn hands to herself and to leave my sister the hell alone!"

"What's going on?" I asked Sora.

"Merlin's trying to take Jenna because she feels like Autumn, and Gaia wants her, most likely because Autumn's powers are quite dangerous to Gaia's chances of winning," Sora said, summarizing briefly, while waiting for Phoenixmon to get back up.

Merlin summoned balls of fire and shot them at the two digimon. The rain, thankfully, washed them out. Merlin grew wise though, and started taking small rocks and throwing them quickly at the digimon, so quickly, that they were acting like bullets. GigaSeadramon couldn't move away fast enough, and Phoenixmon jumped in front of him to take the rock-bullet, which ripped its way through her wing. As a digimon, she would thankfully recover quicker, but it also meant that she was defeated. Phoenixmon was no more, and Biyomon took her place. Sora shouted out and ran to her partner, and I looked to mine. I didn't want the same thing to happen to them, but I'd been having an oddly lucky night, despite the circumstances—since no one seemed to really want to attack me—so I figured we could give it a shot.

Warg and Melga digivolved to mega, and flew to attack Merlin. He seemed caught off guard, and my two digimon knocked him to the ground. GigaSeadramon tried to attack again, but once more, even from the ground, Merlin seemed to know exactly what Michael and GigaSeadramon had planned. It was the strangest thing.

GigaSeadramon was blasted by Merlin's magic, which flashed brighter than the lightning surrounding us, and then Betamon was on the ground in a puddle, looking dejected. Chi, who was standing in the doorway to Jenna's rooms looked like he wanted to attack, but Jenna clutched to his chest, holding her very pregnant belly while watching on in terror. Spring and Aesop were guarding them, and Bitoru joined them soon enough. He started to usher them out of the rooms and down an alleyway which would hopefully lead them to the park, but I wasn't familiar with the streets really, and only stuck to the main ones. I wasn't sure if he'd joined the dark side again or not, and I was torn. Which way should I go?

Warg and Melga made the decision for me, when they chose to stand their ground. I knew I _should_ be saving Katsue, and I _should_ be looking for Aneko, and I _should_ be protecting Jenna. But I wasn't going to. I wasn't going to, and I knew that made me a bad person. But Spring had said as much before, and I kind of liked my darker side, so I wasn't going to change my mind. I would do that _after_ I had taken out my anger and frustration on Merlin. I had a _lot_ of frustration to work through, though oddly enough, thanks to Kiyoko's little pep talk earlier, that frustration wasn't directed at myself—it was directed at Gaia.

"It's time to fuse," I told Warg and Melga. They nodded, and my digivice glowed with the light blue of pride. I thought it might be brighter than usual, but that didn't bother me. I was going to work through some things with a more physical approach.

" **MetalGarurumon digivolve to...** "

" **WarGreymon digivolve to...** "

" **ShadowOmnimon!** "

"That's different," Sora gasped, looking at my partner. Instead of the usual gleaming white champion of truth, the digimon standing before me was black as night. His cloak was ripped and was crumbling, causing puffs of dusty smoke to rise into the rain. His legs were thinner than usual, as were his arms—and everything really. He was wrapped from head to toe in black bandages, and the MetalGarurumon hand was nearly covered in the stuff—and I secretly though maybe that was all that was holding the cannon on at all. I could barely recognize the WarGreymon head. The blade was translucent and shone crimson. His cloak was heavier at the shoulders, and nearly buried his head in its mass.

"That's crazy," Michael agreed.

But I didn't think it was crazy. It felt more real to me than Omnimon ever had. I hadn't realized what Spring meant until now. She said I was being proud of the wrong parts of myself. I was proud of the mask I was able to show. I was proud of the person people _thought_ I was. But that wasn't the same as truly being proud of myself. And I supposed I'd finally found peace with myself.

I _wasn't_ a good person. I was Alias III, and really, none of us were. Piedmon showed that for Kiyoko, Rosemon's black petals showed Mari's true dangerous nature, and now, finally, instead of that gleaming pillar of light and goodness that everyone expected from me, I had a partner that truly showed my heart to the world.

"He's _awesome_ ," I correct them, smiling to myself.

Merlin was caught off guard, and ShadowOmnimon took that opportunity, shooting a ShadowGaruru Cannon at the magic man. Merlin dodged out of the way, quickly enough. ShadowOmnimon took a second attempt, using his sword this time, and again, Merlin dodged. I didn't know what was going on with the wizard, because he hadn't tried to fight back yet. He was still dumfounded by the digimon that he was fighting in the first place. He shouldn't have been. He'd never even _seen_ my regular partner—hopefully my _old_ partner, if I could keep this pride thing going. He shouldn't have been so scared of this darker version—though, to be fair, he _was_ kind of scary. A little bit, in the best way.

"What would Gaia say if you lost to a digimon?" I asked Merlin cruelly, hoping to psyche him out so that he would at least attempt to fight back—and therefore stay still long enough for ShadowOmnimon to get a good hit in. "Losing to something _worthless_...wouldn't that make _you_ worthless?"

"Hideto," Sora gasped.

"Michael, do you trust Bitoru with your sister?" I asked, rather than listening to Sora.

"Not really," Michael admitted.

"Go after her then," I told him. "Take Betamon, and get out. They should be going to Summer Park."

"Okay," Michael said, sounding relieved. He left, but Sora stayed at my side, holding her injured partner close to her chest.

"Sora, there should be bandages in Jenna's room. Jou kept supplies there. Go get them," I told her, feeling myself get excited at the plan that was forming in my mind. I wondered if my eyes were sparkling, like Kiyoko said. I really did love when plans came together.

I just had to put it into practice.

ShadowOmnimon continued to attack. Sword. Sword. Sword. Cannon. It was like a game of duck, duck, goose, only much more dangerous. Somehow though, Merlin always managed to escape. I wondered if that was _his_ special immortal power: escape. I looked to my partner and silently willed them to know my plan. I couldn't voice it, or else Merlin would know what to look for. It seemed like ShadowOmnimon understood though—or maybe our minds had just come up with the same plan. ShadowOmnimon attacked again and again, but he missed Merlin each time. Merlin got to keep thinking that the ShadowGaruru blasts were simply being avoided, while I knew the truth. We were boxing him in. Merlin did his little dance, and then, when the stage was set, ShadowOmnimon took the lead.

"ShadowGaruru Cannon!" he growled out. Merlin dodged to the left, and ShadowOmnimon was there with his sword, corralling Merlin into the cave of destruction that had been created by the 'misfired' blasts. Merlin was trapped, and had a sword to his throat. "Your move," ShadowOmnimon told him. He jabbed his sword forward, and Merlin passed out in fear.

"Thanks for playing the game," I told him, though he couldn't hear me. Sora came back with the bandages and I got to work. I put a gag around Merlin's mouth, and bound his wrists, elbows, ankles and knees. He wouldn't be escaping again. "We're awesome," I announced to ShadowOmnimon.

"Did you see how we just beat that guy?" ShadowOmnimon asked Sora.

"I saw," she said. She seemed to be having mixed feelings. She was both happy that he wasn't a danger anymore, and displeased by our methods. I couldn't please everyone _all_ the time. And my method worked, so I tried not to let her opinion get to me. It didn't matter in the long run anyway. What mattered, was Alias III, because I could live without most of the others if I had to—Yamato's music and Mimi would be hard—but I couldn't keep living without Alias III. I was ready to go home.

But first...

"Let's find Aneko," I told ShadowOmnimon.

"I've got to get Biyomon out of here," Sora said, sounding like she wished she could help us. I sent her on her way, and ShadowOmnimon picked up Merlin.

As we raced through the streets, the lightning continued to flash. I saw Sora meet up with her parents and Bokomon and Mushroomon. Koushiro was trying to get the digimon that used to be Andromon to go to the park, and Junpei was helping him. Tentomon and Kokuwamon were keeping the savages at bay—the savages that didn't seem to care that my partner was dragging around one of their own. They really must've lost their minds when Gaia planted her seeds of manipulation.

I found Aneko with Fangmon, searching desperately for her other two digimon. Mari found us soon after. I told them what happened to HoneyBeemon and Porcupamon, and finally, Aneko was ready to go. I passed Jou on the way. He was arguing with Momoe.

"You're more important, Jou, you're a Digidestined," Momoe said earnestly.

"My _daughter_ is more important to me," Jou said firmly.

"And so is our son," Momoe said.

"Then take him and go," Jou argued.

"Do you trust me," Momoe called out over the rolling thunder. Jou nodded. "Then take our son, and let me find our daughter. I won't let anything happen to her. You can trust that, Jou. I love her too. Let me do this. You get your Crest out of here."

"Fine," Jou said. "But you'd better be there soon."

"I will be," Momoe told him, handing over their son.

Miyako smacked Bengoshi the lawyer on the back of the head, because he'd yet again fallen into the enemy's trap. That made his grand total _three_ times. That was impressive, in a sad sort of way. He snapped out of it though, when Miyako hit him, and Hawkmon and Miyako brought him to the park, following after Jou and Renjiro. Unimon trotted after them, carrying an injured Gabumon and a frantic Agumon. Yamato caught sight of them and started to chase after them.

We caught sight of the park, but it was surrounded by the savages. SaberLeomon and Titamon were holding them back. Gravimon continued to throw Gaia's savage soldiers out of the way, so that those that needed through could get there. He tossed dozens of people through the air when we arrived, and when we started going through we saw Kiyoko and Piedmon were waiting for us, with Rei, who was counting people under her breath. She was getting tenser with each person that she counted, rather than calmer. Lalamon raced ahead, when she saw Willis was there, and he caught her. I heard Mari's sigh of relief when she saw Lalamon was safe. Jazz, of the fight club smiled at their reunion and looked impatiently behind us. Petermon and CaptainHookmon pushed them closer to Mieyomon. Jou took Renjiro closer as well, once he'd made it through. I was getting closer, and then I realized that Michael was here waiting anxiously.

"Where are they?" he asked Rei.

"I don't know," she said. "They should be here by now. Everyone should be. We're running out of time."

"Who's missing?" Jou asked, as I got closer to the threshold and to safety.

"Katsue, Yamato's parents," Rei said. Yamato started walking our way, just as I made it through the tunnel. Fangmon snarled when one of the savages tried to grab Aneko. "The fairies aren't here, Aesop, Bitoru. Their partners all came through though, so that's a small blessing. Jenna's not here, and neither is Chi. Taichi hasn't been seen, and neither has Neo."

Pal and Pul shouted, and Meiyomon gasped. I turned around, expecting something better than what I saw. The savages were piling higher than before. SaberLeomon and Titamon were overcome, and Gravimon was knocked off his feet when Titamon backed into him. We were out of time.

"No!" Rei cried. Jazz was flustered.

"My sister!" he shouted.

"It's time," Meiyomon said sadly.

"NO!" Michael yelled. "Not without Jenna!"

But it was too late. Meiyomon surrounded us with his data stream, and we were being lifted into the air. Aneko screamed, and Mari whirled around and caught her sister's hand. The savages had caught onto Aneko's ankle as we were being lifted. I grabbed Aneko's other hand, and pulled as hard as I could, but more and more of the savage soldiers grabbed hold of each other, making it impossible for us to keep lifting her. She was crying and our hands were sweating.

"Don't you dare let go," Mari ordered her sister. Aneko looked at her apologetically, and then she fell, right through our fingers. Mari screamed as she watched her sister fall into the pile of Gaia's soldiers. "ANEKO!" Mari turned to Meiyomon and grabbed his shirt. "You take me back there. You take me back. She needs me. I need my sister. You let me get her!"

"I can't," Meiyomon said, glancing at the baby Renjiro who was crying in Jou's hold. Mari looked to Jou and looked betrayed by herself, because she wanted Renjiro safe too, but she needed to save her sister. She watched, as Aneko fought to free herself and started running through the streets again.

"She's not alone," Jou said softly, sounding like he would break down at any moment. "Momoe's there, and...and _Emiko_."

"My sister...Shuri, and her boyfriend Kai are there, and I think...I think ToyAgumon fell apart again," Jazz said, his terror and sadness marring his beautiful face.

"I never saw Benjamin leave," Rei said.

"And apparently my parents are there," Yamato said, rubbing Gabumon's fur, and patting Agumon's head. My small victory against Merlin didn't seem so exciting anymore, to be honest, when we realized that Neo was still unaccounted for—not that he would remain so much longer.

"Jenna," Michael said angrily. He grew even angrier, when he caught sight of the three fairy sisters flying away from the Temple. Winter was holding onto Taichi, while Summer had Neo and Dracomon. Spring was flying slower behind them, holding more weight, as she dragged Aesop and Bitoru through the skies. "Where's Jenna?" Michael demanded. Then he screamed at them. "YOU LEFT MY SISTER! How could they leave her? Spring's our aunt. She's supposed to care."

"I think my dad's there too," Jou realized with horror. "And Monmon..."

"Katsue," I realized, murmuring to myself. I'd never got around to finding her. I let it slip my mind. How many others were missing? And would we have a chance to save them? I didn't know. But I did know one thing: the Temple had fallen. Gaia was queen of her own castle once more.

 **Next Time on Digimon Adventure 08:** A three part battle against one of Gaia's most prized minions is coming up in the next chapter!


	72. Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

**Y/N:** Ryou got a turn this chapter, which was horrible, but also kind of cool, because he was a fairly fresh perspective to work with. And Kiyoko was around too, fighting alongside his friends.

 **U/N:** I know I don't particularly enjoy Kurayami's parts in this chapter, but it was also one of the first battles I had to write for the whole trilogy. Oops. How did that happen? Careful planning, that's how :P

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 72: Where Do Broken Hearts Go?**

 _ **Ryou Akiyama:**_

Another pink pillar was racing towards us from the Temple. Primary village was a mess. Everything was chaotic. People were crying, and screaming. Porcupamon was trying to find his friends, and Aneko, who I guessed was his partner. Daisuke's mother was trying to find her daughter, and Elecmon was shouting out above the din, trying to make sure all the babies were accounted for.

I had seen the chaos forming. Taichi had grabbed me right at the start, before I even knew what was happening. Cyberdramon and I were sent away with the Hida family, before _anything_ had even happened. I was confused and irritated. I wasn't the child everyone seemed to think I was. I was technically older than all of them. I had been fighting for my life for longer than they had been, and it was ridiculous for them to think otherwise. I wasn't a complete waste of space. I wasn't a burden that needed protecting.

But I'd been shuffled off anyway, and that was fine. It had happened already, so there was no point lingering on it. I never did. I typically let bygones be bygones. And while everyone else was freaking out about Gaia attacking the Temple, I figured now was a good time to put that tendency into practice.

"That's Meiyomon!" Fumiko Hida shouted, getting to her feet. She was racing towards the pink data stream before anyone had even registered what she'd said. Iori tried to get himself up to go and see what was happening. Obviously everyone was worried that something had gone wrong, since Meiyomon was coming so soon after the last data stream.

"I don't see Taichi," Yuuko—Taichi's mother, I was assuming (it was _hard_ to keep everyone separated in my mind, since I didn't really _know_ any of them)—pointed out, frantically. "Where's my Taichi."

"There's Yamato," Sora commented. "But I don't see his parents. I don't see Neo."

"Where's Aneko?" HoneyBeemon wanted to know.

"I don't see Momoe," Jun gasped.

"Emiko?" the little boy known as Masa wondered. His mother cried out, and grabbed him close. His Kunemon wiggled out of his grasp and saved himself from her crushing hug. Masa wasn't so interested in following suit. He was in need of his mother's embrace. I was pretty sure Emiko was his cousin or something, and she was just a little kid. She was annoying, sure, but she should be there somewhere.

The question was: where was everyone else?

"Meiyomon!" Fumiko yelled again, diving at her digimon partner—who she also considered a son?—and grabbing him close. "I'm so proud of you. You saved so many people."

"I didn't save enough," Meiyomon said bitterly. He had brought a bunch of people with him. Yamato was there, next to a Unimon that was carrying a wounded Gabumon, who I knew to be Yamato's partner. Agumon was with the three of them, which wasn't unusual, since I knew that Agumon and Gabumon were best friends. Willis was there, but his partners had come earlier. He wasn't alone though, since his brother—step brother?—Michael was there too, with his Betamon in his arms. Michael looked to be emotionally confused. He didn't know whether to let anger or sadness win his internal conflict. SaberLeomon and Titamon looked both ashamed and disappointed. They had been protecting Meiyomon, and I assumed that meant they had lost the fight. There was a Fangmon there, looking desolate, and Gravimon looked...well, I couldn't really tell. He didn't really show his emotion as well as the others. He was a puzzle, and kind of spooky. I didn't really delve too deep when it came to him. There was a guy I didn't know that looked kind of pretty I guess. I kind of questioned his clothing choices, but I wasn't up to date on the fashion trends of 2017. I mean, that was ancient to me. The Digital World—where I'd spent most of my extra long life—didn't really have any trends I needed to keep up with. I had way too many years worth of memories to hold onto, I didn't have time to remember boring things like clothes—even if the people of the past _did_ look funny sometimes.

Hideto was there too, looking at his partner, which looked way different than I thought he was supposed to. I mean I had only seen Omnimon the one time—at Jun and Shuu's wedding that they had been nice enough to invite me to—and I didn't remember him well, but I was pretty sure he looked more... _noble_ than the dark and twisted looking digimon in front of me. The scary digimon was holding Merlin, who was tied up and gagged so that he couldn't hurt anyone. Next to Hideto, was Kiyoko, who was clutching Piedmon's arm, and looking to Mari with anxious fear. She was shaking and frantic. I'd never seen her so non-composed—not that I knew her exactly.

"Take me back!" Mari screamed, pulling away from everyone else, before trying to walk back towards the Temple. Rei followed quickly, coming out from where she'd been hidden behind Titamon. Pal and Pul trailed after her, but Mari didn't _want_ Rei's comfort. " _Aneko!_ ANEKO!"

"Mari," Willis tried to reason, reaching out to hold her arm, so she wouldn't rush off and do something stupid. "Screaming's not going to get her back. You need to keep your head about this. You need to _think_."

"They trusted me with her, Willis. They _trusted_ me to keep her safe. She was in my hands. I can't lose her. She's my responsibility. I'm supposed to be giving her a life that's _better_ than mine," Mari said frantically, almost desperate. "Obviously I'm not doing so great. I got her trapped in the middle of a war!"

"Where's my son?" Yuuko asked, moving quickly to Agumon's side and checking Taichi's partner over for wounds. He seemed alright, and clearly not heartbroken, so I figured that meant Taichi was okay. Once she'd checked over Agumon, she moved on to Rei, her daughter-in-law.

Aimi Kido, who I was _pretty_ sure was Jou's step-mother, walked forward, worriedly. Jou too, was hidden behind Titamon, and while Aimi was relieved to see Jou and the baby he was holding, she wasn't completely put at ease. "Isao?"

"With Momoe and Emiko," Jou said, his voice breaking.

"They're strong," Aimi told him, though I wondered if she was just trying to convince herself of it. She was almost convincing though. And I figured she knew them better than I did. I was definitely worried about the little kid and the pregnant lady—Jenna, I thought—who clearly wasn't here either. But I was determined to stay optimistic. I'd been in the future already. I knew things had to turn out alright. There weren't any wars in my time. And I was pretty sure Gaia hadn't been the supreme ruler of all.

Though, to be honest, I didn't remember many history lessons that talked about the war of the nine worlds. It was a worrying thought, but I was sure it was nothing. Everything had gone pretty well so far—except that one time, when Gennai sent me to Turkey, because he was a jerk, but otherwise it had been pretty smooth sailing.

And bonus: I still looked fourteen, so my actual dad—as opposed to past-dad, from this time—wouldn't want to toss me out with the trash, which was awesome, and like, super lucky.

"Taichi's coming," Rei told Yuuko, when she was fussing over her. "He'll be here with the fairies."

It didn't take long for Taichi and Winter to walk together into the centre of everything. Winter was standing confidently, and sparkling in the evening air, despite the rain and mud. She looked glamorous, and when the lightning flashed, she just _glowed_. I thought that must be terribly inconvenient if she ever wanted to sneak up on someone. A minute or so later, Neo and Dracomon walked in, heading immediately to Rei's side, before turning to ensure that Alias III was all there. Neo frowned slightly—it seemed involuntary—when he realized what caused Mari's devastation.

Spring came last, with Aesop and a hesitant Bitoru. Michael _growled_ at the sight of them, but before he was able to yell, or get angry—well, _angrier_ —or explain what had set him on edge in the first place Summer started talking. "She took the Temple."

"Yes," Winter said simply. "She took it, and once again she ran us out."

"I don't want to see her again," Spring said with a whimper. Bitoru put his hand on her shoulder, but rather than turn to him, she curled into Aesop's waiting embrace. He comforted the distraught fairy, and that just set Michael more on edge.

"We sent people to investigate. We need to get them," Taichi declared.

"You think it was a trap," Sora guessed.

"No," Taichi said with a humourless laugh. "I _know_ it was a trap. And we need them back."

"Mommy?" Haruki's tiny voice wanted to know.

"She'll be fine," Summer assured him. "And so will your daddy."

"You don't know that," Taichi protested, frustrated that she might be setting the kid up for disappointment. Summer shook her head and smiled a weary smile at him.

"I do know, because I will make sure of it," she said. "Winter _saw_ Yume. She didn't want to tell me, but there's no hiding the truth from me." Winter sighed and looked away from her sister, not agreeing to what was being said, but there was no reason to doubt Summer's word, so I didn't. "I know Yume. I know how he fights. I don't like that he's Mother's puppet, but I will not let him do something I know he would regret. I will stop him, if I need to. And I think that I _do_ need to."

"Summer," Spring called, anxiously. "Don't go."

"You know that I have to," Summer said patiently.

"Good luck," Spring told her, not liking the sound of it, even though she knew Summer was right. Summer nodded and glanced to Winter, who was still looking away from her. She sighed, and let her wings start fluttering, lifting her off of the ground. She was starting to fly away, when Winter's voice stopped her.

"Come back alive," Winter commanded. Summer looked surprised, and hesitated, before she landed on the ground and hugged her sister. Winter didn't look very pleased, but I was pretty sure that was just a mask she was wearing, because I saw the corner of her mouth twitch, like she was enjoying it. But then Summer was gone off to _wherever_ the others were. I kind of wished I would've thought to go with her. I could've helped. I mean, I hadn't ever used my Crest to digivolve or anything, but my digimon partner was an ultimate full time, and none of them could boast the same.

I mean, yeah, Cyberdramon didn't like to listen. He actually had moments where he wouldn't listen to me at all. And that would have been just fine, if he didn't have a tendency to be cruel and unusual with his actions. I was glad he hadn't had any _huge_ bouts of cruelty since meeting up with the others, but it was just a matter of time. We lost against Gaia when she came to take Cyberdramon and my Crest, not only because Gaia was incredibly intelligent, but because Cyberdramon forgot that we _didn't_ want to actually fight her, and had tried to kill her, which resulted in me nearly being killed, which snapped Cyberdramon out of his rage. I couldn't control him. I didn't want to _have_ to control him, but I needed to. No one seemed to remember that Cyberdramon was two digimon fused together. My friend Monodramon hadn't wanted to leave my side, and had fused with my actual partner, Millenniummon. Even if everyone was second guessing which enemies made up the great evils, Millenniummon was _never_ off the list. He was the only evil entity that Neverland had ever produced.

And he wasn't dead. He walked at my side, trying to be a good guy, but he couldn't always pull it off. I wasn't too frustrated with that most of the time. He was trying, and that was awesome. I fully supported him, and always would. It was just annoying sometimes.

It also made me question myself.

If a digimon partner was the missing piece of yourself, if a digimon completed you, then why was my other half _so_ evil?

Since I was thinking about evil and stuff, I kind of wandered over to where Hideto's creepy partner—whose name I hadn't thought to ask for—had deposited Merlin, while everyone else scattered through Primary Village, with Elecmon ordering everyone around so that they could put the rain barriers up, which would hopefully help lift everyone's spirits, since it was hard to be cheerful when they were wet and cold and miserable—and tired. It _was_ the middle of the night, after all.

Merlin was on the ground. I'd seen him be set down so that he was sitting with as much dignity as he could have, considering his situation, but he was on his side now, squirming in the muddy grass, inching his way toward the edge of the village. No one was really paying attention to that part though. They were focused on arguing with one another. They couldn't seem to agree on what questions to ask Merlin. They needed to be the 'perfect' questions, for some reason. I figured it wasn't like he was going anywhere, so they could just ask them all, but I didn't want to get in the middle of Taichi, Yamato, Koushiro and Winter. Instead, I just sat on the ground next to Merlin.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked him—not trying to seem ominous or creepy. I was actually just curious. He turned his wide eyes to me and hesitated, before he started squirming more. He made it a foot further before I spoke again. "Is she calling you? Morganna is calling, isn't she, and you need to go." He made a pitiful mewling noise behind his gag, and I figured I'd guessed right. "She wants you. Is she cruel if you don't answer?" He cried again, and struggled harder to break his bindings. "You're not going to escape. Even if you get out of the bandages, there are far too many people here to let you go. Cyberdramon won't even, right?"

"Huh," Cyberdramon grunted. I was glad he seemed to be cooperating. He was kind of looming over Merlin, which, once I thought about it, was probably why Merlin had seemed so scared of me. I hadn't even questioned it, but I really wasn't scary—at all. I was fourteen years old and kind of childish looking. _Emiko_ was scarier than I was, and she was just a kid.

"You're not getting far," I told him. He didn't seem bothered by that. "She's not far then. She's not too far away, or you wouldn't be trying so hard to get out of here. She's close, and you're scared of her?"

"He's not scared," Cyberdramon told me, after scenting the air. "He can't feel fear."

"Then what's wrong?" I wondered.

"He's compelled," Cyberdramon suggested. "She's calling for him, and she's got his heart. He has no will of his own. It's brilliant, from a strategic point of view."

"But you wouldn't do that," I said firmly, looking at him skeptically.

"If I had the power to do so?" he wondered aloud. But then he glanced at me and quickly gave me the answer I was looking for, which was suspicious enough. "No, of course not."

"Do you think you could find her?" I asked Cyberdramon.

"I believe so," he said. He was far from confident sounding, but I figured that was good enough. It was better than me in any case.

"I'll go tell her that you can't come," I told Merlin. He struggled a little more, before he calmed down and nodded. He jerked his head in one direction several times, before I realized he was giving us a starting place. I grinned at him. "Nice doing business with you," I told him. I got to my feet and lead Cyberdramon away. We left just in time too, because Taichi ripped Merlin's gag off, and knelt down so that he could talk directly into his face.

"Tell us everything you know about Gaia's plans," Taichi demanded. Merlin looked miserable, and half drowned because of the rain, but he couldn't answer. He didn't know anything about them. He was a minion of Gaia's minion. He was way too far down on the totem pole to be able given any information about Gaia's plans. She kept her plots close to her chest. That's why she was so formidable. I knew, because Cyberdramon liked to tell me how impressed he was sometimes. I let him, because he was reminiscing when he did it, and it helped me understand how Gaia worked a little bit better.

I moved further away from Taichi as he interrogated the minion. Koushiro was standing with Jou and Sora. They weren't exactly being patient. "When's he going to ask about Mimi?" Koushiro asked.

"We'll get her back," Sora insisted. Koushiro didn't look like he believed her, and Jou was very unhappy about everything that had happened so far. He should be. His family wasn't nearly as lucky as some of the others, and several had been left behind. "We'll get _everyone_ back."

I fully believed her, because she sounded so convincing. It was great to know that _someone_ other than me still had full confidence that we'd win this somehow. I edged my way around them, and continued on my way towards the edge of Primary Village, following Merlin's directions. I wasn't sneaking around, because I really didn't need to. Not one of these people was my father. I didn't need their permission to leave. But I also didn't want to draw attention to myself, because they didn't seem to know that they weren't in charge of me—and I always felt the need to go along with their plans, to make everything go easier.

"Where's Ryou going?" Miyako asked. I froze mid step, and turned to her. She, Biyomon and Hawkmon were walking toward Sora and the others. I noticed that her father had her baby, hiding her under his jacket, so that she couldn't get much wetter. He was moving towards the rain covering, where all the baby digimon were. Aimi Kido came to collect Jou's baby, so she could stick Renjiro in a cradle too, where he could get warm and dry. Jou was hesitant to hand him off, but he knew that it was better for the baby, so he let her take his son. He picked Gomamon up, needing something to hold on to. Gomamon made a bit of a fuss, because he wasn't a baby, but he wasn't really too bothered by it. All the digimon—aside from Cyberdramon really—had been very cuddly since they got back, and liked to spend as much time as possible being close to their partners. Cyberdramon was kind of a grump, and way too big to cuddle anyway.

"That's the part where _Ryou_ answers the question," Sora prompted me. I put a grin on my face and threw a hand behind my head so that I could laugh. It was nervous laughter, and they all heard it. I turned to them and tried to just shrug.

"It's dangerous out there," Jou pointed out. "You can't go alone."

"Because I'm a 'kid'," I mumbled grumpily, dropping my forced grin and kicking the ground childishly.

"No," Koushiro said, "it is simply too dangerous for anyone to go alone. Gaia was at the Temple, we have no way of knowing if she's on her way to us or not."

"I'm not alone. I've got Cyberdramon, so I'll just be going," I said, moving quickly. I elbowed Cyberdramon to ensure that I had his attention, and then started running. I heard the others running after me, but that didn't matter. I had to give Morganna a message, and then I kind of wanted to defeat her. I was pretty interested in that idea really. No one else seemed very proactive about it, and I wondered if it was because they all had grown up issues bogging down their minds.

"Stop acting like a child," Jou called to me. I turned and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Haven't you heard Taichi? I _am_ a child," I countered.

"At least tell us where you're going," Miyako pleaded.

"I'm gonna get Morganna and save my friend Yume," I shouted over my shoulder. I was disappointed to notice that Miyako was flying on Aquilamon and was cutting off my path. Cyberdramon looked ready to destroy Aquilamon, so I knew I had to stop. He would totally do it if he thought they were trapping me. "Stop Cyberdramon," I told him. He continued moving for a few seconds before he gave in and stopped.

"Don't go alone," Sora ordered me.

"If there's a chance you're going to beat Morganna, then I want in," Koushiro said firmly, surprising everyone—including me. "She stole my wife's heart. I want Mimi back."

"I think we all do," Jou said. "And if defeating Morganna means we get Mimi and Merlin and everyone else's hearts back, then we should at least try."

"This is the _second_ time I'll have sneaked off without a word..." Miyako murmured to herself. "But for Mimi, it's worth it."

"It think the storm's lifting," Tentomon told me. Obviously the other Digidestined had brought their digimon in case we found any trouble. It was fortunate that they'd planned so far ahead, because I wasn't turning back to get help. I was going to do this. I had permission now and everything. I wasn't going to go back to sitting around and babysitting just because they didn't know what to do with me. I lived for adventure. It was the only thing that made living in the past bearable.

I let Cyberdramon take the lead, since he was going to try and locate Morganna for us. Unfortunately, in our haste to get away, we lost track of the direction that Merlin had pointed us in. We got lost pretty quickly actually. Cyberdramon had just been trying to save face when he said he could track her down, because he was easily embarrassed whenever anyone pointed his faults out to him. I should've known, but I'd given him the benefit of the doubt. I always did.

"Well, this is just great," Jou sighed. "I shouldn't have left. I'm all Renjiro has right now."

"Stop being a downer Jou," Gomamon instructed. "Momoe promised to keep Emiko safe, didn't she? I don't think she'd lie about something so important."

"I hope Ken's okay," Miyako murmured, rubbing her arms. She was shivering, which was expected. The rain had stopped, but only to be replaced by a chilly night wind. I wouldn't have been surprised if everyone ended up with pneumonia by the time this was all over. I was freezing myself. Everyone looked cold really. I wished we could take a quick break to build a fire, but I was also itching to find Morganna and get this over with too.

"We're lost," Sora groaned, "aren't we?"

"We're never lost," I protested quickly. "We're having an adventure."

"I want this adventure to be over," Biyomon said, trying to dry her feather. "I want to go back and sit by a toasty fire. Wouldn't that be great? It would be even better really, if we had marshmallows, but I don't think anyone thought to get any when we were running for our lives. I know _I_ sure didn't. Did you, Sora? No, I don't think so. You didn't have time. I got hurt. I'm sorry about that, but wasn't it super cool to see Warg and Melga become ShadowOmnimon? I thought it was. I was a little scared at first, because I definitely thought it was a SkullGreymon situation, but I really don't think it was. I think they always had this in them, and that maybe _Omnimon_ was the SkullGreymon this time around. Do you think that's right? I think it is. SkullGreymon was strong, but MetalGreymon was definitely the right fit for Agumon and Taichi."

"You might be right," Tentomon contemplated. "I wonder if we could perhaps ask Warg, Melga and Hideto how if felt when we return."

" _If_ we return, you mean," Gomamon said. He was the only one not fussed about being wet—but then he was a seal, so it was in his nature.

"You will return, easily enough," a cool voice said, cutting through the wind that whirled around us. I turned, surprised to see Winter was standing there. She looked quite frustrated with us, and she had the glowing green orb that was Palmon floating at her side. "Honestly, we turn our backs for three seconds, and you run off and get yourselves lost in the woods. You're lucky I'm clairvoyant, or you might've been stuck in the cold all night. Let's get back, shall we? Taichi has nearly gotten Merlin talking. We'll know _something_ new by morning, I'm sure."

"He won't know anything," Cyberdramon insisted. Winter looked him up and down, taking a moment to judge him, as though she could feel Milleniummon's power within him. She shivered momentarily, but regained her proper posture soon after.

"Mother would not have told him anything, no," Winter agreed, "but Merlin is exceptionally gifted with observation. He passed that annoying trait on to my sister, Summer. Even the smallest of details can provide him with a piece of the puzzle. He will have information, even if Mother thought it was inconsequential when she provided Merlin with the information. He's annoying, and irritatingly supportive, but he _is_ brilliant."

"We're not going back," I said firmly. She turned her eye on me and raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, I realized that when I _heard_ what you were saying in the woods. You're after Morganna, and if you thought for one moment that I would not be involved with taking my old mentor down, then you have another thing coming," Winter said. The coldness in her voice made more sense now. It wasn't directed at us after all. It was for Morganna.

"Then let's keep looking," I said. "She's got to be around here somewhere. I got a direction from a fairly reliable source."

"From Merlin, yes, I caught that too," Winter said wryly. "But there were two things that you failed to take into account. The first, was that I can locate Mimi for you with ease. And she is here, in these woods. You weren't even close, because the second thing you forgot, was that Merlin works for Mother, first and foremost. If you continued on the path you would have come across Maugrim and met your certain demise. Now, I shall get us on the proper course. Let us go."

She was a much better navigator than Cyberdramon was—not that I would _ever_ admit that to Cyberdramon. He was in kind of a bad mood, because he'd been leading us towards a worse enemy than Morganna. I was embarrassed that Merlin had been lying to me. I was only trying to help him, and he was sending me to the slaughter. What a jerk. But it probably wasn't his fault, so I would try to save him anyway. I was pretty quiet on the long, chilly walk, other than to thank Winter for saving our lives, by coming before we stumbled upon Maugrim.

The others were more talkative though.

"Can you find Morganna?" Koushiro wanted to know. "Or perhaps it is simply Mimi you can get a read on?"

"It's just Mimi," Winter told him. "Morganna has mother's protection, but mother always did forget that her lackeys were the perfect windows for me to watch her plans through. Now, Mother isn't incompetent. She knows enough not to speak with such lackeys. But Morganna is not so infallible. Her biggest mistake was taking Mimi as her pet. She speaks to Mimi with a candid nature that is dangerous. I've never earned her trust the way Mimi has."

"But Mimi didn't _want_ to earn it," Jou insisted.

"Exactly," Winter said. "I was too stubborn, and it was impossible for Morganna to control me on the level she has Mimi bound. Mimi cannot disregard Morganna's orders, which makes her a clear favourite. The fact that she is a Digidestined makes her more appealing than any of Morganna's other heartless puppets. Morganna enjoys the dramatics of it all. She likes that a Digidestined will survive the fallout Mother has planned, and Morganna finds it especially titillating that Mimi will have no recollection of any of you until her heart is returned—which Morganna may never allow to happen."

"She won't have a choice," Koushiro said darkly.

"Don't be arrogant," Winter cautioned. "There was a time that I may have made that mistake. But I have learned since then. The after-effects of learning to understand Summer, and to find common ground, means that I have a sense of humility that I was severely lacking when I was younger. Perhaps, had I bothered to learn this humility as a youth, I may never have played God, and not set forth the great evils. I set them in motion when I killed my father."

"I don't think it's your fault," Miyako said. "Autumn was right, I think. Her visions come true, regardless of attempts toward the contrary. You weren't able to fight it. Destiny made you kill your father. If you hadn't, then peace wouldn't be on the horizon."

"Perhaps," Winter said. She looked out of the corner of her eye at Miyako, and I thought I saw a hint of a smile on her lips. "My actions caused you so much sadness and fear. My actions create my father's spirit. I set that spirit free and I was the one that was meant to keep him in the Dark Ocean. He escaped me. And he was taking his revenge against you because I _chose_ you. Every horrid thing in your life is my fault."

"You're wrong," Miyako said softly, touching her stomach. "I resented for a long time that you were willing to save Bengoshi, but not Mai."

"But I could not," Winter said softly. "I wasted my energy to get us to Sidhendor. I was saving that energy in order to get you to Earth, or to the new world. I wanted you to have medical care. I wanted your baby to be healthy. I failed that. That was a second lesson in humility, and again, it cost you greatly."

"Mai is plenty healthy, now," Miyako said. "And I'm taking a lesson of my own, from Iori. I forgive you. I won't forget, because it's too much, but I forgive you, and we can work passed this."

"Thank you," Winter said, sounding entirely surprised. She was quiet for a long time, often closing her eyes and fingering her temples. Her eyes opened sharply and she turned her head. "Mimi can see us."

"Mimi!" Koushiro called. Palmon's green orb flew alongside him as he ran to a large rock. Mimi was sitting, with her knees against her chest, on that rock. She was soaked to the bone, and was shivering like mad. Her lips were blue, and there were streams of black makeup running down her cheeks. Very little of the makeup remained around her eyes. She looked fragile and tiny. She had a knife gripped tightly in her left hand and she stared into the distance with unfocussed eyes. She was looking right _through_ us. Tentomon flew behind his partner, but Palmon danced around Mimi's head, trying to get her attention, but Mimi wasn't able to do anything but stare ahead.

"She's been ordered to wait," Winter explained. "Morganna cares little for the health of her puppets. They cannot die without their heart, and so their health does not matter."

"That's horrible," Miyako whimpered.

"Morganna is _not_ a kind person," Winter reminded her. "Mimi won't be able to move until Morganna arrives, and that may not be for some time. Yume and Norn are where your friends are. They will not be able to come so long as your friends prevent their departure. Killing Digidestined takes precedence over a simple meeting with their master."

Miyako whimpered again, because that was where her husband was, as well as Takeru, Hikari, Daisuke and Kurayami. I knew that they had their partners, and that Takeru and Hikari could fuse, as well as Daisuke and Ken, if needed. But Winter had just reminded us that without their hearts, they couldn't be defeated. They would work for Morganna for the rest of time, if we couldn't beat her. While the Digidestined were strong, they weren't invincible, and they could not last forever in a fight. They would grow tired sooner rather than later, and would be killed easily enough.

"Mimi, are you okay?" Koushiro asked, softly. "You can't answer me, can you? Oh God. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help you. I can't help you if you won't answer me. Mimi, please. _Please._ Look, it's Palmon. She's waiting for you, Mimi. She loves you. I love you. Mimi."

"She can't hear," Winter said softly. Koushiro nodded, but he still reached out to hold Mimi's hand and continued to whisper softly to her. Sora moved to Koushiro's side and rested her hands on her best friend's shoulders while he tried to get through to his wife, despite logic telling him it was impossible.

"We cannot stay," Winter said. "Even if Yume and Norn are otherwise occupied, Jupitermon will be coming soon enough to join Mimi in waiting for Morganna's arrival."

"I'm not leaving her," Koushiro said thickly.

"I never suggested you were," Winter assured him. "We will take her with us. We'll have two prisoners that belong to Morganna. That will draw her to us. We will be able to fight on our own terms, with more digimon at our disposal than we can count."

"Mimi doesn't _belong_ to Morganna," Jou countered quickly. He was just as upset as all the others at Winter's word choice, but I knew she didn't mean it as an insult. Until Mimi's heart was returned to her, she was Morganna's. It was logic, even if it wasn't pleasant.

" _Well_ ," a malicious voice called from the trees. A woman walked out, and I knew she had to be Morganna. "I would beg to differ, and wouldn't you know it, the girl would to. Who do you belong to, pet?"

"Morganna," Mimi said expressionlessly.

"Wonderful, dear," Morganna said. "And look at all the Digidestined you lured for me. You really are the perfect pet. Winter, I see you've come as well. Your mother _will_ be pleased."

"I don't care so much about that," Winter said simply.

"Me either," Morganna said with a twisted, toothy smile. "I suppose I'll just kill you myself."

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

"Kurayami!" Daisuke shouted instinctively. I could see that he was already on his way over to me, but I wasn't going to put myself in a position where I would need his help. I wasn't helpless anymore. I wasn't that weak girl who cried every night because shadows were creeping through her windows—which, for the record, didn't mean I was weak that was actually _very_ scary—and I was no longer afraid of the dark.

As Akumu soared toward me I leapt out of the way and he swished past, his billowy smoky cape whipped around his nonexistent legs and he turned his mutilated face my way again. His shimmering red eyes sparkled in the light of the moon above, but I could keep my cool. He didn't scare me.

He _couldn't_ scare me. I didn't think anything could ever scare me again.

My mother had been possessed by darkness and that had been passed to me, while Fanglongmon took me in to 'keep me safe' and turned out to be worse for me than anything could have been. I watched so many people die by his hand, and I saw my own mother's lifeless corpse. I had been haunted by shadows and dragged to hell and back again. I had drank the water in that world and lived my deepest fears again and again, and learned to understand that there is always a way to counter your fear. I watched the devil drain life from my mother, and I had watched through my brother's eyes as he was murdered. I _killed_ the devil after he took my friend's body and then we ran into the sunset together to save the world. I murdered a man to help save my friend and while I would never forget, I was okay with what I had done. One look at Mai told me I had done right by the world, even if I had to take a man's life to get there. I had lived with demons and shadows and devils and monsters. I had been through darkness more times than I cared to count and I had cried all the tears I had to shed.

So no, Akumu's nightmares didn't scare me.

But I was willing to bet that I could make _him_ fear _me_.

"Labramon!" I ordered sharply. Labramon did not mind my harsh tones, but I was already planning an apology in my head for later. Labramon shifted through his forms until Anubismon stood before us. I wasn't sure how strong Akumu was or what level of digimon he might equate to, but I was sure Anubismon could take him down. Even if we had another form—which we couldn't access without Michael and Betamon—I was confident in our abilities.

Or, perhaps I had judged the situation too soon. We _would_ have been able to defeat him, if we were alone. But that was simply not the case.

"Get _down_!" Ken bellowed loudly.

I obeyed blindly, afraid of what might be coming and I let out a scream of shock as a ball of white energy shot over my head faster than a bullet and I turned to see the culprit.

 _Norn_.

I wasn't in a place where I was ready to fight _her_. I had resolved all issues with killing Moretsuna because it was the right thing to do. But I would never be able to accept that killing Norn was the way to end this war. I wouldn't kill her because she meant far too much to me. I wouldn't kill her because she meant too much to the _world_. I wouldn't kill her because she didn't _deserve_ to die. She was the kindest person I knew next to maybe Hikari and she was my _friend_.

"Norn!" Daisuke objected weakly, looking to her with wide eyes. "Please, don't do this!" Norn looked over to Daisuke with only her eyes and she hesitated. For a wonderful moment I thought that it was going to be that simple. I thought that speaking with Daisuke was going to be enough to pull Norn from her place under Morganna's hold.

But I was wrong. I saw her arms tense up and I knew she was preparing to strike. "Daisuke!" I yelled out. He was quick to listen to my warnings and he dropped to the ground, rolling aside as Norn spun quickly around and shot to the place he had been standing.

Seeing that Norn wasn't going to be helping us in our fight was enough to get Ken and Daisuke into a battle ready position. Wormmon and Veemon both evolved as high as they could go, to GrandisKuwagamon and UlforceVeedramon and while Davis and his partner set their sights on Akumu to help Anubismon, GrandisKuwagamon was narrowing his eyes toward Yume who was already advancing upon us.

I wasn't ready to give up on Norn just yet.

The digimon surrounding us were going to get hurt and get in the way if we continued to fight in our current situation, since they were entirely focused on staying exactly still until they were slaughtered, as was Gaia's wish. Even with my confidence and determination to stay brave and unafraid I still feared for the lives of these digimon. They were literally lining up to die and they didn't even know that was the case, and if they _did_ , they had no way to stop themselves from standing still. It made my entire body feel numb with just the thought.

It was terrifying and disgusting how much sway Gaia had on the pawns in her game—and that's clearly what all of this was to her. A simple game. Well I was pretty good at chess and I knew that all I had to do was get myself to the other side of the board to get my queen back. And once the darkness was back in my court... well... I wasn't sure what I could do with it, but I was hoping it would be enough to stop Gaia. Ultimately I didn't care _who_ brought an end to her, as long as it happened soon.

I caught sight of Ken and he was staring around at the digimon just as I had been doing, and I knew we were on the same page. Norn would have to wait for a moment. I saw that she was marching straight toward me, so I turned and ran to Anubismon who was dodging Akumu since he was throwing actual digimon toward him.

"We need to get them out of this group," I explained. Anubismon looked to me and nodded without saying anything. He reached toward me and I grabbed the bracelet around his wrist for stability before he kicked off the ground. He spread his wings and Akumu was following a moment later. I was comforted when Anubismon reached his other arm around to hold me closer to him to keep me from slipping and it gave me a moment to look down to the others.

Through my hair that was whipping madly in the wind I could see that Ken had decided to follow me. GrandisKuwagamon had wrapped his arms around Yume and was flying through the air while Ken and Daisuke ran after us all.

Norn was the problem.

I saw her still, but she wasn't taking UlforceVeedramon's bait and when she readied her gun, preparing to shoot it toward a Prariemon, he acted quickly—and perhaps too roughly—striking her across the side of the head. She let out a shriek of horror and then UlforceVeedramon had lifted her into his arms and he was racing after the lot of us.

I wrapped my arms around Anubismon's neck and held tightly. I felt his head moving as he searched for a safer place to land and I was pleased to see that the others were keeping up well. Daisuke and Ken were surprisingly fast, pushing with all their might and stretching their legs in long strides to keep moving.

And then their arms were waving madly and I leaned forward to get a better look. What were they trying to say?

A jolt of fright filled my entire body when I caught sight of the blur of darkness making its way toward us. Anubismon let out a cry of pain when his back had been hit and then the world was spinning. I felt sick as we spun out of control, spiralling toward the ground.

And then Anubismon pulled from the dive in time for us to crash into the ground. His wings and back had taken the landing and I was thrown from his arms. The world took one final spin and then I had slammed down onto the grassy plain. I groaned and rolled onto my back, gasping in pain as it spread down my spine. "A-are you okay?" I grumbled, feeling like I was about to vomit. The world felt like it was tipping back and forth and I couldn't shake the dizzy spell. "Anubismon?"

I was worried about him. We had already spent our fighting tokens for the day when we faced Maugrim. We may not have won anything, but we managed to distract him long enough to let Miyako save Iori. Anubismon had taken a few pretty bad hits though and in the end he was too tired to even fly back to the Temple.

Could we really face off against Akumu alone? And where was he? I looked up to the sky and immediately wished I hadn't. I grabbed my head in both hands and moaned with pain. I had seen a streak of darkness and knew it to be Akumu, but I couldn't see Anubismon anywhere. I forced myself to fight the discomfort that was swelling up inside me and I shakily got to my feet, searching the grassy ground for my partner.

I saw him finally, sprawled out in the grass, groaning loudly. I tried to hurry toward him but found myself instead falling to the ground onto my knees.

There was a faint ' _swish_ ' and I knew Akumu was close. I looked up and saw his blackened hands reaching from the depths of his cloak and I was sure it would be the end.

But instead of a ball of darkness I saw a ball of light—orange light. And a blur of green came next, with a pair of arms that wrapped themselves under my own arms to pull me to my feet. "Kurayami, are you alright?"

I heard Summer's voice but the world was still shaky so I did not dare to take my focus away from Akumu who was making his way quickly toward us once more. I nodded slowly and Summer released me, setting off toward Akumu. "This has gone on far too long," she told him. "When I was younger I used to light a fire to help me sleep at night because the fire would make the darkness less frightening." I had already fallen to Anubismon's side and I was cupping his face in my hands. "Why don't we see if that's still the case?"

A massive ball of fire erupted out of Summer's hands and fired toward Akumu who actually did look afraid for a moment but he let himself sink into the ground to avoid the blast.

Anubismon was nodding his head and brushing my hand aside to tell me that he was ready to go again and I nodded, backing away from him and nearly stumbling again. I caught myself and took comfort in the world that had finally stopped flipping back and forth. Anubismon was standing again, ready to help Summer, but a blast of golden sand had caught his attention.

I looked to see GrandisKuwagamon and Yume tumbling through the sky, fighting one another while they fell, only for both of them to pull back at the last moment and shoot in opposite directions. I whipped my head around so fast that I heard it crack, all in order to follow Yume with my eyes. I didn't want to let him get behind me and best me by being a coward.

"Yume!" Summer shouted loudly, looking up to him after blasting more flame off toward Akumu who was slinking along the grass like some kind of demonic toy car. I saw him making his way toward me and built up some kind of stupid courage. I marched directly toward him and wound my foot back, kicking his face as hard as I could.

I let out a startled gasp when two black shadowy arms shot from the ground to grab at my leg. I was slamming once more into the ground before I knew it and my back ached once more. I brought my second foot around and began kicking repetitively against his hold, unable to pull myself free.

"Akumu, get _off_!" I shouted loudly, slamming my foot into him once more.

"Hallowed Knuckle!"

A blast of golden light shot through Akumu's arms and they vanished in that moment. I felt the release of his grip and I pulled back sharply before they could reform. I dragged myself backward across the grass as Seraphimon and Ophanimon landed together, staring toward Akumu who looked annoyed to have someone standing between the two of us, like his entire goal in life was to simply tear me apart.

Well, that made sense to some degree. He was the physical manifestation of the curse that had plagued my family for generations and that meant he was intending to help me kill any future children I were to have. The thought sent anger coursing through my body. I wouldn't allow this to continue. I wouldn't let this horrible monster continue to tear apart my family tree. It was time to get some revenge for all those who had died by his hand.

A hand grabbed mine and a moment later I was spinning around to avoid a blast, being dragged to the side. I crashed into Hikari as Takeru released me and the three of us turned to face Norn who was firing our way now. Daisuke and Ken were nearly caught up, but UlforceVeedramon was much closer and had once more brought his fist up to hit Norn.

I felt my fists clench because it wasn't fair that she had to feel this pain but she seemed to think the same. Norn bent in half as his fist came toward her, looking toward the ground. She then kicked her feet toward the grassy ground and flipped over his arm, slamming her foot into the side of his head and—in the same movement—had prepared a blast to hit him in the chest.

Daisuke had soared through the air, tackling her around the middle and her blast of white light fired off into space as he tried to pin her to the ground.

Instinctively I hurried to his side, desperate to be of some use, but only anger bubbled inside when I saw her kick Daisuke in the stomach. He grunted and loosened his grip on her arm and she took advantage of that, bringing her fist up quickly to strike the center of his chest. Daisuke collapsed as Norn slipped away from him.

I was already checking his pulse before I could be sure what had happened and was pleased to see his eyes open slowly. He was okay! "Daisuke, you need to get up."

"Five more minutes," he joked, but now was _really_ not the time. I grabbed his arm and we both got to our feet, taking in the sight of the battle that should never have been happening at all. We were sent out on a scouting mission and here we were facing people who had no say over their own actions. And also Akumu who definitely deserved whatever was coming to him.

Seraphimon was gracefully gliding through the air and avoiding all of Akumu's attempts at attacking, but was unfortunately not able to land any of his own, so in the end it was just the two of them dancing around, unable to make a solid strike. UlforceVeedramon and Ophanimon were wrestling Norn who was kicking and screaming, firing blasts of energy at random angles. I was making sure to stay protected, but it wasn't fair for the digimon to have to take her shots. GrandisKuwagamon had swung his fist and hit Yume with a solid strike in the face, but was otherwise losing the battle between him, even with Summer's help.

Summer was not very committed to attacking, but I couldn't blame her. I didn't want to fight Norn either. It wasn't _them_ though that we would be fighting, simply their bodies. Every punch they took would _hurt_ them, but it would be one aimed for Morganna. We couldn't defeat her by fighting them, but we could take her minions away from her at the very least.

"Yume please, you must listen to me," Summer was saying in an earnest voice that was floating lightly through the dark air. The moon from Witchenly was enough to light up the field well, but the black sky was still ominous enough to warrant suspicion and hyper awareness. Summer lit another fireball in her hand and then let it disperse when Yume caught sight of her. "Please don't make me fight you!" she shouted. "Yume, _please_!"

"Kura!" Takeru yelled. I snapped my attention back to him and nearly screamed at the darkness coming my way. Akumu had his sights on me again but I wasn't in a place to help fight him. Anubismon was making his way over to Norn and I saw that UlforceVeedramon was working on overdrive to keep her still—until all at once she had fired a blast through her hands.

It hit UlforceVeedramon square in the chest and he released her, dropping her to the ground as he fell to his knees. Daisuke was rushing toward his side and I would have joined him if Akumu hadn't materialized in front of me. I swung my fist back to hit his face but he moved too swiftly. "Leave me alone!" I shouted loudly, but Akumu wasn't taking requests.

Soon Seraphimon had appeared once more and was dragging Akumu away from me as Hikari took my hand. Together we ran, and both of us had turned our heads to see him. Akumu had not treated Hikari any kinder than he had me and I only knew a fraction of what she had gone through in the Land of Dreams. Hikari hadn't even told me and wouldn't, either. Takeru had been the one to tell me what I did know, but wanted to respect Hikari's wishes and keep her secrets for her.

"Yume, _listen_ ," Summer was still trying to convince him to stop and while it was admirable how much she cared for the man, it was senseless. He was not in control of himself and it was not because his mind was in the wrong place like mine had been with Fanglongmon where Daisuke had saved me with a kiss. This was much different because his entire heart had been taken from him. A mind could be persuaded but a heart was a much more difficult thing to win over. "Your heart is not where your true self lies! It is a manifestation of emotion and your true self, but _you_ are you! You can pull through, Yume! I know you can. You can fight this! Come back to us! Come back to _me_!"

"Grandis Scissors!" GrandisKuwagamon bellowed firing blades toward Yume when he was preparing a ball of golden sand to through at Summer who was simply not getting the hint. Yume snarled toward his attacker and kicked off the ground, flying toward him where he slammed into his chest.

GrandisKuwagamon was soaring backward, but Yume caught himself, slamming his feet into the ground before rounding on Hikari and me. He moved quickly, flying through the air until Summer screamed at him. "Yume _stop_!"

He froze in mid air and while Hikari was screaming, turning her head away, I was simply watching him. He was hovering in mid air like he was on pause. He blinked as he stared our way and I knew that he was still able to move, but he was _choosing_ to stop. There was a way to get through to them. Hikari was pulling on my hand a moment later and I nodded, agreeing that we should back off.

Summer had a different idea. She moved quickly to his side and gently took his hand as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Yume, I'm here for you. You never have to fight a battle alone when I'm around. I'll be by your side, I promise! You have to fight this hold." Yume turned his head toward her in jerky movements, like he was fighting the urge.

"Summer—" His voice came out as a cracked whimper and then all at once he was moving at lightning speeds, whipping his fists through the air. Summer dodged the first attempt, and managed to block the second, but the third had hit her hard in the stomach and she toppled backward, falling toward the grass.

For a moment I thought she was unconscious but she spun herself around in her big dramatic dress, and fire erupted from her feet, spinning into a giant circle around them all. "I'm _so_ sorry about this, Yume," she told him softly as the fire burned brightly around the pair of them. She turned her head for a moment before she lunged forward. Her dress caught on fire and it melted away to reveal a much more battle ready outfit. She was ready to take Yume on now, because she was sure Morganna was too strong to oppose.

Yume took note of her new stance and upped his own game, tossing aside his sandy jacket before creating a majestic horse from his golden magic.

Seraphimon and Ophanimon both shot off toward him to help fight, while GrandisKuwagamon backed off and let them have him. He instead opted for Norn who was fighting a shaking UlforceVeedramon while Daisuke tried to encourage him to take it easy.

That left only one enemy and one ally.

I turned to see Akumu and Anubismon. It was one on one and I was only going to let this end one way.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

Amai was running her fingers through my hair. I kind of liked it, but I hadn't come over here for her to comfort _me_. I didn't have a girlfriend still trapped in the Temple where Gaia was now reigning as queen. I didn't have a girlfriend at all, but that was beside the point. I was meant to be helping Amai through this hard time, because we were friends, and we were cousins, and I really thought it was the right thing to do. But she didn't seem all that interested in letting me comfort her. So I was letting her run her fingers through my hair, and I was letting her comfort me, because it seemed to make her feel better to have someone to focus on, other than Katsue. So long as her thoughts weren't filled with fear and worry about what Katsue might be going through, I was willing to go along with whatever she wanted.

I was watching Hideto, while Amai's fingers worked their magic against my scalp. He was talking animatedly with ShadowOmnimon and Spring, excitedly telling Spring all about how Omnimon had become dark and twisted and more... _Hideto_. She was very pleased for him, but she was worried. First, Summer had left to be with Daisuke and the others, and now Winter had disappeared. Taichi was still interrogating Merlin, so he might not have noticed, but Spring certainly did, and so did I.

ShadowOmnimon let out a long sigh, and started glowing, before splitting into two digimon. Warg and Melga stood there, looking up to Hideto, waiting for his praise—but he was too shocked to really give them any. The two of them looked different. It was so strange to see them in their new, darker tones. Warg was pure black, and Melga was both black and white. They no longer looked like mirror images of Agumon and Gabumon. Just as Hideto had managed, they had become true to themselves and embraced their dark sides.

I watched when Hideto looked misty eyed, and patted them on their heads, before bending down and wrapped them in a hug. I smiled, and was a little teary myself. I would have time to congratulate them later. I had to stay with Amai first. She needed me, and they were being showered with praise by other people.

Hideto felt my eyes on him and glanced my way, and I made a point to be looking elsewhere, before our eyes could meet. I'd kissed him, and I was _pretty_ sure that he was ready to be together again, but it wasn't the time to be having thoughts like that. We were at war, and Amai's girlfriend was trapped. There were children still there—Monmon and Emiko in particular. Jenna was there too and she was pregnant. There were so many serious issues happening that I couldn't bring myself to focus on my love life—no matter _how_ much I hoped I was right, and that Hideto really _was_ ready to date again. I missed him very much. I wanted him to come home at least, even if he wouldn't date me. I was tired of not seeing him.

"There, there," Amai said softly as a frown twisted onto my face. I felt guilty immediately. She was comforting me again, but my thoughts weren't on something important. My thoughts were filled with movies and dinners and walks through the park during peak cherry blossom season—anything that I could do with Hideto on the dates I was hoping we'd be alive to have soon.

"Sorry," I apologized, though Amai had no idea what I was apologizing for, and I felt rather ashamed to admit my thoughts to her.

"DemiDevimon digivolved," Amai informed me. I let her, and pretended like I hadn't noticed the obvious change in her partner. He was sitting next to her, and had his wings folded around her, to protect her from the wind. The rain was stopping, and several people had managed to find dry enough locations to get some sleep. Masa was asleep with his mother, Chiziru and her boyfriend, Dansei. Masa and Kunemon were curled up between them. Mantarou and Iruka had Mai, while Shin and Tafu had Renjiro. Jun and Shuu, of course, had Haruki. None of those sleeping children had even one parent here to care for them. Mantarou and Shin had a small panic attack, when they realized that Miyako and Jou had disappeared too, but they'd taken it in stride, just as Jun always did when Daisuke disappeared.

That didn't stop the worry in their eyes though. They could try as hard as they wanted to hide it, but the fact remained. They were scared for their siblings' lives. Momoe was already trapped in the Temple, and they were worried about her, and then Miyako took off somewhere—again—and hadn't told anyone. Miyako could be dead, and Mantarou, or Chiziru would never know.

I was too afraid to take a full attendance. I didn't want to know the grand total of missing members of our allied forces. It was enough to see the sea of faces trying to get warmed by tiny fires that Meramon helped light, with wood that all the champions had rushed off to find. The rookies had been forbidden from leaving camp without an older, or stronger digimon with them. Gravimon had gone with the champions, and I was glad to see him actively participating in everyone's survival, despite his embarrassment at being overrun by the savage army of humans that Gaia had assembled.

Gravimon was old, and remembered long into the past, to before Witchenly was separated from the others. He remembered the old resentment the digimon had against humans, and Gaia in particular. The other digimon of Witchenly had been fooled into following Gaia's command, because of a false name and some charm, but Gravimon wasn't swayed. I was proud of him for that, and I was proud that he was fighting alongside humans now, despite his old resentments against Gaia's people—the humans of long, _long_ ago—that had taken digimon and used them as slaves, before banishing them into an abyss that Hiraga Akiyama would one day turn into the Digital World. He was so strong—emotionally, not just physically—and it was something that warmed me to the core.

He was responsible for the majority of the wood that had been collected, and he'd gone with Shinkoumon—the digimon of Faith—to collect colourful fish, and herbs to roast over the fire, while Babamon and Jijimon headed out with Meiyomon—who needed some time without his mother—and two knights: Dorumon and Kotemon, in order to find berries and other wild, edible plants. Yuuko and Yoshie had already started seasoning the first batch of fish that Gravimon and Shinkoumon had provided, and had them roasting, while Kae and Satoe waited patiently for Babamon's plants.

It was disheartening to see how easily my friends—Team Mom—were adapting to the new situation. They shouldn't be okay with cooking with sticks and sleeping on the soft, bouncy ground of Primary Village. None of the people that we had with us should. Why couldn't _they_ at least, feel the freedom of peace while we continued to fight? It would be so much easier for me, if I didn't have to worry about them all the time. Gaia _clearly_ had very few limitations, and had taken Natsuko and Hiroaki once before and now they were trapped with her in the Temple. It wasn't fair that she'd kept them, or Katsue, or Aneko, or Emiko. Jenna was going to have a baby soon—a hybrid baby that would need to be delivered carefully so as to not hurt the mother.

It was very dangerous to have Jenna in Gaia's custody right then—well, it was _always_ dangerous, for _anyone_ , but still.

"Look at those two," Amai murmured. I was leaning back against her, and I wasn't sure whether she was talking to me or to Piddomon, her angelic partner, or to Monimon, who was dozing on Piddomon's lap. He had cried himself out, and was pretty much exhausted. I followed her finger anyway, and saw that Kurayami's father, Okotte, was sitting near Plutomon. They were both near one of the smaller fires, and neither looked particularly pleased. Okotte was worried once again for his daughter's safety, while Plutomon was trapped with non-Olympians, while the actual Olympos members—of whose rank he wished to join—were lost to the world. Jupitermon was Morganna's puppet, and the others were forced to follow his commands, due to a spell that Merlin had cast.

"I think they're talking," Piddomon whispered.

"I hope they are," Amai said. "They really need friends. They're so lonely. Just look at them. They're always all by themselves."

"It's sad," I agreed.

"I tried to help, but Okotte doesn't know how to understand me," Amai said softly. "Plutomon is really, very mean."

"He is," I said, agreeing again.

The two lone wolves talked quietly for a few moments more, before Mari walked by and casually set a hand on Plutomon's shoulder. She whispered something, and then walked off. Not even a full minute later, Plutomon got to his feet and headed in the same direction. My stomach was churning at the thought of something nefarious going on. Mari often had schemes in the works. Once, Alias III had broken into a government facility using one of her schemes. We'd saved Willis and everything. But that was only another reason to worry.

We'd nearly gotten caught on that mission, and all of our other ones were just as grand and outrageous as that one was.

I heard a group of footprints shuffling on the ground, before Willis sank to a crouch next to me. Tapirmon sleepily curled up on my legs, to give Willis more room. I started stroking his head, and he sighed, contentedly. Terriermon climbed up Willis' back so that he was sitting on his shoulder, while Lopmon just crawled into his lap. I looked at Willis, expectantly. Michael and Betamon were standing behind him, still glaring off toward Spring, while Michael let his anger and resentment fester and boil under his skin.

"What's Mari up to?" Willis wanted to know.

"I'm not Mari," I pointed out, "so how would I know?"

"I don't know," Willis said, waving it off. "What I really want to know is: are you going to follow her, because I am, and I guess I just wanted to know if you wanted company."

"You should," Amai told me. "I'll be alright. I have Piddomon and...Monimon. Tafu's here too. We could write a letter to Grandmother or something. Or I can...write to Katsue, maybe. Oh, but we don't have any paper."

"Try to get some sleep," I suggested.

"I don't know if I can," she admitted. "But I'll give it a try."

"Good," I said. "I'll be back soon. We might be able to convince Mari _not_ to do something stupid."

Amai kissed my nose, which I found awkward—but only because Willis and Michael were there and witnessed it. It made me feel silly to be so excited to have a cousin that clearly cared about me, even if she showed it in weird ways. Michael and Willis had each other, and Jenna. They weren't grasping for straws like I was. I had cousins and a Grandmother, but they had a parent each, and a sister. They were _used_ to familial affection, and weren't nearly as impressed as I was. I carried Tapirmon in my arms, because he was tired, and I kind of hid my face behind him, until I was sure my skin wasn't bright red anymore.

We headed off to where Mari had been, and found her talking with Lalamon. "Lalamon, I _need_ you to stay behind. I'll have Plutomon, so it's okay. I don't need you to worry about me."

"Mari," Lalamon said patiently. "I was created to keep you safe. Don't think for one second that I'm going to let you walk off without me being there to protect you. Gaia's not very far away. Morganna or Jupitermon, or Maugrim could be just around the corner. You wouldn't be able to protect yourself."

"But I don't want anything to happen to you," Mari insisted.

"So you _do_ understand how I feel," Lalamon said with a giggle. "So it's agreed. I go with you."

"I don't like it," Mari complained.

"She's not the only one going with you," Willis said, "if that makes it any better."

"I don't even care," Mari sighed. "All of you can come, or none of you. I don't care. I'm going no matter what. I need to save Aneko. She's my responsibility. She's my sister. I have to save her."

"We're going to the Temple?" Michael asked, perking up. His sister was trapped too, and he was already in a much better mood than he'd been even a minute ago. He was happier now that there was some way he could actively save her. Or at least try to.

"Should I get Hideto?" I wondered aloud.

"We're leaving now," Mari informed me. "If you go, we'll be leaving without you."

I didn't go to get Hideto, even though I wanted to. I wanted Hideto and Neo both. It didn't feel right to go without Hideto at least. We were Alias III, and our missions were successes because all _three_ of us were there. I simply had to hope that Michael and Willis would be able to pick up Hideto's slack. I was pretty sure they didn't have his particular skill set, and in my own opinion, they fell short when compared to him, but then, I was in love with the guy, so my opinion was biased.

Mari sent us through the crowd of people, with strict instructions to take different paths, so that no one was suspicious. She would take us along, since we offered, but she didn't want to risk anyone else. Aimi might want to risk herself for Isao, or Mantarou for Emiko and Momoe, so it was best to keep our mission a secret. We couldn't have their deaths on our hands if things went south.

I hugged Tapirmon to my chest, and I tried not to look over to Hideto. I could feel his eyes on me, but I ignored him the best I could. I couldn't take the time to get him. He was on the other side of Primary Village now, and I couldn't risk losing sight of Mari. She was serious when she said she'd leave me behind, and I felt a lot more confident about my knowledge of her survival when I could keep an eye on her. It was way better to go with her than to stay behind and cry myself to sleep over worry.

When we entered the forest that divided Primary Village from the Temple, we found that Michael had picked up an unwanted follower. Spring was walking after him, trying to get him to listen to her, but he wasn't interested in hearing what she had to say.

"Michael, listen to me," Spring cried. "I didn't do it on purpose. I thought she'd get there. I sent her ahead. Michael, my mother stopped us! I couldn't risk Jenna, so I sent her and Chi ahead. They were supposed to make it there. I faced my mother for her. I fought against her. I didn't just give up on her. Michael, I _love_ her."

"You really fought Gaia?" Michael asked, sounding like he was desperate to believe her, but was too frightened to do so.

"I _swear_ to you, the only reason I let your sister out of my sight was because Mother came to catch us. She's desperate to find your mother, Michael," Spring said. "I don't understand. Autumn's been gone a long time. I can't figure out how Mother hasn't noticed."

"It's better that way, maybe," Michael said. He wasn't exactly calmer in any way, now that he knew Gaia had been close to catching, and most likely _killing_ his baby sister. He wasn't even less angry. But his anger was turned in the correct direction now, at least, so that was worthwhile.

The journey back to the Temple was frightening. It was dark, and I was very worried about what we'd find when we got there. The rain stopped, which was pleasant. But on the whole, the trip was eerie. There was silence all around us, and only the sound of our wet, crunchy footsteps disrupted the spooky atmosphere. I spent the walk mentally telling myself that Aneko was okay, and there was no reason to worry about her. Everyone loved her. She probably convinced Gaia to give up and start a new life, where she would be good, and just, and kind—everything she pretended to be in Witchenly. Aneko might have that power.

It was unlikely, but 'unlikely' didn't mean it was impossible. It _was_ highly improbable though.

"We're nearly there," Spring said. "But something doesn't _feel_ right."

"Do you mean the part where your mother stole our base?" Mari asked. "Because she'll still be there, and Maugrim might've joined her by now. Is that what you're feeling?"

"No," Spring said. "There's a plant...like a briar patch?"

"Sleeping Beauty," Michael murmured. We turned to him, and saw that he was ahead of us—having not bothered to stop when Spring was feeling cautious. I walked up behind him, and saw what he meant. The entire Temple had been hidden behind an enormous dome of thorny bushes. It was a briar patch alright. "I thought I was done with fairy tales."

"Someone's coming," Spring said. Her voice warbled, and she pulled me down to the ground. My knees landed on the soaked earth, and cold water found its way through my pants. I was now wet, cold and muddy. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. I sighed, and hugged Tapirmon tightly. He squawked in protest, but Spring hushed him quickly, before pulling Michael and Betamon down. They too landed in a puddle. Spring was trying to pull down Plutomon when _whoever_ it was made their first appearance.

"I will not cower when Jupitermon stands just feet away from me," Plutomon said firmly. "I am no coward, and I will not back away from this chance to prove myself to him."

"Wait, please," Spring said, desperately. But it was too late. Plutomon raced down, already summoning the darkness to his hands, and he attacked Jupitermon, before the king of Olympos even knew what was coming. Jupitermon didn't stay down long though. He was on his feet, calling the lightning—though the thunder storm had _just_ ended—and shooting it at our ally.

"Neptunemon's coming," Mari murmured. "And there's Marsmon. They heard the attack. We're going to have to take on the Olympos XII."

"We should have brought Hideto," I told her pointedly. "We don't have enough power to beat them."

"We'll have to make do," Willis said firmly. "Terriermon, Lopmon, I think we're going to need Leopardmon on this."

"Okay," Terriermon said. He reached out and held Lopmon's hand, before they started racing down the hill. They tripped and started rolling, and by the time they'd finished rolling, Leopardmon was standing up. Betamon raced down after them, digivolving through his forms until GigaSeadramon was there too, ready to take on Neptunemon as he arrived.

"Lookie, lookie," a voice called from the trees above us, "they think they're hidden. They think they can beat us."

"They can't though," another voice said. "Jupitermon is too talented to lose, and we must do as he says."

The first voice turned out to be Merukimon, who jumped down, and looked apologetic, before he lunged at me. Tapirmon jumped out of my arms and became Piedmon just in time to stop Merukimon from getting me.

"I can tell your heart is not really in this," Piedmon offered, understanding the situation that the Olympos XII were it. They could not disobey their master, but unlike Jupitermon, they were fully aware of everything they were doing.

"It's not _my_ heart that's the problem," Merukimon said with a sigh, before he tackled Piedmon. I was on edge, because there was a female member of Olympos XII in the trees above me. I'd heard her, but she hadn't attacked yet. When I felt a sword to my back, I realized I'd just missed her.

"You don't want to do this," Lalamon said, as she was digivolving to Rosemon. Her silky black petals blended into the night, making it hard to locate her at times.

"I really don't," the female, who I now knew to be Minervamon said. "But I have no choice."

"I know," Rosemon said sadly, "and because of that, I too have no choice." Rosemon threw thorns at Minervamon, which made her back away from me. I felt like I could breathe again, and I was quick to take stock of the fight. Piedmon had gained another enemy in the form of Volcanusmon. Lunamon and Coronamon were trying to attack Spring, and she was trying to be gentle. Venusmon was wincing as she attacked Spring as well. Marsmon was going head to head against Leopardmon, and GigaSeadramon had both Neptunemon _and_ Bacchusmon to deal with.

Minervamon was barely putting any effort into swinging her sword. It was mostly dragging on the ground, as she pretended to fight Rosemon. But when Junomon arrived, Minervamon was contented to half-swing her sword in anyone's general direction. I was very pleased with how much effort some of them were putting into fighting Merlin's spell. They had to do as Jupitermon said, but unless he was clear and precise, there were several interpretations that could be had.

She was supposed to attack us, and she was. She just wasn't doing _well_.

"Perhaps," Minervamon said slowly. "I don't want you to realize that a _better_ strategy might be to fight two on one, instead of taking on so many of us at once."

"Okay..." Michael said slowly.

"I also wouldn't want you to realize that the thorns on the dome are poisonous, and could knock any one of us out with very little effort," Minervamon continued, sending a wink in Michael's direction. "Of course, you don't know anything about the magic."

"Yeah," Michael said, clearly catching on. He realized that Minervamon was doing her very best to help us, and we owed it to her to at least use her tidbits to the best of our abilities.

"Shut up," Jupitermon shouted. Minervamon opened her mouth to say something else, but her voice was gone. She glared at Jupitermon. He was busy, trying to fend off Plutomon, but he seemed to understand what was going on. "Fight to kill, not to capture!"

Minervamon's eyes widened and she tried to force herself not to move towards Michael, but she couldn't control herself. I caught Mari's eye, and the two of us ran at Minervamon, shoving her backwards until she hit the briar patch's thorns, and the poison got into her bloodstream. She gave us a thankful glance before sleep overtook her. We were one down, but ten to go—and now Mari and I were in the middle of the battlefield. Plutomon was thrown back. He skidded through the grass, leaving a trench in his wake. Lunamon and Coronamon raced at him, compelled by Merlin's spell and Jupitermon's command. They scratched and bit Plutomon, but Spring made a willow tree grow next to Plutomon, and had both of the smaller Olympians trapped in the billowing strands of leaves. They struggled to get down—but not too much. Jupitermon hadn't ordered them to free themselves, _specifically_ , so they were rather content to remain where they were. Plutomon tried to get to his feet, but didn't have time, before Jupitermon was advancing on him again.

GigaSeadramon shoved Bacchusmon back towards the wall of thorns. The oversized serpent digimon was asleep quickly, leaving only Neptunemon for GigaSeadramon to face. Leopardmon was at a stalemate with Marsmon. Leopardmon had enough raw power to win, but Marsmon was too well versed in strategy and precision for Leopardmon to get any good attacks in. Volcanusmon was hurling fire at Piedmon, and Piedmon's jacket caught on fire. In his panic, he threw a sheet over the fire thrower. The sheet was removed, and instead of a large, powerful digimon standing there, there was a simple keychain. Merukimon looked slightly horrified, while at the same time was looking longingly between the uncontrolled keychain and the wall of thorns.

"On guard!" Rosemon shouted, holding a vine rapier towards Junomon. Junomon was fighting back, as she'd been ordered to do, but she wasn't winning. Rosemon had too many techniques, and there was so much diversity in them, that Junomon wasn't able to keep up.

Jupitermon was holding Plutomon with one hand, while punching his face with the other, when he caught sight of Rosemon's duel with Junomon. He saw red and dropped Plutomon, no longer interested in a match that he had already won.

"That is my _wife_ ," he snarled, as he raced at Rosemon. Rosemon froze, looking at Jupitermon. Mari let out a strangled shout, and grabbed my hand, as we watched Jupitermon lunge at Rosemon.

 _ **Ryou Akiyama:**_

"That's not going to happen," Winter said firmly. She didn't waste any time having a non pleasant chat with Morganna. Morganna wanted to kill Winter, and Winter wasn't interested in letting that happen. She twisted her wrists, and the water all around us solidified into ice. Morganna could not take a step without slipping, which I thought had been an excellent choice by Winter—but only because it would humiliate Morganna. We couldn't exactly move either, though, because we didn't have any better traction than Morganna did.

Also, we were all covered in frost, which was worse than just being wet with the wind that was picking up speed. I was almost convinced I was going to get pneumonia from it, which sucked, because I hadn't been sick even _once_ since I'd been flung back in time. I had a really long, perfect streak going on, and I didn't want to mess it up.

"How quaint," Morganna sneered. "Mimi, attack."

Mimi jumped to her feet without hesitation. Mimi slipped all along the grass, which was practically a sheet of ice now, and held her knife in her stiff, icy fingers. She moved methodically, unable to feel embarrassment as she tumbled to the ground. The knife sliced at her leg as she landed funny, but she continued as if she hadn't even felt it. She was nothing but a puppet dancing to her master's strings. She moved toward Koushiro, who had tumbled with her initial movements, and though Palmon tried to stop her, she swung her knife down at Koushiro.

"Mimi," Biyomon called frantically. "You know him! That's your husband. Oh, Mimi don't do that. You'll regret it. You love him. He's clueless sometimes, and he talks a lot about stuff that doesn't make any sense, but that's okay, because he loves you too. Don't do it!"

"Biyomon, she can't hear you," Tentomon said, sounding rather upset about it. "And I can't save him, because I won't hurt her. I can't hurt her. She's _Mimi_. She cooks us food and tells us stories and watches documentaries with me even when they don't interest her, if I help her in the kitchen."

"She's not going to hurt him," Jou said firmly, as he made his way toward Mimi. He caught her around the middle, and pulled her away from Koushiro. Mimi flung her arm back and started stabbing blindly through the air behind her, to get Jou to let her loose. He jolted backwards when the knife got too close, and his feet tumbled out from under him. She landed firmly on his chest, and wormed her way around so that she could stab him directly into the heart if she chose to.

"Mimi!" Koushiro shouted, startled and terrified. She was fully capable of doing it, because Morganna wanted her to. I looked to Cyberdramon, but found he was far too intrigued with what was happening, and wasn't planning on helping. I figured it was up to me then. I slid along the ice, acting as if I had skates on, and came to a stop just behind Mimi. I reached around her for the knife, and tried to wrestle it from her. Koushiro came to our aid as fast as he could—which could have been faster, honestly, I wasn't having an easy time of it—and helped me to lift Mimi off Jou, so he wouldn't die on a sheet of ice.

Sora chose to head to Morganna, rather than Mimi, because she knew who was pulling the strings. She tackled Morganna before Winter really had the opportunity to do anything else. She was wrestling with Morganna while we wrestled with Mimi. Morganna wasn't interested in continuing with that hands on tactic, and chose one of her own. She reached her hand towards Sora's chest, and her finger tips sunk through her shirt and into her skin. Sora shouted, and shoved her hands in Morganna's face, trying to shove her off. Winter made the ice at Morganna's feet creep up sharply, to form icicles. One stabbed Morganna through the leg, and Morganna screamed. Miyako skidded along the ice behind Sora and pulled her out of Morganna's reach. Winter sent icicles flying through the air towards Morganna, but Morganna moved out of the way in time.

Jou was free, but Mimi wasn't interested in playing the part of a captive, and swung the knife back. I felt it in my hair. She _nearly_ got my face. My heart was hammering and adrenaline pumped through my veins. I was enjoying myself, despite the danger and severity of the situation. I stopped enjoying it so much when Cyberdramon growled, and made a move forward. I had to abandon Jou and Koushiro with Mimi and race over to Cyberdramon before he could try to exact revenge on our heartless friend.

"Leave her alone," I ordered Cyberdramon. He growled again, and I sighed. He was so hard to handle when I was potentially in danger. It wasn't fun. Why couldn't he realize that I didn't _appreciate_ it when he let his need for revenge, or conquests win? I wasn't evil. I didn't really want him to allow his darker tendencies to take over. I knew it was a part of him, but now really wasn't the best time.

And I really needed to keep him away from Morganna, because I didn't know _what_ would happen if Morganna got a hold of Cyberdramon's heart. He was a great evil. We'd be doomed.

"Tentomon, digivolve!" Koushiro called frantically. "Get Morganna!"

"Biyomon, you do it too," Sora instructed, mimicking her friend. Soon there were two super ultimate level digimon in place of the small rookies. Varodurumon and TyrantKabuterimon didn't wait for further instructions before they fused together. They were an incredibly powerful digimon, and I thought that meant we had a great chance. But Morganna saw it differently.

Rather than cowering, like I imagined she would, at the sheer power of the digimon before her, she leaped into the air and stabbed her hand through the digimon's chest. There was screaming all around, not just from Koushrio and Sora. I was definitely sure that I heard my own voice among those screams.

"That was foolish," Winter scolded, sounding a tad fearful, in my opinion, which I knew was fueling Miyako's own hysterics. "Do not announce your intentions whilst your enemy can hear you."

"Now, now," Morganna said lightly. "I don't want you to think _I_ don't appreciate your mistakes. I do believe this is the strongest digimon I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. It was so thoughtful of you to provide me easy access to such a formidable... _ally_."

"Let them go!" Sora cried. "Eaglemon, attack her."

"Oh, he doesn't listen to you anymore," Morganna said with a sad tone. "But if you'd like, I could give him the same orders. Eaglemon, attack _her_."

Eaglemon moved instantly, turning towards Sora, ready to attack, but Gomamon rolled in front of her, before he started running forward. He glowed and slowly, he changed to Ikkakumon, then Zudamon, then Plesiomon, before finally, a huge armor covered digimon was flying in the sky. It was Aegisdramon, and he flew directly into Eaglemon, shoving him backwards. Eaglemon flew at _him_ in retaliation, and Aegisdramon nearly fell from the sky. Morganna was right when she said Eaglemon was strong. I'd never heard of two _super ultimate_ digimon fusing. The power of a super ultimate by itself was immense, but to combine it with another allowed for an additional power surge. It was impressive—though it would've been _more_ impressive if Eaglemon hadn't been taken so quickly by Morganna.

"Cyberdramon, help him out," I ordered, with a shaky voice.

"With pleasure," he said before flying off at Eaglemon. I wondered if I needed to give an additional order to not _kill_ Eaglemon, but figured he'd be alright without one. He was just a regular ultimate level digimon after all. He wasn't going to be able to contribute too much, but if he could keep Eaglemon distracted while we took care of Morganna, then that was enough.

"Hawkmon," Miyako said simply. Hawkmon was quick to digivolve to mega, becoming Valkyrimon with one fluid movement. I tried to pay attention to Cyberdramon and the other digimon that were fighting, but it was hard to do that, when Morganna was trying to kill Winter, and Winter was using her ice magic to attack Morganna right back, and Mimi was trying to kill both Jou and Koushiro. I knew I couldn't just stand there and watch, no matter how much I wanted to, and I ran back into the fray to try and get the knife from Mimi again.

"Mimi, I love you," Koushiro said, trying once more to break through Morganna's hold on Mimi. It wasn't working of course. But he was now torn between the two most important people in his life. Morganna had both Mimi and Tentomon under her control, and Koushiro was getting pretty agitated by the thought. Jou was mostly trying to convince Mimi to put the knife down.

"You don't have to stop fighting us," Jou even offered. "But if you could put the knife down, that would be preferable."

The ground shook, as Eaglemon shot laser beams from his eyes. Valkyrimon used his shield to protect himself, and Aegisdramon blasted back at Eaglemon with his cannons. Cyberdramon was kicking the giant bird, but it wasn't having much of an effect.

There was a moment where I nearly lost my balance, and I heard distant cries from the others, but the sheer force of the attacks was too much and we were all dazed for that moment. I caught sight of Cyberdramon a moment later and he was still making no impact on the opponent.

"Use Desolation Claw!" I told him. Cyberdramon immediately got working at his special attack, while I got to work prying Mimi's fingers from the knife. I won the knife in the dual, and I threw it off to the side. It skidded along the ice and came to a rest at Morganna's feet. Blood was rushing down her leg, and she quickly grabbed the knife as she continued to dodge Winter's volley of icicles that were meant to incapacitate her. Morganna grinned maniacally as she clung to the knife, but Mimi on the other hand went completely mad without the weapon. She swatted at Koushiro and Jou, and kicked and bit whatever came nearest to her. She was in frenzied. She needed to complete Morganna's orders, and Morganna wanted us all dead.

Winter created two battering rams out of the ice on the ground, and swung her hand together, clapping them. The battering rams—completely covered with jagged icicles, and had a genuine terror factor to them—moved effortlessly across the ice until they converged where Morganna stood—or where she _had_ been, before she noticed Winter's plan. She ran forward, and they crashed behind her. Morganna jumped and swung the knife down with both hands, towards Winter's head. But the ice grew once more and caught Morganna before she could do any damage.

"Face it," Winter told her one-time mentor. "You've lost."

"You think the student can _ever_ surpass their teacher?" Morganna sneered.

"I just did," Winter assured her.

"We'll see about that," Morganna said. Her arms were still free, even if her lower half was completely encased in ice. She drew the knife back once again, and made to attack Winter with it, but she changed her mind at the last minute, and she cast the knife through the air. It was headed towards Miyako, who—like Sora—was watching the digimon fight with rapt attention, fearing for all the digimon's lives, without having a clue that her own life was now in danger.

"NO!" Winter screamed, before flying through the air. She was racing the knife, and the knife had a head start. Miyako heard her scream and turned, just in time for Winter to slam into her, wrapping her arms tightly around her chosen Digidestined. The two women fell to the ground.

But Winter wasn't fast enough.

Her pained moan filled the air, and Sora hurried to their side. She tried to help Winter off of Miyako, but she had to be careful with the knife. She couldn't remove it, or else Winter would bleed out. The knife was dangerously close to her heart. One wrong move and an artery could be severed, and we'd lose her for good.

"I told you," Morganna said, smirking. "Mimi, finish her off."

But what Morganna hadn't noticed, was that Mimi's heart was shining like a green sun. Mimi's heart wasn't in Mimi's chest though. It was in Morganna's, and Palmon's shining orb flew through it, coming out as a digimon on the others side—but not as the Palmon I'd been expecting.

" **BurstRosemon**!" she said with gusto, as the digivolution light faded away from her. She was wearing pink and white and black, and she was glowing. She was more than that though. She was super ultimate. Mimi's purity, and determination to be herself even though Morganna was controlling her had allowed Palmon to digivolve!

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

Akumu was colliding with Anubismon every time they lunged at one another and it seemed they had found someone evenly matched in both strength and darkness.

All of my will power was spent on _not_ observing the other fights in order to keep my sole focus on Akumu rather than the others, but even still I could tell where everyone stood. Seraphimon and Ophanimon were still fighting by Summer's side and none of them _wanted_ to hurt Yume but that didn't mean they wouldn't if they had to. No one was aiming for the kill, but finding a way to knock him unconscious had been a goal from the start. Norn was on my other side facing off against a still injured UlforceVeedramon and GrandisKuwagamon who was performing rather dramatic flips at each opportunity in an attempt to avoid her strikes. He had taken a few rather prominent blows, but nothing as major as UlforceVeedramon.

Norn was growing more used to her skills as time went on and that worried me. She had an almost inexorable source of power and if she was learning at a steady pace then they would surely not defeat her if the fight was prolonged much further.

But again, my focus had to be on Akumu because he was facing off against my best friend and he had already been the cause of my family falling apart, I wasn't going to let him take anything else from me.

Zeta's curse had been passed down straight to _me_ and I couldn't help but wonder if I could _feel_ the curse. I would never know unless it was lifted, but perhaps there had always been a weight on me that I was simply unaware of and maybe—if we fought hard enough—I would live to feel that weight lift. The curse was so dark and filled with so much sorrow. The curse was the reason my brother was dead and the reason my mother had been taken. It was the reason for the depression that trickled through the cracks all the way down the family tree, nestling into every nook and cranny it could find, including the darkest corners of my own mind.

Now, I wasn't one to put the blame on other people and people who played the victim in situations where they were most certainly not the victim were my least favourite kind of people. Or at least they were my least favourite kind of person that wasn't a sociopathic hate filled mongrel. But in _this_ situation—and this one only—I felt comfortable playing the victim. But I wasn't the kind of girl who was going to lie down and let this happen any longer. I had a physical manifestation of everything that had ever gone wrong in my life and I was being given the chance to beat the crap out of it.

" _Hit him again_!" I shouted with so much force that my voice cracked. My voice was coming out in a near growl each time I shouted encouragements to Anubismon who was doing everything he could to not take a blow that was too damaging.

Akumu had three very common attacks. One was where he would extend his darkness into the ground and release a claw-like arm from behind Anubismon when he wasn't paying attention. I was getting pretty good at spotting when that one was coming and it hadn't been much of a threat lately. A second attack was a simple ball of dark energy that more often than not took Anubismon by surprise with the speed of the ball. It didn't seem to be too strong when fired so quickly, and Anubismon had taken _many_ hits from them and was still standing, though he was moving slower now and his shoulders were drooped. I was worried that they were taking their toll on him. And Akumu's third attack, which he used less, involved his foggy cape extending to surround Anubismon and keep him still as the darkness seemed to drain his energy.

All of them were disgusting and bad because Akumu had _no_ right to be hurting us any more than he already had.

"Now!" I shouted loudly as Akumu spun to avoid Anubismon's 'Pyramid Power' attack. Anubismon obeyed and swung his arm quickly, knocking Akumu back with a fist to the face. I felt a satisfying clench in my stomach as I watched him stagger backward, but it wouldn't be enough and I knew that.

What was strange, I noticed, was that Akumu's nightmares were nowhere to be seen. He could not summon _more_ because he had used up all the spare magic, but that did not mean he could not call on the ones that were already present. Where had they gone?

And come to think of it... why had Summer come to help at all. I could understand Winter, if she had seen that we were in trouble, but Summer had a different gift that was not as useful at long distances. I didn't have time to worry about things like that though and instead kept my mind and sights on the one true goal. We had to take out Akumu no matter what.

"Pyramid Power!" Anubismon shouted when Akumu had let another dark claw erupt from the ground around him. The attack caused the hand to dissipate but gave Akumu an opening and his cloak opened up again. I was cursing myself internally as it was my fault he had been caught. I should have been paying closer attention!

To ensure my mind did not wander I looked around and picked up a wad of dirt which was as good a weapon as I was sure to find here, and I rushed forward whipping it over my head where it smashed against Akumu's pale face.

Disgusted, he released Anubismon and shook the dirt from his face. He looked up to me and set off immediately. I was _not_ afraid of him, but I wasn't sure how to avoid his attack without letting him think I was, so I stood my ground and balled up my fists. I slammed them forward as he came near but I had been enveloped in his cloak a moment later and all I could see was darkness.

" _Kura, I'm very sorry that this has to be your life."_

The voice nearly stopped my heart because it was coming from my mother. I held my breath and stopped fighting against the darkness, trying to listen closer to the stillness, but the voice seemed to have disappeared.

" _Kana, you are making a mistake by having a child."_ This time it was Grandfather who was speaking, and he was addressing my mother. _"You know of this curse. You know what it has done to our family. You_ know _it is not worth the risk."_

" _I love my baby already, Daddy,"_ Mom told him softly. _"It may be selfish, but I love this child and I will not vanquish it. It may be a harsh reality and we may not have a happy life in store, but I think I can keep it safe. I_ know _I can keep it safe_."

She had been wrong. She had been proven wrong and she had been so narrow minded that she had missed the bigger picture. Grandfather was not wrong. Having a child was extraordinarily dangerous and I would never have given birth to Haruki had I known that the curse existed. I was strangely happy that I had been unaware though and I hated myself for it. I hated that I was _happy_ he was cursed rather than not alive at all. This was not a happy life for him, just as my mother had said… she had wanted to save Yukai and me from the darkness but she had failed.

 _I_ wasn't going to.

I couldn't fail.

I felt a hand curl around my wrist and as I was being pulled from the darkness I saw flashes of the woman I knew to be Zeta. I saw her in tears in every snapshot of her life and I saw her and her only child sitting alone on a porch, staring to the stars and then I saw her child crying as he saw her die.

My throat was raw and I was blinking back tears as I resurfaced outside of Akumu's robes. I gasped for breath but it felt harsh and wrong to be breathing. It felt odd to exist at all in that moment, like it wasn't fair for _me_ to live while all others had been forced to suffer. But this was no longer about _me_ , but about my son and any future children that would join him in our little family.

I saw that it was Ophanimon that had been the one to pull me from the darkness, and as I finally allowed myself to take air into my lungs I saw that Summer was tying Yume up with a thick glowing rope that she must have created with some kind of power.

Seraphimon was facing off against Norn now that UlforceVeedramon was entirely down. I let my eyes pause for that moment to ensure that Veemon was alright, but Daisuke was focusing on the game and not the injured digimon in his arms now, so I knew he would live. GrandisKuwagamon looked like he had taken quite the beating as well and, while Seraphimon didn't look much better—it was nice to know that they would be fighting together. I hoped that Norn would have no recollection of this when she returned to us. That wouldn't be fair.

Anubismon was soaring directly toward Akumu's back but Akumu did not take notice and instead reached out with his darkness to grab my wrist. Ophanimon pulled sharply, dragging me away from him, but he held his grip and from where he was holding I saw darkness spreading. I saw his sorrow and his curse seeping into my body.

" _No_!" I shouted, retracting my hand.

Anubismon hit Akumu and together they crashed to the ground, but Akumu was quick to throw Anubismon off of him and his seeping cloak crept toward me.

"Kura," Hikari urged. I looked to her and saw her standing near Takeru, she was reaching her arm out to me. Light and dark were always pulling from opposite directions. But where did true balance come in? "Come!" Hikari insisted.

"No," I said firmly, turning my sights back to Akumu. "You won't kill my son. You won't do it. I'm not going to let this continue any longer." I felt my anger boiling now as my fists clenched. "This curse ends _here_."

I took one step back and pulled out my digivice. It was still vibrating and glowing with that faint blackness that was my Crest. I felt my heart beating in time with Anubsimon's, just as it had ever since Hikari had saved the digimon from Gaia. "Anubismon, it's time."

Anubismon was pulling himself to his feet and he looked like he needed a nice long nap. Unfortunately he wasn't going to get that until we could finish this once and for all. I held the digivice out and hit Akumu with the light that shot from the screen. A moment later there was a pink light that joined the darkness and I saw Hikari emulating me. I nodded to her and turned back to Akumu.

Fear filled his eyes because he knew that if could not inflict panic his powers were useless. "You're not so scary," I said, finally confident that it was true. "You have no power over me. Darkness can only affect a lesser darkness, and I'm sorry to say that you're not on top anymore."

Anubismon prepared his attack and shouted, "Pyramid Power!" He was drawing the pyramid in the sky as it lit up and Ophanimon took a step forward.

"Sephirot Crystal!" Ophanimon sang firing a crystal toward Akumu. Her crystal hit at the very moment that Anubismon's pyramid and the two attacks sank deep within his darkness and within seconds he was expanding as light seeped through the cracks of his cloak.

Yume let out a cry of horror as Akumu finally burst and the darkness dissipated completely. I felt a little bubble of accomplishment compete with the anger that was fueling me and a small smile crept onto my face. "What have you _done_?" Yume gasped.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

"Rosemon, move!" I shouted, when it became abundantly clear that Mari didn't have the ability to do so. Junomon hadn't given up on the fight, and was now tag-teaming Rosemon with Jupitermon on her side. It was unfair in the worst way. Jupitermon was too powerful, and he didn't have any of the reservations that any of the other Olympians had. He didn't realize he didn't _want_ to fight us.

Leopardmon was losing his fight against Marsmon, before he started glowing, and Cherubimon and MegaGargomon took his place. They were taking Minervamon's advice to heart. Marsmon was having more trouble now, with two enemies to face. The battle was turning in _their_ favour, even though it was worsening for Rosemon.

Piedmon kicked Merukimon backwards so that he fell into the briar bush. He was tangled in the thorns, but he was unconscious. His blade fell from his hand, and clattered to the ground. It was only a dagger to him, but compared to me, it seemed like a fine blade. I looked to Rosemon, and saw her struggling, and saw that Piedmon had moved to help Rosemon as best he could—but Jupitermon was making quick work of him, just as he was with Rosemon. They needed help. But Neptunemon and Marsmon were keeping our only other digital allies busy, and Spring was facing head to head with Venusmon—and being attacked by Venusmon's bird friend at that moment in particular.

I moved closer to Merukimon's blade, and carefully picked it up—making sure I didn't accidentally get poked with the thorns in the process. The blade was a little heavy, but it was well balanced. I gripped it with two hands and waited until there was a perfect moment to strike.

"Cherubimon!" Willis shouted, racing into the battlefield. Cherubimon fell with a loud crash, and reverted to Lopmon. MegaGargomon wasn't impressed with Marsmon's actions, but he could do very little to get revenge. Willis cradled Lopmon, and tried to back away, so that she would be safe, but found himself backing directly into Neptunemon. The fishy Olympian turned and smirked down at Willis before using him as a human shield. GigaSeadramon refused to attack while Willis was there, which left him open to any attack Neptunemon wanted to fire at him.

Marsmon on the other hand was targeting MegaGargomon. He was pinpointing his weaknesses. Michael was screaming on the sidelines, for Neptunemon to release Willis, which only caused MegaGargomon to be distracted. Marsmon got a very good hit in, and MegaGargomon nearly fell because of it. But he stood his ground and fired missiles at Marsmon. Marsmon disappeared in the cloud of smoke, but then, so did Neptunemon, Willis and Lopmon. Fear filled me as I waited for any sign of them. If Neptunemon thought he had a chance to land a hit against GigaSeadramon, he wouldn't feel the need to keep Willis alive.

The first form I saw though, when the smoke started clearing, was of Willis, crawling with one hand, while he still held Lopmon against his chest, as he tried to get out of the fight. Once he was a good ten feet away from Neptunemon, he got to his feet and ran back to Michael's side. Michael checked both Willis and Lopmon over, to make sure they were okay, and took Lopmon from Willis, just so he could hold her, and be _sure_ she was okay.

MegaGargomon was much more confident, now that Willis and Lopmon were out of the line of fire, and suddenly, Neptunemon didn't seem quite so cocky. Venusmon screamed, when giant sunflowers started growing from the earth and started hammering down on her as if she was a part of a giant game of whack-a-mole. Marsmon growled, at the sound, and when a sunflower batted Venusmon directly into the willow tree, where she got caught up in the branches, just as Lunamon and Coronamon had done—and _didn't_ come down, Marsmon took that to mean she was out for the count, rather than just enjoying the loophole in Jupitermon's orders. He turned to Spring and attacked.

Nothing MegaGargomon could throw at him was slowing him down. Spring grew trees all around herself, all so close together that it was impossible to see her as there weren't even any cracks to peer through. She fluttered up to the branches, and stayed there. I spotted her easily enough, but Marsmon was too busy attacking the tree trunks to be able to notice _anything_.

While I wasn't watching my own partner fight, I found that Mari had disappeared from my side. She was in the fray as well, taking on Junomon, so that Piedmon and Rosemon could team up against Jupitermon. I winced, realizing that I'd waited too long to help. Now Mari felt compelled to do it for me. I'd been trying so hard to be brave and do the things I wanted to do, but I'd gotten so caught up that I wasn't able to help Mari in the moment that she needed it most. Instead, I waited long enough for her to find the strength within herself to go and do what needed to be done. It wasn't fair to Mari that I was standing on the sidelines with a legitimate weapon while she fought using only her hands and feet.

I needed to do what was right for me.

And what was right, was _not_ abandoning Mari to that fight. I tightened my grip on Merukimon's oversized dagger, and raced towards Mari. I didn't want to hurt Junomon, but I was kind of mad at Jupitermon. He'd let Morganna have his heart. He hadn't even _tried_ to fight her off. He'd let this happen, and now he was trying to kill Rosemon and Piedmon. I wasn't going to let Mari lose her partner a second time—and I really didn't want to experience what she went through first hand.

When Jupitermon prepared to throw his lightning directly at Piedmon, I took a swing. The 'dagger' was too heavy for me, and I missed where I intended to hit. But I distracted Jupitermon long enough to save Piedmon. I dropped the dagger, and moved to Mari's side. I pointed towards Minervamon, and she nodded. We linked the fingers in one hand together, and we ran at her, catching her in our joined arms. She was dragged back with us, and we pulled her almost to the briar patch before she managed to free herself from us. She threw us through the air. I landed hard on my back, and lost the air in my lungs. I was trying to get it back when Junomon got to me. I punched her with everything I had—and then promptly promised myself to take self-defence lessons, because I was pretty sure I broke my wrist with my wonky punch. She punched me in the chest and sent me flying again, before turning on Mari, who was just getting to her feet. I scrambled up and ran at Junomon, jumping on her back, and linking my hands together, locking me in place. Mari tripped her, while Junomon was trying to throw me off, and I had to let go, before my hands were pinned under her. I rolled off of her back, and looked to Mari. She smiled quickly, before her worry set back in, as she glanced to Rosemon.

MegaGargomon felt confident enough to leave Marsmon where he was—still attacking the trees, trying to get to Spring, in his blind rage—that he went to help GigaSeadramon with his fight against Neptunemon.

I was really starting to think we could win this—until Mari shouted out, and Jupitermon was calling out "Mabolt!" and gathering his lightning. Rosemon was his target. My feet were moving before my mind could catch up. Jupitermon raised his hands and started to take aim. I jumped at Rosemon, and we collapsed to the ground, rolling out of the way as Jupitermon's lightning was thrown into the place where we'd just been.

My digivice was glowing and for a moment, I was confused, because it was shining the wrong colour. It was light _green_ , instead of purple. A green light was shining brightly at my waist, and when I looked to Mari, as she was running to me, her digivice was shining lilac, just like mine _ought_ to be.

"I did it," I realized. My eyes filled with water. I'd been trying so hard to live up to Mari's Crest, and I'd finally done it. Mari didn't have to wait for me anymore. Jupitermon didn't have time to prepare as both Piedmon and Rosemon started to shine with a brilliant, white light.

" **Rosemon digivolve to...** "

" **Piedmon digivolve to...** "

" **Ceresmon!** "

"Wow," I said, wide eyed and a little embarrassed at the sight before me. Mari covered my eyes jokingly, as she grinned up to our partner.

"I think you need a sweater," she called to Ceresmon. I could tell both our partners—who made up this _one_ , because we'd fused!—were a little unsure about their new attire. I wasn't even sure you could _call_ the few bits of greenery that covered her _obviously_ female chest. Her pants—I supposed, though they were more like tights with greenery attached—weren't much better, the way they hung low. But her headset screamed Piedmon, and her long pink hair and purple flowers were pretty nice. And her feet were encased in gold boots that were reminiscent of a bird's feet, and her arms had similar gold armor surrounding them. I just wished the _rest_ of her was so well protected.

"I might like one, when this is over," Ceresmon replied with a smile. "But for now, we must take care of Jupitermon."

"Do your best!" Mari shouted.

"Don't get hurt," I pleaded.

She ran at Jupitermon, and I didn't want to pry my eyes off of the fight, because we'd waited so long to meet our fused partner, but Marsmon and Neptunemon were still around. Venusmon had come down from the tree though, and was holding her blindfolded head with one hand, while her bird flew around her. Marsmon wasn't attacking the trees anymore, and was actually helping Lunamon and Coronamon down. Neptunemon wasn't any nicer than before, but he wasn't actively trying to kill anyone anymore.

"What happened?" Michael wanted to know—and so did I.

"The Olympos XII is complete," Venusmon said. "We are free."

"Jupitermon doesn't look like _he's_ free," I grumbled. Junomon picked herself off of the ground and rested a hand on both mine and Mari's shoulders, to show that she had no hard feelings about our attack.

"He was not under the same spell, dear," Junomon explained gently. I knew that already, but I'd hoped that if Ceresmon's arrival was magic enough to save the others, then maybe it could've been enough to save Jupitermon too. "Spells are more easily broken than what Morganna did to my husband."

"Maybe we'll go after Morganna next," Mari suggested. "After we save Aneko."

"The people inside are not dead," Junomon informed us. I saw that much. Gaia is looking for someone. She will not harm them until this person is found."

"Watch out!" Willis shouted. My eyes went immediately to Ceresmon and Jupitermon, since they were the only ones still fighting. Jupitermon sent his Mabolt at Ceresmon and it landed a direct hit. She flew backwards, and skidded along the ground, coming to a stop _just_ before she ran into the briar bush. My heart was hammering, as I waited for her to get back up. She did, though it took longer than I wanted it to. She ran at Jupitermon again. She was definitely going to lose. He shot his Mabolt at her again, and Marsmon dived in front of the briars before she could hit them. He caught her, but her velocity sent him flying into the thorns. He was down for the count. Minervamon was stirring though, so I hoped he wouldn't be out for too long either. He wasn't so bad, when he wasn't trying to kill us.

Ceresmon tried again. She would not stay down. Jupitermon's Mabolt shot at her, and she fell to the ground, so that it could pass over her. She tried to get to her feet, but she was exhausted. It probably didn't help that both Piedmon and Rosemon were tired by the time I'd gotten my act together so they could fuse. I was pretty sure Ceresmon was going to be running on fumes soon.

She wasn't getting to her feet, but she got to her knees. She looked at Jupitermon, and slammed her fists on the ground. The ground around her hands rippled, and shifted. The rippling led straight to Jupitermon's feet, and the earth swallowed his leg up to his knees. Ceresmon used the earth to get herself upright.

"Let's do this once more, shall we?" she asked. Jupitermon broke out of the earth, and started moving forward. Ceresmon braced herself for contact, but he never ran at her. He had another target in his sight: Mari.

 _ **Ryou Akiyama:**_

"Winter!" Miyako cried. "Stay with us. Jou! JOU!"

"I'm coming," Jou called frantically, leaving Koushiro to deal with Mimi's body. She was at war with herself, or more accurately, she was at war with Morganna. Her heart was fighting against Morganna's control. Her body was twitching, as it tried to _not_ complete the task that Morganna had set forth for her. Mimi didn't want to kill Winter. I joined Koushiro, acting as a second line of defence that Mimi would need to break through in order to get to Winter.

"The ice is melting," Sora noticed frantically. Winter was dying. I knew it was true. Her power was fading from the land around us. She could not afford to keep the ice solid. Morganna would soon be free from her icy prison. Luckily, we had BurstRosemon to take care of her, while Sora, Miyako and Jou worked on keeping Winter alive.

The digimon were still fighting. Eaglemon was no closer to regaining control than he was before. I had thought that maybe Mimi's heart would have helped the others somehow, but I knew it was just wishful thinking. Cyberdramon was trying his special move (Desolation Claw) again, but thankfully it didn't kill Eaglemon. Unfortunately, it really wasn't enough to do anything other than annoy the giant, golden bird.

Every time a missile shot from Aegisdramon the whistling sound that went along with it chilled me to the bone, and every time Eaglemon slammed into him in retaliation the earth rumbled just enough to set fear through me. The four digimon were high in the air above us and it was terrifying to think of what might happen if one of them were to fall...

"Mimi, come on," Koushiro pleaded. "Stop trying to fight me. Keep fighting Morganna instead."

"It's hard," Mimi's voice came in a strained whine. She was struggling with the control, and I couldn't help but be impressed that she'd gained enough control to speak her mind, instead of whatever drivel Morganna was trying to brainwash her with.

"Rose Spear!" BurstRosemon cried. She summoned a vine and started duelling Morganna with it, as though it were a rapier, while Morganna had nothing more than the knife. Morganna was holding her own though. I was surprised at how well she was doing in a fight against a super ultimate leveled digimon.

"Beast, protect me!" Morganna called loudly. Eaglemon turned away from Aegisdramon, Cyberdramon and Valkyrimon, in favour of attacking BurstRosemon, but BurstRosemon had already made plans for such an occasion. She quickly disarmed Morganna, sending her knife flying. I picked it up quickly, to make sure she wouldn't be able to get it back.

"Thorn Whipping!" BurstRosemon said majestically. Her rapier became a vine again, and wrapped itself around Morganna's throat. Morganna struggled for a moment, before falling to her knees, compliant. "Call him off."

"Beast," Morganna called obediently, "enough."

Eaglemon stopped moving, at a loss of what to do. He was still under Morganna's command, but Morganna no longer had control of herself. BurstRosemon had taken that from her, just as Morganna had done to BurstRosemon's partner. It was justice if I'd ever seen it.

"Release the hearts," BurstRosemon ordered strictly. Morganna whimpered, but had no choice but to obey, and she tilted her head back, throwing her arms out, and the hearts flew from her chest. One, flashing a brilliant green, flew directly through Mimi's chest, while a dual heart of red and purple data headed for Eaglemon. Eaglemon, once his heart was returned, promptly returned to Tentomon and Biyomon, and raced to their partners. Sora embraced Biyomon tightly, while still watching over Winter, while Tentomon flew in the air next to Koushiro, as they waited for Mimi, who glanced fondly at Koushiro, before remembering something that made her mad, an hugged Tentomon instead. Koushiro didn't seem all that frustrated though. He was just very happy to have Mimi back.

A white glowing digital core headed off on its own, while a softly pulsating heart flew off with what looked to be a tiny sun. One final reddish-pink heart, looking much like a real heart in my opinion, headed off back toward Primary Village, where we'd come from.

"At ease," BurstRosemon said. "You have done well."

"Do not...free...her," Winter called between heavy breathing. She was trying to push herself up, but the strain on her muscles and the excess flow of blood to her heart as she moved made it nearly impossible. "You cannot...let her live. _Trust_ me...she'll get away..."

"We don't kill!" Mimi and Miyako chorused at once.

"I know," Winter said. "I love that...about you... So get out of my way...I will do it myself."

"What?" Miyako cried. "No. You have to stay put. You're losing blood."

"My time in this world is short," Winter said. "I must do what I can...to make the most of what...is left. I can save you...one last time... You will not have...blood on your hands..."

"No," Miyako told her, petting her hair. "You stay still. Let Jou take care of you."

"I am letting go now," BurstRosemon informed us, as she loosened the collar around Morganna's neck. Morganna quickly got to her feet, and started racing off into the distance.

"I told you..." Winter said, getting to her feet, despite Miyako's protests. "I am going to the Dark Ocean...anyway...one last death...won't hurt me."

"No," Jou and Miyako said at the same time. Jou was more from a professional standpoint, as he looked at her wound with a critical eye. Miyako's was all her tender heart. And since the fairy was dying, I didn't think she needed to chase down a horrible woman. She deserved to spend her last moments in peace, at the very least.

Winter fell to one knee with a cry of pain, as her strength continued to leave her, and I knew what I needed to do to ease her passing. She wanted to kill Morganna. But I didn't think I could do that myself. I _could_ catch her though. I turned to Cyberdramon. "Let's go catch us a witch," I suggested. He seemed _very_ pleased.

We raced along the ground, ignoring the cries of Miyako and Mimi and all the others, as we chased after the wretched woman, that Winter hated so much. She was out of view, for a while, and I once thought I saw her, but I had to have a second look, because whatever was there—a dog, or something—wasn't Morganna, and it disappeared anyway.

Cyberdramon was much faster than I was, and he felt the need to redeem himself when it came to tracking, since he had gotten us lost earlier. But he found her, and when he did he did not hesitate for a moment. He grabbed her long braided silver hair and she let out a shriek of horror as she toppled backward. Cyberdramon didn't let her fall though and he caught her by the throat and held her above the ground.

"Cyberdramon," I warned, "you heard them! We're going to take her back, we won't kill her!"

Morganna's face seemed relieved and Cyberdramon grunted in annoyance but seemed like he would obey. But the moment the smile appeared on Morganna's face Cyberdramon let out a low growl.

"Desolation Claw," he snarled. Morganna was trying to struggle still, but Cyberdramon was unsympathetic. He sliced through her with his claws, and I flinched away, unable to watch as he disobeyed me. When I could bring myself to look, there was a lifeless body on the ground, and Cyberdramon was looking pleased with himself. He'd done what Winter had wanted.

 _ **Kiyoko Izumi:**_

I could only watch in horror as Jupitermon lifted his gauntlets and summoned the lightning from the sky and pointed it at Mari. The lightning left his hold, and came soaring through the air. I saw it, big and bright, moving towards my friend. It was like I was watching it in slow motion. I wasn't faster than lightning. There was no way I could reach her in time.

But the lightning fizzled out. Jupitermon fell to his knees. Junomon's grip on my shoulder tightened. I turned to her, wondering if she would be able to explain what was happening, but she looked terribly confused. She wanted to go to her husband, but she wasn't sure if it was safe. He was Morganna's puppet, after all.

Morganna.

I wondered if she was giving him new orders. She was out there somewhere, waiting to tell him to kick a puppy, or drown a baby. She was horrid, and I thought I might hate her as much as I hated Gaia—and that was saying something, because most of my feelings about the self-proclaimed _queen_ of all were deeply rooted in Sigma's own memories of his wife and the level of betrayal she had achieved. It was different though, to hate someone with only my own feelings, and none of Sigma's marring them.

Sigma hadn't hated Morganna. I knew that. He appreciated her, and had been raised by her. She had taught him all he needed to know to be a firm leader, and a successful king. Merlin had been at her side, to try and keep the balance, but it hadn't worked. I knew Morganna was in love with him, and that he didn't return the sentiment, and at one point in time, I had thought that made us alike—Morganna and I. I had thought that because we'd both loved and been scorned by Sigma, that we were the same.

I knew I was wrong though.

It wasn't in _my_ nature to take free will away from anyone, let alone turn them into a puppet and have them do my bidding. It was horrific. And it stuck a little bit too close to home for me to be comfortable with. I'd been a puppet once, but I'd never been as helpless as Jupitermon, or Mimi, or any of the others. They didn't even _know_ what was happening. I had been able to save Hideto and Mari from Sigma's wrath, but Jupitermon would have killed his own wife if Morganna asked it of him.

I was afraid then, that Morganna _was_ asking it of him. But he didn't get to his feet. He just stayed, staring lifeless at the ground.

Mari was shaking, knowing how close to death she'd come. And then, because I'd _thought_ it, I was crying. I'd almost lost Mari. I knew we were supposed to be dead, but I didn't _want_ any of us to be. I was happy that we were still alive. I _was_. I was disappointed that my parents had to pay the price for me, and I knew I would never be able to get over that. The reason they had never come for me, the reason they'd never had the _chance_ to learn and grow like all the other Digidestined's parents, was me. I was the reason they were dead. I knew for a fact I would never be able to look my stern grandmother in the eye and tell her that I was the reason her precious heir was dead. I'd killed her son, by being alive. And I looked too much like my mother in her opinion, which I was _sure_ already made me her least favourite.

"Kiyoko," Mari said, reaching out her hand for me. I took her shaking hand in mine, and she pulled me against her. My limbs tangled around hers, and once again I found myself being comforted by the person that I was sure I was supposed to be providing with comfort. I took in a ragged breath and tried to calm myself. But it was no use. I resolved myself to the fact that I was going to be crying, but figured the least I could do was hug Mari back.

"Here," Willis said, awkwardly. I peered over Mari's shoulder and saw that he was handing his jacket to Ceresmon. She took it with a blush and quickly put it on, zipping it right up to her chin. It was adorable and thoughtful of Willis, and I choked on the laughter that was trying to escape my mouth.

"Don't ever leave me," I murmured into Mari's ear, once I felt like I could form actual words, rather than just incomprehensible noise. She laughed once, though it sounded far from confident.

"Right back at you," she said, squeezing me tighter. "You did something stupid today."

"Apparently, my digivice thought it was tenacious," I protested. "I got us to fuse."

"We'll have Willis check your digivice for bugs, because it's clearly malfunctioning," Mari said. I thought she was kidding, but she really didn't look like she was. She was serious about me being an idiot, and while I concurred completely, I also knew that I was doing the right thing for me—or else the Crest never would have glowed for me.

"Oh my," Junomon gasped. "That's his heart. That's Jupitermon's heart!"

"No way," Michael said, surprised. "But doesn't that mean..."

"Morganna's been defeated," Willis surmised.

We watched as the shimmering, pure white digital core floated down from the sky and found its way into its proper place. Jupitermon wasn't a puppet anymore—he wasn't even that weird puppet without strings he'd been only moments ago. He was _Jupitermon_ again.

"Ceresmon," Jupitermon said with wonder, when his heart had gotten settled. "You have come."

"When I was needed most," she said, fiddling with the bottom of Willis's jacket.

"We are _twelve_ now," Jupitermon said loudly, to the world. "The Olympos XII is complete. And we are in one place. We are together."

"We're going to need MagnaAngemon to fix Volcanusmon," Ceresmon said, embarrassed. I figured that was mostly Piedmon right there, since he'd been the one to take Volcanusmon out of commission.

"That will have to wait," Mari said as firm as she was able. "Aneko still needs me. I don't care what you say, Junomon. She's not okay. She needs me _now_."

"We need more help," I said, shaking my head. "We can't save Aneko like this. Most of the Olympos XII are down, and our digimon are exhausted. We'll just be putting her at risk, Mari. You know that."

"But she's so close. I can feel it," Mari said, sadly. "I can't just leave her here."

"We'll be coming right back," Michael informed her. "I'm going back there for Hideto and Taichi and Yamato and whoever else has a big strong digimon at their disposal, and then I'm running back here, and I'm going to tear the Temple down if it means my sister is okay."

"I agree," Spring said, fluttering down from the sky, now that she was safe. "Both Summer and Winter are better at fighting than I am. Perhaps they could be of assistance as well. Jenna will be safe that long, Michael. Don't forget, she's got Chi with her."

"He's the one that got her into this mess," Michael grumbled. I rolled my eyes. Jenna couldn't be in 'this mess' if she didn't play a part equal or greater to Chi's. I knew how reproduction worked. And I knew Michael did too, since his girlfriend was pregnant.

"Besides," Willis reasoned, looking over to Minervamon who had pulled herself up to a sitting position. "It's not like we can just walk right through the front door. We'll have to figure out what to do about these weird thorns."

"Fine," Mari said. "But we're coming back tonight. I'm tired of waiting. This ends now."

 _ **Kurayami Motomiya:**_

Summer was staring into Yume's eyes as he fought against the hold she had him in, but there seemed to be nothing that could penetrate the block that Morganna had on him. Norn was exactly the same. She was tied up nearby and was firing her blasts into the grassy earth, desperate to escape and continue Morganna's bidding but she was unable to free her body.

And we were unable to help her free her mind.

Daisuke and I had tried again when she had been restrained but it was no use. She was too deranged.

I hated seeing her this way. It was twisted and _wrong._ This was not the Norn I knew, and I was sure that I would never fully wipe the demented look on her face from my memory, but I would never hold it against her either. This was _not_ her. It was Morganna in control still and that terrified me. If we had Norn held back, did that mean that Morganna would rid her from this world by crushing her heart?

That wouldn't kill her technically since Norn had been made just the same as Sigma had been, but she would never be able to be herself again without that heart… And I didn't know _anything_ about Yume, so how were we to be sure whether or not he would survive Morganna crushing his heart.

And we knew he _could_ die, because Akumu had. I didn't care how frantic or angry Yume was about that fact, I was _happy_. Daisuke was ecstatic too because he truly understood what it meant. Without that curse, Haruki was going to be able to live a normal life and so would any children he had in the future. There would no longer be a narrow lineage that was meant to represent a family tree. We could finally let the family live in peace.

Akumu was _dead_.

Hikari's relief had been evident as well, and she and Takeru set off back to the crowds of digimon to ensure that Akumu's death had not been a clever ruse, but since they hadn't come back or contacted us in any way, I was left to assume that he truly _had_ died.

Wormmon and Veemon were resting in their partners arms, but both were looking pleased of their accomplishments—and they _should_. We had defeated Akumu and restrained both of our former allies without hurting them in any serious ways. We had safely come out of the battle and everyone was left to recharge until we could think of a new plan.

Labramon brushed his head against my leg and I smiled at him, patting the back of his head gently. "Thanks for sticking with me out there," I told him softly.

"Anytime," he grinned. "You were really brave. You were so calm too and when you just stared back at Akumu I thought you had lost your mind!"

"Maybe I did a little," I admitted, "but I guess it worked in the end, huh?" He nodded, smiling again. "And may—"

I had caught sight of something that made me stop mid sentence and stare to the sky. "What's that?" Ken asked, obviously seeing what I had already spotted. Summer turned sharply, finally giving up on Yume in time to see two lights shoot through the air. "Get back!" Ken advised and we all listened, backing away from the lights that were taking a sudden dive in our direction.

One of them—a ball of sunlight—entered into Yume's chest, and the other—a streak of white and red—did the same with Norn.

I was immediately worried as they both remained still, but there was a small hope inside me that was begging my mind to believe that those had been their hearts. It seemed too coincidental, but when Norn let out a low groan, rolling onto her side I realized already that this was a different Norn than the one we had fought.

I rushed to her side immediately.

"Kura—!" Daisuke shouted but I ignored him, sliding to a stop next to her. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was whimpering softly, but when I placed my hand on her shoulder she looked to me sharply.

For a moment I thought I had been wrong, but when she began to cry I knew this was her. This was _Norn_. I pulled her into my arms, but she could not hug me back as she was still tied by her waist around the dirty wreckage that she had created in her attempted escape. "Kura, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't bother," I told her softly, "we know. We _know_ , Norn. It wasn't you." Norn's shoulders were shaking and when Summer waved her hand in her direction her arms were freed. She made use of that by throwing them around my middle and hugging me. "Morganna doesn't have you anymore. You have your own free will back and I'm here for you…"

Norn couldn't reply and instead continued crying until Daisuke hugged her from behind. Soon Labramon and Veemon had joined us and Norn simply sobbed.

Yume was stirring then and Summer was quick to free him before checking to ensure he was the real Yume. It was likely that he was so I didn't think much of it, but he sat up sharply and for a second—just as I had with Norn—I thought we had made a poor judgement call.

"Akumu…" Yume breathed. "He's gone…"

"He is," Summer told him, falling to her knees. "Yume, he's finally out of your way. He's dead and he can't hurt you ever again!" She hugged him, and he hugged her back with one arm, but kept himself propped up with the other. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Oh you can't lose me," Yume breathed an awkward laugh, and Summer beamed down to him. "Well you can, actually." Her smile fell immediately. "Darkness and Light need a permanent balance. Akumu is now dead so that renders me useless. When dark energy comes to the Land of Dreams, I will be too powerful and there will only ever be Light. I fear the universe will make a correction and I will be asked to step down."

Summer's eyes were wide with horror, and she couldn't find a way to speak.

"Norn wouldn't let that happen," Wormmon reasoned. "She's really nice."

Norn pulled away from my shoulder and turned to him sadly. "I'm not in charge of the universe. I'm sorry, but I only watch and help where I can. I'm not a god of any kind."

Yume didn't seem to care at all that he may die soon, and was hardly listening to Norn. "Summer," he said, taking her face into his strong hand, "I'll be with you every time you sleep. I will always be there."

Tears formed in Summer's eyes and it seemed that she had finally found something to say, but there were so many thoughts flooding her mind at once that she came up short. Instead she flung herself toward Yume and hugged him again. She pulled away quickly though and turned to us.

She swallowed thickly and tried to compose herself, wiping the tears from her face. "W-we must hurry back to the others."

The sense of urgency in her voice terrified me and I looked sharply to Daisuke whose face had turned white. "Why? What happened?"

"Haruki is safe," Summer said, holding a hand up in his direction to silence him. My worry did not dissipate though. If Haruki was _safe_ , then who _wasn't_?

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Cody and Momoe are giving a little insight into the two separate groups that are dealing with the aftermath of the war at the Temple. Not to be confused with the "Temple War" which is like chapter 20 of 04 or something. Different things, but similar battles. They also faught at the Temple when Yggdrasil was being a crazy person. They do that a lot. Also Gabumon narrated a small fight in the Temple against Gaia—and hey, Sigma was taken out there too. Poor building :(


	73. No Surrender

**Y/N:** I was very happy to have a chance to write as Iori again. He's been through a lot, and I've never experienced the things he had. I don't know how well I've portrayed the reactions he's having. But I hope I did alright. And Momoe's dealing with some pretty intense things too, from within the Temple walls. It's not a very happy chapter, now that I think of it.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 73: No Surrender**

 _ **Iori Hida:**_

I was bored.

A week ago, I would have thought this feeling to be a luxury. To have even a single moment where I wasn't afraid, or angry, or in pain that _wasn't_ given to me thanks to that beautiful oblivion that is sleep, was my dream. It was strange, how fast dreams changed.

My boredom did not—and would never—diminish the gratitude that I felt to Miyako, Hawkmon, Labramon and Kuryami. They saved me when I thought I was passed saving. I thought I would die in that room, keeping the secret of Autumn's death, and trying not to cry when I knew Bagramon was watching. I was not proud of how I slowly broke down under Bagramon's careful attention. I wasn't proud that the first thing I'd done when I left that room was _cry_. There was nothing to be proud of. I kept my mouth shut and I didn't die. That was all.

It was the stares that got to me the most. My mother would stare across the heads of the infant digimon, pretending not to be checking to see if I was still here, but I knew better. She was going to keep a very close eye on me for a long time—potentially the rest of my life. I'd scared her, and I knew I had. I knew I made her remember the time my father didn't come home. I knew, because I was feeling the same way. I felt ashamed that I hadn't come home to my daughter. That I wasn't strong enough to break free of Snimon's hold. I wasn't strong enough to save even one of my friends. I thought I was a strong man. I thought, especially after my time in the Dark Ocean, that nothing could ruffle my feathers. I thought I had tough skin.

Bagramon proved me wrong.

He'd spend _hours_ with me, until I was in so much pain that I passed out, blacking out completely until the next morning, when he'd come back for me all over again. He was always asking the same questions.

" _What is your name?"_

" _Who are the Digidestined?"_

" _Where can I find them?"_

" _Where is Autumn?"_

" _Who are you loyal to?"_

Some of the questions were meant to make me feel at ease, as though he wasn't trying to find out everything he possibly could about Taichi and his plans to defeat Gaia. There were days when I wanted nothing more than to just tell him everything in my considerable vat of knowledge. I was one of Taichi's appointed generals. There was a lot that I knew that the others didn't. But I always bit my tongue—sometimes literally, or else I knew I would speak. I would spit out the pools of blood that came, but I wouldn't loosen up my hold. A loose tongue was willing to spill secrets.

I shook my head. I wasn't going to dwell on the past. It would be hard enough moving forward physically, I didn't need to spend time worrying about how weak I was mentally, and how easily I would be broken if Bagramon so much as looked at me again. I didn't want to be that way. I was strong enough, when I was in that room. I was as strong as I needed to be—and not an ounce of strength was left over. My strength was drawn from more than one source, but only one shone brightly to me the entire time I was there. Only Kana was enough to keep me moving forward, and I was sure that in some way made me a terrible husband, and a terrible partner and son, but I couldn't help it. I was fighting for Kana. She needed me to fight for her, and I'd made a vow the moment I'd first held her in my hands, tiny and red and screaming, that I would do _anything_ so long as that tiny baby, that compilation of me and Natsuni, could live a peaceful life.

At the time, I'd foolishly allowed myself to believe in Taichi the way I'd once believed Gennai. Taichi told us forever, and I'd been upset, but I'd believed him. He was wrong. _God_ was he wrong. Things were more of a mess now than ever. The world was the furthest away from seeing peace than it had ever been, and the worlds had been converging. Gaia was destroying everything we'd worked for. I'd been working towards peace since I was nine years old. I'd dedicated fifteen years to fighting for it, and it was so far away, I couldn't even remember what it was.

I rubbed a hand over my tired face. Every movement ached, everything that was touched, hurt. But the burning sensation was good. It was how I knew I was alive. Being dead couldn't be nearly this painful. I was actually in better shape now, then I was even yesterday. I hadn't been free long, but a shower, and nutrition worked miracles. I was still skin and bones, but I felt stronger. I felt better. I had a long way to go, before I would be back in top form, but for now, I was happy enough to have a warm blanket, to keep the heat in, since I didn't have much fat on my bones to help.

"How are you doing?" Tatum asked, as she lowered herself slowly to the ground next to me. I offered her some of my blanket, because it was polite, even though I wasn't really very comfortable having her—or anyone at all—close to me. I didn't want anyone to touch me. Not unless I initiated it first—and sometimes even _then_ it proved too much for me. Tatum was smart though, and she knew not to get too close. She did take me up on my offer though, for the sake of her baby, if nothing else.

"No one has told me anything," I told her, trying not to let my exhaustion show in my voice. Her frown proved to me that I was unsuccessful in that venture. "I'm trapped in the 'infirmary' with the infants, even though none of them understand personal boundaries. I'm afraid to hold my daughter, in case I have flashbacks and I hurt her."

"I'm scared to eat what's being served because it's from the wild in the Digital World and I don't know its nutritional value, let alone whether it fits the criteria it needs to hit," Tatum said. "But I'm also scared to _not_ eat, because I don't know where our next meal could be coming from, and my baby is my focus."

I liked that she hadn't pressed me for more information. Natsuni hadn't known what to do when I flinched away from her touch, and practically _ran_ away when she wanted to hand me my daughter. I was so scared of hurting Kana, that I couldn't do more than stroke her cheek when she was in a bassinet. I couldn't hold her. I couldn't do more than hold my finger to her skin for a few seconds, before the fear built up too strong for me to handle.

She was the only reason I was still here, and I couldn't even be a father to her. I was a mess. I knew I was a mess. Everyone kept saying I had a _reason_ to be a mess. But I didn't. A father wasn't meant to take breaks because he took on something that was too much for him. He was always supposed to bounce back. I knew logically that parents weren't perfect, and that they made mistakes, and they were people, with feelings and problems. But I couldn't remember my father having any. I'd only ever been able to see him through the rose coloured glasses of the youth. He was perfect in every memory I had of him. But there weren't many memories.

I just wanted to live up to the father that I remembered. I'd come back to her, like I promised. I tried my damn hardest to live through it, for her. Because I knew how much it _sucked_ to watch my dad walk away and not come home, even though he promised, saying that he always did, because he loved me. So I survived. I survived so she wouldn't have to grow up hearing her mother say that I'd died a hero, and that I'd done a service to my country—or world, as the case may be. I didn't want her to have words instead of a father.

"You'll get there," Tatum said, casually. "I know you will. You may not think you're strong right now. But you are. You're the bravest of us all."

"Then why do I feel like I failed?" I asked, not sure I wanted the answer.

"I don't know," Tatum said, shrugging her shoulders, keeping everything nonchalant, "but I can tell you one thing: you're wrong. You're not a failure. Kana's not even going to remember this hesitation. She's too young. She hasn't started forming long term memories yet. You've got until she's three or so, before that really happens."

"And if I'm not ready by then?" I questioned, feeling disheartened at the very thought.

"Well, she wouldn't know any differently," she said, wincing, because it sounded so horrible. It was true though. I wanted to believe that I could hold my daughter _before_ she was three years old. But I honestly couldn't imagine that far into the future. I'd been living the last few weeks thinking that if I could just make it until nightfall, so I could sleep and escape the hell that my life had become, then everything would be okay. I couldn't think in _years_ yet. I was still getting passed the concept of entire _days_. It was always sunset or sunrise for me. Those were the two goals I switched between. They were short term, but they came so much faster that way. It gave me a sliver of hope, when I was in desperate need of it.

"How are you handling the idea of being a mother?" I asked, changing the subject so that my mind couldn't dwell anymore. I needed to stay sharp. Things were constantly happening. I needed to be useful. What good was I to the Digidestined when I wasn't in alert at the very least?

"Right now?" she asked with a snort. "I'm terrified. I don't want to give birth in Primary Village. It's a very real possibility for me. She could come at any moment."

"She?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Michael said you weren't finding out the gender."

"Michael's not," she said with a wink. She sighed. "I needed to tell someone. It's hard to keep it bottled up inside. I want to be excited, but I can't. I always need to be careful, so that I don't spoil Michael's surprise. And right now, no one's really interested in my baby. They're too interested in Jenna's, or not interested in babies at all. I'm not mad that Jenna's baby exists. Really, I'm not. I think it's wonderful. But is it really very selfish to be upset that she stole my thunder? No. That sounds horrible. She could be dying right now, and I'm a horrible person."

"You're not," I said. "You're not horrible at all."

"I'm unloading secrets on you," she protested.

"I can keep them," I said. She winced, and I figured it was too soon to joke about it. "It's true," I said. "Bagramon couldn't get information out of me. That didn't stop him from trying though... Do you know why he wanted to hear about Autumn? She's not still lingering around, is she?"

"No," Tatum said. "Gaia might be feeling Jenna though. She's Autumn's daughter, and she's pregnant right now, so that's going to throw her hormones off balance, and her baby's a hybrid, which could be messing with her energy signature. We all have one. I figure it's how Aesop always knows when I'm trying to sneak away to do experiments or research or something. He always appears at the door, and sends me back to bed. If he couldn't sense my movements, he couldn't know."

"Summer is the same way," I told her. "She could feel whenever I entered the Land of Dreams. I figured it had more to do with the Looking Glass though."

"It could," Tatum told me. "It was just a theory. I have nothing better to do than think up theories. I'm not allowed to experiment until after the baby's born. I can't even do research, because I apparently get 'ideas'."

"I'm not allowed to do anything other than lie down," I informed her.

"Look at you, sitting up," Tatum joked. "What a rebel."

"Jou's not here to yell at me, and Shin's too scared to tell me I have to," I said with a sigh. She frowned. I narrowed my eyes at that. "What?"

"Jou's not here either?" she said, more to herself than to me. It was like she was thinking out loud, just to fill the silence. "That means there are only five of you here. Where did the Digidestined go?"

"I don't know what you mean," I informed her. "I'm trapped with the infants so that no one is able to give me information that I might use to go about taking revenge. I'm not in any shape to go after Bagramon and anyone can see that. I can barely stay seated."

"Well...all three fairies are gone," Tatum said, giving in to my plea for _some_ news of the world outside of the nursery section of our newly erected campgrounds. "We knew when Summer left, because she announced it to everyone. She's gone to see Daisuke and the others. We know that. But Winter left not too long later, and Spring disappeared without a word too. Now, Michael's gone, and he didn't even think to explain things to me. I'm getting really tired of being out of the loop just because I'm pregnant."

"We could form a club," I suggested. She laughed. I might've, if I could've made myself.

"You don't mind that I'm here, do you?" she asked, rather suddenly. "I know you _seem_ okay with it, but I don't want to force company on you. I know you're polite enough not to tell me to go away. And I'm being a coward anyway. I'm hiding from my parents...and Michael's parents. They're trying to baby me, and I don't want to be taken care of. But I can totally go, if I'm annoying."

"You're not," I sighed. "Natsuni's too busy with Kana and helping Elecmon with the babies to be able to stay with me. I don't know how to handle her anyway. I can't have her close, and I _want_ to have her close. It's not a...good...combination. And I much prefer your company to my mother."

We lapsed into silence, I wondered if I might fall asleep _finally_. The night had been a long one, and there were so many frantic voices that sleep wasn't strong enough to steal me away. The rain didn't help either. I'd been stuck with the kids, because there wasn't an infirmary in Primary Village, and Shin had told the two fight club guys—Jin and Shoto—that I wasn't to be left in the rain.

I was definitely suggesting that Taichi set up his next town right around Primary Village.

Voices were drawing nearer—and they were speaking real words, so I knew they weren't just more baby digimon, who didn't seem to grasp the concept of language—and I tried to make out what they were saying. The next thing I knew, Taichi had exclaimed, having spotted Tatum, and come rushing our way, leaving Yamato, Neo and Hideto—none of whom seemed thrilled to be following Taichi around—behind.

"Tatum, where's Michael?" Taichi asked.

"You've finally noticed then, that all the Digidestined are gone?" I asked dryly, as though I _hadn't_ just found out myself only minutes before. Tatum was genuinely stressed by Michael's disappearance, and I wanted to keep the focus off of her, since stress wasn't good for the baby.

"Why didn't you tell us if you knew?" Taichi demanded. Tatum cleared her throat and looked pointedly at him. He coughed and looked sheepish. "Sorry. I, uh, guess I haven't exactly visited."

"You're busy, I'm invalid, I understand," I said simply.

"I need someone that knows Merlin," Taichi explained. "Hideto's biased, and I need a second opinion. You two were in Sidhendor, weren't you?"

"Yes," Tatum said eagerly. "We'd be happy to help."

"Give me a hand up, and we can see how far I make it," I said with a sigh, holding my hand out, cautiously. When Taichi hesitated, Tatum offered me hers. I took a deep breath and took her hand in mine. She pulled me to my feet, glaring at Taichi, before pointedly rubbing her _very_ pregnant stomach, and leading me away. She was careful not to touch me again, and I appreciated it very much. Taichi and Yamato continuously offered me their arm, but I couldn't do it. Unlike Tatum, they didn't seem to just _know_. I wished they did though.

Natsuni spotted us walking towards Merlin and was quick to come to my side. She hovered there, but didn't touch. She was learning, and it was hard for both of us that she even _had_ to learn.

"What's going on?" she whispered. "You're meant to be in bed. Jou's going to be upset."

"Jou's gone," I said. "I've got to talk to Merlin."

She followed us, and Merlin was sitting up. Hideto had obviously undone the gag around Merlin's mouth. His eyes were bright, and I could see that he was very aware. He was also haunted a bit, by what he did. But he was himself. I could tell already. Evidently, he'd been claiming to have his heart back, but Taichi was wisely hesitant to trust him.

"Perhaps, I could offer a token to persuade you?" Merlin offered. He struggled with his bound arms, trying to reach the pockets of his long robe. He was stuck. Hideto knelt down and stuck his hand in, pulling out the Digimentals of Faith and Miracles. "You've wanted those back, I assume? Gaia certainly went to great lengths to keep them hidden from you. She obviously made a wrong decision, entrusting them with Morganna's heartless victims. With my heart back, there is nothing stopping me from handing them over."

"I say we trust him," Hideto said firmly.

"You would," Taichi said. "But we need more than that."

"I trust him too," Tatum said, agreeing with Hideto and sending a smile down to Merlin, who was still bound tightly.

"It's him," I said simply. I wasn't in the mood to trust anyone, let alone a man that was mostly a stranger to me. I couldn't even trust _myself_.

"If you're _sure_ ," Taichi said, not really sounding like he believed us, even though we were all saying the same thing. I was kind of glad that he was taking his time though. I didn't really want to go back to lying down and staring up at the night sky. The baby digimon were too keyed up to sleep, so I wouldn't be able to. It was ridiculous for me to even attempt it.

And it was nice to be standing. I was weaker than I wanted to be. My legs were kind of shaking, but I could feel the blood moving through them, and it felt so good.

"Taichi, Yamato, Neo, Hideto," Mari's voice called loudly, over the din of the hundreds of voices all talking at once. She marched in with most of the Olympos XII. No one had spoken of Olympos XII since I had been back, but from what I could remember, they were not on our side. Mari was holding a keychain, and I figured Piedmon was involved somehow. "Olypos XII is back. We're awesome, okay. Let's get moving. Aneko's waiting for us."

"Not to mention Jenna," Michael called from the back of the procession. He and Willis were walking together, while Kiyoko trailed behind Mari at the front with a new digimon, that I could only assume was the legendary Ceresmon—or their fused partner—wearing a rain jacket.

"You can't just leave," Taichi said, frustrated that no one thought even once to tell _anyone_ where they were going. It _was_ pretty rude, I had to admit. Or perhaps foolish was a more accurate way to describe it.

"We're back though," Willis said. "And Jupitermon's heart came back. It was pretty weird actually."

Spring walked out of the procession from where she'd been sandwiched between Venusmon and Junomon. She wasn't looking very good. She nearly fell over, but Hideto caught her. Her hands went to her stomach and she looked queasy. Something was wrong. But she couldn't tell us what. She looked up to the sky, and frowned, focussing, trying to see if that was where the feeling was coming from. When I followed her gaze, I spotted Angemon carrying Takeru, Angewomon with Hikari. Daisuke and Veemon were being carried by Summer, while Kurayami was flying with Anubismon, and Stingmon was dragging Ken through the air. They landed quickly, followed by Yume, who was flying with Norn. Their hearts were returned as well, I noted.

Someone must've beaten Morganna.

"You're okay?" Taichi asked Hikari critically. She thought for a moment before smiling. She was tired, and not just physically.

"Akumu is dead," Kurayami said. "The curse has ended. Now where is my son?" Natsuni handed Kana to Hikari, and offered to go find him. Kurayami was appeased. She obviously didn't relish the idea of hunting through the enormous campground to find one tiny human.

"Are you hurt?" Spring asked Summer anxiously. Summer shook her head. She closed her eyes, and I could tell she was searching Spring's memory for the exact feeling that Spring had experienced. Summer too frowned. She looked at me though, and stepped away from her sister. The frown was still on her face, but now it was directed towards me.

"You should be resting," she scolded. I glared at her, and she tried to smile, but couldn't. Whatever had caused Spring to worry, was now plaguing her. I was worrying too. We talked quietly between us, about everything that was happening. She had far more to say, because she was allowed to be involved and hadn't been in a hellhole yesterday, but she paid close attention to anything I said anyway.

And she didn't try to touch me. I knew she wouldn't though. Summer could read the thoughts and memories in my mind. She wasn't going to hesitate to search for social cues in order to speak with me without setting me off.

"There's something else," I told her. "What are you hiding?"

"It's not important," Summer lied. But she could tell that I caught that lie, and sighed. "Without Akumu, Yume will probably die. He was created to balance out Akumu. If the bad is not there, then there is no purpose for the good. I don't know what to do without him. I love him, very much."

"Isn't there some—" I tried to ask, but my words were cut off by the frantic shouts from the latest arrivals. Mimi and Jou were side by side. Their partners were fused into Lotusmon. She was trying to heal someone. Someone I had a sinking feeling was Winter. Whatever it was that Lotusmon was trying to do, it wasn't working. Ryou was at the back of the line, glaring at his partner. Sora was clinging to Miyako, who was quick to guide them to Ken, as soon as she saw them. Hawkmon was solemn, but Biyomon was frantic. It was Koushiro's job to calm her. He wasn't managing very well. Tentomon was hurrying after the others.

"Get out of the way," Jou shouted. "We need space. We need tools. Someone get Shin. Tell him to bring the emergency bag. It's an emergency!"

"It won't help," Winter whispered. Her voice was shaking, as if she was very cold, but I knew that the cold didn't bother her. She was lying on her side, because there was a blade in her back. Tatum gasped and moved toward Michael, who was horrified at the sight of his aunt on the ground, weak and in pain. Summer and Spring raced to their sister. I couldn't stay standing anymore. I couldn't handle it. I fell to the ground less than gracefully, and I watched as Summer and Spring tried to help Lotusmon, while Jou frantically called for his emergency bag. Shin came running with it, and stayed, despite being told he could leave if he wanted. Shin was a doctor. He was surgeon in particular, and that seemed to be what Winter needed.

But there would be complications. She'd lost a lot of blood. She wasn't human, so we didn't have access to more for a transfusion. She was shaking, with the blood loss, and I was rocking on my knees. My hands were at the side of my head, against my temples. I was trying to centre myself. I was trying to focus. But I couldn't. I was watching my friend, slowly fade, and nothing that anyone was doing was helping.

"Enough," Winter tried to call. "Enough. It won't help. I'm fading fast. Don't waste your time."

"You're not a waste of time!" Summer cried. "You're my sister. You're _our_ sister. Don't you leave us! I won't let you. I won't."

"You won't have a choice," Winter said. "There's nothing to be done."

"Who did this?" Spring asked, sobbing. "Who did this to you?"

"Morganna," Winter gasped, closing her eyes tightly in pain.

"Where is she?" Summer demanded. "You will not suffer alone."

"She's dead," Ryou said in a hollow voice. "Cyberdramon...he...I told him not to...but he did it anyway."

"The great evil was good for something after all," Winter said, breathily.

"You're meant to take the throne, Winter," Miyako said. "Who will be queen without you? You were born for the role."

"We both know that's not true," Winter told her, trying for a smile. "I was born for destruction, and nothing more."

"You're so much more," Summer insisted. "You're more than destruction. You're the perfect leader. I know you are. I gave you so much trouble, but I didn't mean it. I didn't mean any of it. You're supposed to stay with me. We're the balance of each other."

"I suppose the Drasils will be entirely off kilter now," Winter said softly. "But I think the right ones are left. Life and warmth. You can make peace come. Spring...Spring, you will take the throne. No! Don't argue. You're next in line, and we all know Summer and I weren't meant to rule."

Spring was simply shaking her head, unable to keep herself together. She was not only feeling her own sadness but all of the sorrow from those surrounding her. When she opened her mouth to speak all that came out was hysteric sobs. Bitoru was quick to come to her side, appearing out of the woodworks. He might've been there the entire time, but I hadn't noticed. I hadn't noticed anything since I saw Winter. I wasn't calm. I wasn't strong. I wanted to curl up and cry like a child would. Winter was the strong one. And she was losing.

"You will," Winter said. "I know you will."

"There has to be something we can do," Miyako said. Tears were streaming down her red face. Snot was pouring from her nose. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was heartbreaking. "You can't leave. We're supposed to be friends. You said we could be friends!"

Winter's breathing quickened and a tear fell from her right eye, slowly making its way down her cheek. "I would have liked that, I think, to be friends with you, Miyako. You're everything I wished to become, everything I will never have a chance to be."

"Please," Miyako pleaded.

"Hawkmon," Winter said with effort. Her breathing was becoming labored. "Come here." Hawkmon did not delay. He rested next to Winter, and she reached for his wing. The ground underneath Winter began to freeze over and frost was spreading out underneath those who had crowded her until she was laying in the middle of her own ring of winter. She closed her eyes, and the shimmering in her skin, the magical essence of her, ceased to shine. "I gave you my power. Use it to protect Miyako. Always. Keep her alive. She has a tendency to get into trouble." Winter groaned, and closed her eyes again. Without the magic, very little was keeping her in this world.

"Don't go," Summer begged, reaching out to touch . She, like Miyako and Spring, was a crying mess. She was inconsolable. Yume didn't even try to come to her side as Bitoru had with Spring. I wanted to. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't go to Summer when she needed help. She might not have taken the offer—I was sure she wouldn't—but I couldn't even do that much.

"I must. Winter is ending," Winter said. "It is now time for Spring."

"D-d-don't say that," Spring cried, into Bitrou's chest. "Don't s-s-say it. It's not t-true."

But it was. The first light of the sun was stretching out over the horizon, on the March twentieth, the first day of spring, and Winter closed her eyes for the final time. She let out a long, shuddering breath, and then she was still. Winter was over. Winter was gone.

 _ **Momoe Kido:**_

I was sure the moon was bright in the sky, though I could see no sign of it. Gaia had erected a barrier around the Temple that would prevent anyone from escaping, and keep the others out, unable to rescue us. I cradled my daughter against my chest. She had exhausted herself with crying as soon as she realized that Jou and Renjiro had gotten to safety, and that she'd been left behind. She was so mad at her daddy, and I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was _her_ fault. She'd been the one to run off after a rubber ball, instead of listening to Jou's frantic attempts to get her to Mieyomon.

But I couldn't blame her.

She was seven and a half years old, and plenty old enough to know when she ought to listen, but she was still just a kid, and I could understand that everything was difficult for her. She had grown up being chased by the bad guys. She still had nightmares about the virus as it spread and everyone with her in the Coliseum feared for their lives. I knew that we had another source for nightmares. Last night had been horrific. Gaia had come to the Temple without warning of any kind. Trees were set ablaze—and were still smouldering in Main Square, despite the heavy rainfall—and screams filled the street. Everyone was running into one another, and there were humans everywhere—but they were mindless drones for Gaia to order around. I thought I might have spotted _Mimi_ among them, and I was afraid that Emiko had seen her too.

I wiped the tear stains from my poor daughter's cheeks and held her tightly. She moaned in her sleep and nestled in deeper. I wanted to cry. I wanted to have a moment to myself, where I could break down and really let out all of my pain and frustration. I couldn't do this with Emiko. I could do it if I was alone. I wouldn't even hesitate to do anything that might help me to escape, regardless of the risk to my life. But with Emiko, I needed to take precautions. With Monmon, I needed to be even more careful. He was asleep on the floor by my feet. The tall, stone stairway that led up to the Council chambers was at my back, and I tried to make myself as small as possible.

It would have been nice, if I could go back to our rooms. Taichi had provided everyone with housing, all in one district. There were soft beds and warm blankets. There was running water that I could use to have a shower—and wash the stress away—or a make a cup of coffee—that would be able to keep me going. I couldn't sleep. I needed to be on guard.

The first thing Gaia did, upon taking control of the Temple, was the bar the gates. She did that before creating the briar barrier. Then, she placed a digimon in charge of herding the prisoners, though she did not know how many there were, or where any of us were located. I prayed that Emiko and I weren't the only ones. And then I cursed myself, and prayed that we were. I didn't want anyone to suffer along with us. It was bad enough that there were at least two digimon with us. Monmon had never left Emiko's side, and MarineAngemon had found us, when we watched the final data stream take the other half of our family away.

He tried to create a sense of happiness within me, but it wasn't working. I was too focused on keeping Emiko alive and safe. I didn't have time to waste on happiness. My happiness wasn't important. My _health_ wasn't important. Emiko was the only one that mattered now. In second place, was Monmon. I wanted to be a good person, and view them equally, but I couldn't. Emiko was my world. She was helpless, but Monmon was not. He'd survived a long time before Emiko ever found him. He could also protect himself better.

But those were just excuses. I was still terrible, for putting one before the other. I knew that if it came down to me or Bearmon, I would choose him though. I had to believe that it was simply because Emiko was my _daughter_ that I was putting a human life first. I didn't want to think that any part of me supported anything that EVOLVE stood for. But I'd had a lot of time to dwell on my downfalls. The night had been long, and fraught with danger. There were guards at every turn. Astamon was always nearby, barking out orders to the others.

Astamon was in command of a fine security team. I knew each of them by name, if not personally. Phelesmon and Karatenmon patrolled the skies with Witchmon. Tactimon stood guard at the door, with NeoDevimon at his beck and call. Reapmon was stationed with Zamielmon. They were tasked with ransacking the establishments. Any food found was burned by FlaWizardmon, all chairs and tables—anything wooden—were also burned. Metal was collected to be melted down and forged into weapons. I heard Zanbamon's horse trotting down the cobblestones all night, at a consistent pace. He was patrolling the housing district. It had been obvious to Gaia that the majority of the Temple had been uninhabited when she arrived. No one was scrambling to escape from deep in the Temple's streets. We had all been staying in just a couple of streets. And Zanbamon was frightening enough to not want to risk going home.

I couldn't be caught.

Not with Emiko.

She was far too important to risk myself just for the sake of a shower, or coffee. But she would need to eat. I couldn't let her go hungry. She was a grumpy girl when she was hungry, and I knew I would need to feed her, if I wanted to successfully stay hidden. But they were burning all the food.

I held my breath, and counted to ten. Arukenimon was walking along the top of the outer wall. She was checking the battlements. My location was walled in on three sides. It was a good spot, a _warm_ spot, comparatively. The wind was blocked mostly by the briar barrier. But everything was still soaked from the thunder storm, and the smoke from the fires was gathering in the air, giving off an awful odour, and the air itself was getting pretty thick. I didn't doubt that they were trying to smoke us out.

Monmon whimpered in his sleep, and I looked up to Arukenimon anxiously. She hadn't noticed. I sighed, but knew that it was dangerous to keep Monmon and MarineAngemon with me. I saw a crack in the stone, in the stairs behind me, and knew it was too small to save Emiko, but it was small enough to get a monkey and a...whatever MarineAngemon was, inside. I glanced nervously at Arukenimon and made my decision. Monmon squirmed when I grabbed him, waking from his nap. I pointed at the hole, and he shook his head firmly. I fixed a look at him—one that said, I'm the mother in this relationship—and he hesitated, looking to Emiko, worried. But he knew I wasn't going to give on this matter. He crawled into the hole, and I gestured for MarineAngemon to follow. He did so reluctantly. And my heart was a little lighter, knowing that they could not be seen.

Gaia had made it abundantly clear that she had no use for digimon that weren't susceptible to being pawns. Monmon was too stubborn to _ever_ give in to her wishes. Monmon was a prime target for her, and I was _not_ going to allow my daughter to go through her life having lost her partner when she was so young. It just wasn't right.

A hand closed around my arm, and pulled me to my feet. I let out a startled shout, and Emiko fell to the ground, as I was ripped out from under her. She woke, quickly, and shouted, kicking my attacker in the shin. In my haste to get the digimon hidden, I'd forgotten about the last digimon from Witchenly that was on guard: Mummymon. He held tightly, ignoring Emiko's attacks, and soon Arukenimon came down from the wall to assist her beau. She grabbed Emiko, and I saw red. I used strength I didn't know I even _had_ to rip myself away from Mummymon and wound my fist back. Arukenmon didn't get knocked down—she had eight legs, and therefore amazing balance—but she was definitely startled enough to let go of my daughter. I caught Emiko's hand and raced down the street. We couldn't afford to stick around.

There were enemies at every turn. Three were in the sky above us. Karatenmon dived at us, catching sight of my shiny, silver watch—a present from Jou, on our most recent anniversary—and I hated to throw it away, but it was drawing Karatenmon to us. He followed the watch, and let us be. I pulled Emiko down the housing district, running down a street that wasn't currently being patrolled by Zanbamon. I was running too fast for Emiko's shorter legs, and she stumbled. Before she could hit the ground, I had pulled her up, and caught her around her middle. It was inconvenient to have to run while holding her, but I wasn't about to leave her behind. I would've rather died than let anything happen to her.

I flung open the first door that I came across. It slammed open, and I knew it would be a terrible hiding place, but there were windows we could climb out of, that the digimon might not fit through, and so I thought it best to take my chances. I contemplated stuffing Emiko under a bed, and running off with a bundle of blankets, and trying to lure the digimon away from her—but I couldn't guarantee that they'd fall for it, and so I couldn't take the chance.

Kicking the door shut, I latched it with every lock available. I set Emiko down, and told her to stay put, before setting about to barricade the door with the nearby furniture. Emiko ignored my request, and ran over to help me shove the couch in front of the door. We upturned the table to block the front window, and piled the chairs around it, so that it couldn't be shoved away too easily.

This wasn't an apartment that housed a child. I knew, because all the family apartments were across the street from us. If I'd been thinking, I could have gotten Emiko barricaded in our own apartment, where I could have found dry clothes for her, so that she wouldn't get sick. My mind was racing, trying to figure out who lived here while we'd been hiding away, but my mind was blank.

It didn't matter anyway. I raced through the open concept living and kitchen area, towards the bedroom. I opened the dresser and found a pair of thick, woolen tights in one drawer, and a man's sweater in another. I didn't know who's they were, but I grabbed a belt, and a blazer, and got to work stripping my daughters soaked clothes off of her. I couldn't give her a bath, like I knew she needed, to get her temperature back to its proper degree, but I got her into the dry clothes, tying the sweater and blazer around her waist with the belt, and felt happier, knowing she wouldn't freeze.

There was whispering in the closet. I hesitated. Pushing Emiko behind me, I moved towards the closet door, and opened it in one swift motion. A man's fist came flying at me. Emiko screamed and I fell to the floor, clutching my nose.

"I am _so_ sorry," the man said, realizing I wasn't one of Gaia's allies. Emiko ran to my side and tried to make me feel better, shouting at the man for being such a bully. "I thought you were them again."

"Again?" I asked sharply.

"Yeah," the man said nodding his head. After a second look, I realized he was Kai. He was one of the biggest players in the fight club. He was always willing to lend a hand chopping firewood, or giving self defense lessons. Behind him was a cowering girl. She was Shuri. She didn't participate in the fighting her club got up to, and played the role of a medic instead. Her partner, ToyAgumon, was in pieces at her feet. She was putting him back together, and I realized _he_ was the reason they hadn't been able to get out.

"I'm sorry," ToyAgumon cried softly.

"It's not your fault," Shuri assured him. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I keep falling to pieces," he argued. "You would be safe if it wasn't for me."

"We're still safe," Kai lied. "Don't even worry about it."

It was hard to follow his advice. Since they realized we obviously weren't Gaia's guards, they felt more confident coming out of their hiding place and continuing to go about their business. I tried to warn them that the guards were coming, but Kai wouldn't listen. He explained that the guards had been in the apartment three times already, and they'd never been found yet. He was sure that we'd have time for a quick bite to eat—protein bars that had been stuffed in boxes under their bed—but he was wrong.

Zanbamon and Phelesmon crashed through the barricade, as Emiko was taking her first bite. Shuri stuffed ToyAgumon into a cupboard, before they'd even walked through the door. Kai tried to punch Phelesmon—the smaller target—but he wasn't quick enough. Phelesmon caught his arm, and took Emiko before I could get her myself. I screamed at him, and Zanbamon took my arm in his hand. Shuri was scared, and Kai told her to run, to save herself, but instead, she got a knife from the block in the kitchen, and jammed it into Phelemon's leg. He screamed, and dropped Emiko, who Shuri picked up and ran off with. Zanbamon tossed me at Phelesmon and went after them. I screamed for my daughter, cursing myself for not just leaving Kai and Shuri behind when I had the chance.

Phelesmon didn't wait around for Zanbamon to return. I didn't know if the demon man was going to kill my daughter. I had no way of knowing she was even still alive. She could've died minutes ago, and I never would have known. It was too much for me to handle. My skin was already ice cold, but my heart was filling with cold too. I might never see my baby girl again, and it was killing me.

"Where are you taking us?" Kai demanded.

"You will be seen and not heard," Phelesmon sneered. "The lady Ter— _Gaia_ , is expecting you. You could not have hid forever. She can feel your presence. She knows how many are here."

My heart ached again, thinking of Monmon and MarineAngemon—even ToyAgumon—who were hidden away. Could Gaia feel them too? Would she care about 'insignificant' digimon? There was a chance that they would be left alone, since Gaia hated digimon so much. But the chance wasn't very high. Gaia seemed to kill a lot of the people she hated—or at least, she had others do it. I was unclear on what she actually managed to do for herself.

We were thrown on the ground in the middle of Main Square. I'd been able to see the square from my hiding place all night, but not once did I see a collection of prisoners on their knees in a line. I was tossed down between Jenna and Katsue. Jenna was holding her stomach. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears, and I knew they were more from pain than humiliation. Chi was next to her, looking far more human than he had in the last few weeks. He'd gotten comfortable having his wings or his antennae showing, but now that Gaia was here, willing to kill digimon, he couldn't afford to look like one. He was itching to rub Jenna's back, but every time his hand twitched toward her, Tactimon let out a sharp shout, and cracked a whip at him. Chi flinched every time at the sound.

"What are you doing here?" Katsue demanded, out of the corner of her mouth. No one noticed her movements. I was thankful. I didn't want the whip aimed at me. I kept my eyes down the streets, waiting for any sign of Emiko. "You should have gotten out. You've got a family."

My heart was filled with relief when I heard Emiko crying. The relief was shifted out of the way, to make room for _worry_ soon after, but the rush of relief was beautiful. To hear her crying meant that she was alive. It was the most glorious sound I'd heard in a long time. And then I saw her. She was tossed at the end of the line. She tried to get up, the moment she saw me. I shook my head, but she ignored me. Thankfully, Shuri caught Emiko's arm, and pulled her back down. Emiko shouted, and Shuri's disobedience earned her a crack of the whip—but Emiko was safe. She was crying, and miserable, and I was a terrible mother for getting her into this. But she was alive.

I looked through the rest of the line. On the other side of Chi, was Natsuko and Hiroaki. Beyond them, were the Tachikawas, Satoe and Keisuke. Little Aneko was tucked in beside Katsue, and Kai was on Aneko's other side. Emiko and Shuri were beyond him. Reapmon came into the square through yet another side street, and he dragged two men behind him. I gasped involuntarily, and Tactimon cracked his whip behind me. A searing pain ripped its way across my back, and I tried to fight the tears. If I cried, Emiko would lose whatever hope she had. I could not take that chance. Emiko was going to find some sort of happiness here, even if it killed me.

Reapmon deposited Benjamin and my father-in-law, Isao, next to the Tachikawas, and nodded towards Tactimon. I both hoped and dreaded that that was the symbol saying that this was all of us. There weren't that many, but the number was too large in my opinion. I would've liked there to be three less, at _least_ —specifically, Emiko, Aneko and Jenna. But I wasn't going to get what I wanted.

"Bow before your queen," Tactimon cried. When no one moved, he cracked his whip. It hit Chi again, and he growled in pain. Everyone was quick to comply after that. It wasn't dignified, and not one of us agreed that she was our queen, but we bowed regardless, determined to live.

Jenna was unable to bow. Her knees were on the ground, and she _tried_ to bend down, like the rest of us, so that her head touched the ground. But her stomach was in the way. She was sobbing and trying, again and again, but the pain was too much. She couldn't do it. There was a crack of a whip, and for a brief moment, I thought that he was going to strike Jenna, but when I glanced, a graceful brown hand had caught the whip. The hand was attached to a beautiful woman. She was far more beautiful than I had expected. I supposed that I thought she would have pointy teeth and devil horns—maybe even oversized bat wings. She was a monster, but she didn't look like one. She looked gentle and harmless.

Gaia smiled down at Jenna. "Now, now, Tactimon," she said with a calming voice. "Do not hurt our guest. She is trying, and that is all we can expect. I thank you all for coming today, to witness my grand return to my home. I built this castle. You've altered it in horrid ways, but the structure is similar enough. It will not take long to return it to its glory days. It was quite tricky of you, to steal my castle from Earth, where it had been built. I would commend you on your sneaky behaviour if it hadn't been so damn irritating." Her tone lost the honey sweet tone for a moment, but it soon returned in full force. "There of course, will be rules that you must follow, as my first official subjects in my home. There will be guards to enforce the laws. Do not even attempt to disobey."

She walked slowly away from Jenna, humming to herself. "There will be a curfew. When you see the moon rising, you will be done work for the day." I glanced to the sky, and reminded myself that we _couldn't_ see the moon, or the sun. We would work with no stopping. "You will be my assistants in returning this _Temple_ to the brilliant castle it once was. No one is too young to work," she added, glancing at Emiko, and then to Aneko. "You will eat only when food is provided. You will sleep, only when you fall into such a state through sheer exhaustion. You will work every second until you physically cannot work any longer—and then I will compel you to _continue_. My laws must be obeyed. We will do this _my_ way, or you will die. If you cooperate, you will be allowed to survive under my reign."

"You're a bully," Emiko told her flatly. "My dad's gonna get you. He said so."

"Emiko," I hissed, panicking, because Emiko had drawn attention to herself. _Of course_ , she drew attention to herself. This was Emiko. But it didn't stop me from worrying, or wishing that she hadn't.

"Oh, this _is_ marvelous," Gaia said, sounding rather thrilled. "You're a Digidestined's child. Why, that means they _will_ be coming for me. Aren't you just a bundle of information! I must prepare for my visitors. They escaped last night, but they won't get a second chance. I will rid the world of those menaces, and then I will drive peace into my world, with no one left to stand in my way."

"You won't hurt my dad," Emiko said, furiously. She was crying because of her rage. She held up two small fists and got ready to hit Gaia. Chi, thankfully was quick to get in front of her. Gaia looked him up and down, trying to put her finger on what wasn't quite _human_ about him, but thankfully, she wasn't able to pinpoint the difference.

"You," Gaia said, suspiciously, turning away from Chi, towards Jenna, who was still crying on the ground. "Why is it that you feel like Autumn?"

"I don't, Jenna said, through gritted teeth. She rubbed her stomach, and Gaia's eyes followed Jenna's hand's movements. She narrowed her eyes at her stomach and reached forward. Jenna scrambled back, and Gaia looked murderous.

"It's the child," she declared. "Give it to me."

"It's kind of busy being incubated at the moment," Jenna said stubbornly.

"I can take care of that," Gaia informed her. Gaia lunged forward and traced her fingers against Jenna's swollen stomach. Jenna shouted, trying to shove Gaia away, but Gaia simply laughed. "It won't be long now. Autumn will plague me no longer."

Gaia's laughter was cold and menacing. She no longer looked gentle and beautiful. The wings and the fangs and the horns may not be physically present, but they were there, in the way she contorted her face, and the way she held herself. She was perfectly confident, and she'd clearly lost any hold on reality she'd had in her life. She was maniacal and crazy—a _dangerous_ combination.

"Tactimon, Zanbamon, ensure that they clean this mess up. We'll be starting rebuilding tomorrow, and I want this place spotless!" she cried out. "I have more important things to do than babysit a bunch of prisoners. Alert me when the baby arrives. I will want to kill it immediately."

"We won't let them escape," Tactimon said, with a deep bow.

"I'd like to see them try," Gaia said. "There isn't an escape. I've sealed everything."

She left, and Tactimon made us all stay on our knees bowing at the place Gaia had once stood, simply to humiliate us. It was over an hour later, that he finally gave us orders to clean. We were not provided with cleaning utensils. Most of them had been burned with the food. What little there was left, was taken from us as soon as we located them. They were being extra diligent now, about taking what was in the houses. We were not permitted to have _any_ form of luxury.

But we did have one.

We had each other. And we stayed together. We weren't meant to. We were meant to be suffering, but Gaia had not given any instructions that said we couldn't, and so Tactimon's hands were tied.

Chi did a lot of the work. In order for us to convince Tactimon that Jenna and Isao did not need to work, someone had to pick up their slack—and Chi had already been singled out by Tactimon to be the prime candidate. Chi didn't mind, because it meant that Jenna was getting proper care from a real doctor, even if babies were not Isao's forte.

"The baby's coming then?" Katsue asked Chi, as she tossed large stones into a pile. We knew we would be told to move the pile somewhere else, as soon as it was finished—and then we would need to move it _again_. It was a never ending, vicious circle.

"I suppose so," Chi said softly. "I do not like it."

"The baby?" I asked, shocked.

"No," Chi said defensively. "I am confused about _that_ , what I don't like is Gaia's interference. Jenna was suffering so much already, and now look at her."

"It hurts now," I agreed. "But she won't remember the pain once she holds the baby."

I'd done it twice already. I couldn't remember _why_ I wanted a second child so badly, when I went into labour with Renjiro, but as soon as I saw his chubby little cheeks, I forgot all about the pain and endless hours of sweating and screaming. I had a son, and that was all that mattered.

Emiko was sitting at her Grandfather's feet. I'd sent her there, and Tactimon had cracked his whip dangerously close to me, but I decided I would do the work for both Emiko and myself. I was trying to pick up Aneko's slack too, but it was a little too much for me. Katsue, Kai and Benjamin were helping too. Shuri was trying, but I could see her eyes shifting towards her apartment, where ToyAgumon was lying in pieces, waiting for her to return. My thoughts often slipped to the memory of placing Monmon and MarineAngemon in a safe place. I knew I could not risk running for them though, and I hoped that Shuri didn't take the chance either. Not only was it unsafe for _her_ , but it wouldn't be safe for her partner either.

"I don't like to see her in pain," Chi said, wincing as Jenna cried out. She was definitely going into labor. I remembered hearing how quickly Miyako had been rushed to the hospital, and how Mai had been born four hours after Gaia had touched my sister's pregnant belly. I was counting the minutes in my head, trying to calculate how much time we had left.

"You'll be seeing her worse in a little while," I said, apologetically. "But you'll be a father."

"Maybe," Chi said without humour, "or maybe Gaia makes good on her promise and kills the child before we have a chance to know it. I'm growing fond of the idea of fatherhood. I don't want to lose the chance. And I don't want to lose Jenna in the process. I can't lose Jenna."

"You won't," Katsue said. "Isao's a good doctor. He'll keep her healthy. I'm more worried about the kid, honestly. We're surrounded by guards all the time. There's no way to get her out of here, even if we _could_ get away from them. We're trapped, and the minute she gives birth, they're going to snatch the baby up, just like they snatched Aneko."

"What?" I wondered.

"Aneko was running," Katsue said. "I'd already been captured by the ragged soldiers. Amai got free though. I hope so anyway. I was handed over to Phelesmon, and I saw Aneko. She wasn't going to outrun Witchmon, and that damn cat of hers was being a nuisance. No amount of hope was going to get her out of there. But I hoped anyway. Where did the army go, anyway?"

"I haven't seen them since midnight or so," I realized.

"They're deeper in the Temple. They're doing what we're doing, only they're doing it 'voluntarily'," Chi said. "I saw them. The fight was over, and instead of resting, they started breaking down walls with their bare hands. It's bloody, and it's horrifying."

"What were you doing there?" Katsue wanted to know.

"Running," Chi said. "I thought I was heading to Meiyomon, but I took a wrong turn. It's my fault that Jenna's trapped here. I thought I knew what I was doing. I _thought_ I could get us out, if I could just get away from the army. I was just going to fly us out. But I didn't get the chance."

"Who was it?" I asked.

"NeoDevimon," Chi admitted. "He dragged us back, and dropped us in a room with Benjamin, Satoe and Keisuke. Benjamin was caught, trying to get the Tachikawas to safety. They gave themselves up. Can you believe that? I don't understand."

"You will, when you see your baby," I told him. "Gaia has Mimi, and they're not going to give up on her." Anyone know the story of Hiroaki and Natsuko?"

"Yeah," Katsue said. "They came back for me. They had a chance to get away, but I called for help as I was being dragged away. They heard, and they came to help, and now they're Gaia's prisoners _again_. Yamato's going to be furious."

"They were together?" I said, trying to understand, but finding it to be impossible. Katsue didn't answer, not wanting to waste breath on idle gossip. It didn't matter what Natsuko and Hiroaki did with their time. They were actually working side by side, talking almost entirely about their sons—from the snippets that I could hear, anyway. It was as if they were working diligently, and with unwavering focus, for the sake of their sons. They hadn't died as prisoners last time, and they wouldn't this time either. It was a nice sentiment, but I wasn't sure how true it would be.

If we continued working at this rate even for week, we'd be in danger of dropping like flies. Tactimon hadn't mentioned food _yet_ , and Emiko was becoming a grumpy bear. The sun had to be getting ready to rise soon. It had been a long, exhausting night—but since we couldn't see the moon, we were not permitted to rest.

We could only rest if we passed out from the work we were doing. And I couldn't afford to do that. If I passed out, then Emiko would need to do her share of the work, and there just wasn't any way that a child could do as much work as the adults.

Benjamin casually walked over towards us, reaching down to grab a stone that both Katsue and I were going to take, and he paused. "I have a plan," he informed us. "When the distraction is set, you must run to the library. We will escape there."

"How?" Katsue asked in a whisper, always inquisitive.

"I will explain later," Benjamin said, picking up the rock and moving it to the pile. If he'd lingered any longer, then Tactimon might've grown suspicious. I was glad that he left. I was also glad that he'd thought of a plan. I hadn't been able to figure one out. I watched as Katsue informed Chi, just as casually as Benjamin had told us. I moved toward Aneko, gently guiding her in the direction of my daughter. She was confused, but she went willingly. She trusted so blindly and saw the best in everyone. I hoped this experience wouldn't tamper with that _goodness_.

Shuri frowned, and came close to us as well, asking how Jenna was feeling, and looking to Isao, when Jenna couldn't answer. I wondered what she was up to—since she hadn't left Kai's side since we got captured—but my questions were answered soon enough. Kai and Benjamin looked to each other, and threw the stones they were holding at Tactimon. He shouted, and then they raced off down the street. Tactimon chased after them, and his henchmen in the sky soared along with him, giving him updates on their locations.

We split up at that point. I took Aneko and Emiko, and I ran like mad to Main Square, where we moved quickly to where MarineAngemon and Monmon were hidden. Monmon hugged Emiko, but I didn't have time to let them have a lingering reunion. I held both Aneko and Emiko's hands tightly, and we moved quickly up the path toward the library. Katsue, Natsuko and Hiroaki were already there.

"You're sure you're alright?" Hiroaki asked Natsuko urgently.

"I'll be fine once we get out of here," Natsuko said, rolling her eyes, and smiling to herself. "Oh good. I was worried about you three. Emiko's okay?"

"I'm fine," Emiko said in a small voice. It hurt my heart to hear her usual rambunctious nature so muted. I pulled her close to hug her, and Monmon clung to her, not wanting to ever let go. MarineAngemon tried to lift the moods of everyone, but it didn't work. He was quite disappointed, but it couldn't be helped.

I looked around us and was very confused with what I saw. It was like walking into a funhouse mirror. The library was definitely the strangest place I'd ever been.

"Kai's not here yet?" Shuri asked. I turned to see her in the entranceway of the library. She'd passed through the long, dark tunnel without me even noticing. I felt slightly frightened by that knowledge, and vowed to pay better attention from then on out. I sat, standing guard, waiting. Everyone else was silent. We were all afraid that Astamon, or some of his guards were going to find us.

I was very relieved when the next faces to come through the door were Satoe and Keisuke. I wasn't sure they would come, but Mimi wasn't here—or at least anywhere near us. They weren't helping her any better by being held captive than they were when they were free. Isao came next, with Chi and Jenna. The two men were holding Jenna's weight between them. She was crying, but Isao had a hand pressed over her mouth so that she couldn't let out any noise. We waited longer, because Shuri would not go deeper into the library, until she knew where Kai was, and we didn't know the plan without Benjamin.

The only interruption of the silence was Jenna's laboured breathing. She was clutching her stomach, praying that the baby would stay where it was. She wasn't ready for this. She couldn't give birth until we were free. She didn't want a baby born in captivity.

It was a long twelve minutes, before Kai and Benjamin showed their faces. They were running quickly, and yelled out for us to move. We were on our feet before they caught up to us, and we raced after Benjamin, who was trying to lead us somewhere. Emiko screamed when she caught sight of whoever was following us. I peeked and saw that it was Astamon himself. He had his gun ready, and was taking random shots. Benjamin knew the layout of the library better than our pursuer though, and we managed to hide ourselves away.

"Jenna," Chi said frantically. "You're all wet. Why are you wet?"

"My water broke," Jenna gasped. "I won't make it out of here."

"Tell us where we're going," Chi demanded, grabbing Benjamin by his collar. "We can get her out. We _have_ to get her out. Lead the way!"

"I can't," Benajamin said. "I only know the theory. Gennai never shared the exact directions. I simply know there's another exit."

"Astamon's tearing the place apart!" Katsue snapped. "We can't stay here."

"Either think of a plan _now,_ or we'll _have_ to," Isao said, shaking his head. "The baby is coming. Momoe, Shuri, I'm going to need help with the delivery."

"What?" I asked, panicked. "It can't happen now. We don't have the equipment!"

Isao looked back the way we had come. "We either deliver the baby here or we get to the hospital." Isao said firmly. Katsue had to hold her hand over Jenna's mouth, while Chi and Aneko gripped her hands as she screamed.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Neo and Natsuni take their final turn at the narration cycle to give us some insights on a different continent that are definitely not irrelevant.


	74. Since U Been Gone

**Y/N:** Natsuni gets her last narration, and she gets to have a little adventure.

 **U/N:** So this was Neo's kind of last narration and that's sad because he's so much fun to write even though it's actually harder because I have to look up "pretentious ways to say simple things" on google and that's kind of annoying because it takes away from the general flow of writing, but it works for him so it's cool. He's kind of a jerk here but it was my way of bringing up all of his past storylines into one chapter. So expect a sort of smallish feud with Tai/Matt and Neo.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 74: Since U Been Gone**

 _ **Neo Saiba:**_

"We don't have time," Taichi said in a quiet whispered tone. "We have to keep moving, Mari's right."

"Actually," Yamato growled back in a voice just as low. "It's called _respect_ Taichi. We take the time now to have a funeral for her, and then we move on."

"Would you two _stop_ fighting?" Sora pleaded, but neither boy seemed to be listening.

The air had filled with a heavy silence after Winter had passed. The silence was not _really_ silent, but there was a general stillness that gave the illusion of blankness. There were several crying figures scattered throughout the camp ground, and while some had the sense to cry softly, others were openly weeping about the loss. I could at least empathize with the pain of losing someone—though I myself never truly had—but I was also intelligent enough to know when crying was ill suited. This would be one of those times. We were at _war_ and had to remain unseen by a foe who had the gift of clairvoyance which would prove to be nearly impossible as it was, crying was not helping us any.

I scanned over the crying forms, looking for one I actually cared about and found that Rei's eyes were filled with tears, but she looked strong. Mari looked wounded and Ceresmon was crying, though I was sure it was Lalamon behind those tears. Lalamon had been given life by Winter—I didn't know how but I would not question it—so her tears were at least justified. Others, like Miyako, needed to silence themselves because she hadn't even liked Winter anyway.

I noticed that Dracomon had left my side to comfort Rei and I felt that was enough, and so I turned to Taichi and Yamato who were still caught up in their debate. "If either of you dunderheads had any remaining brain cells—and I don't blame either of you as I myself lose several every time I come close to one of you so I cannot possibly imagine _being_ you—then you would know how to handle this situation." Taichi and Yamato both turned their glares on me and at least that proved I was good for something in their eyes. I was good for their friendship, as I was always against the both of them. That was not because I enjoyed arguing, but rather that they were both always _wrong_. Except, perhaps, in this case it was the opposite. "You are both _correct_ ," I told them thickly.

Taichi and Yamato looked shocked and turned to Sora, unsure how to respond. Sora too looked confused, but she at least had enough drive to _speak_. "What are you talking about, Neo?"

I rolled my eyes, even though it was perfectly acceptable for her to not understand. I often did wonder though if I had a bias against Taichi and Yamato but I simply didn't care. "Winter _does_ deserve a funeral, but if you think for a moment that she would want to be buried _here_ under several obnoxious infants, then it proves how truly incomprehensibly stupid you both are."

"Hey, I was against it," Taichi tried to reason as Yamato's face turned bright red. Taichi turned to Mimi who, along with Hikari, was already trying to prepare a grave, looking for the correct place in the village of infants. "Mimi, Hikari!" he called to them. They both looked over and he gestured with his hand to get them both to stop what they were doing. Palmon and Gatomon both looked annoyed because they had been so close to finding the perfect place. "What do you suggest then, Neo?"

"We bury her in her home," I said simply. "Sidhendor is where she will want to be kept. I am sure that if you ask her sisters they will agree with me. As we should not set foot in Sidhendor at the moment, this gives us time to focus on Gaia, as you wish, Taichi." Both boys relaxed and looked to each other, nodding. They had found some common ground between the pair of them and Sora was looking relieved that they would not end in one of their infamous brawls.

I wandered off, heading for Rei, but instead found myself interested in Bitoru's words. He and Aesop had crouched down with Spring to comfort her, but she was entirely inconsolable and in fact I was sure she hadn't breathed since Winter had last done so. Bitoru was insisting that she do exactly that and all at once she let out a strangled gasp, finally taking air into her lungs.

Rei did not seem interested in speaking with anyone aside from Dracomon and when I sat nearby she did not even notice, so I was on my way quickly, not wanting to bother her any and instead found Hideto as he crouched down next to Merlin. Merlin's eyes were on the blanket covered body that was once Winter. Though it still _was_ Winter, she simply was not alive any longer.

Hideto looked up to me and nodded when I stood by his side but he did not move from Merlin's side. "Are you sure there is nothing else," Hideto wondered. It seemed that he and Merlin had been speaking for some time, and Merlin was out of information to give. Hideto sighed and his shoulders slumped.

I took the moment of silence, which was sure to be temporary, to look around the grounds once more. Jou and his two brothers were finding a place to keep Morganna's dead body, unsure what to do with it. I thought we should simply burn the form, but it was not my place to say. Summer was next to her fallen sister, silent tears still present in her eyes, and Yume was gently stroking her back. Iori was sitting alone nearby, staring to the ground with wide, haunted eyes. Miyako had Hawkmon held in her arms and she was speaking with Norn in a quiet voice, or at least one that was meant to be quiet, but with the disgusting display of emotions it seemed she was unable to find that hushed tone she was seeking.

"S-she w-w-won't go to the D-Dark Ocean, will sh-sh-she?" Miyako blubbered.

Norn, who was keeping herself rather put together even after everything she had gone through, sent Miyako a nervous look. "I do not know for sure," Norn said softly. "I promise I will keep looking for her to purify her if she does. She will be with Autumn once more." Michael, who was sitting with Willis and Tatum and their digimon, looked up at the sound of his mother's name and he nodded. He liked the idea that Winter would be happy too. She did deserve that after all. She had done so much to help us.

 _Us._

Did I really consider myself to be a part of this group now?

"Digidestined," Taichi said over the din that was somehow quiet. His voice cut through the thick walls of emotion that had been built up over the time we had to wait around after her death. "We're meeting over here. I'm sorry." He added the apology to Miyako specifically who looked appalled at the idea of actually working on something after what had happened.

Hideto and I moved swiftly, after he had said a quick farewell to Merlin, and soon enough the others had gathered as well. They were moving much slower than Hideto or I had and I was irritated, but I understood at least. When we had all gathered, including Tatum, Taichi's eyes fell on the Olympos XII.

"We've got all twelve now," Mari explained. "Thirteen if you include Plutomon."

"Which no one seems to do," Kiyoko said sadly, looking over to the dark digimon.

Taichi nodded and then set his sights on Tatum. He stared blankly for a moment and she looked irritated that he was seemingly telling her to go away. "I might not be a Digidestined, but I have a right to stand here."

"Micheal will tell you anyway," Taichi tried to reason.

"Exactly," Tatum agreed. "So why can't I stay?" Taichi didn't answer, and for a moment I thought Tatum would have won, but his eyes fell to her baby, still inside her and she groaned. "Whatever." She turned and stalked off toward Rei who was probably going to need someone to talk to now that Dracomon had joined the other digimon in our circle of Digidestined.

Taichi looked around to each of us, his eyes lingering on both Iori and Mimi a moment longer than anyone else. "We're all here," he said weakly. "It's been a while." He was not wrong. This had been the first time we were all standing together since we had said our final goodbye to our partners—until that final goodbye turned into a temporary one, that is. "So what do we do now?"

All eyes turned to Koushiro and he looked nervous. "We must defeat Gaia."

"How truly insightful," I said sarcastically. Hideto elbowed me and I sent him a glare.

"We have to save Jenna," Michael said quickly. "And Emiko and Aneko. We have to save those who are stuck in the Temple."

"Yes," Jou agreed, "but that might fall in with defeating Gaia. She will be there, won't she?"

"You think Gaia would trap herself in the Temple?" Sora wondered, before turned to Willis. "You were saying that there's a protective dome around the castle?"

Willis nodded. "It's poisonous and puts you to sleep if you touch it."

"Strange," Ken said quietly.

"What's strange?" Takeru asked.

"Why would Gaia put people to sleep instead of kill them?" Ken asked. "She obviously put the barrier up to keep them inside, and to keep people out. Why doesn't she want them dead?"

"Because she is looking for someone," Iori said weakly. "She's looking for Autumn, remember?"

"She's _dead_ ," Michael reminded everyone.

"But Jenna isn't," Hikari said thoughtfully. "Gaia is looking for the last remaining energy of Autumn. Jenna took that energy when your mother died. That's what Autumn told you all, isn't it?" There was a silence that followed her words as we all thought.

There was one question that rose to my mind immediately and I was surprised to hear Daisuke with the same thought. "Why Autumn?" All eyes turned to him. "What does she need Autumn for? She has her powers, so why would she need her?"

"Maybe she's not as good at seeing the future," Mimi shrugged, hugging Palmon closely to her chest. "I wonder... maybe Autumn had a prophecy that Gaia wanted. Maybe she needs that knowledge." Mimi's eyes flicked to Koushiro angrily and I groaned audibly, only to receive another elbow in the side from Hideto.

"I doubt Gaia wants anything from anyone else," Hideto then said. "Her pride is unbearable, and honestly I don't believe there could be anything Autumn knew that Gaia didn't since she could read memories, look through eyes, read emotions flawlessly _and_ see the future. Autumn couldn't have known something Gaia didn't know because Gaia knows _everything_."

I didn't see how it was possible to know _everything_ , but Hideto did have a point. If Gaia could read the memories of her daughters, Autumn could never hide anything from her.

"Gaia wants balance," Kurayami said. "She wants a perfect world to rule... she has our light and darkness because she wants things to be kept in order."

"What does that mean though?" Yamato asked.

"It means she has always been focusing on the two sides of every coin," Kurayami said. "Chaos, which she brings to the world with such ease, and _Peace_."

"Jenna has the peace," Miyako remembered what Autumn had said. They were all nodding slowly until Miyako's face lit up in a terrible way. "Her _baby_ has the peace." Michael grabbed Willis' arm sharply, afraid of Miyako's theory. "This war dates back at least two hundred billion years and it has always been between two sets of beings."

"The digimon and the humans," Tentomon agreed, nodding his head. "Gaia's war was always with Witchenly." All eyes turned to the Olymos XII again as they had once ruled that very nation. "She despises digimon and she fed lies to the people, and the war started there, with _her_."

"And who do we know that bridged the gap between humans and digimon?" Hawkmon asked, getting into Miyako's theory.

"Gennai," Mimi breathed, understanding.

"Gennai was the best thing that ever happened to the digimon _and_ the people," Agumon realized. "So Jenna's baby—"

"—the only baby that has ever followed in Gennai's metaphorical footsteps—" Gatomon expanded.

"—You really think her baby is the true bearer of peace?" Jou asked nervously, thinking of all the times he, and everyone else for that matter, had tried to convince Jenna to rid herself of that child.

"Then what does Gaia want with the baby?" Palmon asked.

"She wouldn't kill it," Patamon said, but it somehow sounded more of a question.

"If she _does_ want peace and chaos in harmony," Ceresmon said, "then she surely would not kill the baby." There was a pause in her words and then, "Would she?"

No one had any answers.

It was not a comforting thought, but it did give us an objective at the very least. Having a goal was the only way to truly come out victorious, and 'Stop Gaia' was not a true goal. There was finally something to accomplish, but not one of these people who I had recently—unfortunately—considered a team had any ideas of where to start. They were all entirely silent until I finally sighed and stepped forward.

"We need a battle ready army," I reasoned with a sigh. "We shall use the newly acquired Digimentals to restore the Knight's power. Pal and Pul have also activated their secrets and we can use them in our fight as well."

Taichi nodded. "We do need the Digimentals back."

"We have several," I said. Taichi seemed confused, but I rolled my eyes and motioned with my head for him to follow me. I was aware that the others had done the same. I marched back toward the crowd of survivors and spoke loudly. "If any of you have Digimentals that you would like to add to our collection," I gestured toward the Digimentals of Faith and Miracles, "please do so now."

Norn moved first, eager to be of any assistance. She moved to the place where our two Digimentals were being kept on a blanket near the shelters and she set Trust and Honesty down gently. Yume was next, excusing himself from Summer before he followed Norn's example, placing both Hope and Desire onto the blanket. I looked to Jupitermon who I knew would also have some and he had already handed them off to his lesser subordinates. Lunamon and Coronamon were happy to finally be free from their intended places at his side and they brought both Dark and Light to the collection before finally running off to find Kae and Natsuko. I knew that Lunamon would be disappointed, as Natsuko was inside the Temple, but I had no idea what had happened with Kae Ichijouji. I only cared for Kiyoko's sake anyway.

Bitoru was moving next, but his hand was caught by Summer who handed off two of her own that I guessed she had picked off of Akumu. Akumu had been granted Tenacity and Pride, while Bitoru had Purity and Kindness all along.

"Morganna will have some as well," I said flatly. The others were staring in surprise as the Digimentals accumulated and Jou hurried to Morganna's side, deeper into the trees where he came back holding a Digimental. "Knowledge," I said aloud.

"She has separated the Digimentals into worlds," Koushiro realized. All eyes were once again on him but he was too oblivious to notice it at all.

"Each world is represented by a set of Crests," Tentomon explained since it seemed Koushiro wasn't going to. "Akumu had Tenacity and Pride, which represent the Dark Ocean." Koushiro nodded, confirming Tentomon's words.

"So when Merlin had Faith and Miracles," Lopmon said thoughtfully. "They mean the Land of Light, right?"

"Exactly," Tentomon agreed.

"Then what did Light and Dark mean?" Terriermon asked, confused. "If not the Lands of Light or Dark?"

I nearly gasped at Veemon's response. "The Digital World obviously." That had been my own guess. Perhaps I put too little faith in Daisuke and his partner, or perhaps they had actually taken the time to crack open a book more recently and actually developed some general intelligence. "The Digital World is the land of balance. We've been told that before, right?"

"Mhm," Palmon confirmed. "Tentomon says it all the time!"

"I think Hope and Desire mean the Land of Dreams," Gabumon said thoughtfully. Tentomon nodded and Gabumon breathed a sigh of relief, happy to have not been embarrassed in the end.

"Trust and Honesty would represent the In-Between probably," Gomamon shrugged. "I'm just guessing, since Norn had them."

"I'm actually not sure," Tentomon said, looking to Koushiro for confirmation. Koushiro nodded, though it was clear that even he was not entirely certain.

"So Purity and Kindness," Wormmon said, trying to place where his own Crest might belong. "It couldn't be Earth because humans are not usually very pure." I snorted but several glares were sent Wormmon's direction. Ken's face turned red as he held his partner closer to him. "Witchenly is way too scary and they made up half of the war back when the Crests were created... I suppose it could be Neverland?"

"There just isn't anything as pure and as kind as Theta," Armadillomon said sadly.

"Theta!" Wormmon exclaimed. "I bet it's the Land of White—it's Theta, isn't it Ken?" Ken shrugged and looked to Koushiro who was also unsure, but it stood to reason at least.

"So what about Knowledge?" Agumon asked. "Morganna only had one."

"Ooh!" Biyomon exclaimed. "I bet I know!" I rolled my eyes. I was willing to bet against her on this one already. "Morganna probably has an evil twin who took the other Digimental and that's where it's being kept—or maybe it would be a good twin, because if it was evil then Morganna would be good and she just _wasn't_. I don't like her at all and actually—"

"Morganna only had one," Tentomon said, cutting across her insane theory, "because the other Crest to represent Sidhendor is Humility."

"Oh," Biyomon said quietly.

"There is no Digimental of Humility," Warg realized.

"We tainted it," Melga said apologetically.

"Exactly," Tentomon said. "So Morganna could hold only one."

"So what about the other Crests?" Betamon asked. "Strength, Destiny, Honour and Forgiveness? And Courage and Friendship?"

"Strength and Honour are from Earth," Tentomon said simply. "Forgiveness and Destiny are from Neverland, and Courage and Friendship of course make up Witchenly."

"That still leaves the Digimental of Love," Hawkmon said bitterly.

"Love represents all," Biyomon reminded him.

"Yes," Hawkmon said, "but _where_ is my Digimental?"

"Gaia... has it," Hikari said in an apologetic way. If Gaia were to keep any Digimentals it was entirely in character for her to keep the one that she found to be the most important. It was unfortunate that Hawkmon had such an attachment to the artefact, but that did not matter in the end. We had to worry about the larger picture, and not about the tiny factors that made that picture up, such as Hawkmon's happiness.

Winter had just died. Two women had lost their sister.

I was going to ensure this war found an end soon before I lost one of my own. "Now that our entirely useless history lesson is out of the way," I said sharply, "should we not plan our attack?"

"How can we?" Taichi asked. "We don't even know what Gaia is _doing_ or where she is."

"We _would_ have," Michael said bitterly. "If Neo had made use of Merlin as a spy like he said he was going to, then _we_ would have been the ones ambushing Gaia and not the other way around."

"So it's my fault then," I guessed. Michael turned away because he was unsure how he felt. That was probably for the better because I was sure Michael did not want to make an enemy in me, of all people. If he said anything on the train of thought he was riding I would surely snap. I did not need anyone pointing fingers at me in a situation where the only person to blame was _Gaia_.

It was clear that the planning stages were early in development and I found myself grinding my teeth as the others waited for someone to make a suggestion. Without Winter to find Gaia they seemed at a loss. "If Gaia is in the Temple, then kill her. If she isn't, then you may save your families. Why is that hard to comprehend?"

"Neo, just shut up," Taichi snapped. He turned and stormed off, dragging Koushiro and Agumon along with him. Several of the others followed, but I only rolled my eyes and wandered toward the Digimentals where Dorumon and the other Knights were waiting. They looked up to me as if waiting for permission and I nodded my head.

A moment later I was surrounded by the brilliant forms of Kentaurosmon, Craniamon, Dynasmon, Crusadermon and of course Alphamon. The Knights were here, and on our side. The Olympos members were all ready to help us fight. We had our partners back with a couple new evolutions to help in the war. Planning should have been easy, but as Taichi trusted only Koushiro and Sora to do that work, I let him.

I knew I was in a terrible mood and I was only going to spread that mood if I spent any more time with Taichi. I did feel bad for treating them all with such little respect, but this was literally war and we had no time for warm comforting hugs or meaningful looks. We had just lost a powerful member of our team and everyone was focusing on what it meant to be together again.

It was foolish.

But somehow it made sense somewhere in the back of my mind. Somehow it made sense to care for those around you just as much as you cared for that larger picture. Rei was here with me, something I could not have said for an entire year, and I cared about her safety more than I did for the war.

I was being hypocritical and rude to the others. I would apologize, if I cared enough to.

Rei was still with Tatum, but she was petting Spring's hair as she rested her head in my sister's lap. Bitoru was nearby, looking gaunt and bitter. I did not blame him, but I also did not know what to say to help him any. Rei smiled politely to me when I sat next to her but she did not seem happy so I did not much appreciate the lie behind her smile. Natsuni had joined her friends as well, and her daughter was sleeping in her mother-in-law's arms.

"Spring," Bitoru was saying softly. He reached out to her hand and took it. She squeezed sharply which he was surprised by. He let out a cry, but did not pull his hand away. "Winter believes in you. I think you can believe in yourself if you try hard enough."

"I can't," Spring said loudly, shaking her head. Her eyes clamped shut and she ignored the world around her. "I won't take what Winter wanted from her! I can't take it anyway! I'm _crazy_! Everyone here has said it before. I'm _crazy_!"

Amai's attention was immediately captured and she stalked right over to Spring with her partner Piddomon following right behind her. Spring looked up when Amai fell to her side and Amai grabbed her shoulders. "Look at me!" Amai said sternly. "Everyone always told me that _I_ was crazy too. I guess it was because I liked to walk in bare feet in the rain, or because butterflies distracted me or maybe because my mind like to think of the weirdest things at the strangest times—but you're not stupid. You're not crazy. You're just a girl with a mind that works differently! Stop trying to convince yourself that all the bullies around you are right. I used to think the same way, until I was set straight by Katsue. You need your own Katsue to help you love yourself."

All eyes turned to Bitoru and he cleared his throat. "I'm trying," he said quietly. "If we could find the missing piece of her mind, then perhaps we could help her stability, and then she would be able to stand tall without falling to pieces as she does."

"It sounds to me like this missing piece of mind is a lot like a mental disorder," Tatum said kindly. "It's like depression, or anxiety. They sneak up on you and tear you apart when you least expect them." Spring nodded, agreeing that it was a lot like that. "Then we'll just have to find your cure." She turned to Bitoru. "Where do we start?"

"I've been looking for a _very_ long time," Bitoru said, annoyed, "surely you won't be able to find it."

"Let us at least _try_ ," Natsuni pleaded.

Bitoru gave in and sighed. "I don't know where to look," he admitted. "After all of my experiments and working with Summer I have learned that the missing piece should resemble a crystal of sorts." Spring was staring to Amai who was looking off into space, and Spring looked up too, excited to see what Amai had found. I nervously followed suit, but found a blank sky above. "It should be small, and red. Gaia surely keeps it close to—"

"Oh my god!" Rei gasped loudly, digging her fingers into my leg. "Bitoru—Oh my god. I think... I think I actually know where it is."

Bitoru and Spring turned to Rei with amazement and doubt, but Rei was so sure. She was thinking hard and I could tell. I trusted that she knew too, because she was smart. She would not build up Spring's hopes like that for something inconsequential. She looked up slowly and nodded. "It was in Witchenly. I found a small red crystal in Gaia's bedroom when we were looking for clues to prove that she wasn't Terra." Rei hesitated. "And that's weird, now that we know Terra was her sister."

I was instantly gone to the world, thinking of Terra and Evelen. Perhaps letting her go and have time to herself was wrong all this along. Perhaps _I_ had been wrong. Was caring about those you loved just as important as caring for the larger picture? Loving someone was important and caring for them was how life was able to continue properly, I was sure of it... but did that mean I had been wrong to let Evelen go?

It dawned on me then that I had just admitted to myself that I loved Evelen.

"Excuse me," I said to Rei softly, getting to my feet. "I need the key to Earth, does anyone know where I might find it?"

Bitoru's face lit up and he reached into his bag, pulling out a ring of elaborate gaudy keys. He handed me the silver key to Earth without question and I turned away from the others. "Dracomon, are you coming?"

"Of course," he said nervously, rushing after me.

I slammed the key into the air and was nearly stepping through the gate. "Neo!" Rei shouted, stopping me in my tracks. I thought she was going to tell me to stay, but she didn't understand, so I would ignore her of course. "You're going to need this, genius." She was holding out the ring of keys. "I don't know which one will bring you back to me, but if it helps, I think we're going to Witchenly." She showed me the purple key and I nodded, giving her a quick hug. I turned to the door but my face turned red when Rei said, "Tell Evelen I say hello."

I ignored her and her laugh that followed as I slipped through the door.

"So we're going to Evelen?" Dracomon asked.

I was unsure if I wanted to give him a straightforward answer, but he seemed insistent that I did so... I nodded and he was excited. I sighed, ignoring the dirty looks from the people in the street, because I did not have time to deal with EVOLVE members. When one man shouted loudly in our direction I had Dracomon evolve to Examon to scare him off. It was also useful because he was able to fly me to my destination.

We landed next to my office building and I hurried up to the top floor, using an elevator. I did not know where to find Evelen, but I knew that I had the number of several private investigators in my office, so I could easily get someone to locate her for me. I could have also simply asked Kiyoko, but I hadn't thought of it quick enough.

I reached the top floor immediately and marched directly toward the door at the end of the hallway, my eyes focused on one thing only.

I very nearly jumped when I heard a voice call my name, but I kept my stability intact and calmly looked toward the sound. It was Kansui and I groaned loudly. "Go away _now_ ," I snapped at him and he glared. "I do not have time for you right now, Kansui!"

Kansui ignored me and pulled something out from behind his back. It was the Digimental of Strength.

"Where did you find that?" I asked him sharply, mildly impressed that he had gotten it at all.

"I found it," Kansui said, beaming at me. "I mean I found it in Bagramon's room, and I stole it. I even dressed up for the occasion. It was kind of fun. You should have been there." Kansui hesitated and then held the Digitmental out for me to take. "It's for you."

I eagerly reached for it, but Kansui retracted it quickly and waved his finger at me. "Nuh uh," he said. I was annoyed and I didn't have time for him to be so petulant, so I reached for the egg shaped artefact that he pulled sharply out of my reach again. He held his other hand out like he wanted some kind of payment and I rolled my eyes, reaching for the bag at my side. If he wanted money then I would give him money. "No—not _that_!" Kansui insisted. "I just want you to tell me... that I'm worth something. Like you did before."

I hesitated for a moment, remembering our interaction inside the Temple. "Don't push your luck."

Kansui's face fell like he did not expect that at all and it simply proved how little he knew me. "Neo!" Kansui whined. "Pleeeeeeeeaase?"

I was rubbing my temple with one hand, trying to block out the sound of his incessant whining, but it got the better of me quickly. "Alright, _fine_!" I snapped. "You're worth something." Kansui's face lit up and he handed me the Digimental.

"Let's go stop Gaia!" Kansui threw his hands up dramatically and grinned foolishly, but his smile fell when he saw that I did not return his excitement. "What's wrong Roomie?"

I thought about walking away then, to avoid any sort of explanation, but I knew Kansui enough to know that he would not let me escape and even if I somehow did, he would follow me. "I need to find Evelen," I told him.

Kansui smiled 'knowingly' and he patted me on the back. "Neo and Evelen are in _love_ , aren't they?"

Dracomon gasped dramatically. "Uh oh..." He knew me too well.

"Kansui," I said through gritted teeth. "Don't ever pretend that we are friends again."

Kansui thought for a moment and then wrapped his arms around my middle. I groaned because Kansui was obviously not going anywhere and when I finally pried him off of me he laughed. "Come with me, Neo."

"And why would I do that?" I asked dryly.

"I know exactly where she is," he said with a shrug. Dracomon and I were both surprised but I was also a bit skeptical. Kansui was not a person I would put faith into in any respect, but he was also not lying and I knew that to be true. Perhaps he would lead me into a trap, and perhaps it was a terrible thing that my legs had already chosen to follow him, but because he had given me the Digimental I felt safe walking in his footsteps.

Dracomon was nervous though and he was holding my pant leg as we walked, but whoever we were being taken to would be confronted by Examon the moment they tried to harm us.

Kansui called a taxi and Dracomon nervously got into the car before me, cramming himself between Kansui and me in the back seat. Kansui quickly fired off the directions to the driver and I recognized the address as his home. Why would Evelen be waiting in Kansui's house? That was already triggering my suspicions and several strategies were forming into my mind in case I was confronted by Maugrim or Bagramon.

When we arrived at his house it seemed that everything was playing rather normally, but I did not let my guard down as I followed him to the front door of his apartment building. He led me to his apartment and he opened the door dramatically. "Evy! I'm _home_!"

I let out a low groan and heard someone do the same from within the apartment. It _sounded_ like Evelen, but could I really trust Kansui? Dracomon had apparently lost all sense of thought process and instinctively rushed into the apartment to follow Evelen's voice.

She let out a cry of excitement at the sight of him and I realized we truly must be safe.

Kansui ushered me inside and I stepped through the door, seeing Evelen on her knees on the hardwood floor, hugging Dracomon tightly. She looked up when she saw me and she seemed nervous. She had no reason to be nervous. "How is he back?"

"Hikari saved me," Dracomon explained.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't," Evelen told him softly.

"You did your best," Dracomon said with a big smile. He then hugged her once more. Evelen was looking up at me with wide eyes but I did not have time to waste on a reunion.

"Evelen," I told her. "We're going to Witchenly."

"We?" she asked.

"As in you, Dracomon and I," I elaborated. Kansui whined loudly but I ignored him because I simply did not wish to extend the invitation to him. Evelen looked nervous but somehow she was still perfectly beautiful. It was strange to see her after having watched her walk away after the news of her mother being a sociopathic insane person. "Evelen, I'm sorry for what you're going through, but that does not mean you can sit back and wallow any longer."

"I know," she said, surprising me. "I'm ready to go, if you lead the way."

"Wait, _Neo_ knows what's going on?" Kansui asked, annoyed. "It's taken me so long to get it out of you!"

We all ignored him. "There's just one problem," Evelen said sadly. "Witchenly is part of Sidhendor now. I can't go there because of the curse."

"That's just not true," I said. She looked surprised and so did Dracomon. I sat down on the nearby stool and tried to think of the easiest explanation. "There was a man named Akumu that was a sort of manifestation for darkness and curses. There are a few Digidestined—who shall remain nameless—that were self oriented enough to believe he was made up of a curse entirely based on their lives. And perhaps that is true, I don't rightly know. But what I _do_ know, is that the one thing Kansui wanted was to be treated with respect."

"I got that," Kansui realized.

I nodded. "The one thing Bitoru wanted was to put Spring back together, and my sister is currently helping him do that. It seems to me that the curse has been broken. Are you willing to try? Are you willing to come with me to Witchenly to help your brother and my sister?"

Evelen looked nervous, but when she looked up to me she was smiling. "I'll do it."

 _ **Natsuni Hida:**_

Witchenly was very different than I remembered it being. It wasn't anything like it was when Jou and I went , it was wilder by far. I hadn't thought that was possible at the time, but I realized now how tame it had been. The digimon had separated themselves into smaller villages. They'd sorted themselves out. It was definitely segregation, though it appeared to be voluntary. But without the Wizards or the Fallen Angels, the Masked digimon from the island were free to come and claim the land. Gaia and the Veemon were gone too, and so was Gravimon. There was nothing to keep them away.

And it wasn't just the Masked digimon that I knew we'd need to look out for. There were undoubtedly others. Gravimon couldn't be the scariest thing Witchenly had to offer. I was glad he'd decided to come with us too. It was much easier to be confident while wandering through a land I didn't really know, when we had a digimon with us that had lived there for the entirety of his considerably long life.

It was easier to imagine we _weren't_ in a horror movie, anyway.

"I'm sure I can find it," Rei said, not sounding sure in the least. But Spring smiled at her, and looking so hopeful, that I wouldn't dare to mention it. I tripped, because I was watching Spring, instead of my own feet, and Goblimon caught me. I hugged him tightly, and didn't let go of him, even when I was ready to walk again. I kept one arm around him, taking comfort from his presence. He seemed happier to have me close by too.

"I can't wait," Bitoru said. "You'll finally be _you_ again."

"I'll be able to make Winter proud," Spring said, nodding. She lost her smile, and her voice cracked on her sister's name. It was hard, to see her moving on so quickly. But she had to. There wasn't time for her to do this gradually. Whatever it was that Gaia didn't want Spring to remember might be enough to help turn the tides in our favour. We needed to defeat Gaia, and without Winter being our metaphoric eyes, we were fighting blind.

We had never really been able to understand what Gaia was doing before, but at least we'd been able to find where she was—even without specifics. We didn't know if she was on her combined world, or if she was on Earth. We didn't know what moves she was planning in advance in this life sized game of chess that she had going on. But we _did_ know that she was always planning, and she was always two steps ahead of us.

This memory could change that though.

" _Iori," I said, being careful not to get to close to him. I hated the way he flinched away from the sound of my voice. I hadn't intended to sneak up on him, but he obviously hadn't heard me anyway. I wanted to hold him, and cry, because he was okay, but I also wanted to comfort him, because he was distraught. He'd been freed from that cruel digimon's clutches, only to watch a friend die. He wasn't having a good day. I wasn't either though._

 _I felt selfish because of it too._

 _I should have been over the moon to have Iori back. I could see that he would recover. I could see that he was alive. But he wasn't really back. There was a part of him that was broken. He couldn't handle touch, and he didn't like surprises. He was afraid of our daughter, and he wasn't strong enough to have me close to him._

 _That was what killed me._

 _His reaction to Kana was confusing to me. But the fact that he wouldn't let me care for him got to me the most. I felt like a horrid person, for being jealous of Tatum. I'd seen them talking, and I had seen Iori opening up to her. I wanted it to be me. I was upset that I wasn't enough for him—not just to provide comfort, or lend an ear, but because I wasn't enough to keep him strong. Only Kana had kept him going. He wanted to get back to her, and I wanted him to get back to her too. I did. I just wanted him to come back to_ me _too._

 _He did, but I wasn't enough to keep him motivated._

 _I shook my head. I shouldn't be worrying about petty things like that. It was selfishness and jealousy, and none of it mattered, because he was home, and he was alive. He would recover with time, and I would get over my own selfish thoughts too. I only hoped I would get over myself before he noticed. I didn't want him to feel bad because of me. He'd already been through enough._

 _I just wanted to be able to hold him, and to_ feel _like I'd actually gotten him back._

" _Sorry," I told him. He nodded, forgiving me for spooking him, but I had been apologizing for so much more than that. "I'm going out. I thought I should tell you, before you assumed I've been kidnapped."_

" _What?" he asked. His voice was raw. He was emotional, and unstable, and I felt terrible for leaving him, but I needed that time to get my head on straight. "You can't go. What about Kana?"_

" _You're here," I said, wincing immediately after, and then changing tactics. "Until the Digidestined leave, Hikari's here, and your mother, and my father are both here too. She's not going to be alone. She's with Fumiko right now. They're both behaving themselves. But I have to help."_

" _Be safe," he urged me._

" _I will," I promised._

Goblimon, of course, came with me, and while I hesitated at his offer, I was glad that I accepted it. I _had_ been thinking he could keep an eye on Kana too, but I wasn't going to control him. He had a mind of his own, and while I wanted him to be safe, I knew he was safer than I was no matter what—because he was actually strong enough to hurt someone if they attacked him. I wasn't.

Iori had reacted much better than Taichi had. I didn't even need to explain myself to my husband. I saw the worry in his eyes, and felt bad for causing it, but I couldn't sit around while the worlds were being manipulated by Gaia. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. I had to do my part.

" _What do you mean you're leaving?" Taichi asked incredulously._

" _You're the one that said the Digidestined have to help you, Taichi," Rei told him firmly. "That means the Digidestined can't help Spring. You're all too busy dealing with Gaia. Witchenly is too out of the way for anyone that needs to be here and ready at a moment's notice. But I don't have to be here. I'm the only one that can help anyway."_

" _But we need to stick together!" Taichi insisted._

" _Not me," Rei said, shaking her head sadly. "I don't have a Crest. The Digidestined need to work together in order to usher in the era of peace, but I'm not one of them. I'm expendable."_

" _Not to me, you're not," Taichi said instantly._

" _Thank you," Rei said, leaning over and kissing her husband. "But I'm still going. Pal, Pul, come on, before I leave without you!"_

Tatum and Michael had probably talked too, but I had been talking to Iori at that point. Tatum was determined to come with us, and since we'd expected the place Gaia had lived for the past _however_ many years, we figured it was safe enough to let her come. She was wilting away at the camp site. She was tired of doing nothing, but she was also extremely pregnant. I didn't think I'd seen a woman hate pregnancy as much as Tatum seemed to. She was excited for the baby, but she was not interested in being an incubator for it.

I had actually enjoyed being pregnant myself—though the fact that Iori and I both agreed on having a single child probably helped with that. I was savouring every feeling, because it was new, and I would not get the chance to experience it again.

I also had the bonus of being able to finish out my pregnancy without the worlds being thrown back into chaos—which I was sure was an added discomfort for Tatum, who usually found a way to be in the thick of things. She was a part of Koushiro's research team. She was always in the know, and now, for the first time in a long while, she wasn't allowed to participate, for the sake of the child she was carrying. I could understand her desire to keep helping. I wanted to give everything to Kana—including a world free from Gaia.

Rei, Tatum and I were joined by our partners—Pal, Pul, Monodramon and Goblimon—as well as Spring and Bitoru—who both made perfect sense to come along, because this was about accomplishing Bitoru's dream, and mending the tear formed in Spring's mind by her mother—and Gravimon. We'd needed transportation though, and despite how awesome Goblimon was, I knew he wasn't going to be able to help us with that one. Monodramon offered to become Airdramon, and fly us across the ocean until we reached Witchenly, but it would be an exceptionally hard flight for the poor guy, and he was terrified of not making it that far, when Tatum and her baby were under his protection.

Wizardmon had offered the solution.

 _Dynasmon was following us. I knew he was. He wasn't even being subtle about it. I couldn't figure out_ why _he was tailing us, but he was. Tatum and I shared a look, but Rei and Spring weren't paying attention. They were debating with Gravimon, Goblimon and Monodramon about the best way to sneak into Witchenly without Gaia being able to track us, so that Airdramon would be a feasible option. They were talking specifically about Kiyoko's invisibility program._

" _Arnold was able to defeat it," Tatum said logically. "Gaia theoretically has the same vat of knowledge to work with."_

" _But we've also established that Arnold was the only one that_ wasn't _dancing to Gaia's fife," Rei argued. "He was playing his own game, using Gaia's players to his own advantage. That's why EVOLVE got so out of control. He was using them for different things than Maugrim was. They were all over the place."_

" _They were effective though," Goblimon pointed out sadly. "We can't assume that Gaia does_ not _have the information."_

" _We also can't just assume that she does," Rei said. "We assumed a lot of things about her, and they always backfired."_

" _The reason they backfired mostly was because of the people Gaia had working_ for _her," I said, thinking about it. "Maugrim stole the key, Bitoru's instinct found the Digimentals, Morganna stole our allies' hearts."_

" _Thinking in that aspect," Rei said. "We won't even have to worry about anything. Gaia has pretty much no one left."_

" _You're wrong," Bitoru said firmly. "The lack of support actually makes Gaia_ more _dangerous. She's angry. You took Morganna and Akumu, and you freed Norn, Yume and Merlin. I'm not under her control anymore. She's just got my father and Bagramon."_

" _And Astamon," Rei said, touching her stomach and looking queasy. I felt sick myself, even imagining when Astamon shot her._

" _Yes," Bitoru said nodding. "She's angry, and she'll lash out even worse than before. She was toying with you, but now, she's realizing how formidable of a threat you are."_

" _And now that she knows what we can do, she'll kill us," Rei said. I could almost_ hear _her eyes rolling. "She's tried before, and she failed."_

" _Because she wanted us alive to see the world she'd created," Tatum explained._

" _We don't have anything to do with it," I said, shaking my head. "She's never cared about_ us _. She wants Michael and Taichi and Neo and Iori. She wants the Digidestined out of the equation."_

" _Doesn't she know about the Cycle of the Crests though?" Tatum wanted to know. Dynasmon moved closer, and looked away quickly when he caught me looking at him._

" _The Crests would just move on to the next worthy people," Goblimon explained, in case Bitoru or Spring didn't know what we were talking about. He was sweet like that._

" _We can't even think about that," Spring said firmly. "I don't want anyone else to die. No one should feel what I'm feeling. I don't want anyone to lose someone special to them."_

" _They won't," Bitoru said. "We'll get to Witchenly even if I have to build a boat myself."_

" _If you're going to Witchenly," Dynasmon said, finally admitting to his eavesdropping. He reverted to his Wizardmon state and looked to me with a glint in his eye. I remembered our first trip together. It was horrible. But it also taught me a lot about myself. "I might be able to get you there."_

He teleported us of course, and we'd made it within seconds, once we'd gathered our intended crew. We were brought directly into Gravimon's forest, and he was lost to us for a moment, as he touched the trunks of trees and soaked in the feeling of home. We left him there, thinking we were safe, because the place ought to be abandoned, and we let Rei take the lead. She pointed out a bare patch of dirt, surrounded by luscious green grass, and told us that Neverland's clock tower used to stand there, looking lonely and desolate.

Obviously, the clock had made its way home.

We passed through bright, lively trees, and over a stream filled with fresh fish. It was hard to imagine that Gaia had once stripped all life from this land. It had bounced back though, without her constant presence. It was there, that Rei first spotted one of the Masked digimon. I knew they didn't live near what had once been Gaia's domain. I knew, because their home was where Jou had gone during our first trip. I however, took a journey of self discovery.

Baromon was leaning over the stream with a pillow case, catching a sack full of the plentiful fish with little effort. Behind him was a patched up red wagon, with a plastic sand pail filled with berries, and a crooked box stuffed with herbs. Beyond him, we saw smoke from campfires billowing from the clearing up ahead.

"I don't understand," Rei cried. "That's the Wizard's home."

"Not anymore," Baromon said, having heard her clearly. "They left. It is our land now."

"But we need to get something," Rei said. "What have you done with Gaia's lair?"

She didn't wait for him to explain himself, and instead raced down the path towards the clay huts and open flames. A Gargoylemon was tending to the fire, preparing a nice bed of coals and a hub cap that had been repurposed as a frying pan getting hot over the bright red embers. All that was missing was Baromon's fish. Baromon chased after Rei—and the rest of us, since we chose to follow after her, not wanting to lose track of our guide—instead of bringing the food, which caused Gargoylemon to join the procession.

Rei didn't stop until we we'd gotten out of the small residency, and back into the trees. She ran down a winding path and found what was obviously a dead, uncared for garden with a single door standing in its centre. She grabbed the handle and gave a sharp tug. It opened, and a monkey stood on the other side, hitting Rei on the head with a stick.

"I saw you coming," Sepikmon told her ominously. "What you seek is here no more. It is now buried in a sea of treasures. You must hurry, for the darkness houses the chaos. To find peace, one must simply turn on the light."

"What?" Goblimon asked, glancing behind us to see that Baromon and Gargoylemon had found another friend, and the three were looking plenty angry. Monodramon tugged on Tatum's sleeve and pointed. She gulped when she saw that Sagittarimon had joined our pursuers.

"Rei, let's get outta here," Pal said, with a quavering voice. Pul nodded emphatically.

"Thanks," Rei told Sepikmon. He nodded, and slipped back into Gaia's old home. I caught sight of his crystal ball, and the swirling darkness it displayed, but the door closed before I could see any more. Rei grabbed Wizardmon's arm and started racing off again. Goblimon and I held hands as we hurried to keep up with her. Tatum was not having nearly as much luck. I sighed, and sent Goblimon ahead, wanting to know he'd be safe, and waited for Tatum to catch up to me so that I could help Monodramon keep her moving. Her face was red and she looked plenty uncomfortable. I felt very bad for her, but couldn't think of much else than to drag her along if I had to. I couldn't let the angry digimon catch her. It was too bad that Monodramon didn't have time to digivolve. He might've been able to swing it, if we didn't have to factor how much time it would take to get Tatum onto his back.

The Masked digimon would have caught us by then.

It was Spring that really came to the rescue that time, when she fluttered into the air, shocking Pal, Pul and Bitoru. Bitoru tried to get her to come back, but she was determined. She waited until Monodramon, Tatum and I were under her, before she swooped down and caught Tatum under the arms. She flew as fast as she could with Tatum, and Monodramon and I picked up the pace.

Rei had led us to a dump. A literal dump, piled high with junk. It was disappointing to see, since Sepikmon had told us to go to the _sea_. But I couldn't change Rei's mind now. She dived towards the nearest pile and started throwing things left right and centre.

"Stop!" Baromon shouted to her. "You'll aggravate the spirit."

"The spirit was just Lalamon," Rei said dismissively. "There's nothing to be scared of."

"You say that," Baromon said ominously, "but I _know_ it is false. Just yesterday the demon chased me from my treasure."

I felt like an idiot. A sea of _treasure_ didn't have to be literally made of water. Also, I was feeling distinct horror movie vibes hearing about this demon spirit that haunted this dump. We had to search this place to find Spring's memory, and manage to _not_ be killed—by the spirit _or_ the Masked digimon.

Though I was starting to wonder whether they were really so bad. They hadn't even said anything threatening. They started chasing us, yes, but maybe they were just going to offer us some dinner.

That hope was dashed when Baromon dived at Rei. She squirmed and kicked, and tried to escape, still throwing junk everywhere, searching for the red crystal that she'd seen in Gaia's home. Gargoylemon started flapping his wings and I knew that he was planning on targeting Spring and Tatum, and I couldn't have that. I tapped Monodramon's shoulder, and he caught sight of him too, and we ran at him together. I didn't want to spend more time in this dump than we needed to. Baromon had placed an image of a terrifying demon in my mind, and I knew I wouldn't be able to talk myself through a movie scenario that could calm me down.

Hardly anyone lived in horror movies.

I didn't like that inevitable outcome for our situation.

Goblimon and Wizardmon ran for Sagittarimon, and soon three small brawls were happening at once. Pal and Pul were trying desperately to help Rei with her fight. I was failing miserably, but Bitoru was soon at my side, wielding his magic knife, and helping to fend Gargoylemon off. Monodramon was giving his best too, and just when I was _sure_ Gargoylemon was going to rip me apart with a giant hand that was falling quickly through the air at me, everything froze. I was stiff. I couldn't move an inch if I wanted to. And then, still stiff, I was moving through the air. Tatum and Spring were still free, and I found myself being placed at their side. Bitoru, Goblimon, Wizardmon, Monodramon, Rei, Pal and Pul all soon joined me.

Baromon, Saggittarimon and Gargoylemon were placed near the entrance of the dump. I feared that the demon had taken offense to the fighting we were doing, and was already scripting what would be our demise in my mind.

But we weren't going to be killed by a demon.

It was an _angry_ Gravimon that had come to our rescue. Baromon and his body guards were shaking, once they were freed from Gravimon's command. They tried to run away, but Gravimon always picked them back up and placed them directly in front of himself. We were granted freedom from his talents, and Rei was quick to get back to searching. Everyone else soon joined her. I chose to search nearest to Gravimon, figuring that he would actually fare pretty well against the demon if it came down to it.

"You harmed my forest," Gravimon told the three digimon in a menacing voice.

"It's not your forest anymore," Baromon said, trying for confidence, and failing.

"It will _always_ be my forest," Gravimon snarled. "You invaded my home and took what was not yours. Trees lie on the ground, cut down, but not used. You disgust me."

"You abandoned it!" Baromon insisted.

"No," Gravimon said. "It is _my_ home. You have left your village. Shall I go destroy it? I think I might. It will teach you not to trespass into what does not belong to you."

"You're not as scary as you think," Baromon said, lying through his teeth. "We have daylight now. You're not nearly as menacing when we can see you coming."

"I'll _show_ you menacing," Gravimon threatened—or maybe he was promising it.

I never found out though, because Gravimon was distracted when a large shadow shaded him from the prominent orange sun. I followed suit, because _again_ , I was terrified of whatever demon was living here. Goblimon called out, because Baromon and his friends were fleeing, but my face was lit up with a smile. It was Examon, which meant Neo was here. I didn't know what he was up to, since I was _pretty_ sure Taichi had jobs for all of the Digidestined or something, but I didn't mind. Examon was a perfect ally against whatever demon might attack us momentarily.

Examon landed a fair distance away, looking regal and dramatic on a pile of junk, his long reptilian tail coiled around the heaping garbage, and for a moment it looked like all was well. But Examon's weight shifted and he began slipping, letting a horrible cry escape his mouth. I could not hear what Neo said, but I knew he had spoken because Examon then said, "I can't Neo! I'm falling!"

Even Rei took a moment away from searching for that moment, hanging her head in her hands. It was so _Dracomon_. Gravimon did not seem amused and he cursed, and vowed revenge against the Masked digimon, but he didn't leave us. He simply made it easier for us to search, and easier for Examon to make his entrance. He lifted everything in the dump and separated it in the air. We could now see every item, and theoretically, that meant we could find the memory faster.

I continued searching, whilst remaining aware of what was going on with Neo. Evelen was walking with him, and was holding the newly reverted Dracomon's hand. Her brother was practically dancing with excitement to be here at all. He spotted Bitoru, and raced to him.

"Hey, _bro_ ," he said with an exaggerated wink. "We're here to help you."

"Neo!" Rei called happily. "Help me look?"

"I intended to," Neo informed her. "But whatever it is we seek surely would not be found _here_. I can honestly say I've only ever been so disgusted once in my life."

"And when was that?" Pal asked, buzzing around Neo's head. Neo ignored him, but looked to Evelen, and I knew it had something to do with his impromptu trip to Australia with Jou.

Everything was looking up. I should have known that it couldn't last. I'd fallen for a cliché movie trope. This was the calm before the storm. I was being lured into a sense of calm and relaxation, and then BAM!

"Guys?" Tatum said with a sense of worry to her voice. "I think we need to leave."

"We can't leave until we find that memory!" Bitoru said firmly.

"We have to make his dream come true," Kansui told Tatum in a know-it-all sort of way.

"We'd have to be alive for that, wouldn't we," Tatum corrected him, "and I think I just found the demon."

I was literally shaking in my shoes—because I wasn't wearing boots—when I turned to glimpse at our doom. It was a shadow, standing in the daylight. I'd seen one before. Sigma had been a shadow. I wondered if somehow Sigma was back, or maybe this was Morganna—much more likely with the way the shadow's hair fell. I thought it _might_ be female.

But the demon's gender really didn't matter to me.

I screamed, and Rei followed suit. Tatum was being rushed away by Monodramon, and Goblimon caught my arm. We were all moving towards the exit when Evelen's voice cut through the noise.

"Dracomon, _stop_ ," she called. I turned to see Dracomon pulling desperately on her arm, to get her out of there. But she wouldn't go. "Dracomon...I think...no, it _is_. That's my mother!"

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Michael and Koushiro both have their own adventures in store, but they're both aiming for the same solution. Hopefully they'll manage to link up and work together before things are too late!


	75. Thinking Out Loud

**Y/N:** Koushiro's wasn't all that fun for me this time around. It was hard to go from battle after battle, to this...which is not a battle. But it's interesting, and kind of super relevant, so there's that.

 **U/N:** I actually enjoyed writing Michael's chapter this time as opposed to the other chapters of Michael's that I also enjoyed writing. I like using Summer and the fairies and stuff so I liked this, and it was all kind of sad and tense but it was still pretty exciting.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 75: Thinking Out Loud**

 _ **Koushiro Izumi:**_

"And you're sure you can't remember anything else?" I asked, sighing mentally.

"I already said that," Merlin said gently. "I can't remember much. Morganna hated me. We were opposites, she and I. Theta picked us for that reason. We were meant to be the perfect balance, so that Sigma would be neither good, nor evil. He would simply _be_. Obviously, I didn't pull my weight in the relationship, and I do regret my choices. But Sigma always held me in high regard. That is why she despised me. Sigma would not return her romantic advances, and while he never allowed her attraction to lessen his faith in her, he simply took everything she said with a grain of salt."

"She hated you, because Sigma liked you better?" Mimi guessed. She was sitting next to me, cross-legged on the ground. She was here, only because she was a victim of Morganna, just as Yume, Norn, Jupitermon, Biyomon, Tentomon and Merlin were. Taichi had given me the job of asking questions and trying to piece together Gaia's next move.

So far, Tentomon and Biyomon had been able to provide me with absolutely no information. I was not disappointed by that fact. I had actually expected it. They had only been under Morganna's command for a short time, and had not had the time to observe anything that Morganna said, or did. They had been taken merely to be used as a weapon against the Digidestined in an effort to save her life.

Unfortunately, her life had been lost—though I could not find room in my heart to grieve for her. She had stolen my partner and turned him against me. She took my _wife_ and made her into nothing more than a soulless puppet. I did not like the images that were so readily brought to the forefront of my brain at the thought of seeing her sitting on that rock, waiting for Morganna. Iori had given up his blanket in order to wrap Mimi tightly. Jou tried to protest, half-heartedly, because Iori really _did_ need it, but Mimi's body temperature was dangerously low. Palmon was curled up in her lap, wrapped tightly in place, and trying to share her own heat with Mimi—despite being a plant, and not having much of it to give. Mimi was safe now, because she had overpowered Morganna's control. Morganna had been weak and injured when she was killed by Cyberdramon.

But she had been far from powerless.

From a strictly logical standpoint, we were better off having her gone. She could no longer prove to be a menace, stealing hearts and commanding our allies. But I knew that Mimi's heart was grieving for the woman that had stolen it. Mimi was so kind hearted, and generous with her affections. I loved how blindly she trusted, and how deeply she felt things, even if it had nothing to do with her. She was grieving too for Winter. I could see her silently blaming herself. If she had just seen it coming faster, or if she had just been _stronger_ —if her purity had shone through sooner—Winter might've still been alive.

As it was, nothing Mimi did would have made a difference.

I spotted the change in Mimi the moment she'd started getting control back. But it was Winter's pain that triggered it. It was the sacrifice that Winter made for Miyako that triggered memories in Mimi's heart. She remembered when Leomon sacrificed himself for her in much the same way. She remembered how he'd died, and how she'd felt about not being able to save him.

This time, she'd had the strength to _try_. And that was enough. It had to be. There was no way she could change what happened. Everyone that was there, and was still _alive_ , was alive because Mimi had broken Morganna's control, and took her heart back, becoming herself again, even when it hadn't been a possibility only moments before. Palmon had digivolved to super ultimate for the first time. That meant that Mimi showed her Crest in the purest way possible. She was amazing.

She was also not speaking to me.

I wanted to be able to rejoice in our reunion. I had her back, but as soon as she remembered everything that had happened before Morganna, she remembered that offhanded remark I'd made about getting a divorce, and she wouldn't let me explain myself. She was putting a tactic in play that I'd used a year ago. I had run from Mimi in my drug addled state, thinking that if I didn't _see_ her, didn't talk to her, she couldn't break up with me. I _wanted_ to explain myself anyway, but this wasn't the time. I needed to compartmentalize. I could talk with Mimi when this was said and done. I needed to put my priorities in order, and saving the world _had_ to come first.

It was simply a fact, but somehow, it was harder than I thought it should be to carry that logic out.

"Sigma didn't _like_ me," Merlin said, casting and anxious glance at Jupitermon. He wasn't sitting with the rest of us. Norn was on Merlin's right, and Yume was on his left. Jupitermon though, chose to sit eight feet away from us. I was assuming he didn't enjoy the fact that his heart had been taken at all, and was in fact _embarrassed_ by the fact that he'd been turned into a glorified body guard. "He simply trusted me to be loyal to him and his ideals. And he did have them, once upon a time. He trusted that I would vote in favour of him during council, and that I could provide whatever knowledge that he required. He could not trust Morganna in the same way. Her abilities took the choice of loyalty away from a person. He wanted to surround himself with people that were _genuinely_ loyal to him, whether out of fear or adoration, it didn't matter. He just wanted legitimate loyalty."

"He was created out of loyalty, I know," I said, growing impatient. For what might've been the first time in my life, I wasn't interested in hearing a history lesson. I didn't _care_ about learning more about Sigma's life and the relationships he had with his council members. I wanted to know what they had been told whilst they were in Morganna's control, and that was _all_. It was unlike me, and I knew I ought to worry, but I couldn't. I was tired. I was tired of fighting, I was tired of trying to come up with logical plans on the spot. I needed to sleep, but I couldn't do that. And because I needed sleep, and _should_ stay awake, there was a niggling in the back of my mind, telling me that I knew _exactly_ how to accomplish that.

I had to keep banishing the thought, because I couldn't go back down that road again. I was clean, and had been clean for over a year now. I had learned my lesson, and lessons _always_ stuck with me. I remembered the things I learned, and I remembered my slow descent into addiction with crystal clarity that I was too scared to be tempted.

"Morganna hated that Sigma wouldn't let her use her powers to create an army for him, and she hated that I was trusted," Merlin said. "So, when she stole my heart, she sent me to spy on you, and keep you distracted while Gaia did some spying of her own, using her clairvoyance. I do know that there was something not quite right with her visions. I can't explain it, but she explained exactly how the battle would go, and it played out similarly, but something threw her vision off slightly. I was never meant to be captured. I was meant to still be at Gaia's side right now. I want to thank whatever skewered her visions."

"But we still don't know what that is," Mimi sighed.

"Perhaps it's Jenna, or more precisely, her _baby_ that is clouding Gaia's visions," I surmised. "We know that she wishes to eliminate 'Autumn' which we've established is Jenna. It would not be too big of a stretch to assume that this is another reason she wishes to be rid of Autumn's power."

"I don't think it matters if she has holes in her vision," Norn said softly. "She can see enough to be dangerous. She can plan according to what she sees. Merlin fought against Michael and Sora before...Jenna we'll say...was able to throw her vision off course. If it was Gaia, rather than Merlin that they had been fighting...there would be two fewer Digidestined, and peace would never come into fruition."

"That's not true," Yume corrected. His eyes were having a hard time pulling away from Summer, who was seated quite a ways away with Mojyamon, Winter's grieving partner, as well as Miyako and Iori. I knew that Miyako had been hit hard, though it was not a friend she had lost. It was the _potential_ of that friendship, the promise of its eventual reality that she was grieving. While Iori had lost a friend, and Mojyamon had lost a partner, and Summer had lost a sister, Miyako had lost a woman she _hadn't_ had the chance to know and care for as deeply as each of the others. They'd all had that time with Winter. They knew her and cared for her, and they would always have their memories to look back on. Miyako had lost a woman that she had hated for a long time, blaming every danger that Mai faced on Winter, because she had not opened her mind up to the possibility of seeing things through Winter's eyes. Miyako was mourning the loss of the woman she had _just_ been promised a chance to earn forgiveness from, and to give forgiveness in return. She lost the woman that handpicked her out of millions of children in the world to be a part of the Holy Three. Miyako was everything Winter thought she needed to be, and had never got the chance to be.

It was not just the loss of a life Miyako was grieving.

It was strange that I felt I could understand her in that moment. It wasn't because I felt the same feelings that she did—because I obviously didn't—but having opened my mind, as Takeru had instructed me, I was able to learn new things simply through observation. It was exhilarating, and much easier than I'd ever expected it to be. It was how I knew Yume wanted to be with Summer, helping her through this difficult time while he still had a chance to do so. He existed only to counteract the evil in the Land of Dreams. Now that the world was reunited with the others, there was plenty of evil around to support his continued existence. The loss of Akumu though alerted me to the fact that he could no longer exist in the Land of Dreams.

And our goal was to return the lands to their separate—and therefore _stable_ —states.

Without Akumu, Yume could not exist. He did not want to burden Summer with a second loss so soon after Winter. I could see it in the way the skin pinched around his eyes with worry whenever he looked her direction, and in the slight downturn of his lips. He didn't want to be wasting his time with me, telling me everything that _might_ be important, but probably wouldn't be. But, he continued to speak anyway.

"The death of the Digidestined will not prevent peace from arriving," Yume said, looking directly at Norn. "It simply means we will have to wait for a second chance. That is what the Cycle of the Crests is, is it not? It is a way to ensure that peace will come, even if the Digidestined fail."

"You're right," I said. "There is no guarantee of our survival. My Crest will be passed on, if I were to die. Someone else would need to learn it, and master it, and search out the other Crests, whether they still belonged to the current Digidestined, or if they were scattered throughout the worlds."

"No," Norn said firmly. "You can't let that happen. Every Digidestined is here. Gaia has three allies left. Taichi, Yamato, Sora and Daisuke are working out a plan. Ryou travelled through _time_ to be here. Sora defied death. Mimi broke Morganna's control, and Iori survived Bagramon's torture. You've gone through so much, I refuse to let you fail. I will do everything I can to help you. I swear it, even if Gaia has new armour now. I don't know how to beat it, but I'll try to figure out. There _has_ to be a way."

"Armour?" Mimi questioned sharply, narrowing in on the same word that I had. Norn looked confused, but her eyes cleared up as she realized she _did_ have information that wasn't already common knowledge.

"Gaia ordered me to create a set of armour out of the remains of Yggdrasil's," Norn said. Mimi was horrified by the news, and I wasn't exactly happy either. It had taken everything Veemon and Wormmon had in order to make a small crack in it. It was only because of that single crack that we were even victorious on that day.

There was no guarantee that we could recreate the same scenario.

"We're doomed," Mimi said with a sigh. "You should probably hide yourselves away and wait until you can hunt down our replacements."

"No," Norn said firmly. "We can still figure this out. I won't let peace slip through my fingers. I can practically _feel_ it. Every Crest is accounted for, which is something that couldn't have been boasted for a long time—not since the original Digidestined. The Crests were too much last time. They each had to learn three, it was impractical. You now have one each, and you are the masters of them now. You've learned everything there is to know."

"That's simply not true," I corrected her, instinctively.

"I know," Norn said. "But you understand and connect with the Crests on a deep, personal level. Technically, you each only have _half_ a Crest, because your partners now carry half within them. You have found perfect balance. Everything _has_ to work our way."

"You're wrong though," Yume said. "There are twenty-one Crests, and only twenty Digidestined. I realize that Willis is meant to carry both now, but the balance is still off kilter. Without the true bearer of Miracles, we cannot win."

"Then it's a good thing I've been given the day off, isn't it?"

I turned to find that the voice belonged to a twelve-year old girl. She was blonde, just as I assumed she would be. She was shorter though, than I expected. She was smiling a close-lipped smile, and looked around at each of Morganna's victims. She reached a hand out towards Mimi, and it was only then that I realized she was glowing. Shimmering light was emitted from her skin itself. It was fascinating.

"Who are you?" Mimi asked, politely.

"Alice McCoy," the girl and I said at once. She smiled brightly to me, and then glanced around her, searching for something—or someone. Her smile was tinged with sadness as she found who she was looking for. Willis was sitting with Lopmon and Terriermon, waiting to be told to do something. Lopmon's nose twitched, and she smelled the air. Lopmon raced over quickly, and tried to throw herself at Alice. But she caught herself at the last minute, and looked shyly up to the girl she was meant to be partners with.

"I miss you, every day," Lopmon told her.

"I wish I had time to know you," Alice told her. "But I'm afraid today will not be that day. I have come to help. I am going to take what Gaia has left."

"Lopmon, get back here," Willis said. He and Terriermon were chasing after Lopmon, and came to a shocked halt when they caught sight of Alice. Lopmon was quick to inform him of absolutely everything Alice had said since Lopmon had come to join us. Which admittedly wasn't much. "I'll go with you," Willis offered immediately.

"You can't," Alice said. Her eyes were filled with tears, and it was obvious how much this was hurting her. She didn't _want_ to say no to her twin. She wanted a chance to know him too. Her life had been cut short, and she'd never gotten the chance to meet him until long after her death. This was a moment that she could savour forever, but she had to give it up.

"Why not?" Willis asked.

"I can't spill all of Heaven's secrets," Alice said, upset that her brother wasn't happy. "I wish I could spend the day with you, but I need to leave. I need Ryou, and Cyberdramon. I need Mari and Lalamon, and Kiyoko and Tapirmon, and Hideto, Warg and Melga."

"Mari's not going to come," Willis warned her.

"She will," Alice said. There was a glint in her eye, and I realized that she had come down for more than one purpose, though she was playing her hand close to her chest. She insisted that we not continue to speak until the Digidestined were gathered. It was _then_ that we realized that Neo still hadn't returned from wherever he had gotten off to.

Predictably, Mari did not react well to Alice's declaration. I could almost hear Willis saying "I told you so" to his sister, while he stuck his tongue out at her. "No. No way. There's no way, no how that you'll get me to go along with this stupid plan. Did you _know_ how stupid that is? My little sister is in trouble. She could die at any given moment."

Alice sighed.

"Mari," Alice said. "I know you care for your sister. I know that, because I've been watching you. You treat her so well and she loves you very much. But you need to put her health in the hands of someone else. I know you're going to complain, but I also know _why_ I need you, and no one else."

"Aren't Hideto and Kiyoko enough?" Mari asked in a small voice. "She needs me."

"I do too," Alice said. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "I need you too. It's an important mission, and you're uniquely qualified. I can't turn to anyone else. I need the four of you and your partners."

"I can come too, right?" Lopmon asked, desperately. Alice hesitated, but she thought about it, debating everything in her mind.

"I _think_ it will be okay," Alice said, cautiously. Lopmon didn't seem to care that Alice was so hesitant. It was clear that Lopmon was willing to take whatever she could get. She just wanted to spend time with her partner. It was a rare occurrence. I was unsure whether they'd even been together for more than a minute or two—if even that much.

"I don't understand why I can't come," Willis complained, but he didn't press for more information. Mari was grumbling to herself, and trying to decide what the best course of action was. She couldn't argue with the dead girl. It wasn't fair, or right. It was like they'd been given a calling.

"You can't," Alice said sadly, running her ghostly fingers along Willis' forehead. "But I can tell you this. Gaia is trying to make her final transition. She is planning to move the humans to her new world. That's why she wanted the digimon dead. She wanted to replace them with the humans, because she preferred them. But you changed that decision when you saved the hearts from Morganna. She is infuriated. She wants nothing more than revenge. She's planning to force the humans and digimon into war, just to see who would survive."

"She's returning to the old wars from her past," I said. "She wants Witchenly and 'Pangaea' to continue the feuds of old. It _is_ terribly efficient of her. She won't have to lift a finger, and the countries would slaughter each other in droves, leaving very few survivors in their wake."

"It's barbaric, not efficient," Mimi said. "And we can't let it happen."

"You're right," Sora said. "But none our efforts are going to mean anything if we can't get the worlds separated. They can't fight if they're not in the same place. That would be the best solution, as far as I can see."

"How is Gaia even fusing them?" Taichi asked. "How is she travelling between the worlds if Bitoru stole the keys from her?"

"That's my fault," Norn said. "I couldn't help myself. Morganna ordered me to explain everything, including how Summer and her sisters were able to reach out to other worlds and travel between them without the keys. Gaia didn't want to depend on little trinkets that could easily be stolen."

"You will figure it out," Alice said comfortingly. "But now, we must go. Time's ticking away, and I can't stay forever. Mari, are you ready?"

"If I have to be," Mari said, still unwilling to go. Willis reached out to her and squeezed her hand.

"I'll go," he said. "Aneko will be okay."

"Theoretically, I know that," Mari said. But she let Alice lead her off, with Lalamon close at hand. Lopmon was dancing around Alice's feet, basking in the glow of her true partner. Ryou followed willingly enough and he took Cyberdramon along with him. I hoped that meant that the digimon was over his homicidal rage, and wasn't going to kill anyone this time around. I didn't want to hear that he'd killed Kiyoko or Mari, just because they were in his way.

I'd seen the way he was going at Mimi, before Ryou stopped him, while we fought against Morganna. I knew he wasn't above attacking our friends.

Hideto and Kiyoko were the last to go. Tapirmon floated ahead of them, and Warg and Melga—looking sharp in their new, pitch black forms—raced to catch up to Lalamon. It was strange, to see the alteration of Hideto's two partners. He had finally mastered his Crest, and they had achieved their proper evolution: ShadowOmnimon. It was only fitting that their rookies were altered to match Hideto's true understanding of himself. It wasn't the first time we'd seen alterations in a digivolution line. Lopmon had once become Wendigomon, after all, when she hadn't been in tune with her partner's heart any longer. Alice died, and Lopmon had reflected that in a dark digivolution path. But she had found peace, and was no longer affected by the darkness—by evil, not darkness, because Kurayami had proven to us all that darkness did not need to be bad—and her new champion form reflected that.

"Norn, how do we get the worlds apart?" I asked once they were gone, not wanting to take the moment away from Willis. He'd watched his sister disappear into the distance, and was still allowing his eyes to linger where she'd gone. He had already been told it was impossible for him to go with her, I didn't want to take any opportunity away from him.

"I don't know," Norn said, disappointed in herself. "I didn't even know much about fusing them together. She made me work through each step, and it all boiled down to Theta."

"Theta?" I questioned. My mind was already moving forward with alarming speed. I already formed a plan for myself. I knew what I would be doing next. "Summer, can you get me to Theta?"

"I can," she said, agreeably.

"What are you planning, Koushiro?" Tentomon asked.

"I'm going to ask her for help," I said simply. "I saw her there, she was alive. If I could wake her, I could find the information I need. I could, theoretically of course, separate Gaia's world, limiting what strength and power she has access to."

"Do that," Taichi said firmly. "But we won't be able to help you."

"I realized that, actually," I said dryly. "Alice just told us Gaia's next plan. You need to be on Earth."

"Exactly," Taichi said, looking to Agumon, who nodded, ready for action.

Summer did not wait long. She realized that time was of the essence, and was quick to ready herself for the journey. It was just before she had found the gate and was reaching to access it, when Aesop declared that he would come with me and Tentomon.

"I knew Theta," he reasoned. "It will be less of a shock for her, if she wakes to a familiar face. She will be more likely to help, I think, if it was someone she trusted."

That was highly logical, and I was more than willing to accept his assistance. I looked to Mimi, hoping that she would be okay while I was gone. We didn't exactly have any keys to get me out of there, so Norn or Summer at least _needed_ to survive the coming onslaught, unless Theta could get me out. I wasn't sure. But I did know that by going to Theta right then, I was taking a large risk of being trapped there and dying of starvation.

In the grand scheme of things, that risk was one I was more than willing to take.

Mimi avoided my eyes, still upset with me. But as my surroundings were fading into white, her eyes flickered to mine, and I felt hope for our future, and worry there. I wished I had a chance to ease those worries, but she was gone, just as everything else was less than a second later. I was once again in the Land of White.

"Oh my," Aesop said, "how very clean and vivid. I'm sure Yggdrasil designed this place. Theta was kind and wonderful, but she enjoyed life too much to choose such an empty world to call her home. She wandered the Great World because she cared for the people and wanted to see the trees. She wanted to feel the bark under her fingers, and the grass beneath her feet. She liked the smell of flowers, and quiet of a humble farmstead, but she also thrived in the villages and towns. She loved life. She supported it, as the world itself. She would feel desolate here."

"It's quite peaceful," I tried to reason.

"It is that," Aesop agreed, "but it is not balanced. There is stillness, but there is no movement. There are endless corridors, but there is no sky. There is inside, but there is no _outside_. This is but a fragment of a world. It feels strange."

"It's made from Theta's core," I informed him. "It would make sense to be a fragment of a world, as the other worlds took the land and sky and water. This world has nothing left. The colours were drained by the other worlds, and the life was too. This is all that remains of Theta. This is pure and undiluted _Theta_. There cannot be any outside sources tainting it. Yggdrasil wanted to preserve her."

"Perhaps you can locate my old friend," Aesop suggested. He looked tired. His face was long and drawn. He was saddened by this world, to the same extent that I was fascinated by it. He did not care to think of his lively friend being trapped in a lifeless world.

"I can try," I offered. We could walk for eternity and never find her. Aesop had been wrong about there being no movement within the Land of White. The walls moved at their own leisure, cutting us off, and forcing me to chose another path. I knew that no amount of logic could be use in locating Theta. The hallways were never the same from moment to moment. I found the room with the stories carved into the walls first, and I was tempted to stay, and see if there was anything more to learn. But Tentomon kept me moving forward.

I was thankful for his presence—not only because he was keeping me on track and not letting my curiosity get the better of me, but because he was free from Gaia's clutches, and free too from Morganna. I had never felt so isolated whilst being surrounded by people as I had when Taichi separated the worlds. Tentomon completed me, and kept me grounded. Without him to understand me on both a personal and intellectual level, I felt like I was going stir crazy at all times. Mimi was amazing, and I loved her very much, but she wasn't Tentomon, and it was hard to have a proper, stimulating conversation about the life cycle of any illness without her getting queasy and demanding I change the subject. I depended on Tentomon to always understand what I was saying, just as he trusted I would do the same for him.

Once we got close to Theta, Aesop was able to feel her presence. I wanted to ask questions about the feelings he was experiencing and to understand the way that those from Sidhendor seemed to be able to sense where other powerful beings were. But Aesop was too focused on Theta instead.

"This way," Aesop said. His voice was both excited and nervous. He led me around a few turns that I most likely would not have chosen, and then we walked through an entryway that led to a chamber that I could never forget. The water was circling Theta's glass bed, where she lay sleeping, free from the knowledge of what Gaia was doing to her worlds. "Theta," Aesop said with an awed whisper. When I glanced at him, I saw that he was crying. He staggered forward, and crossed the intricate bridge across the small moat, and fell to his knees at her side. He took her hand and whispered apologies.

"I'm sorry for Graul, you were right, and I was wrong. I should have headed your advice, but I'm a stubborn fool, and a blind father. He left the path I put him on. He is working with Gaia, and she is terrorizing the worlds, Theta. I'm so sorry for what my son has done to you. I'm sorry that I could not lessen my love for him, in order to do what ought to have been done. I'm sorry that this has happened to you, when you deserved it least of all."

Theta's eyes fluttered and she tightened her fingers around Aesop's hand. She pulled herself up to a sitting position. I gasped and I stared at her, shocked for a moment, and then interested in how she had managed to pull herself from her slumber. She shook her head at the crying man, who had not noticed, for he was trapped in his grievances of the past.

"I did nothing to stop my son either," Theta said firmly, startling him. "I tried to stop his wife, but not once did I open my eyes to the cruelty that was festering in Sigma's heart. My son has done more to tamper with the balance I strove to protect than yours has."

Aesop stared with wide eyes up to his now lively friend, unable to form words in his mouth. Theta smiled in a kind way and knelt down. One of her many thin braids fell over her shoulder and brushed against Aesop's face as she kissed the top of his head. "Graul is still trying," Aesop said in a hollow voice.

"What have you come for?" Theta asked. Her hand was resting over her heart, and I realized that it was because she was in pain. The tightness around her eyes, and the way her fingers were curling into fists told me that she was in a great deal of pain, and I wondered if it was Gaia that was causing it, or whether it was just years and years of humans polluting Earth, and the fighting that always happened in the Digital World. Maybe Merlin's curse on Sidhendor had taken a toll, and the way Gaia leeched the life out of parts of Witchenly. Whatever had been created out of Hikari's heart in the Land of Dreams could have been a contributing factor as well. I didn't ask, because there simply wasn't time for that.

"How do we separate the worlds?" I asked, walking towards Theta and slowly making my way across the small bridge to reach her and Aesop. Theta looked up to me, but was not surprised to see me, "We can't achieve balance unless the worlds separate. There was a time that balance was achieved with them together, but that time isn't now."

"I know," Theta said sadly. "Gaia has tampered with so much. The Digimentals I created will keep the balance. They need to be put in place. There is a temple—"

"We found it," I told her. "Gankoomon helped us."

She smiled fondly at the name of the digimon, and looked me in the eye. "Then you already have your answer. You needn't have made such a long, journey to talk with me."

"But three of the Digimentals are tainted," I said. "They can't be used the way they need to be. There _has_ to be another way."

"Gaia put the worlds together with the use of my Digimentals, and so you must use them to undo her work," Theta said. "Balance is _always_ the key. The answer is already there, you just have to see it. Now, dear Aesop, tell me of your son. Perhaps we'll be able to understand him, if we speak it aloud."

 _ **Michael Washington:**_

"Where is Neo?" Sora asked, sounding rather frazzled.

"Who cares?" Taichi groaned. "Neo's annoying."

"Taichi," Sora scolded, "he's... yes, he is, but that doesn't give you the right to be rude." Sora had a point but at the moment I didn't care who was rude because we just didn't have _time_ to care. We could write lengthy apology letters to each other after the war was over, but for now we needed to keep focused. Everyone's minds were focused on random ideas or theories about what Gaia was doing, but I didn't really care what she was up to. I wanted to save _Jenna_.

Okay, so I kind of cared what she was up to because of that small—hopefully false—theory that Gaia wanted Jenna's baby, but that was beside the point. No, it _was_ the point. Okay, so I wasn't actually sure how I felt about anything at this point, only that people kept taking their focus away from Jenna. Was that selfish? No, not really because I wasn't caring about myself. But yes, it sort of was because I couldn't care about anyone else either.

I knew I cared what happened to Aneko, Emiko, and Momoe and Mr Kido and whoever else had been stuck in the Temple but somehow my mind wouldn't be taken away from Jenna. I had been scared about losing her ever since we learned of her pregnancy, but this was worse. This wasn't her dying for the sake of another life like she had resigned herself to, it was Gaia _murdering_ her. Potentially.

I wanted to get out of this baby-town and actually put some effort into saving the _only_ person who had been in my corner for as long as my memories would stretch. I needed to make sure Jenna was alive, and I needed to make sure she was happy with the way things turned out with her baby—whatever the outcome was.

I barely heard Tatum when she had come to say goodbye to me, and I hoped I hadn't hurt her feelings any, because I cared _very_ much about her and our baby. Tatum was also the smartest person I'd ever met—and that was only _sort of_ biased—so I was sure she knew why my mind was not stable and hopefully wouldn't take my dazed expressions as me snubbing her.

I could only think of Jenna.

I did not want her to join Mom and Winter. I was _sure_ Winter was pure enough to go somewhere lighter than the Dark Ocean. It just wouldn't be fair after all the good she had done. And with all the good _Jenna_ had done I was sure she too would head up with Mom if she were to die—but I couldn't let that happen. I _wouldn't_ let that happen.

Jenna was more important to me than my own life was and I knew that was reckless or maybe stupid but I didn't care. Having her in my life was the one thing I had always counted on and I couldn't let that change now just because Gaia was a bully. Or because Jenna had picked a boyfriend who wasn't even human... but I didn't blame Chi or Jenna. I blamed only Gaia and I was sure the others were in the same boat as I was. Or I hoped they were at least.

There were moments where all eyes wandered to Winter's body—which I could excuse—and there were times when the conversation would drift to sleep, or to food—which I could _not_ excuse—and even though I could understand why people were unable to focus on saving those locked away, I wasn't in a forgiving mood.

Thankfully I was not the only person in this frame of mind. Mari and Jou were just as snappy and just as demanding, while Mimi, Yamato and Takeru were whole heartedly on my side, but not nearly as aggressive. Unfortunately we had lost Mari when Alice showed up from the gates of Heaven to whisk a whole bunch of our team mates off to nowhere land.

It was stupid timing really, but I guess sometimes when you're dead you just have to take whatever opportunity you can to come down and reunite with people you've never met before, leaving your own twin brother behind with little explanation.

We didn't have time to really wonder what Alice was up to, or why she had taken Mari, Hideto, Kiyoko and Ryou away, because we had to save Jenna, and for Mari's sake, we had to rescue Aneko too.

"Okay," I decided finally. "I'm leaving now. I think GigaSeadramon can tear the thorns down without much trouble, and even if he can't he's covered in armour so the poison shouldn't affect him."

"Michael," Taichi tried to reason, "we're trying, I promise. We just don't have enough information."

"And so we'll go in blind," I told him, entirely seriously. "Your Crest is Courage, Taichi. You have to be brave enough to do this and if you can't then _I_ will." Taichi looked annoyed that I was using his Crest against him. "I'm sorry if this affects you negatively or whatever, but I'm going. You can come if you want to but I'm done waiting around for more people do die!"

I winced at my own words because I had just noticed Summer's arrival. She froze, looking to me for only a moment before she composed herself and nodded, preparing herself to continue on her way. She joined our group and cleared her throat, "Michael is right, I'm afraid." Taichi looked worried and was moving his eyes back and forth between all who were still standing around him.

"Michael is always right..." Betamon said quietly. I smiled politely to him but I didn't feel much like being happy.

"But Alice..." Taichi said weakly. "She..."

"I know," Summer said softly. "Gaia is not in the Temple, she is on Earth. Alice told us this much. That does not mean that those in the Temple are safe. But this may just be the best chance to save them if she is not there. We should work together to see this works in our favour."

There was a silence following her words because no one wanted to tell her that she had a terrible idea, but even I thought it was bad. "We're not splitting up," I told her cautiously. "It's one thing if I go alone, but cutting the group in half has never worked before."

"That is actually incorrect," Summer said as if she were preparing facts to help prove her point. "In the fight against Fanglongmon and Dragomon the group was split exactly in two, and I don't see either of them roaming about anymore."

Okay, so she had a point. It wasn't _always_ a bad idea, but at the time of their attack we hadn't had a choice at all.

As much as I would have liked help in my quest to save Jenna and Aneko, I was just as happy to go alone. I didn't care if I went at _all_ actually as long as _someone_ was out there trying to help them and I _definitely_ wanted to be able to see that she was alive again. I just didn't want to be the cause of our group losing its stability after it had just regained it again. Neo was gone of course, and so was Koushiro and Ryou and Alias III, so I could leave too and it wouldn't be a problem. But if I took half of who was left, there would only be seven Digidestined left to find and take care of Gaia.

Not that she'd be hard to find exactly.

We knew, thanks to Alice, that she was on Earth and ready to make the final transition for the humans to come to the Digital World. But would seven of us be enough to stop her, even if we included the Knights and the Olympos members? I just didn't know for sure and if the fate of the world rested in our hands—which it did—it didn't seem fair for _me_ to be the cause of everything failing.

"No," I said. "I'll go alone."

"You will not," Willis said, shaking his head. His arms were crossed and he looked annoyed since Alice had asked him specifically to stay behind. "I'll be with you, Michael. Jenna's my sister too." I smiled at him, and saw Terriermon clenching his fists dramatically. He would be helpful too.

"Great," I agreed. "Willis and I can go, and the rest of you stop Gaia. It's not like we're _that_ important anyway, right? You defeated a bunch of baddies before we ever came around." Willis nodded, expressing just how solid my point was and Taichi was shaking his head.

"This doesn't _feel_ right," he groaned, throwing his hands into his hair.

"Taichi," Agumon said kindly. "You're the leader, right? What do _you_ think?"

I nodded. "It's fair, Taichi." He looked up, confused. "If you can give me a real reason why I shouldn't go then I'll listen to you. You _are_ the leader. We're all here to follow your command. Sure you've made some pretty bad decisions lately, but this is your chance to really set things back into place. Gaia is the most insane person I've ever met, and because this makes you _feel_ insane, I know you're totally sane. If that makes sense."

"It really doesn't," Betamon said helpfully.

"Just," I said, holding my hands up. "Tell me to stay and I will, even though I'll probably temporarily hate you—not to sway your opinion though."

Taichi was looking around the clearing and he groaned loudly. "Hikari," he said sharply. She looked toward him and turned to reveal that she was sitting by the fire, petting Gatomon softly. "Get Takeru and whoever else you want to bring to Earth. You're coming with me—and if you can find Yamato, get him too." Taichi then looked at me. "You, Willis and Summer are going to the Temple." He looked to Sora. "And she's gping too."

"Me?" Sora asked, confused.

"You're my right hand man, Sora," Taichi admitted. "You've got to be the leader. I'm sorry I don't have goggles to spare."

"I'll be alright," Sora grinned, happy to actually get to do something.

"We're coming too," Jou said, holding Gomamon. For a moment I thought 'we' had meant simply the two of them, but Mimi was nodding along with Palmon by her side. "I need to save my daughter, Taichi. I won't be any good to you on Earth." Taichi nodded, but was looking more nervous than before.

"You don't seem sure," I told him.

"No," Taichi said, "I'm sure. I am. I have to stop thinking. Everything worked so well when we were younger because I followed my instincts instead of thinking so much. We have to get back to our roots. We're splitting up."

"Oh god," Sora said, a grin spreading on her face, "and here I thought you'd never say that again." Taichi grinned right back and pushed her away jokingly. "We'll meet you on Earth," Sora told him quietly. "Be safe."

"You too," Taichi said, staring at Sora a moment longer than he obviously had meant to. It startled me because I was worried that he was trying to memorize her face as if he wouldn't see her again. What did that mean for _us_... or for _him_? Which did he fear for?

I didn't have time to worry about that.

"So how are we getting in?" Mimi asked, joining our group. "You said there were poisonous thorns all around the Temple. Gaia's really mean isn't she?"

"Well I was thinking GigaSeadramon would just blast through them, honestly." My plan was not received well and several comments were thrown my way about how we didn't know anything about the plants, but thankfully the rudeness was stopped when Summer spoke up.

"There is another way into the Temple," she said simply. "I will take you there."

Without a word Summer had started walking, but I was left to stare after her. It _hurt_ to see her this way. Summer was usually so kind and loving and fun and bright, but right now she looked and felt broken. I hated how sad she was, and how much she was aching. I could just tell she felt only for Winter. I too felt like I had a bit of myself torn away because Winter was some of the only family I had left, but Summer had known her _much_ longer and was a _lot_ closer to her than I ever was... I couldn't imagine what it was like to lose someone you had known for your entire immortal life.

I felt tears in my eyes but I wiped them away when Mimi took my hand to lead me after the others who were all already on their way. I smiled weakly to her but she understood. Mimi was amazing, honestly. She had literally had her heart ripped from her chest and she had been forced to attack not only her friends but also her parents and all of this happened after Koushiro had asked for a divorce. So she had both literally _and_ figuratively had her heart ripped out, and she was still being supportive.

Man, I wished she would just move back to America. Sometimes she was exactly what I needed.

Summer advised us to have our partners evolve to make the trip shorter, so GigaSeadramon was quick to carry us all. Mimi didn't have any partners that were useful really in carrying her—at least not comfortably—and it just made sense for everyone to ride one single partner.

Summer led us to the Coliseum, which I was confused about and I even started following Gomamon through the front doors before Jou called to us, informing us that Summer had actually gone into the woods. Confused, we chased after them. I noticed how relieved Betamon was to not go back inside the Coliseum and I cursed myself for not thinking about his feelings first. He hated it in there and I should never forget that. We all walked together until Summer found what she was looking for.

"The Looking Glass," Sora said, confused.

"Oh my goodness!" Biyomon gasped. "There's a secret Looking Glass in the Temple! It's been under our noses all along! That's _crazy_! I bet it's in the park and we just never noticed—or maybe it's that fountain!"

"That's not it at all," Summer said softly.

"Then what?" Palmon asked. "I thought the Looking Glass is only connected to other Looking Glasses."

"The water," I realized. Summer smiled sweetly to me, pleased that I had caught on. I was happy to make her proud. I really did want her to like me, because I had wasted a lot of opportunity with Winter and I needed to remedy that with both Spring and Summer. "The water is connected to the water in other worlds, _but_ the water is not the only aspect to the Looking Glass."

"Wait, what?" Mimi asked, confused.

I motioned to Summer who was already reaching down to touch the water. The water slowly began to drain downward and the others all moved forward to look more closely. "There's an underground room," I explained to them all. "Meiyomon, Ken and I came down here a few years ago. That was back when I had a fake Betamon ruining my life." Betamon shuddered and I sent him an apologetic look.

"What's it for?" Jou asked as Summer began to descend the earthy steps that led downward into the ground.

"It connects many places within each world," Summer explained and then I had lost sight of her as she made her way under the ground. Sora and Biyomon followed first, then Willis and Terriermon. Jou and Gomamon were next, but Mimi paused with Palmon pulling on her to try to get her to go in.

"It's creepy and gross," Mimi whined.

"But we're saving your parents," I reminded her.

"Right!" Mimi nodded, setting off down the stairs with a lot more confidence.

"The Crests are represented on these walls," Summer explained. "That was Autumn's idea." She looked to me and smiled as my heart fluttered and warmed my body. "She thought we should emulate Theta the best we could. Theta truly was the most wonderful woman to ever live. She was _pure_ , but neither light nor dark. She was simply everything." Summer sighed, thinking back to her grandmother. She shook her head when she realized she had been lost in thought. "Anyway," she said, moving along quickly, summoning several balls of fire to light the way for us. "Each of the four of us created a chamber to represent us as best we could. This is Spring's."

"And yours?" Sora asked.

"Mine is in the Land of Dreams of course," Summer said kindly. "You didn't think I lived outside, did you? No, of course not. I had to have a home." Summer laughed a little and then placed her hands on the wall next to the Crest of Love. The walls opened and revealed path for us to take and all of the fire balls flew down the tunnel to guide us.

"Spring lives in Gennai's house though," Gomamon reminded her as we moved along.

"Wouldn't you?" Summer asked. "This isn't the most welcoming of places, and it comes with many bad memories for Spring. This place was made for her when her mind had been newly broken."

"What about Winter?" Biyomon asked, and all of us flinched back, pausing in our walk. Summer stopped, and for a moment I thought she was going to break down and cry, but when she turned she knelt down to Biyomon's eye level and smiled gently.

Summer pulled Biyomon into her arms and hugged her, before lifting her to carry her along. "Winter made her home in Sidhendor. I've never been there before. She never invited me." Summer seemed sad, but still glad that someone was willing to talk to her about her sister. "These chambers were meant to resemble Theta's birthplace. Perhaps we will turn Winter's into a tomb for her body. I think that would have been what she wanted. She will forever be in _her_ castle." She emphasized the word 'her' as if she refused to accept that Winter was not still the queen.

We walked in silence for a bit and I knew Summer appreciated it, as it gave her a chance to think of Winter, but a thought was slowly creeping into my mind and no matter how much I pushed at it, it wouldn't stay back. I wanted to ask _later_ , but I couldn't stop myself and eventually it came pouring out of my mouth. "So could you show me my mother's chambers some time?"

Summer looked back to me and thought for a moment. "If you would like to. Autumn never had much chance to live there. You see, the Looking Glass was created in the backyard of a certain blonde man who she quickly fell in love with." I felt a smile creep back to my face. "But I'm sure she's left something down there, and I'll bring you when we return to Earth."

"If it's anything like Spring's, it's probably pretty boring," Gomamon said bluntly.

Summer stopped and looked back to him, her eyebrows quirked in a daring way. "Is that so?" she asked. Summer stalked off and for a moment I thought she was angry, but she stopped part way down the hall and she pressed her hand against the dirty wall. Another hidden door opened and a brilliant light shone out. We all moved closer to see inside and found that it was a room with walls made of trampoline and a floor that was only playhouse balls. "If this is boring, then you're not playing correctly." Summer released Biyomon and actually threw Gomamon into the balls.

Terriermon, Biyomon and Palmon let out a loud chorus of laughter, but Betamon looked warily up to me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and kept my thoughts to myself, but Betamon knew that I was annoyed. I didn't want to be playing. I wanted to be saving my sister.

"Perhaps we can enjoy this later," Jou said thickly. "Emiko is waiting."

"Right," Summer conceded. "I apologize."

Gomamon crawled out of the balls looking embarrassed and then together we all set off again. I thought GigaSeadramon might be able to make the journey shorter, but he would be too big and we'd all be crushed which was just a terrible idea.

We had fallen once more into silence, but it didn't last long. Terriermon had been the first to hear the sound, and he had at first written it off as nothing, but when Gomamon perked his ears up as well we all fell into silent stillness. Slowly but surely the sound of quick footsteps echoed around the hallway and a heavy breathing followed shortly.

"What's that?" Palmon asked in a panic.

"It's nothing," Willis reasoned. "It's... It's nothing."

"Oh it's _definitely_ something," Mimi denied, listening closer. "Run?"

Sora was nodding already but Summer reached out to hold her still. She shook her head slowly. "We are safe," she said. We waited, hoping that Summer would be correct, but there was no way of really knowing. Eventually the darkness behind us began to light up and my first thought was Meramon, but when Yume appeared it really made a lot more sense. Summer looked perhaps annoyed, or maybe surprised as Yume came to a stop in front of us all, panting heavily. "What are you doing here, Yume?"

"If I'm going to die, I want my last moments to be with you," he told her, moving forward to embrace her. Summer let out a cry of shock as he pulled her sharply toward him. She reached her hand up to hold her tiara in place but Yume had little concern for the accessory. He planted a kiss right on her lips and her face somehow turned red, even through the green tints to her skin. Yume's hands were wrapped around her back and slowly Summer reached her arms around his neck to hold him close.

I looked away, feeling rather awkward, but eventually Yume and Summer pulled apart. "Brilliant," Summer said, nodding along. "The-then we should get going."

"Lead the way," Yume smiled, motioning ahead.

The rest of the walk went by rather smoothly, thanks to Summer and her uncanny ability to know literally everything. We had entered a labyrinth and she still knew the way around. Along the way Summer's bossiness really showed as she commanded Yume to stand in the back in case anything happened. Now, I didn't have any problem with bossy people and in fact I thought it was usually a good thing, but that didn't mean it wasn't a trait that Summer had. I could just imagine her as a child—no wonder Winter was always so annoyed with her. I wonder if Summer knew she was bossy.

"Michael," Summer said, suppressing a laugh, "I know. I do. I can also read your mind. So stop while you're ahead." I felt my face turn red and the others all looked around confused, and Terriermon pestered me a while to figure out what it was I had been thinking about, but it only made me think of it more and it was just kind of embarrassing, and eventually Terriermon got the hint and stopped.

And then we had reached the end of the tunnel where a set of stairs led upward to a sealed doorway. Summer did not hesitate to adjust her belt that she was wearing—because she had removed her dress for battling Yume apparently—and she marched straight up the stairs. We all followed and my nerves were building up now. We were about to enter the Temple.

What did that mean?

Where were we going to arrive?

I didn't want to find Gaia here, but if we _did_ would we be enough to fight her? We had three Super Ultimates and then Terriermon and Betamon. I wondered if maybe we could force MegaGargomon and GigaSeadramon into fusing into Raijinmon or something equally ridiculous. Then we'd be able to really show the world what we were made of. But then Labramon and Lopmon would have to fuse, and that just didn't make any sense.

It didn't matter because when Summer opened the door we were walking into the library. I saw Summer look around at some really ancient looking texts and hunger grew in her eyes but she shook the thought away. She could read the books later when she had time. She led us quickly to where it seemed that someone had demolished a large portion of the library.

"We need to clear this," Summer said.

"I'll do it," Yume said, stepping forward. Summer ignored him and heaved a rather large boulder into her arms before tossing it aside. Yume was impressed but joined her anyway. Soon enough we had WaruSeadramon, Garudamon, Zudomon, Lillymon and Rapidmon all helping to clear away a path, and even though we were helping too, it was mostly the digimon doing the work. I was surprised to see how determined Mimi was to help out though, even if she couldn't lift a lot of the rubble.

Summer seemed sad that so many of the books had been destroyed, but we didn't have time to mourn them and she pressed on when a path had been cleared.

Summer was honestly the most intelligent being in the universe because she managed to lead us through the library too, weaving through the most ridiculous passages, crawling through holes and sometimes we even appeared on the ceiling but it didn't faze her at all and eventually we were standing by the front door.

She was reaching for the handle but Sora and Biyomon stopped her. It made me angry for a brief moment but when I heard the voices I understood. I didn't waste time and I moved quickly for the nearest window where Mimi joined me and together we looked through to see two digimon marching through the streets.

"Astamon," Willis growled, startling me as he appeared behind me.

"And that's Bagramon," Terriermon said helpfully. "He's Maugrim's partner."

"Is Astamon Gaia's partner?" Mimi asked.

"I don't know," Terriermon admitted. He looked to the other digimon for support but they all shrugged. "He's her friend, I know that. I don't think Gaia wants a partner honestly." That made sense since she hated the digimon so much.

When I pulled away from the window to let Willis have a better view I saw that Sora and Jou were actually using their time wisely and were both looking at their digivices. "They're gathered in the hospital," Jou said nervously. My heart slammed against my chest at the thought. Why were they needed at the hospital? Had something bad happened? I was feeling weak already when Sora came up with a plan.

"Yume, Summer, Mimi and I will distract the digimon," she said quickly. "Biyomon and Palmon should be enough to at least keep us safe while the rest of you get everyone to safety."

"How will you know when it's time to leave?" Gomamon asked, concerned for their safety.

"We'll figure it out as we go along," Sora shrugged. "It's called being spontaneous."

Gomamon grinned at Sora and then we were all ready to go. It wouldn't take long for the plan to start up, but I didn't want it to. I hugged Mimi quickly before she went because I was so thankful that she was willing to do this, but I didn't want to miss my chance to say goodbye. I turned to Summer and she was already holding a hand up to me. "Say nothing," she warned. I nodded nervously and she turned to the door. "Those of you who are staying behind should conceal yourselves." Jou and Willis pressed themselves to one side of the door with Terriermon while Gomamon and Betamon joined me on the other side.

"Go," Sora said, ready for the worst. Summer slammed the doors open and then they were running out into the streets. I heard gunshots immediately and then the joyous calls of " **BurstRosemon!** " and " **Varodurumon!** "

Willis peeked through the window and nodded quickly. "Let's go, they're gone." We didn't have time to wait to see if they'd come back, so we all set out into the streets, following Jou's guide as he used the digivice to steer us in the right direction, to ensure he hadn't been wrong about where they were. When it became clear they really _were_ in the hospital we all became more confident about our directions, but more nervous about _why_ they were there.

Jou slammed into the hospital doors the moment we arrived and groaned because the doors were locked. He began slamming on the doors and shouting for help but Willis pulled him away quickly. "They'll _hear_ you, Jou!"

"That's the point," Jou objected.

"I mean Astamon and Bagramon, idiot," Willis snapped. "We'll have to find another way inside."

"Gargo Pellets!"

I let out a shriek of horror, diving to the ground as Willis' face blanched and he dragged Jou down sharply. There were several loud shots and a moment later the doorway was cleared. I looked back to see Gargomon holding his bullet arms up and I nervously looked down every nearby street, hoping to _not_ see our enemies.

"That was the worst idea you've _ever_ had," Betamon rolled his eyes.

"But it worked, didn't it?" Gargomon asked.

"For now," Willis said bitterly. We moved quickly inside, afraid of being seen, but we were confronted with a chair being thrown toward us. It hit my side and I toppled into Jou who barely caught me before I fell to the tiled floor. "That was rude," Willis said sarcastically but it _shouldn't_ have been sarcastic because it _was_ rude.

I looked around for the culprit and found Katsue looking relieved to see us. "I thought you were Astamon," Katsue said nervously, looking through the doorway. "Shooting the door down was a pretty stupid idea."

"It worked," Gargomon grumbled again.

She took a moment to absorb our presence and then sighed. "You should hurry upstairs." The worry in her voice made my heart nearly stop and I was already racing toward the stairs. Katsue shouted out some directions but was running after me with the rest of the team following closely behind.

As I raced around the corner I heard a scream of terror and saw Emiko dropping a glass of water. I ignored her and found that Aneko was twiddling her thumbs, waiting outside the nearest door. I ignored her advice to stay out and slammed through the door.

" _Michael get out right now_!" Jenna's screams were so loud that I could feel my eardrums begging to bleed. And my eyes probably _did_ start bleeding because I would _never_ properly get rid of that sight. Several things were being thrown at me so I quickly ducked out of the room after spotting Chi and Momoe inside.

"I told you not to go in," Aneko said, rolling her eyes. Then she looked nervous. "Is Mari here?"

I shook my head. "No, she's not, but she's okay." Aneko looked relieved. "We'll get you to her, okay?"

"Dad!" Emiko cried out with relief as she threw her arms around Jou. He had stopped so abruptly that Willis had toppled over him and landed on his butt in the middle of Emiko's spilled water. Aneko laughed, but it sounded mostly relieved to see someone she knew, and soon Gargomon, Gomamon and Betamon were following Katsue.

"She's having her baby," Katsue explained.

"I... yep..." I said awkwardly.

Katsue snorted, picking up on what happened and I ignored her. "Yamato's parents are downstairs with most of the others, but Shuri and Momoe are the closest things to nurses that we've got. I haven't gone in, but Jou's dad seems pretty competent."

"He is," Jou said, appearing with Emiko in one arm. "Emiko, can you wait here a moment. I'll be right back. I just want your mother to know I'm here." Emiko nodded and let Jou set her down. She pulled herself into a chair next to Aneko and together they waited. Monmon was nearby, but he didn't seem to understand really what was happening. Emiko didn't either, but she at least understood humans a _little_ better.

As Jou was walking through the door Chi came out looking frazzled and confused. "Humans are _weird_ ," he said weakly. Willis actually _laughed_ and for a moment I thought it was insane because Jenna was in trouble but she was _here_ and _alive_ so I found myself laughing too.

"It's natural," Katsue said defensively.

"So how did you get here?" Chi asked.

"Summer got us here," I explained. "We're here to save you all actually." I saw a flash from the window and I looked up nervously. What was that then? I rushed to the window to look out and saw Yume's powers flashing in the sky. Once again Willis appeared at my side to look down at the streets. "They can beat Bagramon and Astamon, right?"

"I don't know," Willis admitted.

I felt really nervous about it, so I backed away to rush into the delivery room. "We need to _hurry_!" I said sharply. I was expecting Jenna to scream at me again but her eyes were shut. She _couldn't_ scream. "Jenna?" I said nervously.

Momoe was given silent instructions by Isao to lead me out of the room but I didn't want to go. "Jenna!" I shouted. Momoe was dragging me away, and Aneko helped, but she was nervous about it. I turned to Willis for support but he was gone. "Willis?" I asked nervously. I rushed to the window again, where I had last seen him and saw Astamon racing along the rooftops. He was coming _towards_ us.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Taichi and Rei couple up and tell us one of the final chapters of the story. Stuff's gettin' real and the finale is coming closer!


	76. The Truth About Love

**Y/N:** Rei and Taichi both narrate. Rei continues on that side adventure she went on with Natsuni earlier, and it was written a long time after the rest of this climax, because it was random and nearly irrelevant to the main plot—but not entirely. Taichi goes on a side quest of his own though, that is very relevant to everything. It's ridiculously important.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 76: The Truth About Love**

 _ **Rei Yagami:**_

"That's our mother?" Kansui asked. "No. That simply can't be. You said our mother was rotting in Austraila." Neo winced at Kansui's lack of tact, and I was stuck looking at the shadowy form of the woman that Evelen was convinced was her mother. I had no frame of reference. She _could_ have been their mother. Evelen would know better than I would, even if she'd never met the woman in her life and had only seen her lifeless body the one time—it was still more than I'd seen.

"Mom?" Evelen asked, awkwardly. She moved toward the figure, batting a headless doll out of her way. It floated through the air, and knocked into a toy car with a missing wheel. My eyes flitted along everything in the air. I needed to find a small red crystal. I needed to find it. Once I found it, I would be able to go back to Taichi, and help him beat Gaia. I knew he didn't want me involved, but he wasn't going to get his way. His mother was fighting, as was his father, and sister. All of his friends, and everyone he knew was involved in some way or other. This was what his life had been building up towards. This was the destiny he was meant to follow. I'd chosen to marry him, knowing all of that. And it wasn't just my husband that was tangled up in this mess. My big brother was too. I would be there even if I'd never met Taichi.

But I obviously _had_. It was just more motivation to fight for our survival.

"I can go," Neo said politely. I was shocked to see him so unsure of himself. He was looking to Evelen, and glancing at her supposed mother. He didn't know what to do, and he didn't want to push her. It was all very sweet of him. He'd been so _sure_ of himself when he was dating Sora. He had everything calculated out, and everything went so smoothly. I thought he was a confident guy, but Evelen had him on his toes. She was good for him. She _humanized_ him.

"No," Evelen said. She reached out and took his hand within her own. "Stay."

"I will," Neo said softly. I felt like I was intruding on their moment. It was awkward. I liked the idea that my brother was finding happiness. I loved the idea actually. But I didn't feel comfortable watching it happen while Evelen was preparing to interact with the spirit of her dead—but not really dead—mother. It just was too much and too private, I thought. It would be different if we were at a birthday party, and I happened to be a witness to their trust in each other, and my brother's nervousness. But I wasn't just at a party. But I was a part of one.

We were a search party, and I forced my mind to pay attention to the floating items, trying to find the red crystal among hundreds of toy wheels, and doll shoes without matches. I found dozens of mismatched socks, and bookmarks. There was so much loose change, in a large variety of currencies. There were marbles and glass beads. There were pieces of silverware, and the backs of earrings. There were Christmas ornaments, and participation ribbons. There were chewed up dog toys, and balls of every kind—mostly deflated. I counted at twelve wallets within my general proximity, and a bunch of memory sticks for a computer.

But there was no crystal.

"Mom," Evelen said again. "Can you talk to me?"

"I can," the shadow of the woman said gently. "You are so beautiful. I never imagined how beautiful you would be. I haven't seen you in such a long time. I feared I'd never see you again." The woman turned to Kansui fondly. "My son, you have grown so much. I've missed everything for all my children. I've missed it all."

"Terra," Neo said, noting that Evelen was too overcome with emotion to force words out at that precise moment, and he didn't want her to embarrass herself by crying in public, which she seemed infinitely grateful for. I cursed myself for forgetting the vow I'd made to focus only on the search, though I couldn't help but keep my ear open.

"Pal, Pul," I said softly, so as not to interrupt. "Tell everyone to spread out. We need to cover more ground." Dracomon stayed firmly between Evelen and Neo, watching their clasped hands with a satisfied grin. Tatum spread out, but kept close enough to hear the words the shadow woman was saying—ever curious as she was. Natsuni too, stayed close by, but she had moved to stand _behind_ the woman, so she was at least looking in a different area. Goblimon, Monodramon, Wizardmon and Gravimon were proactive, scattering, just as Pal and Pul did. I couldn't see them all anymore, and I hoped they would succeed in finding Spring's memory. I sifted through a collection of scrunchies and bodysuits from decades ago, wrinkling my nose at the sight of them, trying to imagine why anyone though they were a good idea, and yet somehow knowing that Miyako would wear them without a second thought.

Spring and Bitoru were searching just a short distance away, and they were looking together. But I could tell that Spring was very curious, and was listening to every word that the woman was saying. If this really _was_ who Summer assumed she was then this was Spring's aunt and Gaia's first victim. As well as Bitoru's mother, but he did not seem nearly as emotional as either of his siblings, probably because of the amount of time he had actually had to find peace.

"Terra," Neo said again, when the question had finally formed in his head, "what happened to you?"

"I was chained in the dungeons for as long as I could possibly bear," the woman said, "and then my spirit broke, and was lost, though my heart was still beating. Being lost, I came here, and I found Gaia once more. She feared me though, this time. I tried to forgive her, in order to create some peace between us, but she was untrusting, and locked me in this dump with the other lost things of this world."

"Why can't you go back to your body?" Kansui asked. "We know where it is now—well _I_ don't, but my good buddy Neo does, don't you roomie?"

"We no longer share a residence," Neo said, pinching the bridge of his nose. The woman sighed, sadly and shook her head.

"I have missed your lives, I have failed my role as your mother," she said. "I have lost my love. And Gaia is still out there. She will find me. It is safest to stay here. I made friends, twice. They are both gone now, but I am sure there will be someone to keep me company in the future."

"Terra," Spring said, giving up the guise of pretending. "My mother, _Gaia_ is trying to kill everyone, including your children. Bitoru was caught in her manipulations, once already, and so was Kansui. They're maybe in more danger than anyone else, because of who their father is."

"Graul, yes," the woman said. Her face looked confused though. I looked to crumbled up notes that floated in the air, forgotten reminders and grocery lists. I was tempted to make a chain out of the paperclips that I found, but resisted the urge, in favour of looking through a collection of gems, only to find they were made of plastic, and that the red one had a chunk missing. "My name is Harmonia, not Terra."

The silence that followed her words began a steady feeling of unease in my body. I could not keep myself from looking back. I needed to know what this meant to the others. Neo and Evelen were particularly confused and lost, sharing looks of distrust. "Then who's Terra?" Evelen asked.

"I never met her. I dealt entirely with Gaia. But Terra was her sister, of a sort," Harmonia said gently.

"Her memories were floating around your body," Neo informed her.

"Gaia never cared for Terra," Harmonia said. "She never cared for anyone really. There was _one_ exception, of course."

"Father," Bitoru said, not giving up his search, even as his mother stood before him. He was determined to help Spring, and I thought it was commendable. I wasn't sure I would be able to act the same in his place. I wasn't even sure what I would say to my father if I was ever to see him. He'd abandoned us, and I probably wouldn't recognize him if I was looking right at him. But Bitoru, he'd never had the chance to meet this woman. He'd been taken from her at birth and raised by Maugrim's own father.

"Bitoru," Harmonia said with a watery voice. She was on the edge of tears. "My three children are together. I had hoped, but I couldn't be sure. I wanted you to be raised together."

"We weren't," Bitoru said. "I was raised by the time they came around. Father raised them himself. I wasn't worth his time."

"But he liked you better," Kansui said bitterly.

"You were saying that our father was Gaia's only exception?" Evelen prompted with a thick voice. It must've been hard on her, learning another story for her mother. She'd spent weeks coming to terms with the fact that she was the daughter of Gaia's murderous sister, only to find it wasn't true. I thought that this was definitely better, but then, we'd only heard the beginning of the tale.

"Yes," Harmonia said sadly. "She fell madly in love with him the moment she saw him. But he'd been coming to the castle for weeks. He was smitten himself, you see with a servant girl. He was a poor farmer boy on a journey to find himself. He was still unsure of himself. He missed his father, and wrote to him dutifully every week. He used to tell me that his letters were filled with praise about _me_. I was flattered, and more than a little smitten myself. I fell hard for him, and his simple ways. We talked grandly about a future we would never have. We were poor, and I would never be free from my duties as the queen's servant girl."

"You were Mother's servant?" Spring asked, horrified at the prospect of having to be that close to Gaia at a regular basis.

"I was," Harmonia said forlornly. "It was meant to be a great opportunity. I was working directly for the queen. I was the highest ranked servant in the castle. But that came with a price. My servitude was for life. No matter how many fantasies we spun, we could never fulfill any of them. My place was in the castle, and so he stayed for me."

"And then he met Gaia," Bitoru guessed, trying to sound disinterested, but I could hear the anger behind his words. He resented both his father and Gaia for their actions.

"Your father was afraid of the queen," Harmonia said, which surprised me. "He would slip around in private, keeping out of sight. But one day, Gaia had come to reprimand me in my chambers, and Graul arrived, without knowing she was there. Gaia took a single look at him, and became a different person. She was kind and polite to me, and she spent the entire afternoon with Graul and I. When it came time for him to leave, she walked him out of the palace. It became evident to me immediately that she felt a burning desire to make this man hers.

"He came with flowers the following afternoon, and I was dusting the throne room windows. I spotted him and smiled, thinking how sweet he was," Harmonia continued. "But Gaia saw him too, and she believed he was as taken by her as she was by him. When Graul gifted the flowers to me, Gaia became furious. She wanted Graul for herself, but he loved another. She took me out of the equation. I was placed in prison, among the heads of her past victims. Death could not come at that time, and the heads were animated, and spoke to me. I was fearful of them, but eventually, I grew to care for them. They, like me, had not earned their place in prison."

"That's it?" Evelen asked, disappointed. "You were arrested, and he decided that the queen was the best thing in the world?"

"No," Harmonia said. "He visited me, risking Gaia's wrath many times, but he grew more distant each time. He remembered me, and the feelings he felt, but it was not enough for him. He was falling for her. I watched it happen, no matter how much he fought against it. But his love for me continued to shine through the haze of loyalty he felt for Gaia. I could see it. When Gaia was promised the hand of a king, Graul came to me, and told me that he would be leaving me. He visited me when he could, and I gave him a son. He ranted about Gaia's betrayals, and lamented about his own. He was meant to be loyal to her, but he wanted me too. I loved him so much that I was blind to the reality."

"His love for Gaia was gradual?" Neo questioned. Harmonia nodded. "And he fought against it due to loyalty for you."

"He did," Harmonia assured him. "Death came to the land, and my friends all died, as their heads were not attached to their bodies any longer. They withered away, and I was left alone, desolate. The world changed when Pangaea was thrown out in a fit of rage, and I went with it. Graul found me. He hunted over the entire planet to find me once more, and he told me of his banishment. He could not free me from my prison, because he remained loyal to Gaia, but he cared for me still, and in my loneliness, that was enough. I gave him two more children, and then I never saw him again."

"Gaia had need of him," Bitoru explained. "He's her right hand man."

"He's not the man I remember," Harmonia said, as though she needed to justify her feelings. I remembered how cruel Neo had been to me, when he kidnapped me, but he was still my hero. Taichi had kissed Mari—one of my best friends—and I'd been able to forgive that too, because I loved him with all my heart. I thought it was actually rather romantic that she still held a flame for the man she loved, despite so many years of being alone. Gaia was the one I couldn't understand. She was the queen. Why would she want a farm boy, that was so clearly in love with someone else and how had she been so persuasive in gaining his loyalty?

"M... _Mother_ ," Bitoru said with some difficulty. "We are here to find Spring's memory. It is imperative that we locate it. It will be small, red and crystal. It might be the key to bringing Gaia down once and for all."

"I have seen it," she said softly, obviously a little disappointed that Bitoru was distant compared to her other children, who were quite interested in meeting her, and learning her story. But then Bitoru had been alive far longer than they had, and had already been disregarded by his father, who had refused to raise him, but had been willing to raise his younger siblings. He was less interested in learning about a woman that had little to do with him than he was in saving the mind of the woman he loved.

"Did you ever think about me?" Kansui asked, softly, as though he was afraid of the answer.

"Every day," Harmonia assured him. He looked pleased. "I want to know everything about you."

"I work for the ambassador of Japan," Kansui said, winking at Neo. "I'm his secretary, and I'm really good at my job. Just ask Neo. He thinks I'm worth something too, so he's obviously the best boss, and we're pretty much best friends."

"We really are not," Neo said despairingly.

"We were roomies and everything, he's just being shy," Kansui assured his mom, happy that a parent was taking interest in him. "Evelen works at a bar. Or she did, before she chose to move to the Digital World to find Dad, so she got fired, and now she lives with me, because I'm generous like that."

"Kansui, shut up," Evelen hissed, looking at the ground, as if afraid to look at her mother, for fear of being judged.

"I was a scientist in Sidhendor before I got banished alongside father simply for being his son," Bitoru said bitterly. "Gaia promised me Spring's memory in exchange for working with her, but she lied. I am now trying to win the favour of Spring back from my obvious betrayal in joining her mother's team."

"You've already won my favour," Spring assured him. "I am happy to have you back, and you have clearly learned your lesson. Mother is never to be trusted."

"I know that, now," Bitoru murmured, looking fondly at Spring, and she grinned back at him.

"You are in love," Harmonia rejoiced. She turned to her daughter, and noted her and Neo's clasped hands. She beamed at them, obviously making the assumption that they too were in love.

"And I would like to restore her memory, so..." Bitoru said, not at all embarrassed by his mother's realization. Everyone in all the worlds practically knew of his devotion by now. It wasn't a secret. Neo and Evelen on the other hand had released one another and stepped away from each other, red in the face.

Harmonia moved effortlessly through the floating objects, and I followed quickly after her, behind only Bitoru and Spring, determined to at least be there when it was found. She plucked it out of the air, next to Gaia's mirror, and handed it to her son. He looked at her like she'd given him the moon, and then he looked to Spring—and then back down to the memory. He moved it next to her head, and tried to _will_ it to enter her mind, but it didn't work that way.

"I don't understand," Bitoru said, upset. "I have it. I have your memory. Why won't you take it?"

"I don't know how," Spring said, embarrassed. "Summer would know. Her powers deal with the memory, and Mother used Summer's powers to take it in the first place."

"Won't that hurt?" Bitoru asked, frightened.

"Summer understands the power she was given," Spring said simply, which revealed to me that Gaia _had_ the powers, but never bothered to really work at it. I wondered if it was her pride that got in the way, or if she simply enjoyed causing pain with her powers.

I stepped back, so Kansui and Evelen could pass me by—and Neo and Dracomon too—and be close to their mother. My back brushed against the mirror, and my mind turned hazy. The next thing I knew, I was turning to Dracomon, and picking up a broken baseball bat, and getting ready to swing.

"Rei," Neo snapped, grabbing the piece of wood from my hands. I needed to get Dracomon though. It was the humans or the digimon, and I wanted to live. I had to beat the digimon. "Snap out of it. You are being ridiculous."

My heart plummeted and I knew what was wrong. "The mirror," I said, pulling the baseball bat back towards me. I swung at the glass and shattered it. I was pretty sure I'd survive seven years of bad luck if they came my way. I fell to the ground and started crying. "Neo, I touched the mirror, and then all I wanted was to do Gaia's bidding. The mirror held her power."

"There are more mirrors," Neo said. "There's one in the Coliseum. Jou used it to communicate with me. I liberated Maugrim's personal mirror in order to make the connection."

"She's using the mirrors to control everyone," Tatum guessed. "We need to smash them then, in order to help save the worlds."

"It's our own personal mission," Natsuni said, sounding both nervous and pleased.

"I am rather invested in another mission," Neo said. "I want to return Harmonia to her body, and free her from her prison. Perhaps she can get through to Maugrim. He might be distracted at the very least, and that's assuming he's _not_ being manipulated."

"You think my dad's not really evil?" Evelen said, sounding very disbelieving.

"I believe in never disregarding any possibility until it has been proven false," Neo said carefully, so as not to give her false hope.

"Get the keys ready, and get our friends," I said quickly. Dracomon ran to go collect Goblimon, Wizardmon, Gravimon, Pal, Pul and Monodramon, while Neo got the keys ready. He opened a gate to Australia first, even though I wanted to hurry on my mission with the mirrors, but he needed to do this for Evelen, and I couldn't be angry at him for doing so—even if it _was_ the scariest place I'd ever seen.

He ordered Spring to open a tunnel under a stump, and Wizardmon lit the way. Kansui let out a whimper when he saw his mother chained to a wall, but Harmonia simply walked over to her weak body and slipped right back in place. Her brilliant turquoise hair was bold against her dark skin. She was beautiful. She cried, when she stood up, and Goblimon ripped the chains from the wall before Bitoru used his knife to remove the shackles from her wrists and soon the woman was free. She pulled her three children against her, and sobbed. Her body shuddered with the force of her tears.

"My children," she said, over and over again.

"Can you help us locate Maugrim?" Neo asked Harmonia, when she was capable of breathing properly.

"I can," she said. "But I cannot travel the worlds to find him."

"But _I_ can," Spring assured her.

"Rei, take the keys," Neo offered. He handed me the Digimental of Strength as well, and turned to look at Evelen. "I would like Gravimon and Wizardmon to come with me, unless Evelen would rather do this without me."

"I didn't think you were such an idiot," she said, instead of simply asking him to come with her. I thought it was fitting, since he was so blunt about everything.

"Then I'll take the others," I said agreeably. Tatum groaned. Before I had the time to be offended by her reaction, she gasped.

"We'll need to make another stop," she informed me. Monodramon grabbed her arm, and looked at her concerned, trying to ask what was wrong. "The baby is coming."

 _ **Taichi Yagami:**_

I looked out over the volunteers that had come forward to fight against Gaia and her army. I had never been as overwhelmed as I had in that moment. There were so many faces looking up to me, expecting instructions, and I actually knew what to tell them for once. I was glad that Yamato was at my side, even if Agumon and Gabumon had opted out of standing in front of so many people.

"Gaia is bringing our species to war," I declared to the gathered audience. There was a heavy silence hanging over them, as they all strained to hear what I said. I was speaking as loudly as I could, but there were a lot of them. "Humans and Digimon will fight for the survival of their kind. Those with the most survivors at the end will be deemed the victors, and they shall get to live in Gaia's new world. Supposedly, it will be peaceful, but with Gaia in charge, we all know that's a lie. No one will have free will. Balance will forever be skewed. Love will be nonexistent. The Crests will be meaningless. Gaia can't understand them, which is a point in our favour. She doesn't know, but we do. We have the Crests on our side, and we will be using them, whether they belong to us or not, during this fight. The Crests are everything that Theta stood for, and we will bring peace and justice into fruition using her ideals. We will do this the _right_ way. We'll fight with honour and humility. We will not be needlessly cruel."

"None of the people are fighting under their own power," Yamato said, picking up where I let off. "We can't let them take the fall for Gaia's actions. But know that we want every last one of you to make it through to the other side. What we want most of all, is to simply keep the opposing forces separate."

"We're not aiming to attack her armies," I agreed. "We're aiming for _her_. She thinks she can manipulate her way to a perfect kingdom, and we're going to prove that she's wrong. She wants us to fight each other, and we won't do it, because she _wants_ us to. It may seem petty and childish, to simply _not_ fight in order to spite her, but trust me when I say that this will hurt Gaia the most."

"She wants our species to take each other out because she fears us. She fears the digimon, I think," Yamato said, "because of the power each of you is capable of reaching, if you only have the proper motivation, and she knows that any of you could have the motivation in this instance, with your very lives on the line. Many of you do, whether you've achieved high power through rigorous training, or through the course of hundreds of years, or with the help of a partner, or the Digimentals. You all have the power to foil Gaia's plans."

"And I'm proud to fight alongside any one of you," I said firmly, "because you have the tenacity and the courage to fight for not only your rights, but the safety and balance of all the worlds. Your willingness to put yourselves in danger for the sake of everything is commendable. Not one of you _has_ to be here, yet here you stand, and for that, I will always be thankful."

"We don't know what we'll see when we get to Earth," Yamato said. "I don't want you to lose faith, but we could get there to find that the war has already begun. Digimon and humans are not on the same level physically, but the humans have plenty of weapons at their disposal. We don't want anyone to be unprepared. Keep your wits about you."

"He's right," I agreed. "We need to treat this as though we're walking into a warzone. We can't assume we'll get there before anything happens. With that in mind, we need to move. There's no time to waste. Izumi, can you open the gate?"

Izumi looked up and nodded, picking up Kiyoko's laptop—which he'd left in his haste to follow Alice, which was thoughtful of him, since we had no other way to get to Earth, with the keys in Neo's hands. She started hitting the keys, though it appeared to be giving her some trouble. Shuu and Kentarusmon went to her aid, and the tension began to form. It was okay when I was trying to hype everyone up. We needed everyone to know that we had faith in them, and were confident in our chances of success, even if we weren't really sure we could win. We were the Digidestined, and if we couldn't win this, then Gaia _would_. And that couldn't happen.

I'd already vowed to die trying if I had to. I would _not_ hesitate to give everything I had into stopping this. The worlds would be at peace. I _would_ live to see that day.

"We got it!" Izumi said. Her voice was firm, though I could hear a slight wavering. I swallowed thickly. She was afraid. But that was good. Fear meant she wouldn't be stupid. But she was solidly on our side, so I knew she also wouldn't give up.

"Then it's time to go," I said. "I'll go first. To make sure it's safe."

"Taichi," Mom called, anxiously, but I couldn't take the time to ease her fears. I was in charge of this army. It wasn't in my job description, but I had to rise to the occasion anyway. It was a task thrown on me by Gaia, because she wasn't giving me any other options. But I was done trying to cower away and hide. I was ready to take this responsibility head on and defeat her once and for all.

"Wait for me," Agumon called. I nodded. Yamato was putting the Digimental of Knowledge into his pocket, choosing it for its lack of sharp edges. I spotted Takeru taking the more sentimental route of choosing the one he'd used in the past: Hope. I didn't like that we needed to take them out into the battlefield, but we had no choice if we wanted to be able to utilize the Knights. One might've been enough, but two was safer. We weren't taking any more than that, though, because we needed to ensure their protection, and we couldn't do that when we were fighting to protect both ourselves, and the two clashing armies that we would be facing.

"All those that can, I suggest you digivolve," I said. "The larger digivolutions should wait until we're on the other side, simply because the tear isn't very large, but we need to be battle ready as soon as possible."

Agumon lead the digivolutions, flashing through Greymon, MetalGreymon, and WarGreymon before he settled on VictoryGreymon. I looked at my partner and thought how far he had come from the Koromon I met that first day. I was proud of him. I was proud of everyone. Gabumon was now ZeedGarurumon, and Labramon was standing tall as Anubismon. UlforceVeedramon, Valkyrimon and GrandisKuwagamon were standing in the wings, while Armadillomon waited, because his mega form was far too large to fit through the door. Ophanimon and Seraphimon were standing behind VictoryGreymon and ZeedGarurumon though, just as Hikari and Takeru moved to stand with Yamato and I. I reached out and caught my sister's hand, and she squeezed it once, hard, before letting go. Her eyes were set, and she was focused. She wanted this fight over just as much as the rest of us. And it was personal for her, because Gaia had taken such a keen interest in my little sister and the light that she possessed. Kurayami and Daisuke were holding hands, as were Ken and Miyako. Iori stood near them, but far enough away that he wouldn't accidentally be touched.

I was worried about him.

He had still been in Bagramon's torturous clutches just yesterday. One evening and night wasn't enough to get over the physical damage, let alone the psychological aftermath that was weighing heavily on his shoulders. He couldn't handle contact, and we were bringing him into a war. I felt like the biggest jerk on any world, but I couldn't leave him behind. He was a Digidestined, and our numbers were too few as it was. I'd followed my instincts, letting Jou, Mimi and Sora go with Michael and Willis to save Jenna, Emiko, Aneko and everyone else. Neo was somewhere, but I hadn't been informed of an actual location. Ryou and Alias III had been taken from us by the spirit of Willis' twin sister. I couldn't afford to do this without Iori. We needed all the Crests in play, and while anyone could _have_ forgiveness, Iori and Armadillomon were the only ones that could bear the Crest itself.

This was also actually the first time that every Crest bearer was doing something to fight Gaia—or anyone really. We had _never_ had Alice fighting alongside us, even if her fight was meaningless—which I didn't know that it was. She was contributing, and that was why I had hope that we could actually win this. We'd been assuming for years that Willis simply took over for Alice when she died. But evidently, we were wrong. She appeared when we needed her to. The stage was set, and all the players were ready to go.

With that in mind, I took the first step through the tear in the sky. We appeared in the street in front of Mari's library. I was pleased that Izumi had taken the time to alter the destination ever so slightly. It would save Mari's library from absolute disaster, with how many people and digimon were coming with us. I looked around, and saw a barren street. There were cars parked half-hazard on the sidewalk and side of the road. Some cars were still running. The streets were filled with drifting papers, and abandoned purses and bags of rotting groceries. When Gaia's command had come to Earth, and filled their minds, the people had literally dropped whatever they were carrying, and raced to follow Gaia's instructions.

But there were no people to be seen.

VictoryGreymon stepped through the portal behind me, and I realized I was stupidly standing in the way, so I wandered to the left, trying to listen for any sounds of battle. I felt like an idiot, because for some reason I'd forgotten that Earth was actually massive, and that the war could be happening anywhere—or everywhere.

But I stopped myself from over thinking everything. That had gotten me into trouble too many times in the past. I cleared my mind and focused on what was happening around me.

Yamato and ZeedGarurumon came through next, followed by Takeru, Hikari, Seraphimon and Ophanimon. They quickly spread out along the street, and the two angels took to the skies, to see if they could find anything that would point us in the right direction. Anubismon joined them soon after, when he, Kurayami, Daisuke and UlforceVeedramon stepped though. Ken, Miyako and Iori came soon after, with GrandisKuwagamon, Valkyrimon and Armadillomon coming along behind them. Armadillomon was quick to digivolve to Vikemon immediately following his arrival, and he moved further down the street.

The Digidestined were through.

Everyone else started coming through moments later, waiting just long enough for me to think that perhaps my speech scared them off of joining us. But they came, just as I _knew_ they would.

The original Digidestined led the charge with Takuya in the lead. He had Hyokomon with him, and was followed by the twins, Kouji and Kouichi, who came with Psychemon and Liollmon. Izumi was next with Yakiimon, and then Tomoki came with his purple Elecmon. Jupei was last, with Kokuwamon. Mom followed my predecessors, with Alphamon at her side. Crusadermon came through next, with Kentarusmon and Craniamon. Masami Izumi, and Haruhiko Takenouchi followed after their partners, moving to stand with my mother, as the partners of the Knights. Jupitermon walked through next, holding his head high, with Neptunemon and Marsmon flanking him, as they came through immediately after. Junomon, Venusmon, Bacchusmon, Merukimon, Plutomon and Volcanusmon came through too, with Minervamon coming in the rear, having Lunamon and Firamon at her side, and Kae Ichijouji right behind her.

Kae was the beginning of a long procession of parents. Her husband Kazuya came next, followed by Michael Washington Senior, and Okotte Higorashi—Kurayami's father. He was going to fight for his lost wife, and his daughter. He had grown quite a lot in such a short time. He wasn't going to let his daughter fight without him anymore. Aimi Kido came through, with her daughters at her back. They had been determined to join, and Aimi couldn't allow them to fight without her. Haruka Motomiya was going to fight alongside her son, and the biggest surprise to me, was to find that Manabu, her husband, had come too. He and Daisuke hadn't gotten along for a long time, but I supposed his drive to survive had pushed him forward. Miyako's parents came through with my father. Kamemon was racing at Dad's side. When he was clear of the door he digivolved into Shellmon. Toshiko Takenouchi and Yoshie Izumi were last, bringing Digitamamon and Mushroomon with them. Mushroomon digivolved to Woodmon, surprising me, but I knew he'd been practicing, since he knew this was coming. I knew that Fumiko Hida and Mary Washington were staying behind with Chiziru Inoue, to take Elecmon's place as guardians of the baby digimon, as well as taking care of Masa, Haruki, Mai, Kana and Renjiro.

Mantarou and Iruka came next, bringing his Gotsumon and his sister's Pumpkinmon with them. Jun and Shuu followed, with Meramon at their side, and two Gekomon—one of which I assumed was Otamamon, since he followed my advice of digivolving. After those _two_ Gekomon, a battalion of Gekomon and Otamamon marched through the gate, and ShogunGekomon came at the end of the procession. Hideto's brother Puraido came next, and Shin led out the fight club—who were down two members. Jin, Shoto, Tafu, Jazz and Dan had their partners beside them, as well as Kai's partner, though he wasn't there to fight with them, having been stuck in the Temple with the others. Amai came along with Monimon—who had refused to be left behind, but couldn't digivolve without Katsue yet—and Piddomon, her new guardian angel. Natsuni's father came with Tako and the Teenage Wolves—Takashi, Akira and Yudai. Sukamon and Chuumon came, and were followed by Norn, Merlin and the four fairies' partners: Mojyamon, Elecmon, Drimojimon and Gorillamon. Pixiemon led Jijimon, Babamon, Tinkermon, Petermon and CaptainHookmon. MetallifeKuwagamon had tapped into the power of the Digimentals in order to become himself again, and walked through with Hackmon, who was eager to prove himself. I hoped that eagerness wouldn't get him hurt.

SaberLeomon and Titamon came too, leading Ilya, Hogan, Jose, and a whole slew of other Gennai clones that worked in the Temple, but were rather reclusive. The Wormmon colony followed and then Meiyomon started leading his siblings out. All of the Crest digimon were accounted for except for Chi. They utilized the power of the Digimentals to digivolve to their preferred states, and before I could watch the insects or anyone else come through the gate, Ophanimon, Seraphimon and Anubismon came back to lead us onward.

It wasn't hard to find the location of Gaia's war. I was sure it would spread eventually if we couldn't keep it contained, but she had a dramatic flair. She hated me, and Hikari, and the rest of the Digidestined enough to take the war to our home first, which was why I wasn't surprised when Ophanimon told me where we were going. The heart of the battle wasn't _just_ anywhere in Japan. It was in Hikarigaoka.

The place where our journey began.

It was hard to believe that I'd ever _been_ eleven years old, running around the Digital World, fighting a new 'bad guy' every week, and having the time of my life with my new dinosaur best friend, finding Crests and defeating the Black Gears. I could barely remember the morning that Mom announced it was time to go to camp. It all seemed like it happened so long ago. I'd grown so much since then, and I thought I'd been maturing—and to be fair, I _did_ —and becoming a proper adult, and a better leader, when in reality I was a worse leader now than I'd ever been.

I'd always won as a kid. Only once did things really not go the way I wanted them to, and that was when my childish mind decided it would be a good idea to _force_ Agumon into digivolving, and he ended up becoming SkullGreymon.

Our arrival went nearly unnoticed, since the humans and digimon were at each others' throats. I saw several Frigimon, and Woodmon, and Floramon, and Daramon. There was a Cherrymon, and a whole legion of Vilemon. Vademon was there too. Humans of all shapes, sizes and ages were fighting against them. I saw a young child fighting against a Gazimon, and an old man fighting a Gizamon. It was terrible. There was blood everywhere, and I was afraid that we were too late for a lot of people—human and digimon alike.

"Shinsetsumon, Shinramon," I called, "we need a barrier up. I only need you two to stand between them. We'll get the humans on one side of it and the digimon on the other. Haruhiko, can you find something to try and access EVOLVE's mainframe. If we can get a barrier put up that make it so digimon can't get through."

"We're going with segregation?" Hikari asked sadly.

"This is the only time I'd endorse it," I promised her, "but if we don't get them separate, they'll kill each other. We can't have that. Get out there everyone! We need the digimon on one side of our shields, and the humans on the other. GO!"

I raced out there, and VictoryGreymon stayed close to me, to ensure no stray digimon was able to kill me when I wasn't looking. I was pleased to see that for the most part everyone had paired off. Mom and Alphamon were separating a Frigimon who was beating on an elderly man. Mom helped the man to his feet, and had to _drag_ him into the building by Shinsetsumon. He was creating a barricade at the door. It wasn't working though, because he had to take the barrier down and the three people that had been caught before the elderly man raced to get free, so that they could attack _Shinsetsumon_ , instead of staying safe where we put them.

They didn't want our help. They wanted to kill the opposing species because Gaia _told_ them they wanted to. This wasn't going to be a good long term solution. We needed something better. We needed Gaia. But we couldn't just stop fighting to search for her. Who knows how many people would be dead because of our absence.

"Yuta!" Hikari screamed, panicked. My eyes sought her out immediately, and I saw her jump over top of a fallen child, and protect him with her body as a Vilemon swooped down to collect him. Ophanimon caught the Vilemon by the scruff of the neck, and threw him aside, so that she could get to Hikari. Hikari was looking over the child. "Yuta, do you remember me? I'm Miss Yagami. I was your teacher. I'm going to get you safe. I'll keep you safe."

"I have to get him," Yuta said, desperately reaching for the Vilemon. "He's bad. I have to win. She said I have to win if I want to live. I want to live. I want to _live_!"

"I know," Hikari said, sounding like her heart was breaking. "I'll let you. I swear to you, you'll be okay. Just stay with me. I won't let you get hurt."

"Your angel?" Yuta said, looking to Ophanimon. "She's real."

"I told you she was," Hikari said, with a watery laugh. "She'll protect you now."

"No she won't," Yuta cried. "She's a digimon. The digimon want to kill us. We have to get them first."

"She's not like that!" Hikari said.

"Taichi, watch out!" VictoryGreymon called. I turned and caught the Daramon that was trying to attack me. I held him tightly, but I couldn't let go, or else he would be able to attack me again. I was in a bit of a predicament, with both my hands tied. I saw Yamato on ZeedGarurumon's back, kicking Hideto's dad in the chest to get him away from the wolf digimon. Takeru punched a guy in the face for trying to hurt a Pagumon. Takeru looked a little too pleased, and shouted that the guy had been a terrible boss anyway—I took that to mean the guy was the infamous Ai. Kurayami was trying to reason with Dr Chiryo, who was trying to use a large stone to smash a Veggiemon into the ground. He seemed to be beyond reason, and she tackled the man instead of letting him hurt the digimon. Anubismon took both Pagumon and Veggiemon and brought him to Shinramon, who was meant to be keeping the digimon away from the humans. He wasn't having much better luck than his brother.

Craniamon took Daramon from me, and I raced over to grab the daycare kids that were trying to gnaw on VictoryGreymon's legs. "Taichi, this is degrading," he said, embarrassed that he just couldn't seem to shake the toddlers.

"This isn't working," I said with a sigh. Yorokobi was attacking Yamato now, which made me think she wasn't under Gaia's control at all, and was simply interesting in enacting revenge. If she'd been listening to Gaia, then she would have been attacking ZeedGarurumon instead. Tako and Michan were fighting once again—this time because Michan had the audacity to try and attack Sukamon and Chuumon, who Tako had a certain fondness for. Puraido was fighting his mother, Namida, and she had to be lost to Gaia, because she didn't even recognize him—but Yorokobi did, and tried to throw Yamato at Puraido to save her mother. She wasn't strong enough to lift Yamato, and I was sure he wanted nothing more than to punch her, just to be rid of her, but we were trying for a mostly violent free strategy.

Mr Ando had found an ally that gave me hope for these warring races. Tomotsu, Noriko's fiancé, was fighting at his side with Impmon giving his all to the fight, trying to protect Tomotsu from the attacking digimon. He wasn't the only unexpected ally. Toshiko Takenouchi was fighting alongside her college colleague—and Sora's professor—Miru, and they were trying to fend off a Kuwagamon, while they waited for Woodmon to sneak around him, and catch him off guard. GrandisKuwagamon was on his way to lend a hand as well. Beyond them, I saw a battle of the lawyers. Iori's boss—and old professor—Horitsu, was facing off against both Hanzai and Heiken, the lawyers that had tried to get Mari and Sora to lose their court cases. Bengoshi was fighting against them too.

Iori was being backed into a corner by a Cyclonemon, and Vikemon was nowhere in sight. I called to VictoryGreymon, who was still being gnawed on by teething children, and he understood. He jumped in the air, which spooked all but one child away. That kid just held on tightly, before falling midair. I caught the kid, and set him on the ground, calling for Izumi—who looked to have started a team specifically for saving children of all kinds. She sent Yoshie and Kae over to collect them. The kids started gnawing on Firamon when Kae piled them on his back. Firamon was _not_ impressed.

"You okay?" I called to Iori, after VictoryGreymon had tackled the large, yellow digimon and taken him clear across the street.

"I'm fine," Iori said. I didn't know if he was lying to me, or himself, but I knew he was lying. He was furious at his fear. "I can do this."

"It's okay if you can't," I told him.

"No," he growled. "It's not. I have to help. If I can't help, then I'm useless."

"Then call out orders. Get people to do what you can't. Be the eyes of the operation. If someone's in danger, you get someone to save them," I ordered him.

He had no choice but to agree, and made his way towards the Fight Club, who were very willing to stop any of the fights going on. Mom was targeting the elderly, but the majority of our human team was facing off against other humans that were in the prime of their life. Those were the humans that could deal the most damage against the digimon. Likewise, the digimon on our side were focussing mostly on the larger, higher leveled digimon, because they could kill humans with very little effort.

I caught sight of Rida, who was defending himself with a kitchen knife, trying to fend off a Tyranomon, and there was no way such a small weapon would be useful against a huge digimon like him. I hated that man. Other than Arnold, he was my most hated human. But I still couldn't let him die. "VictoryGreymon!" I shouted, as I ran towards him. VictoryGreymon lunged at Tyranomon, and I dragged Rida away. "You're an idiot, Rida. You lost your job, and now you've lost your freaking mind."

"He's going to kill me," Rida said, sounding terrified. "He's going to kill us all. Digimon will kill us. She said so. I was right. She said so. I knew we should be scared."

"It's funny how a digimon just saved you then, isn't it?" I said with irritation. I threw Rida towards the newly arrived police force. Kimi and the Chief were directing their squad, but the people were struggling. Who were they mean to obey: their chief, or the manipulative Gaia?

Everything was getting worse and worse as time went on, but none of it was going to mean a damn thing if we didn't find Gaia. I raced to find Hikari, but found Kurayami first instead. I pulled her aside, and she nearly punched me. I realized that catching her off guard was a terrible idea. But this was important.

"Kurayami, do you feel your darkness?" I demanded.

"No," Kurayami said. "Why?"

"Gaia keeps it with her," I said quickly.

"If I don't feel it, then she can't be here," Kurayami realized immediately. "Where is she?"

"Alice said she left her combined world," I said. "She can't mess with the Land of Light, or the Dark Ocean. She needs that balance, or her world will collapse."

"That leaves Theta," Kurayami said sharply, helpfully jumping to the same conclusion I was on my way to. She had to be right though, since there were really only those worlds left. "She's gone after Theta!"

"That's where Koushiro is," I groaned. "Okay. Keep fighting. I'm going to find Norn. She'll get me there."

Kurayami nodded and I was off again, jumping over in-training digimon that had no business being in a battle. I kicked the jerk that was trying to smack them with a frying pan, and stole the frying pan. I whacked _him_ over the head with it, to see how he liked it, and he started chasing after me, calling me a 'traitor' to the human race. But I'd already known that much. I'd been calling the Digital World home for ages. It didn't mean I didn't _care_ about the humans though. I just wanted _everyone_ to live. Gaia was wrong, trying to play God, and choose who lived and who died. She couldn't appreciate life the way it was meant to be appreciated.

She wanted to lord over all, instead of simply _enjoying_ life.

It was her loss though. Norn was fighting with Yamato and ZeedGarurumon when I finally found her. She was confused at first, but caught on quickly. She needed protection while she worked on sending us away, and that was where Takeru and Miyako came in. They and their partners protected Norn, while she worked on sending me away. Yamato surprised me by demanding to come along with me, but I realized the intelligence in his choice almost immediately. If I really _was_ going to find Gaia, it would definitely benefit me to have someone to back me and VictoryGreymon up.

The battle was loud and crazy. There was so much to focus on, that I couldn't think. And then, it was gone. I was able to hear again, but for some reason, I still wasn't able to catch my breath. I could feel the hesitation and fear creeping through my veins. I wasn't going to let it stop me, but it was enough to freak me out. Yamato and I were going to face Gaia—or at least, I was _pretty_ sure she was here. If she wasn't, then we'd just gotten ourselves tossed in a world without an exit.

"Where is she?" Yamato wanted to know the very moment the fighting on the street had died down. It was incredible how different the atmosphere in this world was, with its calm state and silent nature. The battle cries and screams of fear had vanished entirely and all that was left was a soft ringing in my left ear.

"We'll have to hunt her down," VictoryGreymon told him. "This world won't guide us to her. Theta did everything in her power to keep the fighting from happening. She doesn't enjoy battle."

"She might've killed Koushiro already," ZeedGarurumon reasoned. "We need to hurry. We can't stand around talking about it."

We ran through the halls, calling loudly for Gaia, for Koushiro, for Aesop. We called for anyone that we thought could hear us. We just needed a sign, so that we could find someone. This place was an endless maze, and I was going to give up, to think of a new tactic for finding them, when we heard a soft buzzing.

"Tentomon," Yamato declared.

We headed towards the sound, and found Aesop kneeling next to a woman that I assumed was Theta, in the centre of an island in the middle of the room. Koushiro was seated, leaning against a wall, by the door, looking towards them with an air of impatience.

"Where's Gaia?" I asked him, anxiously. He jumped in surprise, and Tentomon looked like he was ready to digivolve.

"She's not here," Koushiro said. "How could she be?"

"Because she's learned everything Norn knows," VictoryGreymon said bluntly.

"Alice said she was on Earth," Tentomon argued. Theta and Aesop looked up to us and Theta tried to smile. Aesop looked worried. Theta closed her eyes and for a moment, my mind flashed to Winter, but I shook the thought from my mind.

"Gaia has no reason to be here," Aesop said. "She does not want _this_ world. She wants the others."

"She is not here," Theta said, sounding very relieved.

"But if she's not _here_ , where is she?" Yamato asked. "She's not on Earth like she's supposed to be."

"Damn it!" I shouted "Don't you get it, Yamato? She tricked us. She played us for fools. You shouldn't have come with me. They could've used you there. Now you're stuck with me in this world while Hikari, Takeru and Sora all fight for their lives. Gaia is picking us off one by one. She trapped our loved ones in the Temple, so that we'd need to save them, but she also started a war that we would need to stop. Damn it, she's probably waiting to ambush Sora and the others as soon as they get there."

"That doesn't explain how she wasn't in the world she'd created," Koushiro said. "Alice _saw_ where she was before she came down to steal the Digimental. Summer and Spring didn't feel her presence."

"I don't know!" I growled. "Maybe she _was_ on Earth, but only long enough to start the battle, and then she left when we got there. She carries Hikari's light and Kurayami's darkness everywhere. Kurayami couldn't feel it. She wasn't on Earth."

"We will get out of here, my boy," Aesop said comfortingly. "There will always be a way. When we get back, you'll find that everyone is okay. Spring would never let anything happen to your friends, and I know Merlin and Summer wouldn't either. Merlin may play a fool some days, but he really _is_ very intelligent. He has talked us all through many scraps in his time. Why, I remember when I first met him."

"Yes," Theta said. "He was trying to help me. The people wanted to force a crown on my head, but I was not interested in ruling. He reasoned with them, and convinced them that it was my choice. He's so thoughtful."

"Is there nothing else we can do?" I asked desperately, not wanting to reminisce on times long past. I wanted to be able to help. I didn't want to be trapped in this world while my little sister was out there fighting for her life and the lives of so many others.

I wondered, perhaps, if this was how Hikari felt when I'd locked her in my house, when Yggdrasil was looming on the horizon. She was trapped then just as I was now, and suddenly, I felt very guilty for putting her in that situation. It was like I couldn't breathe for worry. What if Daisuke died, or Kurayami—or both? Their son could become an orphan, and I wasn't there to help make sure that didn't happen. The same could be said for Mai. Kana could lose her father, because I'd brought him along. He wasn't physically strong enough to be running around for a long time. He'd been tortured for weeks, and I pushed him before he was ready. Maybe I should have waited before trying to strike.

But Gaia wasn't waiting. If I waited, then the only difference would be that everyone on Earth and in the Digital World would be dead for sure.

"There's nothing else that _can_ be done," Aesop said gently. "I had hoped that Theta would have the answer to our prayers. But alas, she cannot help us."

"I cannot exist outside this world," she admitted. "There is very little left of me. I exist only so long as my core continues to do so. I am only a fragment of my former self."

"And she doesn't know what Gaia's up to," Koushiro said. "I already asked."

"So we get to reminisce?" VictoryGreymon said, aghast.

"Tell us about Maugrim," Yamato suggested to Aesop. "He's still around. Or tell us about Astamon. If you don't know anything about Gaia, then you've got to know something about the others."

"I know much of my son," Aesop said with a sad smile. "But I do not know _him_ anymore. I taught him all that I could, and I raised his eldest child. I gave everything I loved up for my son, so that I could keep an eye on him, and I lost him anyway. I lost my son, and I don't know what I did wrong."

"Is he invincible?" ZeedGarurumon asked.

"I don't want to watch him die, if that's what you mean," Aesop said. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve, and it looked like it was breaking. I couldn't even imagine losing a child to evil, let alone having to tell the ones that were trying to restore balance how to defeat him. "I still love my son. I love him, despite what he's done. I can't help you kill him."

"We never said we wanted to kill him," Yamato said quickly. "We just want to take him out of the fight."

"War is in his blood," Aesop said, shaking his head. "Graul cannot turn off his affinity the way I have. I gave up on my hunger for battle when I found joy in gardening. I raised food and flowers, and I found a love of life through the beauty they provided. Graul enjoyed farming, but it did not make his heart sing, as it did mine. It was not enough to quench his need for battle, and when Sigma came offering him the position of general in his army, I knew that any chance of getting my son back was lost. He would not listen to reason. He was lured in by Gaia's quest for world domination. They are quite a pair, Gaia and my son. It's not a match I could ever support, but her quest for power, and his thirst for chaos work well with one another."

"Great, they're a match made in heaven—or hell," I sighed.

"He was a good boy when he was new," Aesop said firmly. "I have to believe that. I have to believe that the boy I remember exited—still exists, _somewhere._ "

"I must agree," Theta said. "I met him once, during one of his first trips away from home. He was a bright young thing. He had so much to strive for. I do think that it was the wars with Witchenly that began his downward descent into madness. There was good in him once. I saw it with my own two eyes."

"Oh my," Aesop murmured. Theta looked to him in surprise as well. I was starting to get tired of that. Everyone from Sidhendor seemed to be able to sense things at the same time. I either wanted to just mysteriously gain that ability, or I wanted one of them to share with the class. I was done with games!

Heavy footsteps came from behind me, and I turned to see a large man with a scar down the side of his face. Of course he would show up. "You've grown complacent in your old age, _Aesop_ ," Maugrim said coldly. "I sensed your presence a mile off. Have you really nothing better to do than gossip about a man that never existed."

" _Graul_ existed," Aesop said firmly. "It is _you_ that never ought to have seen the light of day."

"Don't you understand, Aesop," Maugrim said, knowing exactly what would push his father's buttons—and being referred to by name, rather than by a paternal moniker was probably the easiest way to break Aesop's heart. "I _am_ the man that I was always meant to be. That's how destiny works, isn't it, _Theta_?"

"He's right," Theta said reluctantly. "But you have no business here. You're not welcome."

"And yet here I am," Maugrim said with a bored expression. His voice came out in a low mumble, but somehow each work was understandable. "Gaia told me I'd find you here. She wishes for me to pick you off, one by one, like flies. I'll start with the dog. We had fun once before, didn't we?"

"We have different definitions of _fun_ ," ZeedGarurumon said, settling into a fighting stance.

"You weren't strong enough," Yamato warned.

"He's not alone," Tentomon said, as he digivolved to his super ultimate level, TyrantKabuterimon. VictoryGreymon stepped up to the plate too. Maugrim looked each over, and made his first strike...at Koushiro.

"Hey!" Yamato shouted angrily.

Maugrim slammed his fist against Koushiro's chest. Koushiro fell back into the water surrounding Theta's eternal bed. Aesop was quick to hurry to his rescue, and Maugrim moved on to TyrantKabuterimon.

"NO!" Theta cried. She was clutching her chest, painfully. She was miserable with the fighting already, and I knew it had hardly begun. Aesop caught hold of Koushiro, and he broke the surface, coughing and spluttering.

"Get him!" I shouted. TyrantKabuterimon unleashed a thunder attack, but when Theta screamed, he altered its course, so that he wouldn't upset Theta by fighting in her world. It was irritating, since Maugrim extended his magic blades, and moved to stab TyrantKabuterimon—who was far too big to dodge the attack.

"Taichi, he's not strong enough," Yamato warned me, gesturing to TyrantKabuterimon. "None of us are strong enough on our own. ZeedGarurumon had Seraphimon to help him, and they didn't even manage a scratch. If Sora was here, maybe she and Koushiro could do it."

"Why can't we?" I asked. "We can fuse."

"We haven't done it in ages," Yamato said, fretfully.

"We didn't think it was possible with super ultimates," I told him, "but Koushiro and Sora proved us wrong. Let's do this."

"Move!" Koushiro pleaded to his partner. TyrantKabuterimon shrank down to Tentomon, and flew up to the ceiling, hoping that Maugrim couldn't reach him. He sent an Electro Shocker down at the war monger, but he was just a rookie, and it didn't do any damage. Even Theta wasn't hurt by it, and every move seemed to cause her pain.

It occurred to me only then that she'd said this world was her core, and that she only existed if her core did. Every bit of damage dealt to this world, was directly dealt to Theta herself.

We couldn't _win_. We couldn't fight if we didn't want to hurt Theta, and we couldn't be idle if we didn't want to die. We needed Theta and the knowledge she could provide us. Damn it!

"Fuse!" Yamato shouted to our digimon. Our digivices lit up brilliantly with each other's Crest. It was shining brighter than the last time, and I figured it was because our partners were both super ultimate level at the time.

" **VictoryGreymon digivolve to...** "

" **ZeedGarurumon digivolve to...** "

" **Omnimon!** "

"Supreme Cannon!" Omnimon shouted, blasting a massive amount of energy at Maugrim. It hit him straight on, and smoke filled the room. The smoke hadn't even dissipated before Maugrim made his counterstrike. Omnimon grunted in pain, before unleashing his "Transcendent Sword!" and slicing at Maugrim. The smoke had cleared by then, and we were able to see that Maugrim was singed and bleeding, but he was very much still in control of the fight. We were rusty. Agumon and Gabumon had gotten used to thinking by themselves. They hadn't needed to think in sync with just one another in a long time.

"This, is a challenge," Maugrim commended, looking far more pleased than he really ought to at the thought. He rushed at Omnimon, and the two clashed—Omnimon's sword and Maugrim's gauntlet—one made of metal, the other of magic. Omnimon had the raw power needed to match Maugrim, but he was off kilter. He wasn't utilizing strategy as well as Maugrim. They were focussing too much on working together.

"Electro Shocker!" Tentomon shouted, sending another blast of electricity at Maugrim. It distracted him long enough for Omnimon to get another good hit in. And then a woman cleared her throat, and everyone froze. I turned to see Gaia standing in the doorway, looking furious.

Gaia was not wearing her usual earthy clothing, but was instead clad in brilliant white armour. The armour was probably bulkier than it needed to be, but she obviously wanted to be well protected. There were hints of silver along the edges of the metal and I knew where I had seen it before. Yggdrasil. She was wearing the armour that Norn had made for her, and that meant we weren't going to be able to defeat her as quickly as we would have been. Which was obviously not particularly quick otherwise she wouldn't still be standing.

"I send you to kill the pests, and instead, I find you playing games," Gaia said, her eyes flashing. "Kill them and be done with it." Maugrim was too shocked to move. Gaia had most likely never refused him this indulgence before. "I'll do it myself," she snarled at him, before utilizing the orb of darkness that followed her everywhere and sending a blast of darkness at Omnimon. Omnimon moved out of the way, and sent a "Supreme Cannon!" at her, but he couldn't fight Maugrim and Gaia at once. As soon as Gaia informed Maugrim she would fight, he jumped back in the action. He sliced the blade that came from his gauntlet at Omnimon, and when Omnimon dodged, he kicked him hard in the knee, so that Omnimon fell to the ground, kneeling. Maugrim tried to decapitate him, but his blade was met with another and Maugrim was shocked to find that his father had entered the fray.

We knew that Aesop could not beat Maugrim, if not for lack of skill, from a lack of desire. But he was enough to give Omnimon a chance. I just hoped we could finish this fight before Theta's heart gave way—whether to grief, or pain.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Three chapters left! We're getting down the final threads of plot and Willis and Matt have some things to be dealing with. Mari's vision of Willis is coming into play while Matt and Tai have some fighting to be done.


	77. You Give Love a Bad Name

**U/N:** So Willis' chapter was more fun for me than Matt's, and we're about to edit Matt's so that's annoying. Willis' involves guns and that's my favourite kind of battle to write, while Matt's is a lot more prominent and in your face plot.

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 77: You Give Love a Bad Name**

 _ **Willis Kennedy:**_

I had seen him.

I didn't know exactly what was going through my mind at that moment, but when I had seen Astamon coming for the hospital I knew I had to go out there and do all I could to stop him. Astamon could not get to Michael or Jenna or anyone else who had been trapped back in the Temple. Takeru and I weren't really friends, but what was I supposed to say if I let Astamon kill his parents? Mari would never speak to me again if I hadn't done _everything_ in my power to save Aneko. Jou was there to defend Emiko, but bullets moved _quickly_ and I had to be sure that I did everything in my power to ensure that Astamon did not get any open shots at my friends.

He'd already gotten Rei. I couldn't let him hit anyone else. I couldn't let anyone else come as close to dying as Rei had gotten after his strike.

And besides, it was pretty obvious how he had found us. Gargomon had blasted open the front door to the hospital and it was no secret that digimon had good hearing. Astamon was coming and it was _my_ fault. Well, it was Terriermon's fault, but we were a team.

I was jumping down the last few stairs when Gargomon flew over my head, landing by the door. He rushed outside, leaping through the open doorway and was already shooting.

I fought the instinct to duck for cover at the sound of gunfire and hurried along, jumping outside with my partner. Astamon had to think that we were the only ones around here. He couldn't go upstairs. He couldn't see Jenna giving birth. How was she supposed to run if she had a baby coming out of her? She wasn't, that's how.

Astamon's face lit up at the sight of me and a shudder ran through my adrenaline pumped body. The look of sheer delight on his face at the prospect of killing me was not only disturbing but highly unsettling. I staggered forward, my run faltering, and nearly fell to the ground in surprise, but I caught myself and threw myself into the doorway across the street. The door was locked so I was trapped in a small alcove with a brightly coloured awning when the shots were fired.

The bricks around me began exploding into clouds of dust and I threw my hands over my head protectively. My heart had been beating like the drums of war ever since I had seen Astamon, but now it felt like it was literally going to burst from my chest if I didn't die before it had a chance to.

"Bunny Pummel!" Gargomon shouted. The explosions around me stopped when I heard Astamon let out a grunt of pain and I ran from the doorway instinctively. I saw Astamon catching his footing and turning his guns toward Gargomon before he caught sight of me running from the corner of his eye.

I leapt forward, feeling the world slowing down around me as I aimed for the food stand nearby. I landed roughly and rolled until I was safely behind the stand where the wood burst into a million pieces. I clamped my eyes shut, just in case, and then struggled to get to my feet.

"Where are you going?" Astamon asked, licking his lips like a crazy person. "We've only just begun to play!"

I didn't stop to 'play' whatever game it was that he was interested in and instead slammed my back against the wall around the corner. I couldn't get too far away from him because I had to be sure that he wasn't going to turn back and investigate the hospital and find that the others were inside. I mean, it would have been nice to have GigaSeadramon and Aegisdramon on my side here, but that was unnecessary. We could handle Astamon.

I'd done it before without Terriermon. Twice. This should be simple enough.

But if my mind was able to be so rational and calm, then why wasn't my body? My chest was rising and falling quickly and my breathing was ragged. I needed to distract Astamon, just as Mimi, Sora and the others had been trying to do. Michael and Jou would easily be able to get the others to safety as long as we could handle the partners of Gaia and Maugrim. Not that Astamon really seemed to be Gaia's partner, but who else could he really be?

When a figure slid around the corner my heart nearly stopped until I noticed that it was only Gargomon. He looked frantic and I took that as a sign that we should be running. We set off, with Gargomon's arms held behind him as bullets began firing off. I looked back only once to see Astamon leaping into the air _much_ higher than I wished he was able to.

I grabbed Gargomon's ear and pulled sharply. He let out a sharp cry, but I didn't have time to apologize. I turned and dragged him around the corner, looking up to see where Astamon might be. I caught no signs of him, but didn't let my guard down. I just kept running.

I did release Gargomon though, and I let him run on his own until we turned once more down the next street. I was sure Astamon was following us and the fear of his ever present self was settling deeper into my skin until I could feel only a general panic. Astamon could have been anywhere, and if we didn't find him soon, we would be ambushed.

I knew it was coming.

I wasn't stupid.

But why couldn't I find him?

I scanned the nearby rooftops as we ran, deeper into the shopping district of the Temple, but found nothing. Astamon had always been the kind of digimon who got his results by means of force, but he had never struck me as particularly honourable.

I almost didn't want to look back, but I knew I would regret it if I chose to keep moving. I mentally prepared myself and then turned. Just as I had suspected, Astamon was on the house at the end of the street behind us, preparing his gun. "Gargomon—move!" I shouted sharply, pushing him down the next street. The ground behind us cracked loudly and when I turned I saw a crater in the paved streets.

Gargomon groaned and pretended to wipe sweat from his face. "Glad that wasn't me," he admitted. "Or you of course. I'm glad we _both_ weren't hit."

"Let's keep it that way," I advised. I knew I didn't have to tell him that we should get out alive, but he _had_ thought it was a good idea to blow up part of the hospital in order to get inside before checking for any windows, so I had to be sure he was on the same page as I was.

" _Willis_!" Gargomon shouted loudly, throwing his arm out in front of me. His metal arm was at my chest level and I felt a jolt of pain spread through my body as his brute strength stopped me in my tracks. I wasn't angry though, because he had seen what I had not. Astamon was leaping down in front of us. He had a twisted smile on his face again and it startled me.

Most of those working with Gaia were truly manipulated—tricked into thinking they were doing right by her and by the world. Either that or they had been entirely brainwashed, but Astamon was different. Astamon was _truly_ insane. He was on Gaia's side because he _liked_ it and he had never needed to be fooled. He had been aware of her true name while on Witchenly, and he had always known her goals, and yet he worked with her anyway.

He didn't need to be fooled because he wanted to kill, just like she did.

Astamon was nearing us now, but Gargomon was preparing his weapons just in case. I was worried that we wouldn't have a chance to escape because there were no nearby exits. We would have to fight him, or attempt to go up, but that wasn't an easy option. Neither option was particularly enjoyable actually.

Astamon startled me when he spoke, and I was angry at myself for not keeping all of my focus on him. He was our enemy. Escaping could be done in the spur of the moment, but so could _dying_ and I needed to make sure both Gargomon and I got out of this alive to reunite with Lopmon. If I never saw her again though, at least my last moments had been a goodbye. "You've been quite the thorn in my side, Child," Astamon said bitterly. His voice was slippery and less regal than usual, like he had lost all sense of composure and was finally letting loose and enjoying himself. "You bested me, ended the feud in Witchenly that I was so fond of helping create—you _imprisoned_ me, and you took away my home. You also hit me with a motorized vehicle, which is simply unacceptable. Did no one ever teach you manners?"

I was nervous to speak, but Astamon's teeth began showing like he was angry that I was ignoring him. "You killed eleven people in your rampage when chasing after my friends. Did no one ever teach _you_ that killing is frowned up—"

Astamon was smarter than I had given him credit for. He began firing sharply, taking advantage of the moment we had let our guard's down—or at least loosened our grip on the fight at hand. He had good aim too because Gargomon let out a loud cry of pain. I grabbed his arm and tried to drag him behind me but there was no way we could escape before he shot again. We had to fight.

"Jewel of Heart!"

I jumped back, somehow thinking that Astamon was attacking us, but when several pink orbs—followed by a blast of thick white flame—shot down from the sky I knew better. It was Mimi!

A hand grabbed my arm and pulled sharply and I was still holding Gargomon so we all set off together, running the way we had come. Mimi looked back in shock toward Astamon, and when I did the same I saw BurstRosemon. She was a lot like normal Rosemon, but was glowing and lighter in colour. She was perfect for Mimi, decorated in pink and all.

When Mimi and I rounded the corner Mimi screamed loudly. She jumped back as Yume soared through the air crashing through the large shop window of a nearby building. The glass flew at all angles and I pressed myself against Mimi, protecting her from the shards.

"Aurora Undulation!" I looked up to see Varodurumon glow softly before shooting toward her opponent. It was Bagramon. Varodurumon moved at the speed of light, and I knew Bagramon could not evade—but _he_ knew that too.

He held his arm—the one made of Yggdrasil's material—up and he caught Varodurumon in his massive hand. Mimi gasped but it soon faded to a scream as the bird was thrown toward her partner. "Sora!" Mimi shouted. Sora tired to avoid the collision but was hit directly by her partner and the two crashed to the ground. "BurstRosemon!" Mimi called back. I looked to Astamon, nearly having forgotten about him amidst the chaos around me and saw that Summer was helping the pink and white digimon fend off the gun wielding foe. "Bagramon's going to need some focus!"

I realized she was right as the digimon set off toward us, running down the street. Yume was struggling to get to his feet, and Varodurumon was pulling herself off of Sora, but both looked wounded. Bagramon was _strong_. I had never read anything about his type of digimon, and I was sure Tatum's handmade encyclopedia's had nothing on him, but if I were to guess, I'd say he was at his max level. Astamon was not.

"Mimi," I said sharply, "take Summer and focus on Bagramon, I've got Astamon."

"That didn't work so well last time," Gargomon reminded me, gesturing to the gash on his leg.

"Well you're going to evolve," I told him with a shrug. Gargomon nodded because we really didn't have a choice. Bagramon was nearing us now and Yume was soaring toward him, but I didn't need to stay and watch to be sure how that fight was going to end. Summer was thankful for a reason to help Yume and she was soaring past us immediately, her wings flapping like mad, and when Rapidmon leapt into action it became clear to BurstRosemon that she was no longer needed.

"You again," Astamon said, sounding rather pleased.

"Did you miss me?" I asked, grabbing Rapidmon's arm. "You know, Gaia's a real _bitch_." Astamon grew immediately angry, and I knew my plan would work. "Hikari _loved_ shooting you in the eye, and I hope I get the chance to do the same someday." Astamon's free hand balled up into a fist and he tightened his grip on his weapon. "And that suit doesn't even look that nice on you."

I nudged Rapidmon then as Astamon shot. The bullet moved past us and slammed into a building—and thankfully none of my friends—and Rapidmon was flying, dragging me along with him. Astamon moved quickly, leaping up to the building nearest us and he set off at a run to catch up.

We had no real escape because we were surrounded in a giant briar barrier that would put us to sleep if we touched it. I was struck by a sudden inspiration to get Astamon into the tangled plants but knew that it wouldn't work. Astamon was smart and he _knew_ what the plants would do to him. He wouldn't fall for it.

Rapidmon was moving up and down and side to side to avoid his anger filled shots. Astamon missed each time, and when it became clear that his anger was boiling into a steady rage, I knew he wasn't going to hold back anymore.

"MAVERICK!"

Astamon moved so quickly that I had no choice but to let out a shout of surprise as his foot slammed into Rapidmon's side. Rapidmon toppled sideways and my hand slipped.

My vision was blackening with fear as I fell, the wind was rushing past me and all I could think was that I wanted the ground to be further away than it was. But soon a blur of green appeared in my narrowed vision and I made out Rapidmon's form. I reached out to grab him as he did the same with me and I stopped falling with a sudden jerk.

My arms felt like they may have been ripped off, and my back had one of Rapidmon's sharp fingers digging into it, but he had caught me.

As my vision came back I realized we were still falling though, and we were close to the ground.

There was a loud slamming sound as Rapidmon's winged ears dug into the ground underneath him. The slam turned into a grinding and cracking sound, but I was gone from his arms, flying through the air to the paved ground.

I landed roughly on cement steps and I groaned loudly as I reached for the nearby railing. I had to get up, but my entire body was protesting, begging me to stay down and rest. I couldn't do that though. We had to keep moving. Every inch of my back seared with pain as I found myself on my feet, and I looked over to Rapidmon who was pulling himself out of the trench he had formed in the cement streets, and while looking for Astamon I finally got a good view of the Temple.

There were several fallen buildings, and the streets were torn apart. I saw pillars of smoke from explosions, or fire and the briar plants had sprouted and grown through the cracks in the outer wall. The Temple was a mess, and it was because Gaia had wanted to reclaim her home. _This_ was Gaia's home and it scared me that she was trying to take over the place that we had called home base for so many years. This was Gennai's Temple, and it was where we had done so much work for this world that we loved so much. I was deeply disturbed with how it looked now, thinking back to even the fight against Yggdrasil when it had last been under attack. It hadn't looked nearly this bad then...

Astamon landed gracefully near Rapidmon, but was done with his attempts at witty banter, and was already preparing to shoot. Rapidmon was setting himself into action mode already, kicking off the ground toward me. He wrapped one arm around my middle and extended the other to slam into the door behind me at the top of the stairs. We were flying through a familiar building and I could see over Rapidmon's shoulder that Astamon was coming after us.

I looked around to really take in what I was seeing. It was the library.

"Do you know the way?" I asked.

"Nope," Rapidmon admitted.

"Go right," I insisted. Rapidmon was hesitating, but I saw Astamon's gun being set up on his shoulder. " _Now_!" Rapidmon took a hard right, taking my advice into account and together we were moving back through the library, the way we had come. Astamon was eagerly chasing us and firing at any chance he could get. I wished deeply that he was a human and that his gun would eventually run out of bullets, but I knew that wasn't the case.

"Is that it?" Rapidmon asked, seeing the doors ahead. I was still looking to Astamon, but if my memory served me correctly, we had made it to the tunnel. "It is—Willis what now?"

"Go in?" I shrugged.

"Seriously?" Rapidmon asked skeptically. "It's kind of easy for him to hit us in there."

"But he'll be out of the Temple—that's what we're aiming for. We need to leave room for the others to escape," I explained.

"By leading him _to_ our escape?" Rapidmon asked frantically.

"Well it's _too late_ to have second thoughts," I said, realizing he had a very good point. "We have to go or we'll die." Rapidmon groaned, but hurried through the open doors. Astamon was coming still but I saw him hesitate at the door. We couldn't afford for him to stay behind. He had to keep coming.

He did, but I could see him storing this passage away in his memory banks. Spring would probably hate me if Astamon ever tore away at this tunnel, so I was already making sure to keep the fighting at a minimum. Unfortunately, Astamon had other ideas.

His first shot inside the tunnel hit Rapidmon's wing and he crashed to the ground, dragging me through the dirt along with him until his grip slipped and the momentum dragged him along further. Too nervous to look back for Astamon I simply got to my feet as quickly as I could and began racing after him. I heard another shot and I shouted in surprise, falling to the ground again. My elbows slammed into the dirt ground and as I was clambering to my feet I felt Astamon's grip on my ankle.

I turned sharply and kicked as hard as I could with my spare leg, hitting Astamon in the side of the head. He grunted loudly and his mask skewed slightly. His usual scowl turned into a malicious sneer and his grip on my ankle tightened. "Get _lost_!" I shouted, kicking again, and this time using my hands to get him off as well.

He was stronger than me, but pure strength wasn't the only useful thing in a battle. When I realized I would not be able to pry his hands off of my ankle, I grabbed handfuls of dirt from the compacted ground around me and threw it into his face.

My body fell into a sense of relief as he released me and then I was running as quickly as I could. Rapidmon caught me in his arms and we were flying a moment later with Astamon picking up the speed to catch up to us.

Rapidmon did not remember the way back, but my ability to learn things on the first try was really coming in handy here as I guided him through the underground labyrinth. There was a moment when I had thought I was lost, but when we found the opening to Spring's trampoline ball pit I knew we were on the right track.

And with Astamon firing behind us, we didn't have _time_ to make a wrong turn.

When we finally saw the light ahead that came from the outside world I knew we had finally found the Looking Glass. We flew straight up, not bothering with the stairs and Rapidmon dropped me next to the hole in the ground, ready to strike Astamon the moment he came out from the tunnel. But as we waited it seemed that he may never come.

I was growing nervous, thinking he had turned back to return to the Temple because we couldn't let that happen. We would have to turn the tables on him and race after him instead, but I let out a strangled scream when I heard heavy breathing behind me.

I whirled around and Rapidmon shot some "Rapid Fire!" in the direction of our attacker. Rei, Natsuni and Tatum all let out shrieks of horror as every single attack missed them. I found that I was clutching my chest in shock as the girls all fell into laughter.

"You missed," Natsuni pointed out. "Good thing we weren't an enemy."

"We _can_ be," Pal said in a panic.

"Yeah, if you attack us again!" Pul agreed loudly.

I was barely listening to them because Monodramon and Goblimon were both keeping all of their focus on Tatum who had been the source of the heavy breathing. Tatum was in labour. And Astamon was right behind us. "You need to _leave_ ," I said sharply. "Now!"

All of them stared to me like I was insane, but they didn't seem to understand how serious I was.

"We're going to the Coliseum," Rei explained. "We want to destroy the mirro—"

"Then _go_!" I snapped. "And then get to a damned hospital!"

Natsuni was my hero in that moment because she understood that I wasn't simply angry. She knew there was something wrong. She took Goblimon's hand and since he was helping Tatum along she started a chain that was moving away from the Looking Glass and hopefully toward the Coliseum, but by the look of things they were running in the exact _wrong_ direction.

"Rei, _go_ ," I insisted, but her response was probably the one I had been least hoping for. Her face turned to terror and the grip she had on her bag tightened. I turned sharply to see Astamon leaping out of the hole in the ground, his gun prepared. He had, at first, had his weapon directed to Rapidmon, but when he caught sight of Rei he changed his mind. "NO!" I shouted.

The gun blasted and my knees felt weak as the bullet soared toward Rei.

But she didn't get hit by the bullet, because there was something glowing in her bag. A brilliant white light surrounded her and her partners and, moving faster than light, Beelzemon grabbed Rei, tugging her out of the way, while BeelStarrmon leapt forward and prepared her own guns, aiming them directly toward Astamon who landed smoothly nearby.

"So you're the douche that shot Rei, huh?" BeelStarrmon asked with a snicker.

"Kind of wimpy, isn't he?" Beelzemon asked. BeelStarrmon shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll have to return the favour."

Shots were fired faster than I could keep track of and soon Rei had grabbed my arm, pulling me along to safety. We were running, but there was no clear way to know that we would be safe from the bullets. Rei didn't seem to care because she had something else in mind. We were running through the arena gates of the Coliseum when Beelzemon let out a scream of pain. Rei's grip on my arm tightened and she looked back with wide horror filled eyes. Beelzemon seemed alright, but Astamon had cleared a path for himself to follow after us.

Rei was smart enough to not waste any time and together we set off, running through the arena, aiming for the doorway that was halfway through, hidden by the stands. I heard Astamon let out a laugh, but we ducked inside the Coliseum in time to escape the shots that were fired. I thought Rei was being a little insane for craving the mirror so bad, but we had to run either way, so I played along.

Slipping through the Coliseum hallways was surprisingly easy for the two of us who had spent very little time trapped within these walls. Astamon was slamming into walls as he ran, not caring about his own well being and preferring to move as quickly as he could. Rei found the mirror she was looking for and she ripped it off the wall, throwing it to the ground.

"What the hell?" I gasped, looking to the dead end that was Sigma's study behind us. "What are you _doing_?"

"Breaking the mirror!" she screamed. Stomping on the glass. It wasn't doing _anything_ , and I was already grabbing her around the waist because Astamon was sure to show up if we waited any longer. Rei pulled free from my grasp and lifted the mirror from the ground and she whipped it through the air like a disk and when Astamon appeared in the doorway he panicked, firing toward the glass.

I dragged Rei to the ground to avoid the glass and the bullet, but Rei seemed pleased that the mirror had finally broken.

I was clambering messily to my feet as Rei did the same and the Digimental of Strength rolled from her bag. Astamon caught sight of it and a pleasure filled smile appeared on his face. As he reached deep into his cloak pocket and pulled out the Digimental of Destiny. That was _my_ Digimental.

There was a slow growing light and I knew we had to get out of there _immediately_. Astamon had figured out where Pal and Pul had gotten their boost of power and was trying to replicate the ceremony. Rei understood this as well and we were running the way we had come, confronting Rapidmon along the way. He saw the fear in our eyes and he ushered us along.

There was a loud " **AvengeKidmon!** " echoing down the hallways and I knew he had done it. Astamon had evolved using the Digimental.

 _ **Yamato Ishida:**_

It was kind of insane how quickly we had brushed Theta aside. She literally _was_ the ground that we walked on. No matter which world we were in, Theta had been a part of it at one point in her long life. She was now here, dying, resting. Yggdrasil had trusted that this world would keep her safe, but now Gaia knew where she was. We had led Gaia to this world before, and now Theta was in danger and I was going to do anything I could to keep her safe. I knew Taichi and Koushiro and the digimon were all on the same page, but I just wished that there was something _more_ we could do.

Or maybe different, rather than more.

Omnimon shot toward Gaia with his cannon and she slipped out of the way letting the blast crack the nearby walls. They were still perfectly white, but they were now imperfect. Theta was in pain and each attack increased that hurt. We couldn't keep fighting here. We had to either _leave_ or end the fight once and for all.

It was going to be a lot harder than I had hoped though, because we had to face both Maugrim _and_ Gaia. Maugrim had been too strong for ZeedGarurumon to fight alone back at Jun's wedding, but with VictoryGreymon joining forces their raw power seemed to be enough to challenge him. How he had gotten so strong, I would never know, but finally I had thought we stood a chance. And then Gaia walked in. Gaia was not nearly as strong as Maugrim—at least not physically—but she had skills that Maugrim did not, and she was wearing that damned armour made from Yggdrasil and she had Kurayami's darkness blasting away at us while Hikari's light protected her from any shot that came too close. Everyone had a weakness, even Gaia, but she seemed to have been self aware enough to ensure that weakness was never exploited.

Gaia was immortal. I had simply resigned myself to that fact. There was no way we could beat someone who simply _couldn't_ be defeated. Maugrim on the other hand... I had seen him bleed. I knew it was possible for him to fall and to die. Theta would not forgive us if we intentionally killed a man in the world that was made of her remaining peaceful energy, but was it not better for the world to be rid of Gaia's loyal henchman?

I thought so, but I didn't think Theta would be quite on the same page as me.

I wanted to hear the satisfying scraping sounds of sword on sword coming from the battle between Omnimon and Gaia, but it was not possible. Gaia did not use a weapon and so her tactics were simply to evade and which meant that Omnimon had not made contact _once_. It was infuriating to watch, especially with the sounds of Aesop and Maugrim's battle happening nearby.

Koushiro, Tentomon and Theta were all still gathered on the little island across the bridge, and Taichi and I were out in the battle field. Between us was the fight between father and son. Maugrim's gauntlets had blades protruding from knuckles, and while they were thin, I knew just how strong they were. Aesop's sword was much stronger in appearance, but perhaps because of Aesop's own power, it was weaker than Maugrim's weapons. Aesop's sword had a red sheen glistening around it and I was half expecting fire to shoot from it, but he was not a digimon. He was a man, or a fairy or whatever they called themselves. His power, just as his son's was war, and while the elder of the two had learned from his mistakes and settled down to become a simple farmer, the younger took the opposite path. We knew Maugrim had been raised by Aesop to be a farmer and then had run off around the globe and had come back as an angry war monger.

As someone who loved war so much, I hoped he would be pleased with my desire to go to war with him. I wanted to bring his tyranny to an end—even if Gaia was the one in charge. Maugrim had always been the one out in the field. His partner—and by extension, him—had been the cause of Iori's torture and pain. Maugrim had been the one to use Gaia's name to create armies across the worlds. Maugrim was probably the one that was causing all of those people back on Earth to fight at all. Gaia could manipulate, but Maugrim could instil fear and anger into those he spoke to.

I was grinding my teeth as I watched Aesop expertly swing his sword toward his son. His straw hat flew from his head toward me, where it rolled out into the battle between Omnimon and Gaia. Both interactions were going nowhere at all. Omnimon was unable to hit Gaia, but thankfully he was moving too quickly and striking too often for her to get a good shot in herself. Aesop was unwilling to hurt his son too deeply, and Maugrim was simply toying with his father.

I looked to Tentomon who was still helping Koushiro catch his breath after having been punched in the chest by Maugrim. He was a strong man, Maugrim was, and I was actually scared that the strike to Koushiro's chest might have some long term effects. I hadn't seen Maugrim use physical attacks often, but I knew he had several weapons up his sleeve. He had his gauntlets, and while I couldn't see his gun this time I knew he had used it before to take out DemiDevimon and Patamon had explained how it had been used against him and Leopardmon as well. Maurgim, just like Gaia, liked to come prepared.

That scared me.

"Yamato," Taichi said, not bothering to keep quiet. His eyes were trained in on Omnimon as he swung his sword down to Gaia. She used the light from Hikari to protect her and Taichi's balled up fists tightened in frustration. "We should go somewhere safer."

"Out of Theta," I agreed. "We can't stay here, it's only hurting her."

"I meant over _to_ Theta, actually," Taichi admitted. "I don't know how to leave." He had a point. We had simply asked Norn to send us to this world and now that we were here, how were we going to leave? Unless Theta could get us out, we _weren't_ leaving until Norn, Summer or Spring came to find us. Since Summer and Spring were both busy elsewhere, that left Norn. Hopefully Theta had enough energy to get us out.

Taichi was motioning for me to follow him and I did, but I hesitated for a moment, rushing over to pick up Aesop's straw hat. Gaia saw me and saw that Omnimon was coming for her and she chose instead to fire her darkness toward me.

It was strange because I thought I had seen something within the darkness, but my mind was clouded by panic as it came. The attack was too wide to avoid, but I was running anyway. If there was any chance I could get out of being hit I would take it.

I would have preferred that Omnimon hadn't taken the hit for me though. There was a grunt of pain when I thought I should have been feeling it instead and Omnimon was standing tall between Gaia and I. His arms were crossed in front of himself, and I could tell he was hoping that he would get out mostly unharmed. When the darkness appeared unwilling to stop its relentless attack he turned his head to me. "You need to _go_!" he snapped.

I nodded nervously and hurried away from him, never taking my eyes from his form until he leapt into the air and the darkness rushed past where we had both been standing. Aesop and Maugrim's weapons were clashing in the path of the darkness, but Aesop saw it coming and he slammed his hand into his son's chest, and jumped back, saving the both of them from the attack.

My fingers curled around the straw hat in my hand because I was angry. Not necessarily at Aesop, but at the bond he shared with our enemy. He was unwilling to let him be hurt and if that was the case, then what good was he to us? I hated Maugrim and if I had a magical sword that I could pull out of nowhere I would be taking Aesop's place, but as that was not the case we were forced to watch as Aesop did nothing to harm his son. His _opponent_.

"Yamato," Taichi snarled, grabbing my arm. I jumped to action and followed him across the quaint little bridge to where our feet found a softer, earthier ground. There was moss along the further walls of the cavern and vines draping from each corner. The water was crystal clear and led to a bed of dirt underneath. The idea that this small lively alcove existed in the world that was otherwise entirely white and pure was amazing to me. It was purely coincidental that Koushiro had ever seen it at all, but I was glad he had, otherwise we would not have known to come here to save her and Maugrim would have easily taken out the wounded woman.

"Was retrieving the hat really worth it?" Tentomon asked. I rolled my eyes and plopped the hat on his head to which he found amusing I suppose because he left it there as he turned to Koushiro. "Are you feeling alright?"

Koushiro gasped loudly and nodded, but it was clear he was lying.

"Let me assist you," Theta offered, releasing her hand from her chest. She shakily stood from the glass bed that she had probably slept on before and she knelt down, her pristine white dress crumbled as she did so. Several of her mass of braids on her head fell over her shoulder as she reached out toward Koushiro. Her skin was darker than Koushiro's—which wasn't surprising since the boy never spent time in the sun—and so when she took his hand in hers the contrast was dramatic. Theta was trying to heal Koushiro but I didn't think she had much energy left to _do_ that...

I turned away, back to the fight and saw Gaia unleash her darkness toward Omnimon who crashed into the wall behind him. The wall did not simply crack this time, but rather it shattered as Omnimon fell back through the hole he created. Theta let out a pained grunt and turned her sights on the battle for only a moment. She shook her head and looked back to Koushiro.

"You must stop this battle," Theta said thickly, and it sounded like she might be close to tears.

"We're trying," Taichi said gently. He knelt down next to her and took her other hand. "We don't know how to defeat them without killing them."

Theta looked sharply to Taichi and shook her head gently. "Sometimes, when comparing two alternatives, neither seems particularly optimistic. That is because not every option ends in light, and just as two wonderful opportunities may present themselves to you, two less desirable options may do the same." Taichi looked to Koushiro nervously but he could not return the look as he was still clutching his chest. "In this case, the selection of opportunities is simple, but dark. You may either let these two live to avoid creating darkness by bringing them to death, or you may take their life from them to avoid the spread of their darkness."

"What are you saying, Theta?" Taichi asked.

"I believe she is telling you to weigh the pros and cons," Tentomon explained. "I believe she wishes for you to make the decision for yourself and decide how to best handle the situation. It is however clear to me that she has her own thoughts in mind as well."

Taichi diverted his eyes from Tentomon and found himself looking my way. I nodded encouragingly and Taichi said slowly, "So what do _you_ think we should do, Theta?"

Theta looked away from Koushiro and toward the battles at hand. I followed her sights and saw that Gaia was looking directly toward us now and under her helmet I could see a glint of hunger in her eyes. "Kill her," Theta said bitterly.

Gaia's hunger turned to fear and then to anger. I was scared for what that meant, but I didn't have to wait long. She reached back to the darkness and unleashed its energy in a tidal wave of energy that came rushing directly toward us all.

Theta moved quickly and ran out toward the bridge where she sliced her hand through the darkness and split the energy that crashed around the alcove, meeting itself at the other end until the island and the small moat were all that was left outside of the darkness. We were surrounded.

Koushiro grunted as he got to his feet, shivering because he was wet and Tentomon was quick to give him support. I didn't know where we were supposed to go unless we went directly _up_. I slowly looked to see the ceiling. We could destroy the walls, so why couldn't we break a hole in the ceiling too? Theta. That was why. It would hurt her too much. That didn't stop me from wondering what might be above us. I had to remember that curiosity killed the cat.

Taichi was moving toward Theta, unsure how to help but I was scanning the darkness. I had seen something in it before, and surely I could see it again. All I could see were walls of blackness surrounding us as they slowly spread across that ceiling I had thought to break before. Soon I was sure we would drown within the darkness if we couldn't do something about it. Theta and Taichi were standing by the bridge and Theta's hands were now stretched to the sides like she was giving her all to simply separate the darkness.

"Don't!" Koushiro snapped. I looked back to see Tentomon reaching out to the darkness to test if we could touch it. It was a good thought, because if we could simply escape we wouldn't be in this mess. As Tentomon turned from the darkness I caught sight of something behind him. I looked closer, hoping to find that what I had seen would be something of importance.

It _was_ but it was not what I had been expecting.

"Gaia!" I shouted as she leapt through the darkness, her visor was pulled down so her entire body was protected from the blast. Tentomon dropped to the ground in time to avoid her kick but then he set off, flying. Gaia caught his leg and she slammed him backward into the wall of darkness.

"Tentomon! Koushiro gasped. His partner let out a horrible cry of pain but Gaia wasn't going to let go of him. She used her other hand to wrap around his throat and she pushed him further into the darkness.

Before I knew what I was doing I had slammed by body into her. She toppled backward and Tentomon freed himself, wandering toward Koushiro weakly. I knew I couldn't hurt Gaia with or without her armour, but I had saved Tentomon and that was the goal. But now I was on top of Gaia and I didn't know what to do about it.

She snarled with anger and let out a scream of _rage_ as she threw me aside. I tightened every muscle in my body as I toppled through the air, landing near Koushiro. I groaned loudly but it was no help. I _hurt_. I couldn't lie around and whine though. I had to get back up. I sat slowly and saw Theta parting the darkness for Omnimon, but he could not yet fit through.

Gaia was coming for Taichi now as he stood between Gaia and his fallen friends. I didn't like my new title and I groaned as I pulled myself to my feet. It hurt, but it would be worth it if we could find a way to stall Gaia.

As she was raising a fist toward Taichi a blast of light moved swiftly toward her head. There was a deafening _bang_ as her helmet slid, nearly off her head and her neck cracked sideways. She dropped her arm and turned to Omnimon who still had his cannon raised. She slowly adjusted her helmet and then set off at a run toward him. Taichi and I looked to each other and nodded, running after her. Gaia leapt with ease over Theta's head, while Taichi and I slipped past her, thanking her for her continued efforts.

Outside of the dangers of darkness was the fight we had left behind. Aesop and Maugrim were still tangled together in a seemingly never ending fight, but Aesop was bleeding from three places now, while Maugrim seemed relatively unharmed. Gaia was chasing Omnimon in a fit of rage now.

"Son," Aesop said in a weak voice, "I know you are in there. You must listen to me and stop this. Gaia is controlling you. She must be."

"She isn't," Maugrim snapped, lashing out at his father with both fists—equipped with blades—but Aesop thankfully avoided them. "Why can't you accept that I simply did not like your ways? You force fed me peace but you never understood that peace must be _achieved_ —not gifted!" I had never heard Maugrim talk so much at one time before, and he seemed passionate about what he was saying this time as well. "Father, you are weak—you know this as well as I do. When we fought before I spared you because I thought you would understand. You do not. I cannot spare your life a second time if you will not stand behind me."

"If you seek peace," Aesop said, "I will be behind you. But I will never stand behind your methods!" Maugrim let out a cry of anguish and rage and sliced once more at his father, this time hitting him. For a moment I thought Aesop would die, but Maugrim had only hit his arm. Still, his blades sunk deep into the skin. Aesop screamed in pain and dropped his sword, clutching the place where his son's jagged blades were coming from his skin. "Peace and chaos are on opposite ends of the spectrum," Aesop said in a weakened voice. "One can never bring about the other... you must know this by now."

Maugrim was angry and he wanted to strike his father, but his fists froze before they could cause Aesop any more pain. He couldn't do it.

Aesop took advantage of the moment and, with his good arm, he grabbed the sword from the ground and attacked his son, slicing through the skin of his leg. Taichi gasped because Aesop had finally chosen to take the fight seriously, or at least seriously enough to cause his son pain. When I looked to Taichi to judge his thoughts, his sights were on something else. Omnimon and Gaia were backing up toward the corner of the hall and a moment later Omnimon had shot off down the nearest path. Taichi was racing after them a moment later and I knew that I had to follow.

We were running along the sleek white floor, desperate to catch our partners. They couldn't face Gaia without us—well they could, but I didn't want to _not_ know what was going on with them. I couldn't lose Gabumon without saying goodbye and if Gaia had the strength that I knew she did, I couldn't allow her to get her hands on Omnimon.

We followed them down several hallways and I was doing all I could to memorize the path we took so we could more easily find our way back to Koushiro if we had to—which we surely would eventually. Omnimon and Gaia were not easing up on each other, lashing out at every possible turn while never stopping their legs from taking them further into the world. I wasn't sure if they were simply unable to stop without seriously risking harm to themselves, or if they were on their way to somewhere specific. I knew there were chambers within this world that contained things important to Yggdrasil. Maybe Theta knew of one.

My answer was going to have to wait because when we spun around the next corner I ran into someone I hadn't expected to see. I slammed my fist into his shoulder, thinking at first that it had been Gaia but he let out a sharp gasp before smacking the back of my head.

"Moron," Neo snarled.

"What are you doing here?" Taichi asked impatiently, looking after Omnimon who was still retreating down the hallway with Gaia. I looked as well and saw that Neo was not alone. Dracomon was standing with Evelen and her brothers Kansui and Bitoru while Spring stayed behind with a woman I did not recognize. Her skin was dark and her hair was some shade of green or maybe blue. Gravimon and Wizardmon made up the back of the group. "Where were you?"

"With Rei in Witchenly," Neo said flatly and then, seeing that Taichi wanted to know where Rei had gone off to, "she took Tatum to the hospital I think. She's having a baby." Of course she was. Couldn't she wait a single _day_ before giving birth? Couldn't she wait for a time that would be _immensely_ less stressful? Probably not, because no minute of our lives was stress free. Earth was always in danger.

Man, I wished I could just get back into space and stay there.

"What are you doing here," I asked them quickly, taking the attention away from Taichi.

"We're actually looking for my father," Bitoru said. "Have you seen him?"

"Yes," I said, nodding. "He's back there with Koushiro." I pointed over my shoulder and then nodded to Taichi to set off, and together we did, but my insides tensed when Kansui shouted out to the two of us.

"But we're lost!" he shouted. "We don't know the way!"

I groaned. We didn't have the time to deal with this. "Go," I told Taichi. "Keep them safe." Taichi nodded and rushed off toward where Omnimon and Gaia had disappeared. I turned back to the others and bitterly told them to follow me. I led them along, not really understanding why anyone would _want_ to be in Maugrim's presence. I was annoyed too because I knew there was no way for me to guess which way Omnimon and Taichi had gone even if I did find my way back to where I had last seen them. I didn't like the idea of Gabumon fighting without me. He needed me. Or, more accurately, I needed _him_.

"Just around this corner," I said loudly, sliding to a stop. I saw that Koushiro, Theta and Tentomon had all found freedom from the darkness that was still firing off toward the island, and nearby the light had set up a protective barrier so no one could get through. I bet Hikari or Kurayami could. I wished that we had brought them. We had already taken several of Gaia's Digimentals, returned the digimon to their states, retrieved the keys and taken an axe to Gaia's elite team. She was falling quickly and having the Light and Darkness back on our side would be more than useful.

Bitoru and Spring came in first and both were rushing forward without thought to assist Aesop who was fighting with Tentomon now. Maugrim looked up, annoyed that he was going to have to fight others, but his sights fell on someone else. It was Evelen. But then why was Evelen stepping aside.

Maugrim's arms fell limp and both Spring and Bitoru stopped their charge toward him, leaving Aesop to simply look around, confused. When he caught sight of the woman Maugrim was staring at he seemed confused, which helped me feel a little more confident. I had _no_ idea what was going on. But Aesop seemed to find understanding much quicker than I had.

"What are you doing here?" Maugrim asked in a cold voice. "That doesn't seem possible."

"Anything is possible, Graul," the green haired woman said with a gentle voice. She moved gracefully forward and passed by me. I noticed the blood stains on her dress and was impressed with how easily she ignored her pain.

I leaned to the nearest newcomer which happened to be Wizardmon and I whispered to him, "What's going on?"

"Harmonia is Evelen's mother," Wizardmon explained. "She was lost in Witchenly for a long time. She and Graul used to love one another." It seemed impossible to me that Graul was able to love someone, but we had been told he loved Gaia so it wasn't entirely out of the blue. I didn't see his love of Gaia being particularly healthy though and no matter how much I tried I couldn't see any sense of union between the gruff, angry man who had permanent creases on his fact from all the scowling he did, and the gentle faced woman who now advanced upon him.

Evelen moved closer to Neo and hugged his arm as she watched, cautiously optimistic about the situation. Kansui looked like he was about to erupt into tears, but had no one to comfort him. He looked up to Gravimon but the digimon did not look to be interested. Dracomon was not as interested in the reunion as anyone else and was preparing to fight, should Maugrim prove to be ruthless enough to hurt this gentle woman.

Bitoru embraced Aesop upon being united once more, and Spring was already looking over the wounds on his legs and arms.

"Harmonia," Maugrim said in a thick voice as he took a shaky step toward her, "I don't understand."

"You do not have to understand everything, Graul," Harmonia said with a laugh. Her laugh did not sound happy or even relieved. It sounded gaunt and dark, like she had nothing to laugh about. I didn't know her story, but the last I had heard about Evelen's mother, she had been trapped underground in Australia... Harmonia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Maugrim's middle and he slowly but awkwardly hugged her back.

Evelen made a rather uncomfortable noise and she looked away from the pair of them. Apparently the union wasn't one she necessarily enjoyed the idea of. I could understand to an extent. They weren't my parents, but I would never want to see Maugrim in a place where he was open with another person. He was cruel and horrid, and I would never be able to forgive all he had done.

Theta however, had a single tear streaming down her face and she smiled in such a calm way.

When a horrible shriek filled with rage and insanity filled the empty space all eyes rounded on the woman who had just walked in. It was Gaia. She threw her helmet to the ground in a fit of pure unadulterated fury. " _NO_!" she cried out loudly, as she stormed toward the pair. I turned back to the hallway she had come down hoping to catch sight of Omnimon and Taichi, but neither were seen. Nervously I looked back to Gaia who recaptured her Light and Darkness before turning to Maugrim. "You promised me she was _dead_!"

"I thought she was," Maugrim said, never taking his eyes away from Harmonia.

" _She haunted me_!" Gaia screamed, stomping her foot like a petulant child. "Kill her _now_!"

Maugrim looked to Harmonia who took a single confident step away from him and she looked deep into his eyes and she smiled to him. She trusted him endlessly.

Aesop pushed Bitoru and Spring away from him and he moved forward to stand closer to his son. "Graul," Aesop said, "remember that you are in control of yourself. Gaia does not manipulate you."

"She does. But she doesn't have to," Maugrim snapped, like he was arguing, but it had been exactly what Aesop had said. "I am in control of myself."

" _KILL HER_!" Gaia snarled, reaching up to her armoured chest and clutched her fist over her heart—or lack thereof.

Dracomon moved forward but Neo stopped him, grabbing the horn on his head and he shook his own head slowly. Fighting Gaia would be a mistake and Neo knew that. The tension in the air thickened as Theta looked to Gaia, hoping to find a way to stop her. Theta, the woman who wanted only Peace, now wanted Gaia to suffer and to die. That alone said something rather dark. Gaia _had_ to die.

"You can fight her hold," Aesop said slowly and peacefully.

"She does not hold me!" Maugrim growled, turning on his father and readying his weapon.

"Kill the _girl_!" Gaia snapped. Maugrim immediately dropped his arm and turned back to Harmonia, his eyes were glistening like he was ready to cry and instantly all hatred of him washed away. I didn't _like_ him, but he had emotions. He cared. I was confused because I didn't know who to believe. Had Gaia been controlling Maugrim the entire time or not? " _Graul Maugrim, you kill her right now_!"

Harmonia held her hands out to allow Maugrim to strike her. "Graul, I trust you to do the right thing. I trust you to not let her reign continue."

Maugrim's fists balled up because he wasn't sure what to do anymore, and then Gaia let out a low snarl. "I shall do it _myself_."

Maugrim lunged forward and stabbed the blades of his gauntlet straight through Harmonia's chest. Kansui and Evelen both let out cries of disgust and horror, but Spring's scream of rage was more prominent. I was once again confused, but the cold sweat that was forming across my entire body was telling me that I was scared and I was nervous. My heart was beating quickly as Maugrim pulled the blades from the woman's chest. Her knees gave out under her and she toppled forward into Maugrim's arms. He knelt down to hold her closer to him and tears began falling from his eyes toward the dying form of Harmonia. Her mess of green hair was hanging over his lap and she was looking up to his tear filled eyes.

Slowly she reached up and wiped at the tears, trying to keep him safe and happy.

"Finish her _now_!" Gaia ordered, still halfway through the step that she had taken to kill Harmonia herself.

Maugrim looked up to Gaia, unashamed of his tears and he reached down, pulling out a small handheld mirror. His hands were around the rounded frame and with one last look at Gaia he crushed the mirror in his hand. Blood began dripping, falling with the cascading shards of glass, but he had rid himself of Gaia's orders.

All eyes turned to Gaia and she seemed to realize that Maugrim was a strong enough opponent that she wouldn't be able to defeat him. But she had not quite given up on him yet. "Graul," she said in her honey accented voice. She took a few steps toward him and she tilted her head slightly. "Are you okay? I know that must have been hard, but I can't understand why you would break my mirror. Why would you do that to me?" Maugrim turned away from her and looked back down to Harmonia. "We came here for one thing, can you help me see the results we _both_ want."

Gaia took one more step and Maugrim turned to her and shouted loudly. "Stay back!" Gaia looked hurt and betrayed, like _she_ was the victim. "Do not come closer to her."

Gaia's sweet face turned to that of danger like she had two distinct moods and she turned stared directly into Maugrim's eyes. "You do _not_ love her. You _promised_ me!"

Maugrim's tear filled eyes looked up to Gaia and a terrible snarl showed on his face as he glared through Gaia as if she could not possibly mean less to him. "I lied."

Gaia let out a terrible shriek and my entire body jolted like Gaia had struck me, but it was merely fear for what she was capable of. For a moment I thought Gaia might begin crying herself, but instead she twisted up her face and reached under the armour that covered her chest and cried out in pain as she ripped and tore through her own flesh.

"Gaia, stop this," Theta tried to reason, "you are only hurting yourself."

Gaia didn't seem to care in the slightest and a moment later her hand was retracting from under the armour where she pulled a mangled bloody organ out to show the world. A twisted smile showed on her face and she let out a terrible laugh. "You gave _me_ your heart, and now you betray me." My eyes fell to the heart in her hand and realization washed over me.

Winter and the other fairies had told us how Morganna once proved Gaia's existence by showing Sigma and his court that she did in fact have a heart. That could never have been the case though, because she would have died when Ophanimon had stabbed her. The heart that was always in her chest had never belonged to her at all. It had been Maugrim's heart. Without hesitating, Gaia threw the heart to the ground near Maugrim and he let out a cry of pain of his own, nearly dropping Harmonia from his arms as he clutched his empty chest where he had felt the pain. The heart itself was spilling blood dangerously fast and was soon drowning in a puddle of the liquid that was seeping from the open wound.

Theta let out a disheartened sigh and Gaia snapped her head to Theta with anger. "I've always done things my way," Gaia said sharply. "I've done everything the way I think it should be done. I have ruled these worlds before and I will do it again. This time, you won't be there to ruin _everything_!"

"You ruined everything yourself, Gaia," Theta said firmly. "You ruined your relationship with the King of Sidhendor. You ruined your relationship with Graul just now. _You_ caused yourself to be exiled. You are not the victim in this war Gaia. Nor is Terra—"

Gaia moved so fast, sending a needle-like thorn through the air toward Theta. Koushiro was in the way for a moment but Theta threw him aside, taking the hit. The needle pierced through her chest and she gasped a strangled breath and fell forward onto her knees.

Gaia laughed in a way that that could only mean she had completely lost her mind before she turned to face us all. Her eyes widened as Gravimon rushed toward her followed by Taichi, Agumon and Gabumon who had just returned and then in a flash of light Gaia was gone. The last thing I had seen was the wicked grin on her face. She was satisfied with her deed.

"Didn't you say that was Theta?" Kansui asked loudly. "Like the Queen of everything and the world itself?" Neo slowly nodded. "THE APOCLYPSE IS NOW!" Kansui cried out loudly, fear and aggression filling his voice. Everyone ignored him though, as Evelen and Bitoru both rushed toward their dying mother and father.

Aesop and Koushiro were crowding Theta with Agumon, Gabumon, Gravimon and Wizardmon, but there didn't seem to be any way to save either woman. Nor Maugrim but no one appeared to care as much for him, aside from Aesop of course.

I myself found my way toward the heart that was spluttering and trying desperately to pump blood, energy and life but was simply failing, and it was clear to me that the heart was soon to die along with its true master. When I turned my head to Maugrim I found that he was staring directly toward me and I swallowed a thick lump in my throat, afraid that he would strike, but his eyes fell to Harmonia once more.

"Theta," Koushiro said firmly, "what did you mean when you said 'Terra'? Who is she? Who is Terra?"

Theta looked up to Koushiro like she wanted to answer, but couldn't find a way to do so. I wouldn't have been able to either for a completely different reason. My throat was dry and my palms were sweating and my heart was hammering away. I felt like I was frozen in place. Kansui was _right_. This was the end of the world. Theta was dying right now, I could see it happening.

I was scared.

Harmonia was reaching out for her children and she smiled at them, and even Kansui had made his way over to them now. "I am so glad... I was able to meet the three... of you... again." Evelen was crying steadily but Bitoru seemed to feel only shock. Kansui fell to his knees and held his mother's outstretched hand, but she turned her sights on Maugrim a moment later. "I have waited so long to meet you again... I suffered under the Chaos for many years... I thought... I thought you would find Gaia... and so I stayed with her. I watched her. She... she feared me. She feared the truth I could bring." Maugrim's tears seemed to be getting the better of him. "I have waited forever for this moment."

Maugrim seemed to choke on his emotions at the thought of himself ruining that moment she had waited so long for. "I'm so sorry," he grumbled, unable to speak properly.

"This moment was perfect," Harmonia said. "I love you and now I know that you love me too. I know that your loyalty to... to Gaia was never... it was never real. You—" Harmonia cried out once and clutched the wound in her chest. "Graul... kiss me."

Maugrim looked to her for a moment and then nodded, leaning forward and kissing her softly.

And then she fell limp.

Maugrim gently set Harmonia on the ground at his feet as he wiped furiously at his tears. Aesop was at Maugrim's side immediately, hugging his son, and I was surprised that he actually hugged him back before he turned to Koushiro who was still questioning Theta.

"Terra is Gaia," Maugrim said flatly, his voice was firm but filled with many emotions. "Terra does not truly exist, but she is inside of Gaia."

"That doesn't make any sense," Neo said, sounding just as confused as I felt. "Gaia and Terra were at war with one another. Gaia ordered Morganna to rip out Terra's heart and—"

"And Morganna did not do so," Maugrim snapped. "She could not because by doing so she would betray her friend, Gaia. Gaia and Terra are one in the same."

"She has multiple personalities," Koushiro realized in a low whisper. "So Gaia's heart—"

"Was planted to create Yggdrasil," Bitoru supplied. "And the Chaos."

"Who is the Chaos?" Tentomon asked Maugrim, but he did not know.

"I never met the Chaos," he said flatly, looking to Harmonia who surely would have known the answer. "The only time I saw the Chaos was when I watched as Gaia took a knife to her chest to cut out her 'sister's' heart. Gaia was ruling both halves of the nation and pitting them against one another."

"She did the same in Witchenly," Gravimon realized. "She was not simply playing both sides..."

"She _was_ both sides," Taichi growled. This was somehow making me even _more_ confused. How had Gaia convinced an entire world that she was two separate people? How had she managed to start a war? Well we now knew how she _ended_ it. She tried to kill her sister... who was herself. Gaia—or Terra—or maybe both of them—was _crazy_.

"You... must... leave—" Theta said harshly with her wounded voice. "This... world... it will fall..."

"So will _all_ worlds," Koushiro gasped. "We can't live without you."

"You _can_!" Theta explained. "You must... you must return the Digimentals to where they... they belong under—"

"We found it," Koushiro said softly, saving Theta from a painful explanation. "We know where they belong."

"Then take these," Maugrim said, standing tall and reaching into his pockets to pull out two Digimentals. Courage and Friendship. "Take these and create stability in the worlds."

Taichi cautiously moved forward but Evelen moved quicker, taking them from him. "You're not coming?" she asked him with a stronger voice than I would have expected. Both Maugrim and his daughter looked to his dying heart and slowly Maugrim shook his head and looked to Harmonia. "I understand," Evelen said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't necessarily sound like she understood, but I knew she would in time.

"I shall stay too," Aesop declared resulting in a gasp from both Bitoru and Spring.

Maugrim turned to his father and shook his head. "You will not."

"Harmonia was right," Aesop said, looking to the kind faced woman. "This moment _was_ perfect. You are everything to me, Graul. You are my _son_. You are _my_ love. You have proven to me that the person you were for so many years was simply a mask that Gaia forced you to wear. I will not leave with the knowledge that my son—the little farm boy who loved to paint and to rescue fallen birds—died alone."

"I will not be alone," Maugrim said, more tears in his eyes. "I will have Harmonia. I will have Theta."

"And _me_ ," Aesop said, moving forward to hug his son once more.

Bitoru and Spring both moved forward and Aesop turned to embrace them. Spring was sobbing immediately into the group hug because had been her mentor. He had been the only father she had ever known. And strangely, Bitoru felt the same way.

"You are both brave and brilliant," Aesop said kindly, tears melting away into his beard. "You have done me proud and always been loyal to your beliefs. With your memories back you will become a wonderful queen, Spring."

"H-h-how did you kn-kn-know?" Spring spluttered.

"I simply do," Aesop said with a smile. Spring tried to laugh but couldn't and hugged him again. "You were always meant to rule as the balance between fire and ice. Balance was always intended for each world. You will do wonderfully as queen. I know you will." Aesop turned to Bitoru, but Taichi was calling everyone over to Theta who was trying to speak. Bitoru looked frantic because he wanted a chance to say goodbye. "Bitoru I love you very much. You have stayed by my side through everything, even when Graul made it hard."

Maugrim grunted loudly and Bitoru actually managed a laugh. "Aesop, I will never forget you. I will honour you in every way I know how."

"I know you will," Aesop smiled, pulling Bitoru in for a hug.

"I... am dying," Theta wheezed, reaching out for Taichi's arm. He looked sharply to me and looked angry almost. He waved for me to come to him and I realized I still hadn't moved a muscle. I set off toward him, each step causing my muscles to ache. I had been so tense for so long.

Theta grabbed Koushiro who took hold of Tentomon and Agumon. Taichi grabbed Gabumon who grabbed onto me, and then I reached for Neo's hand and he took it reluctantly. Evelen and Kansui held tightly to Neo while Agumon took Dracomon's hand. Wizardmon and Gravimon made the end of that chain and then Spring and Bitoru finally joined us, staring toward Aesop with tears in their eyes.

"You will find peace..." Theta told us, looking to us all individually. "Evelen," Theta turned sharply toward her and Evelen looked surprised to be singled out. "Treat Gankoomon... well, will you?"

Evelen slowly nodded, confused and she looked to Neo for an explanation but he did not have one to give her.

"I believe... you will find the peace... that I never could..." Theta said in a weak voice.

Then the world of white lit up and turned to _only_ white.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Mari is finishing her adventure with Willis' dead sister, while Jou is working on some pretty damaging hospital work.


	78. Blown Away

**U/N:** So the fun of writing Willis' chapter had worn off for me, so the battling that goes on here was kind of boring. Mari gets some fun dialogue with Alias III and Alice, while Joe helps Jenna move into the next part of her life. That's pretty exciting stuff, sooo...

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 78: Blown Away**

 _ **Mari Goutokuji:**_

"It could be dangerous," Alice said in a small voice, as if she were asking us if we were sure we wanted to come along. The answer to that was obvious I thought. No, I did not want to come with her and I did not want to be on whatever potentially dangerous mission she was dragging us on because I wanted to save Aneko—and nothing else. I knew what the world was preparing to throw at me. I saw his death in a vision and I wasn't about to lose Aneko too. I couldn't lose _everything_. Surely the universe could still understand that even if I wasn't meant to be alive I could still feel pain. "I'm just letting you know that."

So it was a warning more than anything else because Alice really wasn't giving us a choice. We had to go because we were the only people suited for the job. That wouldn't be surprising if we had been asked to break in to some building, or to steal supplies because we could do that and no one else was ever willing to. But somehow I doubted that the twelve year old girl who rained down from Heaven was about to ask us to commit a crime.

It was unfortunate that all of our partners had a rather humanoid theme, because Alice had us flying across an ocean. Sunflowmon had me in her arms and Alice was there too, pressed against me. It was strange to have her skin against mine because she was warm to the touch, but she didn't look very real. She was glimmering and it wasn't because of the sunshine, it was because she was dead. Lopmon was in her arms, enjoying the feeling of being with her partner as we flew along and letting her ears flop in the wind. Hideto, Kiyoko, Tapirmon and Warg all climbed on the back of Melga—as BlackMetalGarurumon—and we were on our way to some unknown location.

Alice wouldn't tell us where.

But at least she knew the way.

"You're going too far East," she explained loudly over the rushing wind. "You must return to the directions I provided." Yep. We knew that Alice, but we also knew how impossible it was to tell where we were going if all we could see was water.

I didn't _want_ to be bitter, and if I was going to be this way, I would have preferred to aim my feelings toward anyone aside from the twelve year old dead girl. I wanted to be saving my own twelve year old sister, who was actually thirteen now really, but she was what I wanted to put my focus on instead of Alice. It just wasn't right that I was leaving the rescuing of my sister up to someone else. It just wasn't fair to Aneko for me to desert her as I was.

To my left I knew Ryou and Cyberdramon were flying along with us, but I had not seen either of them for a while because of Sunflowmon's big head. Surely they were still there, but really I just didn't care enough. There was too much going on in my head around those I actually knew well and cared for and I didn't have room to worry about whether Cybderdramon had gone full psycho and was now drowning Ryou in the ocean.

I didn't _want_ him to, but we didn't have time to go back and save him.

So I was a horrible person. I couldn't recall ever claiming not to be, so I felt rather comfortable with the truth.

If ever there was a time when I wanted to be functioning around my own needs it would have been right at that moment. I was never one to back away from a challenge unless it caused potential danger to Lalamon—like when I had simply decided I wasn't going to fight Yggdrasil, even though his drones had been _all_ over all nine worlds so I couldn't very well avoid it, but that had turned out to be the _right_ decision because Lalamon had died—but now I didn't only have Lalamon. I had Aneko. Whatever challenge Alice was presenting me with could _wait_ until I was sure that my two girls were out of danger.

I didn't like the idea of Aneko being in the Temple without me. Even if Gaia treated them well with full expense paid trips to the spa and a never ending supply of cucumber water. I still wanted to be with Aneko—and not only because I was very thirsty and cucumber water sounded amazing. So naturally, Alice thought I hated her, which wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry you're so mad at me," Alice said to me, looking deep into my eyes. I would have loved to be able to back away from her but I couldn't because there was nowhere to go. Lopmon looked up to me, shocked that I could be upset with her partner. "I know you are skeptical. Believe me, I know... I'm doing my best to do what I was asked to."

"Who asked you?" Lopmon asked.

Alice shook her head, "I can't tell you that," she explained. Lopmon didn't seem to mind. "I'm playing my role in seeking peace—and it's close. Can't you just feel it?"

I shook my head, thinking only of Aneko. "No, not really."

"You _will_ ," Alice said, sounding entirely confident as she took my hand into her own. Then she paused. "I hope." That last little bit there was the breathing room the universe needed to screw me over one last time. Alice hadn't seen what I had seen. We were about to switch roles, because she would finally get her brother, but I would lose him. I couldn't tell her that—especially with Lopmon around to hear. I couldn't let her know how much danger Willis was in.

"LAND!" Kiyoko screamed with all his might, thinking the wind would carry his voice more than it had. Hideto whined loudly at the intensity of Kiyoko's voice and both boys blushed. I looked ahead and saw that Kiyoko was right, and there was land ahead. Hopefully we would have time to finish whatever it was that Alice wanted us to do and then jump in the Looking Glass, run to the Temple and save Aneko. That would be the ideal outcome, I would imagine. Helping Alice was not at the bottom of my 'to do' list after all, and I wanted to be of use, but Aneko was still my number one priority.

Cyberdramon and Ryou landed first, and I was actually relieved to find that the boy hadn't been murdered unbeknownst to us. I didn't know him well but any murder was bad enough, and when it was a child it was just worse. Not to mention that Ryou was the bearer of Trust and he should probably live a few more days at least.

"This is Sidhendor," Hideto said knowingly.

"It is," Alice said as she stretched her legs quickly. She sighed and then placed a hand over her eyes to shield from the rising sun. "We should get going. We won't have much time."

Alice set off without another word and Lopmon was skipping after her excitedly. Ryou looked to the rest of us confused but with a big smile he followed after Alice, following along well. After living as a fourteen year old for however many years he had been, it made sense that things might start to seem normal when they probably shouldn't.

Hideto, Kiyoko and I looked annoyed, but when we looked back to the others we had nearly lost sight of them in the trees that covered much of the land. We set off immediately. "Why don't we have much time?" Hideto asked loudly.

"Because time moves quickly," Alice said, looking back to Hideto like he might be insane.

"Does it?" Ryou joked, but I didn't laugh. Warg and Melga both did though. It was strange to see the orange and yellow and blue that usually made up the two of them be completely washed out by black and white. It made sense in the end, because Spring had always intended for them to be a representative of Hideto and I had _never_ seen him wear more colour than a pair of blue jeans every now and then—even still his jeans were usually black in colour. Hideto was a dark man, and while he was a _good_ man, he wasn't perfect and I thought that Warg and Melga now represented that much more clearly in the way they had always meant to.

I thought they looked nice anyway. And the big blue ribbon tied in a bow around Melga's horn really stood out now, as did Warg's orange bowtie. I didn't think it mattered _how_ they looked as long as everyone was happy and I was sure that they were and for the first time in a _long_ time I thought maybe Hideto was too.

"So what are we doing exactly?" Tapirmon asked casually when we had all caught up. "You've never really told us."

"That is because I cannot," Alice said simply. "Lopmon can't know." She looked over to Ryou and hummed softly. "And I'm not so sure about him either."

"Then why am I here?" Ryou asked, confused. Cyberdramon grunted angrily but Ryou pushed him back, annoyed. "If I can't know what's going on, how am I supposed to help?"

"Oh you aren't," Alice explained thoughtfully. "I have something else for you. Hideto, Kiyoko, Tapirmon, Warg and Melga will be enough to accomplish our goal." I stopped in my tracks and Kiyoko bumped into me from behind before slipping around me and continuing on his way. He looked back once and squeaked at the sight of the anger that was boiling inside me.

"If they will be enough," I said through gritted teeth, "why am I not saving Aneko?" Lalamon fluttered into the air and pressed her face against my stomach and pushed me back until I wrapped my arms around her. She was trying to calm me, and it usually would work, and perhaps it was working now too, but I was still upset. "Aneko _needs_ me, Alice, and if I'm not needed here—"

"But you are," Alice said with a sense of finality. Somehow I believed her. After all of the anger and impatience that had built up about Aneko, I had somehow slipped into a state of pure understanding just by the tone of Alice's voice. I nodded slowly and Alice was happy. She backed up a few steps before turning to walk forward once more.

Hideto looked to me cautiously but I just shook my head and then we were all on our way again.

"So Ryou," Alice said softly after a few minutes of her trying to emulate Lopmon's skipping movements. Lopmon found her to be hilarious, and it was cute so I didn't mind since we were still moving at a respectable pace. "I was sent with two missions, and then I made one up on my own." She looked back to me at the last part and my heart started beating faster. What was it that Alice specifically wanted of me? I would do whatever I could to make it happen. That was fair. Why did I feel like I owed her something? "Gennai sent me for you, because he realized he had forgotten to teach you about your Crest."

"Oh," Ryou realized, his shoulders slumping. "That's all? I already know about my Crest. It's Trust. I have to be trustworthy and stop being so naive. I know it already."

"Oh pshh!" Alice waved him off, and Kiyoko formed a small smile. From the Victorian gothic style of clothing that Alice was sporting I never would have imagined her personality to be as it was, but perhaps she was simply on cloud nine because she was getting to spend time with Lopmon. I knew what it was like to have your partner dead—or supposedly anyway—and both Alice and Lopmon deserved this chance to spend time with one another, even if they'd never really known one another. "I don't care about that part of the Crest. I'm sure you've got that under control." Ryou was confused, but Alice wasn't going to have it that way for long. "He wants to explain how you can evolve your partner. Cyberdramon is stuck in a sort of post-jogress state and he cannot form a new digivolution in the way other digimon can."

Cyberdramon growled at Alice but Ryou silenced him quickly. "What do you mean?" Ryou asked, pushing Cyberdramon aside again.

Alice didn't seem scared of Cyberdramon for a moment, and in fact she smiled his way comfortingly. "Your final evolution will have to take shape in a way that hasn't been used in many years. And it has _never_ been performed in the way you are intended to use it."

"Why does he get a cool evolution?" Warg asked, sounding rather jealous.

Hideto rolled his eyes. "I have two partners that jogress together," Hideto reasoned with him. "You're one of them. That's pretty cool." Warg nodded his head, but was still interested in Cyberdramon's future.

"Long ago," Alice said, "the Original Digidestined combined themselves with the spirits of digimon. You will do the same." Ryou grinned and looked to Cyberdramon excitedly. "Your Crest of Trust will give you the power to do so, but what you must understand is that you will not only be combining yourself with the spirit of your digimon, but also his body and his mind. You will work as one." Ryou's smile faltered but only for a moment as he stared to his partner who had recently murdered a woman. "If you can synchronize yourselves enough you will be able to find justice where you least expect it."

Ryou's smile was still enormous and he was looking up to Cyberdramon excitedly. "You think we can do it?"

"Synchronize myself with you?" Cyberdramon asked, before letting out a harsh "Ha!" and turning his head from Ryou.

"I think you will find it is easier than you assume it to be," Alice said. She looked forward once more and I saw that we were thankfully nearing the end of the trees. She turned away from Ryou who was trying to convince Cyberdramon to try it out, and soon we were able to escape the forests again. The brilliant castle town of Sidhendor was ahead and I could see the majestic towers of Gaia's palace. "Hideto, I believe you know where Gaia's room is." Hideto nodded slowly. "Go there, and find what we came for and meet us at the Looking Glass. Kiyoko and Tapirmon will accompany you in case trouble should be found in the halls of the palace."

Hideto and Kiyoko looked to each other confidently before they realized one thing. "Wait, what are we looking for?"

"I can't tell you that," Alice said simply, looking to Lopmon.

"What does it look like?" Hideto wondered. "How big is it?"

"I cannot tell you."

"What does it _rhyme_ with?" Hideto wondered. "Where is it?"

"Listen," Alice said, putting her hands up to stop Hideto. "I realize it is not much to go on—" "It's nothing to go on," Hideto interrupted. "—but I do believe you will accomplish your goal with little effort. And Kiyoko, if you would like to help Rei on her quest, you might wish to break something in Gaia's room. Rei is unsure how to get here efficiently, so since you're already here you might just want to casually knock it over." Kiyoko and Hideto stared at her blankly because they had _no_ idea what they were meant to be doing, but for some reason Alice was unable to explain it to us any further. Both boys mouthed the word 'what?' to themselves and then Alice cleared her throat. "Hurry?"

They shook off their confusion and motioned for Melga to evolve again. She did and they all climbed on her back before they set off through the skies toward the castle.

"We should hurry as well," Alice said. "We will be walking only to the Looking Glass. We are here more for an explanation than anything else." I was a little upset that my mission was only to speak with Alice, but if she honestly thought this was as important as the life of a thirteen year old girl then I believed her. We set off together and Ryou and Cyberdramon were chatting behind us but I wasn't listening to them. I was focusing on the way Lalamon held me. She was so comforting and I was never going to find a way to really express how much I appreciated all she had done for me.

When we arrived in the castle town Alice seemed confused, and didn't know the way, but Lopmon was helpful and she hurried off ahead to lead the way, motioning for us to follow her. Alice looked to me from the corner of her eye, knowing that it was now only Lalamon and me listening to her. "Mari, listen closely." Immediately nothing else mattered to me aside from Alice's words. "When Willis visited me I told him that his destiny was _you_. It was. It _is_. I did not know at the time what that truly meant. As time went on and I learned of your intended demise, I understood what that meant for my brother."

"You know he's going to die?" I wondered aloud. Alice looked sharply to Lopmon because we came close again.

"Where now?" Alice asked. Lopmon laughed and hurried along to lead the way again. "Of course I do," she said quietly, hugging herself. "But I am here to tell you something that you should know, but have not yet learned. Autumn was not being entirely truthful when she said that her visions could not be changed. Her visions are only seeing the intended destination for each individual. She cannot see a possible future—only the one that is _intended_."

"B-but it can be changed?" I asked.

"Not exactly," Alice admitted. "Destiny is a straight forward linear path that is stable and unmoving. It is untouchable." I felt my heart sinking, letting the realization that Willis _was_ going to die settle once more into my mind. "Untouchable by all except a single miracle." Alice waved her fingers in the air and I remembered that she was the intended Digidestined of Miracles. "I died when I wasn't supposed to, but I'm glad I did. I know that sounds insane—but if I didn't die, then I would live a life where peace never would come, and Willis would be dead."

"Why would Willis do any better than you though?" Lalamon wondered.

Alice hummed softly, unsure how to answer. "It isn't about Willis exactly," she admitted. "If I hadn't died, then Miyako, Daisuke and Iori would not have succeeded. Alias III would never have survived and the world would fall not because of Willis, but because of the _four_ missing Digidestined."

"But you can't be sure," Lalamon said. "Destiny is set in stone. If you were supposed to die, then all visions have already been skewered."

"Any sights seen _after_ my death have already taken it into account, you see," Alice was explaining. I hated how normal this was for me to hear. My mind was focusing on her words to memorize them to ensure I didn't miss anything or confuse myself. Ryou's time travel story made more sense to me than this did.

"Wait," I said when the realization hit me. Kiyoko's parents had died in return for his life. Rei had lost her legs in payment for Hideto's life. Alice had nothing to do with Alias III's survival, unless...

"Mari, wait," Alice said quickly, trying to stop me before my mind went too far. She was too late though, I had already dropped Lalamon who caught herself in midair. "You don't need to go there."

"But it's _true_ isn't it?"

"Is it true that Autumn asked me if I would give my life up for world peace?" Alice snapped. "Is it true that she staged the plane crash to write off my death and that your survival means more to me than some silly mortal life?"

I hesitated, staring to Alice. Lopmon, Ryou and Cyberdramon were all listening again but surely they didn't understand what Alice was saying. "You... are lying..." I said, sounding unsure. If this was the case and that Alice had been given the choice... then didn't that make it a little better?

"Do you believe that?" Alice asked.

"I don't know..." I admitted.

"And wouldn't you like to keep it that way?"

Alice's words cut through my mind like razor blades again and again. Everything she said sounded like it was tearing me apart from within. Was this why I felt like I owed so much to her? Was it because her death had given me a chance to live longer and to see Lalamon's creation? Her death had given me all the time I had needed to be with Willis and to fall in love and to see Aneko's freedom. If Alice knew all she was giving up and was willing to give _me_ and Aneko and Willis and the _world_ what it needed in return, was that good enough reason to forgive myself for her death? Would it still be enough even if she _hadn't_ known she was going to die? If she had involuntarily given up her chance at happiness, did that still count as her sacrificing herself for me? And whether it did or it didn't, could I get passed this?

"Mari," Alice said in a whisper so the others could not hear. "My death created a miracle for _you_. You are a walking miracle and every single thing you do in this world reflects that. You are not meant to be alive and neither are Kiyoko or Hideto. Anything the three of you do in this world changes the way destiny was intended to go—for better or for worse."

Lalamon gasped and looked up to me excitedly. "Mari!" she exclaimed. "That means Gaia can't see you in her visions!"

"Or you," I realized since Lalamon was created by my heart... thanks to Winter. I wished I had a chance to properly thank her for the gift she had given me. It wasn't fair that she was dead. Could I have done something to change _her_ destiny if Ryou had simply asked me to come along on his quest to find Morganna?

"So you can't tell Lopmon what we're doing," I said, looking ahead once more, "or Gaia will see it. But as it is now, Gaia will never know we came here." Alice nodded, thankful for someone to have finally understood. "And Gaia thinks she's going to win—but because we'll have everything she wants without her knowing..."

"She will hopefully fall," Alice nodded. "We won't know for sure until it happens."

"So what about me then?" I asked, looking up to the castle that we were nearing finally. "What's my goal?"

Alice looked shocked. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked, a coy smile playing on her lips. She marched forward and scooped Lopmon into her arms and then she set off at a run. My nerves increased immediately and I hurried after her, desperate to catch up. I couldn't allow our time to run out and if Alice thought we were running out of time and needed to run, then I would too. Ryou and Cyberdramon picked up the pace behind us and soon Alice was throwing open the doors to the castle. It was strange that all of Gaia's armies were missing, but I was worried more for Willis than I was for the worlds at the moment. Where her armies were was probably wherever she had run off to, and Gaia was not my concern at the moment.

Alice led the way through the castle with ease until she found the gardens where the Looking Glass was kept. We were there before Hideto and Kiyoko, and so we waited for a few moments. They did show up eventually and Kiyoko was laughing with Tapirmon, Warg and Melga all grinning as they came along. They were having fun, and I was glad they were, but we had serious things to focus on.

Hideto stopped in front of us, at the opposite side of the Looking Glass and reached down into his bag. "Is this what you're looking f—"

"Hideto no!" Lalamon and I shouted. He dropped whatever it was back into his bag and looked startled. "You can't show anyone," Lalamon explained. "Gaia can't know."

Hideto looked annoyed and confused and then his eyes fell on Alice. "Oh my god she's gotten to you two, hasn't she?" Lalamon giggled. "I'm very confused," Hideto admitted.

"That's okay," Alice said, "as long as you've collected the correct artefact and destroyed the proper tool, we will be able to escape seamlessly."

"And... how do we know if we did the right things?" Kiyoko asked, confused.

Alice shrugged. "We wait, I suppose." Hideto threw his hands up in defeat because he just didn't understand what we were doing, and that was okay. I would explain it to him later. "Now you must all venture through the Looking Glass. You are on your way to the Digital World remember and you have one last mission before Ryou and I will meet you at your final destination."

"W-what?" Tapirmon asked. "Do you enjoy making no sense? What final destination? Where are we _going_?"

"You will see!" Alice assured him with a smile. She turned to me quickly and said, "Mari, just remember, it matters not who you are, or where you came from, but what you can accomplish." I nodded because I somehow made sense of everything Alice was telling me now. My purpose in life was to stop Willis' destiny and keep him alive longer than he was meant to. Alice fell to her knees and pulled Lopmon into a hug. "We will meet again," Alice assured her. "I will see you soon, I promise. But right now you will go with Mari, okay?"

Lopmon nodded weakly and was crying as she hugged Alice again. "I'll miss you," Lopmon told her. "But you'll be back _real_ soon, right?"

"Very soon, yes," Alice agreed. She looked up, trying to see the sun to judge the time and I realized we had very little time left on our side. "You must leave now," Alice said quickly, ushering us into the Looking Glass. Warg and Taprimon leapt in first, but Alice froze. "What in the world are you doing?" she asked as the water splashed up at them.

"We're teleporting," Warg shrugged. Alice looked amused, but reached into the water. When her finger touched the surface it turned glassy and hard. Warg and Tapirmon were stuck halfway down and they both looked embarrassed.

The rest of us (aside from Ryou and Cyberdramon since they'd been asked to stay behind) stepped onto the flat surface of the Looking Glass. Slowly, the solid water formed a bubble around us with both Warg and Tapirmon's feet hanging out the bottom. Alice waved to Lopmon who was still crying as she waved back and then with a sudden _whoosh_ we were gone.

The water gently set us down in an entirely new land. We had made it to the Looking Glass in the Digital World and as we all clambered off of the solid surface we heard two distinct screams. Alice had brought us just in time.

"Uh oh," Melga said. "They're coming from different directions."

She was right. I could hear one scream coming from the Coliseum, and the other coming from somewhere in the woods. "We're splitting up," I snapped, grabbing the nearest arm to me. It was Hideto and together we set off toward the scream in the woods. Warg, Melga and Lalamon followed after us while Lopmon, Kiyoko and Tapirmon headed to the Coliseum.

I wasn't going to waste any time after Alice had instilled me with such confidence. I could change the fate of the man I loved and I could save him from a destiny that wanted him dead. I could stop this from happening if I tried hard enough, and all I had to do was find him and stop whatever bullet was supposed to kill him.

The vision had played again and again in my mind since the day Hikari had inadvertently showed it to me. I wasn't going to let it come true. It wasn't only for Willis. It was to stop Gaia too. Somehow, if this vision happened the way it was supposed to, then Gaia would _win_ , and I could not allow that to happen under any circumstances.

Hideto and I were racing through the woods and I hated the fact that I was wearing heels again. Running in heels was _fine_ , but running through the woods with only the distant light of a morning sun to guide me was _not_.

"This way!" Lalamon suggested, hurrying toward the crying sound. Warg and Melga were closest so they set off and eventually we all came to a stop at the sight before us.

Tatum was crying loudly and Natsuni was by her side. Goblimon and Monodramon were both very confused and Goblimon's anger was actually boiling over. For a second I thought Tatum had been shot, but I knew better. Goblimon didn't understand human birth. That's what this was. Tatum was having a baby in the middle of the woods.

And that meant that Willis was wherever Kiyoko had run off to. "Hideto," I said harshly, "get Tatum to Earth. Get her to a hospital right now. Lalamon, come with me."

I didn't wait for anyone to object or complain. I didn't have the _time_ to do that. I needed to find Willis and I needed to save his life. Lalamon was evolving as I ran. Sunflowmon shot past me, shifting into Lilamon as she sparkled in the light that cracked through the treetops. And then the darkened Rosemon was running by my side. She understood the severity of the situation and she ran on ahead.

I saw her stopping in the archway that led to the arena of the Coliseum and when I finally caught up to her I could understand why.

Willis was standing with Rei and Kiyoko backed against a wall while Beelzemon, BeelStarrmon, Leopardmon and Piedmon prepared themselves to fight—wait, who the hell was that?

It didn't matter—I didn't have time to worry about that. My friends needed me. The unknown digimon was advancing upon them and I was scared to find out what was going to happen. Leopardmon was strong, but I had no way of understanding just how strong the opponent was. What level of digimon was he? Well, I didn't know, so the safest option became clear to me quite quickly, but first I had to get closer to our fusion partners.

"It's so nice to have you all together again," the digimon said. "Gaia wanted me to kill you before. She was so upset when she found I had failed her. She had been so sure I would succeed." But Kiyoko had been there. Gaia could not take him into account. I knew that. She didn't. "She will be _so_ pleased when I come back with your heads."

"Maybe," I said loudly, throwing caution to the wind. "But that's not going to happen." The digimon, who I was sure was Astamon in some further evolutionary state, turned to me sharply and fired a blast of energy my way. Rosemon pushed me aside and ran toward Piedmon as the opponent came toward me, chasing after the energy that had missed its target.

Leopardmon swung his sword once and a wave of energy came after us. I jumped up to the nearest seat and set off, running through the stands of the Coliseum. When a large colourful fruit hit the side of the digimon's head Ceresmon waved to him foolishly and I just knew Tapirmon was behind that. I jumped down to the earthy ground and ran—trying to ignore my heels sinking into the ground—toward the others. Rei caught me in her arms and we turned toward the enemy as Beelzemon and BeelStarrmon both reached out, brandishing their guns and they fired.

Astamon—or whoever he was now—fell back to avoid the blasts and then he lifted his feet off the ground, firing from the weapons that made up his legs. Rei screamed and pushed me aside as the group broke apart.

"Who is this?" I asked Rei as we ran.

"Astamon evolved," Rei said, sounding horrified. "AvengeKidmon. He's not exactly sane!"

I could tell that by the way he was laughing maniacally, kicking his feet in all directions as bullets fired again and again. The sound was horrifying because all I could think of was how much it sounded like the vision I had before. I knew there was an obvious reason for that, but that didn't make this any better.

Beelzemon was shot in the shoulder and Rei cried out, trying to rush back to him, but he reverted to Pal and I knew he'd be okay, so I couldn't let Rei into the fight. Neo would kill me if anything happened to her.

AvengKidmon had Leopardmon by the throat a moment later and I was ashamed that I screamed. I hadn't even seen him move. How had he moved so quickly? He tossed Leopardmon aside and fired a blast toward him as he soared through the air.

Things were moving much too quickly. I knew I wouldn't have time to plan to save Willis. It would be all instinctual, and Alice had put her trust in me, expecting Willis to come out alive. I could do that for her. I could do that for the world and for Aneko—I could do it for Willis. I could do that for _me_.

As much as I hated to admit it, Willis was what I needed to be happy. I didn't need a man to define my happiness, but Willis was going to be a _part_ of that happiness. Willis could be my future as long as he had one. His destiny was happening _now_. This was _his_ final destination. Or it would be if I couldn't stop this from happening.

AvengeKidmon spread his wings and set off into the air, his laughter never stopping for a moment. "Misery Bullet Rain!" AvengeKidmon bellowed, sending the barrage of tiny purple energy balls soaring toward the ground where the exploded upon impact. When one flew our way I tossed Rei aside to avoid the blast. The dirt exploded in a cloud of dust around us and I couldn't see anymore.

I hated that I couldn't see.

I hated that this digimon was unpredictable.

But I was unpredictable too.

I had to save him. I had to rescue Willis.

I pressed forward, unwilling to let AvengeKidmon get the revenge he needed. I heard a groan to my right and I saw Lopmon and Terriermon lying in the dirt and then there was the fallen BeelStarrmon. I knelt down and picked up the gun she had left behind and searched through the clouds of dust.

" _Willis_ _look out_!" Kiyoko's voice stopped my heart, and I whipped around with my gun at the ready, aiming it toward the sound. There was a break in the clouds and I saw him.

 _Bang!_

I screamed and then there were screams all around me. I had no idea who had shot, but a second fire followed the first.

I opened my eyes to see a cloud of sparkling dust where AvengeKidmon had stood and relief washed over me. He was dead. So Willis—

"Willis!" Kiyoko gasped loudly. " _Willis_!"

My heart stopped and I dropped the gun, running through the escaping data that was AvengeKidmon. I followed Kiyoko's sobs and found Tapirmon and Lalamon sitting in the dirt, checking each other over for injuries.

"Where's Willis?" Terriermon groaned. "What's going on?"

I fell to my knees because I didn't think I would be able to find him through the clouds of dirt and then I caught a glimpse of Kiyoko sitting next to the stands. "Kiyoko," I breathed, pulling myself shakily to my feet. I ran blindly toward him and gasped at the sight of Willis. He was lying lifeless in the dirt, his head tilted to the side.

I was sobbing before I knew what I was seeing. There was a seared hole in his shirt where AvengeKidmon had hit him and his skin was marked—burnt. He had been hit.

Lopmon found us and was prying my arms off of him to get a better look and I let her because she had more right than I did to see him, but as I backed off, pressing my back against the cement wall I wished I was still holding him. Instead I curled my legs up to my chest and hugged myself. Terriermon found and saw the tears in my eyes and he panicked as he ran over to Lopmon and Willis. And then Rei was there, hugging me.

"I didn't do it," I said weakly. My mind had very nearly snapped at the sight of him laying there. I couldn't think clearly. I could not find the separation between my foggy mind and the cloudy arena before me. I did not know where reality ended and my horrors began. They all blended together. Lalamon was hugging me soon and it seemed that she understood that this was the worst thing that could have happened in that moment. "I was supposed to save him..." I said to her, but she already knew.

"You were supposed to save the worlds," Lalamon corrected. "Astamon was going to return to Gaia. He can't now. You may have done exactly what you were supposed to do."

"Alice asked me to save _Willis_ ," I corrected loudly.

And just when I was sure my mind would finally pass the breaking point, I heard a distant grumble.

It was ugly and sounded pained, but it was beautiful. I turned sharply to where Lopmon and Terriermon were sliding off of their partner who was pulling himself to his feet. His hand slowly moved to the wound on his stomach and he gasped loudly at the pain he caused himself.

"W-Willis?" I said slowly.

"My dead sister told you to save me, huh?" Willis asked with a weak grin. He fell back into the dirt and I gently pushed Lalamon aside as I crawled toward him, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand. "Doesn't she know that this marks the billionth time you've saved my life?"

"I'd do it again," I laughed. "I'll save you a billion more times if I have to."

Willis smiled and closed his eyes. "That sounds nice..." he breathed slowly. "I'd like that."

I leaned down and kissed him. He seemed surprised at first but he slowly began laughing—which was kind of rude actually but I didn't mind. He opened his eyes and stared at me for a moment and while the stare was simple it was filled with so much energy—so much _life_. Willis was alive, and Gaia had no idea.

"Let's go save the world," I said, breaking our moment by offering Willis my hand to help him to his feet.

He let out a dry laugh because our job was never truly done, and then he took my hand. "Sounds good," he said with a grin.

 _ **Jou Kido:**_

The cries were strangely beautiful to hear. I mean, every birth was beautiful, but somehow this baby sounded like she was singing a song of peace. I may have been making that up in my head though since every moment during the birthing process I had been remembering Miyako and Hawkmon's theory. If Jenna's baby was the new Gennai, and as such, the new bringer of peace to the land then I wanted to make sure everything went well, and because it _had_ , I could only let the song of the child fill my ears with warmth.

It was weird, and I wouldn't admit it out loud because I was kind of embarrassed about it, but it was true. This child was the best thing that had happened since... since Renjiro had been born! And I didn't feel bad saying that since he was the youngest child up until this point.

Dad handed the child off to Shuri who was smiling softly to the baby in her arms and Momoe was by her side a second later to help clean it off. I watched Momoe with a relieved sort of smile because seeing her alive and well was all I needed—well, after I had seen Emiko. Gaia could live to see one more day as long as I had Momoe and Emiko. But just _one_ more day. I wasn't _that_ selfish.

Chi was still waiting outside with Michael because when Jenna had fallen unconscious neither of the two men could hold themselves together properly. We were monitoring Jenna's heart rate as best we could with such little equipment, but it was clear that she was still alive. Her body was covered in a thick layer of sweat and there had been a lot of struggle with actually getting the baby out because Jenna wasn't there to push, but we had all pulled through and the baby was alive.

"It's a girl," Momoe cooed, looking down to the little girl in her arms. "She's so cute."

"Sort of," Shuri said, sounding rather skeptical about the whole thing. I agreed with Shuri honestly, but I would never tell Momoe that. I hadn't told her that I thought Renjiro looked like he'd been left out in the sun for days when he had come out either. I liked to let Momoe live in her world where babies were actually cute instead of disgusting. I didn't think Renjiro was disgusting anymore though! Well, most of the time.

Dad backed away from Jenna, looking to me for assistance and I nodded, letting him take a well needed break. I had simply been on standby in case he had needed help during the delivery but I was glad he didn't because it meant things went smoothly. Or at least they went well enough that his stress had not gotten the better of him.

He left the room into the nearby preparation station and I immediately got to work checking Jenna's condition. She was breathing softly and looked like she had finally gotten some peaceful sleep after the rough couple of months she'd been having. I almost didn't want to disturb her, but I got to work anyway. She grumbled something incoherent a few times, but otherwise she stayed rather still. Shuri was wrapping the baby up when Momoe came to my side, preparing to clean Jenna off. I nodded to tell her it was alright and she began with a warm cloth on her forehead, cleaning away the sweat.

"Jou, how did you get in here?" Momoe asked when we finally got the chance to speak. Our reunion had been cut short because of the birthing process. "The library, right?" I nodded but said nothing. I wasn't sure what I really _wanted_ to say. I wasn't in a very good mood, even with the baby's soft cries. "How is Renjiro?"

"He's with Shin right now," I said, avoiding the question. I didn't _know_ that he was okay. Alice had explained that Gaia was preparing her final transition and I hadn't seen Renjiro for hours, so there was no way to truly know if he was okay and I didn't want to pretend that I knew the answers.

"We have to get Emiko out of here," Momoe said in a hushed tone, looking toward the door. "Where is Gomamon? Is he with her?" I nodded again. "Good, she missed him. I'm scared Jou. They're all out there—the Witchenly digimon. They're all there and they don't want us to escape. They're under Gaia's strict commands to not let us _exist_ anymore. We aren't allowed to eat or drink or sleep or stop working ever. We can't go back to that. We have to escape."

"We will," I said, probably too harshly. Momoe reached across to me and grabbed my shoulder comfortingly before leaning forward and kissing me softly.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just nervous. I don't know what to think anymore. We're in deeper than I expected Jou. I want to be the kind of person who can make sacrifices for the world, but I _can't_. I can't do that because I'm too selfish. I care too much about my children to be that person and I'm a horrible hero."

"You don't have to try to be the hero," I told her quietly. "You're exactly the hero that Emiko and Renjiro need, Momoe. You don't have to try. You just keep doing what you're doing because you've been so brave. You've kept the both alive when I wasn't able to."

"You're always able to," Momoe said flatly. "You always will be too. You're scaring me, Jou."

"I'm sorry," I said, faking a smile. It was senseless though, since Momoe could see right through it. "I don't know," I said pointlessly. "I'm scared too. I'm always scared. But it's worse when I'm scared for your life, or for Emiko or Renjiro's safety. I don't want to have to be so scared anymore. I want this to end." I was fighting back tears which Momoe noticed immediately. She dropped her cloth on the bed next to Jenna and hurried to my side. "I've been doing this too long Momoe. I'm scared I won't have any time left when it's over. I'm getting old. I found a grey hair."

"No Jou," she said with a beautiful smile. She was sitting on my lap and her hands were tangled in my hair. "It's called a wisdom highlight. It shows how much you've learned. I know your life has been hard, but you've been so brave to go through all of this. You've had so much weight on your shoulders and you've somehow kept a level head."

"I don't know about it being so level," I joked.

"Well you've still got a head," she shrugged, "and that's half the battle." I managed a laugh and Momoe's smile looked relieved as she pressed her lips against my forehead. "This war against the humans and the digimon has been endless, but I think this is it, don't you?" I looked over to Shuri as she gently placed the baby into the sort-of-a-basinet that had been hastily constructed by Hiroaki Ishida. "Tatum certainly does, and she brought up a whole list of facts to prove her point," Momoe was saying. "I like to believe everything Tatum says because it's usually pretty optimistic."

"I love that about you," I said quietly. "Always looking at the positives."

Momoe smiled at me and kissed my head again. "We'll get through this, Jou. And hey, if this really isn't the end, you just throw that damned Crest to the wind and let someone else take a shot at it. You were given it because you were a child, and you were susceptible and innocent, right? I think that's right. I bet there's someone a little younger than you who could take that Crest."

She had a point. There was no reason for me to still be at war, but I wasn't about to send a child into this either. If we had faced Gaia during our first attempt at saving the world we would have _died_. We'd have been killed before Devimon had a chance to split up File Island. We would not have won, and that was why we were still involved. We were the only people in the entire world who could fight this war. But we were no longer alone. Our team was a lot larger than we had initially thought. Taichi, Yamato, Mimi, Koushiro, Takeru, Sora and I were not the only people involved. I could only imagine what our early foes would have done or said if we'd had the others with us from day one. Even a nine year old Mari wouldn't have let Shellmon get away with attacking us. I was sure Neo had always been just _too_ cool, so watching him stand up to Meramon would have been interesting to see. What if the Seadramon we had fought in Dragon's Eye Lake had always been Michael's partner? What would we have said when we defeated him and he shrunk down only to reveal himself to be a part of our team? We surely would have gone into the adventure with much more confidence, because Kuwagamon surely wouldn't be able to defeat twenty one digimon if he could barely beat the seven of us.

And everything would be different.

 _Everything_.

I looked up to Momoe and silently thanked the universe for letting things pan out the way they had. I loved the life I had been given, even if I had been fighting a war since I was twelve years old. I ran a hand over my tired face and when I looked back, Momoe was staring down to the top of my head. "I found it," she said, tugging sharply. She pulled the grey hair from my head and I felt my face turn red. "It's gone now. And think of it this way, at least you don't have as many as Neo!"

My face only grew redder until Shuri spoke up. "We should move out, shouldn't we?" Her eyes were focused on Jenna though, and I knew why. It was going to be hard to get out of here if we had to lug around an unconscious woman and it wouldn't be fair to Jenna either. Not to mention we now had a newborn baby to take into account.

Momoe slipped from my lap, looking determined to do all we could to help Jenna, but first we had at to at least give the father a moment with his child. Momoe moved quickly to the door and called for Chi and Michael to come inside. I heard Emiko shouting about how she wanted to come too, but Momoe asked her to wait just a couple more minutes. Aneko agreed to watch her again, even though Katsue was still out there, and Chi and Michael were led into the room.

Michael moved to Jenna, nearly knocking Chi over in his desperation to see his sister, but Chi saw that she was breathing and instead followed Shuri's lead to the baby that had actually stopped crying. Chi looked down nervously and blinked blankly a few times at the baby before looking over to me. "Can I touch her?" I laughed a little and nodded. Chi looked back, like he wanted to give it a go but he hesitated. "I might wait until she evolves."

"It doesn't work that way," Momoe said gently, but she too paused and looked to me. "Does it?"

"I don't think so," I said. "I really don't know the answers though. This isn't a common occurrence."

Chi looked even more nervous that there would be no points of reference for their daughter and his fingers began to fidget as he stared to his daughter. "She has my hair," he sounded amused. It was true that the baby had come out with a mess of purple hair, but again, we had no way of knowing if it would stay that way. We knew nothing about this child. "She kind of looks like she's in pain—is she okay?"

"I'm sure she's alright," Shuri said, looking to me. I nodded because from what we had seen so far, the baby was doing just fine.

"Is Jenna?" Chi asked. I nodded again and Michael seemed at ease by this news. It was strange to see Chi so confused because he was the digimon literally crafted by the Crest of Knowledge but he had never been born in the traditional sense. Once he had been born by the Sovereign using the absence of our Crests, but we did not know the specifics of how that had come about, and after Mimi and Taichi took him down he had been reborn into an egg. He had no clue what it was like to be a child. It wasn't as if I could remember my birth either really, but I had grown with the understanding of how humans worked. Chi hadn't.

"We need to name her, right?" Chi asked. "Or maybe she picks her own name later? I think we're supposed to name her though, aren't we? We can't just call her Humon, or TinyChisikimon... that just doesn't make sense." Shuri was beaming, thinking the entire ordeal was both adorable and hilarious and Momoe had her hand covering her mouth to hide her own grin. I was focusing on Michael's worry and couldn't find it in me to smile again. Michael was watching Jenna with so much fear because he just didn't believe that she would ever wake up. I felt bad, and so I placed a hand on his back. He jumped at the touch but nodded at me.

"You can take your time," Momoe explained. "You don't have to name her right now if you don't want to."

"But we should," Chi shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his denim jacket. "I don't see there being a lot of time to name her on the run from Bagramon or Astamon or whoever else is down there. I want to name her in case we don't get the chance to later on... you know?" Shuri and Momoe's smiles fell immediately and their arms fell limp at their sides. "Anyone have any suggestions?"

"Aki," Momoe and I said as one. Momoe looked to me brightly, not having noticed that I was being sarcastic. That had been the name she wanted to name Emiko before Iori had come up with the infinitely better name.

"No," Chi said softly, shaking his head. "That doesn't seem right..."

Jenna mumbled again, but this time it sounded like she was trying to make coherent words and her eyelids were fluttering. Michael stood abruptly, staring down at his sister excitedly before taking a seat again. "What was that?" Michael asked quietly, rubbing the back of Jenna's hand. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled at Michael who was beaming right back at her and then she looked slowly over to Chi.

"It has to..." She paused to take a deep breath. "It's got to be smart. People have to know she's smart." Chi blushed because it was obvious Jenna was getting this from his personal Crest.

"She's the bringer of peace," Michael said in a quiet voice. "At least we think she is. We think she's the new Gennai. We're pretty sure she's the sign that peace is on its way. This is a good sign since she's so healthy." Jenna was smiling at the thought. "Maybe she's the new Theta though, since she was the one who always wanted peace."

"Gennai was Yggdrasil's partner," I reminded him. "Theta was wrapped up in that story too. She still feels like a second Gennai to me."

"Theta though," Jenna said, trying to pull herself into a sitting position. Momoe rushed to her other side to help her with Michael, but Jenna didn't like that she needed the help to do such normal things. "That's a Greek letter, right?" Chi nodded. "What about something Greek then?" Chi was impressed with the thought Jenna was putting into it and he moved to sit at the end of her bed and he stared to her as she thought. "Something pretty—but strong. She has to be everything. What about the Muses? She could be named after them."

"Urania?" Chi asked. Jenna scowled at the thought of the name and Michael snickered as Chi tried again. "What about Calliope? The muse of epic poetry?"

"Hmm," Jenna hummed. "What about no?"

Chi grinned. "Clio then," he shrugged. "She's the Muse of history."

Jenna was staring to Chi for a long moment and then slowly she turned to Momoe. "Can you get her for me?" Momoe looked to me for assurance and when I nodded to let her go ahead and do it she quickly moved to the baby. She pulled out a polka dotted blanket that had been wrapped around the squirmy baby and Jenna's eyes widened. I was sure she didn't think she was ready to have a child, but she reminded me of _me_ when we had first been gifted Emiko. I knew I was nothing like Jenna, but I hadn't been ready either, but that didn't stop me from loving Emiko endlessly. When the baby was lowered into Jenna's arms Chi moved to Momoe's place to get a closer look at her. Michael leaned down to see too and I saw three brilliant smiles as they stared to the baby. "She's so _ugly_ ," Jenna cooed. "In the very _best_ way." Chi outright laughed and the child sneezed loudly and then Jenna and Michael both joined him. "Clio," Jenna said softly.

"Clio then?" Chi asked excitedly.

"I think so," Jenna said, leaning down to press a kiss to the baby's forehead. "Well baby Clio," Jenna lifted the baby up and spun herself around to hop off the bed. "It's time for your first adventure, how do you feel?"

"Jenna!" Michael gasped. "You need to relax."

"I do," Jenna nodded, "but I don't get that luxury anymore, do I?" Michael backed down, looking to me as if he were begging me to stop the clock to give her time to recover from what she had just gone though. If I could, I would have, but no one could really control time. "Who's going to make the plan?"

All eyes turned to me and I shook my head, trying to shake my thoughts. The others assumed I was turning down the opportunity to lead, but I wouldn't dare. If I was in charge of what happened to Emiko then at least I would know I did my best to protect her. "Shuri," I said flatly. "Go get Kai and the others from downstairs. Momoe, Aneko and Emiko have to know exactly what we're going to do, so get them ready. We can't expect them to follow blindly." Both girls moved swiftly for the door to perform the simple actions I asked of them.

"And me?" Dad asked. I looked back where he stood in the doorway to the preparation room and he smiled to me.

"Just stay close," I advised. "We're not leaving anyone behind. Not this time."

"So what exactly _is_ this plan?" Michael asked.

"It's your plan," I told him with a nervous grin. Michael seemed more excited than anything and I worried that maybe following Michael's plan—especially one that had been made in a frenzy of emotions—was not the best course of action, but we couldn't expect Jenna, Emiko or Aneko to walk all the way down that underground tunnel.

We were taking longer than I would have liked because Sora, Mimi, Yume, Summer, Willis, Terriermon, Palmon and Biyomon were all out there fighting and it wasn't fair to expect them to keep it up for much longer, but we also couldn't ask anyone who had been stuck here to hurry. They were all starved and exhausted, and filled with fear. Thankfully Hiroaki and Natsuko were able to work together to get Mimi's parents into action quicker than they would have. MarineAngemon was spreading around his hopeful feelings and making everyone feel a lot better and for once I actually didn't even mind. Emiko was clinging to my leg and I wanted to hug her and pull her into my arms to carry her but she was determined to be out of the way. She wanted to help. I wanted that too, because I was so proud that she knew where her loyalties were, but I didn't want her to get hurt either. ToyAgumon was standing with Shuri and Kai and while I loved that we had another digmion to help us, it was just rather unfortunate that he was the one member of the fight club that had never taken part in the fighting. Michael let Chi take care of Jenna with Dad's help while he let Aneko grab onto him tightly. Monmon was hiding behind Gomamon who was annoyed, but was letting it happen and Betamon looked ready to take on the world.

I was glad because we were really going to need that.

The goal was that we would get the others out and then Michael and I could go back for Mimi, Sora and the others. It wasn't the best plan, but as long as Emiko was safe, I was completely on board. And Clio. We couldn't let anything bad happen to her in her first day alive.

"You know where you're going?" Shuri asked, unsure. I did of course, and when I nodded to her she looked to Kai nervously. Every time they had gone outside in the past day they had been chased by several angry digimon. We couldn't let that happen again. I had to make sure things went smoothly.

So of course, they didn't.

There was a shriek of horror and cruelty filling the air and all I knew to do was cover Emiko's ears. I was screaming orders to Gomamon but I couldn't even hear myself, so I didn't know how he was supposed to. When the screaming stopped in an angry shout I saw that Monmon had fired a pellet from his slingshot toward the attacker.

It was Phelesmon.

"That's so _rude_!" Phelesmon shouted angrily, stomping his feet on the ground as he rubbed his head where Monmon had hit him. "Zanbamon! Hurry!"

"Gomamon!" I ordered loudly.

A moment later there was a clash of metal on metal as Zanbamon who had been creeping up behind us wielded his sword that smashed against Zudomon's hammer as he protected us from the hit. When fire began to form at Zanbamon's feet Betamon evolved to Seadramon, firing water in his direction. With a cloud of steam from the put out flames we set off. Seadramon slammed himself into Phelesmon to clear the path and for good measure, Zudomon smacked him with the flat end of his hammer. We couldn't hide, not with Zudomon shaking the ground with every step, but we could at least escape.

Emiko was digging her fingers into the palm of my hand as I held her tightly, half dragging her through the streets. I was really glad that I had never had to send my seven year old off to a new world to explore and learn a deeply personal Crest. She was nearly the age that Takeru and Hikari were when they had first involved themselves in this war, and that just wasn't fair. I didn't want Emiko to have that life. I really didn't.

We had to end this now. It couldn't continue any further or I was sure she _would_ be taken into the war. I couldn't let that happen.

Karatenmon and Witchmon were crashing against a wall because Seadramon evolved and tackled them before I had even seen them. Aneko let out a scream but did her best to protect Clio from the falling debris. She was very kind.

Zanbamon was back, coming around the corner, but Zudomon wasn't going to have any of that and he had hit him with his hammer once more, slamming into him head on, stopping him in his tracks.

"Jou!" Momoe shouted, grabbing my arm. She pulled me back sharply and Emiko tripped over my leg allowing the descending arm to grab my daughter. Somehow I wasn't afraid—only _angry_. I lunged forward, releasing Emiko as I leapt up to the arm. I dug my elbow into the forearm, between the muscles and NeoDevimon turned his eyes on me, but not for long.

"You're a _jerk_!" Emiko screamed, sinking her teeth into his thumb. She was dropped from the sky and caught by Hiroaki who smiled down at her fondly. Monmon evolved in that moment and became Apemon, taking the bone weapon from his back to beat NeoDevimon with.

GigaSeadramon showed his face when Tacitmon arrived, but Zudomon was busy with Zanbamon and Phelesmon who just didn't seem to want to quit. When Witchmon and Karatenmon got back to their feet, we had no one to defend us so with a quick toss Emiko landed in Natsuko's arms as Hiroaki and Kai dived toward the two digimon to defend our core group. ToyAgumon was throwing stars and flame shaped missiles at the enemies whenever he found a chance but he just wasn't able to do much.

Momoe, Michael and Chi were surrounding Jenna and Clio while Natsuko held Emiko close to her chest. Satoe and Keisuke were standing on either side, unwilling to let anything bad happen to her, so I felt obligated to help Aneko in case anything were to happen. She grabbed my arm when she spotted something and horror sank in when I noticed that she had seen Reapmon, Arukenimon and Mummymon, all rushing down the street to join our brawl.

"We can't fight them all," I said in a near whine. "We have to leave."

"KAHUNA WAVES!"

A ring of water formed around the lot of us before a seemingly endless supply of water shot from the circle. We were safe inside a dry circle as MarineAngemon fired waves down every street, washing the enemies out of the way. "Phew!" he cried when he had given his all. Momoe snatched him from the sky.

It seemed that his goal had been to make them lose their fighting spirit, but since it wasn't even their own ambition keeping them going it did little to help in that aspect but we had at least washed them out of the way. Maybe MarineAngemon wasn't so bad after all.

GigaSeadramon went on ahead to make sure the path was clear and the rest of us followed after him, trusting that he was going the right way. After the fight I had become a little spun around and was not entirely sure where we were, but as long as we found the exit eventually I didn't care what happened next.

Except what happened next could not have been worse.

" _Jou_!" Sora cried out loudly as she slammed into my side. I looked over her shoulder and saw Mimi holding Palmon while Summer carried Biyomon along. Yume was firing over his shoulder toward a digimon who could only be Bagramon based on his description and I knew that they had lost their fight against him. Where Astamon, Willis and Gargomon had run off to I didn't know, but we couldn't wait around to find out.

Mimi had practically thrown herself into her parents' arms and all three of them were crying as we set off. They didn't have time for a perfect reunion or an apology on Mimi's part, but it was at least better than finding out that any of them had died.

With the Witchenly residents chasing after us and now Bagramon on our tail we were pushing harder than before, desperate to find the exit. GigaSeadramon decided that with most of the potential enemies behind us, he would take up the rear this time, leaving Sora and I to lead the group. I was glad Sora was here to help because I was finding myself looking back to Natsuko with Emiko and I wasn't in the right state of mind to be the leader of our group.

Sora was thankfully on board with my plan before I could even explain it to her and she found the main square where the gates were shut tight.

"Zudomon!" I ordered loudly.

"Vulcan's Hammer!" The hammer slammed into the ground and a blast fired toward the door where it crashed open. I winced at the sight of the mangled gateway and the cracked statue of Gennai that had been overhead before the invasion. We could fix the Temple later though, because we just didn't have the time for this.

Summer rushed ahead, thrusting Biyomon into Sora's arms and with a _whoosh_ there were flames all around us, fending off the enemies while she worked on burning down the walls of briar. When a path had been cleared enough for us to move along the bridge we did so without hesitation. Chi spread his wings and flew above Jenna's head in case any burning pieces of the briar patch fell, but we were lucky enough to escape easily enough and then—just as we were nearing the end of the bridge—a human popped in front of us. I was preparing my fists but the face was familiar.

"Agumon!" Sora gasped when he landed in the grass roughly. He looked back to us with wide eyes. A flash of light nearby showed Gabumon coming in the same way as if they were popping out of nowhere exactly. "What's going on?"

Agumon looked to Gabumon like they had too much to tell, but Gabumon summed it up helpfully. "Theta sent us from her world!"

Neo and his friend Kansui were next, followed closely by Spring who had tears in her eyes. Bitoru and his sister Evelen appeared with sad looks on their faces—and Bitoru came with a stream of tears—and then Dracomon and Tentomon were appearing too. Finally Koushiro landed amidst our group and was nearly knocked off his feet by Chi who grabbed his shirt to continue dragging him.

"What is this?" Koushiro asked loudly, sounding rather confused.

"We're kind of in the middle of something!" Mimi shouted loudly, but for once she didn't sound too angry with him at all.

"We should fight!" Michael declared loudly, but it was no use. I could see that Agumon, Dracomon, Gabumon, Biyomon and Palmon were too wounded to actually help, but we also couldn't run forever. Jenna was especially showing signs of exhaustion—understandably.

Michael was right again.

We would have to fight. I stayed back as several of the others passed by. Natsuko was with Momoe now, but she grabbed Yamato on her way by and Hiroaki joined them from behind with Gabumon staying behind to help all he could. Taichi grabbed Sora and together they and Biyomon were following the others while Mimi and her parents ran as quickly as they could. Aneko was with Chi, Jenna and Dad now as they did their best to keep her safe, and Kai and Shuri were going to stay behind to give ToyAgumon support.

"You need to go," I told them, eyeing up the competition. Both of them glared at me, but they understood that ToyAgumon wasn't going to be much help. "Go with the others. I need you to keep them safe."

"Jou!" Momoe called before either of them could answer me. I spun to see her and I waved her on. She had to keep going. She stopped, but was holding Emiko and she knew she couldn't stay. She nodded and then turned after taking the sight of me in one last time—not the last time though. It _couldn't_ be the last time.

"Michael!" Sora shouted loudly. "You and GigaSeadramon need to go too. Keep Jenna safe. We don't know what's out there!"

Michael looked back frantically to the slew of digimon making their way through Summer's fire and then looked sharply back to Sora. "I can't!" Sora pointed to Jenna who was holding her baby still and Michael let out a low groan. "Fine!" He motioned for GigaSeadramon to follow him and he set off after the others. Mimi was caught up in the group, running with her parents, but without Palmon she wouldn't be much use anyway.

Spring, Bitoru and Kansui were all running along with the group, and while I wished we could have Spring to help the fight I knew it wasn't fair to ask of her. Summer—which I hadn't noticed before—was bleeding in several places on her body and she looked like she had just come from a warzone. And... well, she had. Yume was helping her along and while she looked like she could probably move by herself, she didn't _want_ to. Yume didn't look to be in much better condition than Summer and that scared me. Just how strong _was_ Bagramon?

"Your partner is _dead_!" Taichi shouted to Bagramon with a sense of anger in his voice. Bagramon didn't look to believe him but he didn't need a reason to be angry at us. We were the Digidestined and everyone had a never ending supply of hate for us for some reason or another.

"Zudomon," I ordered loudly, "you need to evolve."

"Tentomon, you too," Koushiro ordered.

There were several flashes of light and then Aegisdramon and TyrantKabuterimon were looking down on their opponents.

"Don't let them out," I ordered. "But you can't kill them—it's not fair."

"Jou," Sora said weakly. "We can't let him get away with this. I know killing pointlessly is wrong but this isn't pointless anymore."

"Oh no," I shook my head, "I mean don't kill the Witchenly digimon. By all means, let's show Bagramon what we've got." Yamato, Taichi, Sora and Koushiro all turned to the fight while Agumon and Gabumon looked longingly to where they wish they could assist us. Biyomon was too weak to even be conscious and while I was glad she was getting her well deserved rest, we could have used her help.

"Shine Breaker!" Aegisdramon sang.

"Shine of Bee!" TyrantKabuterimon joined in.

A blast of red light accompanied Aegisdramon's barrage of missiles and the bridge that connected the Temple to the main land was surely broken. I couldn't be sure because we couldn't see through the steam and smoke, but when I heard a deafening creak I knew the bridge had fallen.

I wasn't sure who was falling along with it and I felt horrible about it, but when Bagramon leapt through the smoke, landing roughly on the ground nearby I knew we hadn't hit our target.

TyrantKabuterimon slammed his arm forward, hitting Bagramon in the side but the digimon was so strong that he simply grabbed the arm of our ally and swung him around, throwing him into the mist that we had created by the bridge. Koushiro took a shaky step forward but relaxed when TyrantKabuterimon emerged only to let out a gasp when he had been dragged downward.

I caught a flash of Tactimon, dragging him downward and I feared that the others were doing all they could to drag him down the hole around the Temple. I looked to Aegisdramon, hoping he could help, but knew that he was busy with Bagramon. He charged forward, slamming into the digimon, but once again Bagramon blocked the attack with his arm.

Yggdrasil's armour was impenetrable. We knew that. So we knew Bagramon was too.

"You have to aim for his head!" I yelled across the open field. "Come on Aegisdramon! You can do it! You have to stop him!"

Sora and Koushiro were rushing to the edge of the moat to watch for TyrantKabuterimon who had shown his face several times as he struggled to escape the mist, shoving away at those who were trying to keep him down.

Aegisdramon breathed a steady stream of hot water, sending it toward Bagramon before he sent another barrage of missiles his way. Bagramon had been pushed back by the water, but he wasn't going to be fooled by the second attack and he jumped high into the air, letting the attack hit the earth.

The ground shook under me and I lost my footing, nearly falling to the ground as the soil tore away at itself, giving way under Koushiro and Sora's feet. Sora screamed, but held tighter to Biyomon. Koushiro toppled exactly backward and was falling faster, deep into the moat around the Temple. Yamato and Agumon had already set off after them, but Gabumon and Taichi both stayed behind, watching in horror.

Yamato slid through the dirt with Agumon holding around his waist as he grabbed Sora's arm, ensuring that she didn't fall. She slipped further until his hands were wrapped around only her one hand while the other held the unconscious Biyomon. She was crying as she screamed into the hole after Koushiro but for some reason my body couldn't bring me to help them. I was in shock.

TyrantKabuterimon had other feelings though and he moved quickly, diving down to his falling partner, dragging Tactimon along with him.

Gabumon growled and I turned to see Aegisdramon and Bagramon charging toward one another in the air and when they collided the sheer force that rushed from their contact knocked me off my feet. But Bagramon was quicker and smaller. He spun quickly and slammed his hand into Aegisdramon's head and he came crashing down until, in the crater they created, there was only a Gomamon in his place.

When Sora screamed once more I froze in place after starting off toward Gomamon. She had fallen and Yamato was shouting after her, but TyrantKabuterimon was back carrying Koushiro and now Sora and Biyomon. With a sharp spin Tactimon was flying through the air and crashing near me. I moved quickly toward Bagramon and Gomamon because either foe seemed dangerous enough, but Gomamon was thrown aside and I veered off in his direction.

When he was in my arms I was able to turn in time to see TyrantKabuterimon crashing to the ground from Tactimon's hand. Sora, Biyomon, Koushiro and Tentomon all smashed into the dirt while Yamato and Agumon chased after them.

We had no more partners to help us fight. I looked to Taichi and silently asked if it was time to run and he nodded as Bagramon turned to the Temple.

"Savage Cyclone!" Bagramon called out in an almost graceful way. The result of his summon came quickly and the sky surrounding the Temple turned dark as the wind picked up around us. The cyclone was taking shape inside the castle and before it had even fully begun I could see the buildings crumbling and falling to pieces. The Temple was _gone_.

I felt Taichi's hand on my arm and he pulled sharply. When I turned I saw that the others were already running ahead and then I joined them. Together we ran. I didn't know where we were going, but from what I knew Earth was the best bet. That was where the others should have gone. We couldn't defeat Bagramon alone—we needed help and I trusted Taichi to help us find it.

 **Next on Digimon Adventure 08:** Mimi and Hikari take us through to the final chapter of the trilogy and try to help bring some serious closure to this mess of a tale.


	79. Starlight

**Y/N:** Mimi's finishing up some loose threads, while everyone else—literally _everyone_ else, even the super minor characters—are dealing with the actual threat. It seems random, but it's not. It has a purpose—a big one. So just, keep that in mind. Rei's section is why this chapter is late. Whoops. I'm a stinker.

 **U/N:** So this is the final chapter of the trilogy! Time to get down to the climax and get straight to the end of this war that Gaia started so many years ago! We took this chapter down to add some things. Jenna and Rei specifically because there needed to be some serious closure to a particular plot. Hope it works better this way! Enjoy :D

 **Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine**

 **By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.**

 **Part 6: Cleanse**

 **Chapter 79: Slarlight**

 ** _Mimi Izumi:_**

My throat hurt nearly as badly as my legs did. My muscles were aching from fighting and running, but my throat was ripped raw by the screams that tore out of my mouth. The Temple was gone. I saw it happen. What I didn't see, was if my friends made it out alive. Sora and Jou and Gomamon and Biyomon were there. Tentomon was there. _Koushiro_ was there. I didn't care if he wanted a divorce. He was still my husband and I was still crazy about him. My heart couldn't handle another loss so soon after losing Winter.

I watched as the Temple in the distance crumbled and fell. I wondered where Willis had gotten to, and whether he and Terriermon had gone down with the Temple. My throat constricted, and I forgot to breathe. My heart sputtered sporadically, as my mind got creative as images flashed through my brain. I saw Willis and Terriermon crushed under tonnes of stone, losing the last of the air in their lungs—or if they were lucky, being dead instantly because their heads were crushed.

Cursing my wandering mind, I wiped furiously at my face. I was crying, and I didn't even know what _really_ happened. They could've escaped. But my heart was aching for Astamon too. He was awful, and evil, and the worst kind of digimon, but he was alive, and I didn't like the idea that _anyone_ would've died being crushed.

"We have to get to Primary Village," Michael called. I knew he was right and that we couldn't just wait around and see if everyone survived. They would be coming to Primary Village too. Without the Temple, Primary Village was the only sort of 'base' that we had. And Renjiro was there. And we had his wife and daughter as well. He had nowhere more important to be.

He would come back for them.

He _had_ to.

"Mom," Emiko whined, looking back with wide, terror filled eyes at the place where the Temple had once stood. Momoe's eyes were shining with unshed tears. She was holding herself strongly, refusing to let her daughter see how scared she was. Emiko was dealing with enough on her own already. I picked Emiko off the ground, and she curled her arms and legs around me, burying her face into my shoulder. She wasn't crying—yet. But I knew she would be if she didn't get confirmation of her father's survival.

Isao moved to Momoe, and rested his hands on her shoulders. Momoe shook her head stubbornly. They made it out, she seemed to be saying with her defiance. Neo was the only one that took logic into the equation. He held out his digivice with a flourish that was probably not intentional, and looked down at it.

"Their signals are still strong," he commented. "They will be fine. We have priorities that demand our focus now."

"What about my husband?" Momoe and I asked at the same time. Emiko lifted her head to glare at Neo, but he seemed unfazed. He wasn't interested in the anger of a small child. He had other fish to fry.

"We need to get the Digimentals where they belong," Neo said simply. "We have no time to waste. The balance of the worlds is at stake."

"How is it any worse than it was yesterday?" I demanded, still upset about how quickly everything had started to suck again. I'd just been turned into a puppet for Morganna. I didn't know how things could've gotten _worse._ But then I remembered that the Temple was gone now, and it all became clear. "How are we supposed to get them back anyway? The Temple is gone!"

"They were never meant to go there," Spring murmured softly. She was helping to hold her sister up, since Summer was exhausted and in pain. Bitoru looked miserable, and was lending a hand. Benjamin was staring at the ruins of the only home he'd ever known with horror, and despair. Natsuko and Mom were on either side of Aneko.

Jenna was near Michael, and was holding her purple haired child close to her chest. Clio was much too young to need to deal with any of this mess. Chi was behind them, keeping himself between the fallen Temple and his family, just in case an enemy was to chase after us.

Michael was shaking with impatience. He wanted to get Jenna to safety. Hiroaki was holding the exhausted MarineAngemon, and Dad was holding Palmon, who was far too tired to run anymore. I was so happy to see him lending a hand. He didn't get an opportunity to help, and to just have him with me, and to know he was alive after being so unsure, was just a blessing to me. I didn't have to worry about him _too_ anymore. I knew that my parents were safe, but it wasn't enough to bring me full peace of mind.

Yume was leaning on Katsue, who was having difficulty keeping the man upright. Kai tried to help, but he was too worried about Shuri and ToyAgumon to be able to pay much attention. Wizardmon was anxious to keep going. The rest of the Knights were on Earth fighting, and he wanted to join them, and take his place among the warriors. Gravimon looked bored. I didn't know how else to describe the digimon. He wasn't interested in anything as far as I was aware. His friendship with Kiyoko was strange to say the least, but he didn't even seem too worried about the fate of the bearer of Desire.

"Where are we going then?" I asked with a sigh.

"Primary Village," Michael said firmly, looking to his sister. "I don't care _where_ the Digimentals need to go, we need to get to Primary Village first. That's where most of the Digimentals are hidden."

No one was able to come up with an argument, so Michael led the way. I was still holding Emiko, but I jostled her around enough that I could hold onto Benjamin's hand too. He'd lost his home after being a prisoner of Gaia's. I was sure he needed some comfort. He accepted it readily enough, so I knew I was right.

The journey back was a sober one. We had no idea what to expect when we got there. I was hoping for a much more exciting welcome, but there simply weren't enough people to provide one. I was crying again at the thought of it, because the few remaining people were the sole members of our allied forces that weren't on Earth battling right then.

I felt so guilty for wanting a big, happy reunion. We'd left people behind, and maybe they'd died. And I didn't know. I shouldn't have been so selfish in thinking for myself. Even Tako was gone to fight. She had no digimon partner, and no experience, and she was out there fighting for her life and for the freedom of the worlds. And I was thinking about myself. Daisuke's _father_ was out there fighting, and he wanted nothing to do with his son. He was putting aside _that_ much animosity for the sake of the worlds, and I was being selfish.

But I still wanted it, no matter how guilty I felt.

I _wanted_ someone to be cheering at the sight of the people we'd managed to save, so that I felt like I'd done something worthwhile—so that Jou and Sora and Taichi, and Yamato, and _Koushiro_ , and Tentomon, and Biyomon, and Agumon and Gomamon and Gabumon and maybe even Willis and Terriermon might not have died for nothing.

Not that I thought they were dead.

But when I instinctively turned to look for Winter to find out _for sure_ , I was struck once again by misery, because I'd forgotten even for a few minutes that Winter was gone, and Gaia was the only one with clairvoyance anymore. Summer looked to me, and I could see the pain in her eyes. I forgot that she could hear thoughts by simply reading the recent memories of a person. I didn't know why she was spending any of her energy on reading _my_ thoughts. She looked like she was going to fall over any second, and I really didn't want to have to say goodbye to a second fairy princess so soon after losing her sister. Summer frowned to herself.

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured me, but it did little to comfort me. I was sure Winter hadn't thought she was going to die either. But she was gone, and now so many other people were potentially also gone, and I didn't know what to do with myself.

I was done with fighting.

But the world wasn't really giving me a choice in the matter.

"Emiko!" Masa screamed when we arrived. Chiziru looked up, startled at her son's cry. She was on her feet a moment later, carrying her niece with her. Mai was grumpy, and falling asleep, miserable without her parents around. Chiziru crashed into Momoe, and Mai started wailing, not enjoying the ride at all. But Chiziru was crying and clinging to Momoe, watching as I set Emiko down for Masa. Emiko usually pretended she didn't like Masa, but she'd been so scared while she was trapped that she didn't care who he was. She hugged him tightly and they cried together. Monmon and Kunemon soon joined them, completing their group hug.

Mary Washington let out a shriek, racing to look Michael up and down, to ensure that her step-son was in perfectly good health, before she quickly turned her attention to Jenna—the one everyone had been worried over. She let out another startled shriek at the sight of the baby, and Jenna was happy enough to hand her daughter to her step-mother. The moment Clio was out of Jenna's arms, Jenna collapsed into Chi's. She was exhausted. She hadn't had a chance to rest after giving birth. I was surprised she was even still on her feet. She was clearly in a lot of pain, but she was pushing through it. She needed to. If she hadn't rallied the energy, she might've been left behind with Koushiro and the others. I was afraid to think what would have happened if Jenna had been there too.

"She's beautiful," Mary said, looking down to her first grandchild with awe. She was quick to move towards Kana's diaper bag, and got to work putting a diaper on the naked girl. The diaper was far too large, of course, as was the frilly little dress Clio was stuffed into. But we hadn't been prepared for Jenna to go into labour so soon.

"She's Clio," Jenna told Mary. "She's also probably hungry, but I don't know how to..."

"Come with me dear," Mary said softly, gently guiding Jenna away from everyone else. Chi hesitated, not feeling safe having her out of his sight, now that he was in a survival frame of mind. Michael also seemed upset by the idea of Jenna leaving.

"You won't like what you'll see," Aneko warned him. She looked rather upset. Mari wasn't here, Kiyoko wasn't here. Lalamon and Tapirmon were with their partners. She felt alone, even though her partners had chose to stay behind and wait for her return. She fell into a group hug but I could practically see her mind getting stuck on Mari. Fumiko, despite her fear and the grief of watching her two sons leave to fight for their lives, after _just_ getting Iori back, mussed up enough energy to welcome Aneko back. She took the small girl into her arms, and held Aneko as she finally let the fear escape her in the form of painful sounding sobs.

MarineAngemon floated over towards the other infants, finding Renjiro almost immediately. He nestled in next to the baby, before Momoe even had the chance to escape from Chiziru's embrace. Momoe smiled at the sight, sadly, because she wasn't sure if Jou was okay, and then it struck me that Mai, Haruki and Kana had no parents there to take care of them, and if the worst happened, they'd all end up orphans. I was infinitely grateful that at least Momoe was around. She would help take care of them. It struck me as odd that Jun wasn't around to watch over Haruki, like she usually did, but I knew she had a lot of fight in her, and she wouldn't hesitate in deciding to go to battle alongside her brother.

I just wished that she hadn't needed to.

We'd started this journey when I was ten years old. I was almost _thirty_. I had been involved in this for eighteen years. Eighteen years of fun and adventure, sure, but also of pain and heartbreak. I was tired of losing people. I wanted this over. I wanted it to be over when Yggdrasil was defeated. I'd hoped it was. I'd prayed for a sign that told me that we were finally free from the heavy burden destiny had piled on our shoulders.

This was it though. We'd been _promised_. I was sure we had. If I could make it through this one last thing, then I would be free—and Emiko and the other children wouldn't need to be dragged in. They were who I was fighting for.

"Enough waiting around," Evelen said, thickly. I looked to her, already nodding. She was right. If I wanted to save Mai, and Emiko and the others from suffering our fate, then I needed to keep moving. "We have to go."

"You can stay," Neo offered her, worriedly. He looked to Kansui and Bitoru. Bitoru was upset, yes, but Kansui was bawling. I wasn't sure what happened, but I knew it wasn't good.

"No," Evelen said firmly. "I have to see this to the end. Theta wants me to take care of Gankoomon. I have to help him achieve his goal. I can't disappoint her."

"She would understand," Neo insisted.

"But I wouldn't," Evelen said. "She died, Neo. I watched her die. We need to get the Digimentals to safety."

"Oh my," Summer gasped, looking woozy. Spring had to catch her. Summer looked deeply at her sister's face, and started crying, holding her elder sister closely. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Spring murmured, looking at Bitoru, and his siblings.

I felt like I was missing something big, but I wasn't sure it was the time to ask it. Neo headed directly to our collection of Digimentals, and I excused myself so that I could follow after him. He didn't seem all that happy to have me following him, but I didn't care. I needed answers.

"I need answers," I told him firmly.

"To find answers, one must first ask questions," he said, raising an eyebrow as he collected whichever Digimental his fingers touched. I looked at him pointedly, but he was stubborn, so I groaned, and gave in.

"What happened, Neo?" I demanded.

"Theta is dead," he said simply. "Aesop died as well, along with Maugrim, who has been under Gaia's manipulative control for far longer than any of us can comprehend. We resurrected Evelen's mother only for her to die along with her one time lover."

"Four more deaths," I said. My knees went weak, and I fell to the ground. He looked very upset by the newest occurrence in our lives. My heart went out to him, because he was clearly deeply affected by Evelen's heartache. My heart was aching too. I hated fighting more than anything. People kept dying, and I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it much longer.

"There will only be one more," Neo declared.

"Someone's in trouble?" I asked, panicked. I got to my feet, grabbing the Digimental of Desire and turning around, planning to use it as a weapon or something.

"You irritate me," Neo said simply.

"If someone's in trouble we _have_ to save them," I said firmly.

"I would actually prefer if you were to not save Gaia from our united wrath," he said dryly. "Now pick up more Digimentals. It is literally impossible for me to carry the entire assortment."

I blushed, because I felt like an idiot for not thinking it through. It seemed entirely obvious to me, having heard him say it. Of _course_ he was talking about Gaia. I didn't really want to kill her though. And I felt guilty for it too, which just confused me and made me feel miserable. I wanted to save the world, but I didn't want to kill her, and yet, in my heart, I felt like she deserved some punishment for her actions. We'd already proved that locking her in a single world wouldn't work. She had too many powers, and thanks to Norn, she understood how to travel between worlds, and combine them. She was just way too powerful and evil to leave unattended.

But I still felt guilty when Neo mentioned that she would die.

I hoped that feeling was the difference between Gaia and I. She _wanted_ to kill us all. She wanted to kill anyone and everyone that got in her way. She was reconstructing the worlds to suit herself. She was too dangerous to simply _not_ stop.

So I grabbed five of the Digimentals—Desire, Miracles, Trust, Honesty and Light—leaving Neo to take the other six (Purity, Faith, Kindness, Darkness, Tenacity and Pride). We'd lost Hope and Knowledge when Takeru and Yamato took them into battle.

When we got back to the others, I noticed that Evelen was focussing very carefully on the Digimentals in her own hands. She had obviously collected two of them from her father, before he died. I was thankful once again that my own father was here with me. I didn't have to watch him die. I didn't have to lose him. His life, no matter how many horrible things he did, was worth something. And it hurt me to see Evelen—and Kansui and Bitoru as well—trying to mourn their father without comfort, simply because Maugrim had helped Gaia for a large portion of his life. They didn't need to keep to themselves. They were allowed to feel anything they needed to. I wouldn't judge them—and since Gaia was Michael's grandmother, and Sigma was his grandfather, and Yggdrasil was in his family tree somewhere, I really didn't think he was up to judging _anyone_. The same could be said for Spring and Summer.

"Are we going then?" Evelen asked, impatiently, when she realized we were back. She looked to me first, having felt my analytical gaze. I tried to convey my support through a single look, but I just made her feel uncomfortable.

"Let us go," Summer agreed, looking thoroughly exhausted. She straightened herself, and walked on her own power a few steps, before turning to Spring. "Perhaps, _you_ could lead the way, having been there before and all?"

"Yeah," Spring said, anxiously. She glanced at Bitoru and pointedly nodded in Summer's direction, before she wandered off. I was quick to follow, and Evelen walked at my side. Neo wasn't far away.

"Michael, you have to go," Jenna ordered her brother. "The fate of the worlds is on _your_ shoulders, not mine."

"I just want you to be safe," Michael admitted.

"She will be," Chi said firmly. "I'll watch over her."

"As will I," Gravimon said. "Kiyoko would want me to do the _right_ thing. Wizardmon will stay as well. There are far too many younglings, with very little protection. It's unseemly and an embarrassing oversight. Had Gaia, or any of my fellow digimon of Witchenly, been present, everyone here would fail to survive."

"He's right," Kai said, bitterly. He clearly wanted to get to where the action was, but seeing the way Shuri's eyes were misting up while she looked at baby Kana, he relented. ToyAgumon and MarineAngemon decided they would stay as well. Momoe wasn't going anywhere. She had two children to think of now, as well as her niece. Mom and Dad were going to follow me, but I ordered them not to with a well timed glare.

"Mimi," Mom pleaded.

"This time, I need to know that you're safe," I told her. "You protect the children. That's just as important as what we're doing."

"You know that's not true," Dad said with a sigh, as he set Palmon on the ground. She danced her way over to my side, and I smiled at her.

In the end, Summer, Spring, Bitoru, Neo, Dracomon, Evelen, Betamon, Michael, Palmon and I were set to go. Yume and Aneko followed us anyway, as did Hackmon, who had been left behind only because no one knew very much about him, and he was dedicated to Gankoomon, who was guarding Theta's sacred temple, and refused to leave the world that his master was currently residing in.

"Evelen," Kansui whined, before racing after us. "I don't want to be alone."

He was distraught, and now I knew why. His father was dead. He was miserable with good reason, and I didn't blame him one bit. Aneko was holding his hand, and rubbing gentle circles on it. He seemed to find it very relaxing. She was anxious, because she didn't know where Mari was. Aneko was young, but she'd already been through so much. I hoped we would be able to reunite her with Mari at the end of all of this. I didn't want to have to give her any bad news. She was so sweet, putting Kansui's worries and sadness above her own. And I knew she realized that idleness was dangerous to an active imagination. When she was sitting still, with no goal in mind, she wouldn't be able to do anything but think of all the ways that Mari could have died.

Movement and purpose helped to keep the hope alive—I knew it from experience.

"Why do you have three partners when I don't have any?" Kansui's voice came out in a whine and I didn't blame him one bit. I knew if I were to talk I would be doing the same, so much had happened and my feet were just screaming at me to get to a day spa.

Aneko looked over to her three strange accomplices and she shrugged, "They like me I guess." Kansui looked wounded but Aneko was quick to try to appease him. "As honorary members of Alias III we have to do all that we can to help out. You don't need a partner to do that, you have money!" Kansui let out a strangled whine again and now it was just annoying. Aneko's face flushed, "I just mean that I have three partners, maybe they represent a new era of Alias III? HoneyBeemon is so helpful and kind and always looking out for others, so he would be Hideto. Porcupamon always sees the best in other people like Kiyoko, and Fangmon always stands up for his friends just like Mari does." So what she was saying was that Honeybeemon was manipulative, Porcupamon was naive and Fangmon was ruthless. Often I thought about that time Mari sent Bengoshi to the Dark Ocean just because he was annoying and when Hideto broke his best friend up with the girl he loved just because he thought she was better with someone else, or when Kiyoko agreed to let Sigma take over his body just because he told him it would be okay. I was glad they had worked through some of their issues.

"So I'm useless?" Kansui asked, looking up to Neo who was not hiding that he was eavesdropping on the conversation. "Why am I even here?" Kansui's face lit up suddenly. "Oh wait! I'll be Neo!" Aneko smiled to him encouragingly but Neo and Evelen simply rolled their eyes. I was jealous of how easy it was for them to keep their normal personalities in such stressful situations. "So I need a partner that can fuse with an alternate timeline version of itself!"

"That's not likely," Neo said sharply, looking over his shoulder finally and shaking his head, breaking Kansui's hopes.

"He's right," Aneko nodded, "Jogress is an ancient fighting technique that isn't as common or easy to use as you might think. Besides, timelines are even more confusing." Timelines were my favourite thing to talk about, which was why I was practically addicted to using my key—or, since Koushiro kept telling me that it didn't actually belong to me, I would have to start calling it the key to Neverland. Once I used my key to go back in time to ask Gennai which hairstyle I should use for the summer season. He told me to go home. "My guess is that timelines are created by decisions, and so Neo knew that when his Arkadimon plan went awry he had two choices. Join Arkadimon or leave him. So Dracomon had two separate evolution paths set in stone but they were separate from one another—"

"That's confusing," Kansui said, shaking his head, "Make it stop." Aneko sent an apologetic look his way but Kansui was over it immediately. "What Arkadimon plan?"

"Neo tried to kill us all," I said, forgetting that I didn't want to join the conversation. "A few times actually." Neo turned away immediately but I shrugged. He was my friend now so I could say stuff like that. "How do you know so much about jogress Aneko?"

"Probably the same way Neo does," she shrugged. Neo was interested once again as Aneko began her explanation. "Gennai's library is full of information. Every thought he's ever had is written in there, and jogress evolution is covered in great detail. It's really straightforward actually." It didn't surprise me at all that Aneko had wandered off to the nearest library when locked in the Temple, but it _did_ surprise me that I had not yet read every word in that library. Gennai was my favourite topic. But there are probably way too many things to read, I would just have to remember to get Koushiro to read it all and fill me in on the major details. Besides, the library probably fell apart with everything else when Bagramon destroyed the Temple.

Aneko and Kansui's conversation became less interesting then, as Aneko brought up as many topics as she could to keep Kansui's mind off of his father. It was honourable really. The rest of us fell into silence, and I held Palmon closer to me as she stirred, trying to wake up.

Michael's mind was back with Jenna, and the new baby. He was an uncle now! It was super exciting, and I felt really bad that little Clio's birth was on a day when everything was falling to pieces. But I was sure her family were going to make up for that. She was a little miracle baby. We hadn't been sure that Jenna would survive, or if the baby would survive. But she was, and she was practically the second Gennai—heritage-wise anyway. She was gorgeous, and I couldn't wait to snuggle with her when peace had finally come. Holding a baby while relaxing and talking with friends would basically convince me that everything was over.

But until that happened, I didn't have time to coo over the baby properly.

"Summer," Bitoru asked, rather stiffly, because Spring had obviously put him up to it. He held out a tiny red crystal and Summer gasped. "I can't do it. I can't fix her. I tried. I suppose the curse wasn't the problem after all. I'm just inadequate."

"That's not true," Spring defended him quickly. "You helped so much. You gave me hope."

"I can do it," Summer agreed, but she didn't make any move to do it other than taking the crystal from Bitoru. I was hoping that she was just taking the time to examine the memory, and try to figure out the best method of inserting it back into her sister's mind.

Spring was much more patient than I was. I would've been annoying about the whole thing, but Spring was calm, and led us to a familiar set of ruins. I remembered them, after a moment's thought. I'd found them with Jou a long time ago, and brought Koushiro to them. He was paying more attention to them than to me, and I stole his laptop.

Mom had been _so_ mad, because I'd absolutely destroyed my own laptop to prevent Koushiro from getting through to get his back. I'd needed to get an after school job to pay for a new one, since Mom hadn't wanted to replace it so soon after buying it—and I _was_ the one that was stupid enough to break the computer, instead of just turning it off.

The ruins held memories for me, but otherwise, they were only ruins. They held the secrets of the Cycle of the Crests, but that was it. Spring took Michael's hand and guided it towards the symbol of the Crest of Strength. It started glowing, and a door opened with stairs that led downward. I gasped, but wasn't actually too surprised, not after everything I'd seen in the past.

"Why have you come?" Gankoomon asked with a deep voice. He sounded quite distraught, and I remembered that Theta was gone, and he cared deeply for the woman. I wondered if they had been partners, but I knew I couldn't ask. It would be way too rude and cruel to ask about her right then.

"We have come to carry out Theta's final request," Spring said softly.

"You've brought them home," he said, nodding his head toward the Digimentals. I nodded, because I didn't know what else to do, and then Neo and I walked down the stairs, with Evelen and Michael hot on our heels. Palmon was ahead of me, chasing after Dracomon, who was very excited to be doing this. The first thing my eyes were drawn to were the pedestals for each Digimental. Dracomon grabbed one Digimental from Neo, before he raced to find its place. He was confused though, because there was no spot for Tenacity to sit.

"Put it where Honour should be," I suggested. "It's what it _used_ to be."

"Okay," he said. Palmon took Desire from me, and did the same, putting it where Forgiveness belonged. Soon, Palmon had taken Miracles and Trust, and I put Honesty and Light in place. Neo and Dracomon worked their way through their six Digimentals quickly enough, and Evelen placed Friendship and Courage in their proper place.

"I'm meant to be Gankoomon's partner," Evelen murmured to herself. "I can't compete with Theta."

"You won't have to," I said firmly. Neo looked annoyed—and I realized only after I'd spoken that she was looking to _him_ for advice. I flushed, but didn't back down. "You will never have to be anyone other than yourself. If you try to be Theta for him, you'll just be hurting yourself. If he's your partner, he will complete you. You are what he needs now. Theta isn't."

"I'm not ready," she said, shaking her head.

"I shall wait," Gankoomon said. I screamed, and whirled around to see him stepping off the bottom stair. He looked really serious, and I grabbed Palmon's hand, pulling her up the stairs to give them privacy. Neo could come if he needed to. He knew how Evelen felt better than I did.

"Did you give Spring her memory back?" Palmon asked, skipping ahead of me and latching on to Summer's leg. Yume smiled at her, and Palmon beamed. She was looking much better now. I was glad she was feeling good, because seeing her in pain hurt _me_ a lot.

Summer rubbed Fangmon's head behind his ear gently and he seemed to be enjoying himself. "No," Summer told Palmon. "I haven't had a chance. Spring's feeling something." Fangmon jerked away from Summer, almost offended by what Spring might have felt. He bumped into Porcupamon who fell flat onto the ground where Honeybeemon helped him back to his feet.

"What?"I asked, turning to Spring, to see if I could figure it out. Her eyes were screwed shut in pain, and she was holding her stomach. My heart sank. I knew what was wrong.

"Tatum," Michael guessed, before I had the chance. He was starting to panic, but he needn't have. Airdramon was flying overhead, and lowering himself to the ground cautiously. Goblimon hopped off first, freaking out about what was happening. Natsuni followed quickly, before she and her partner started to lower Tatum to the ground. Tatum screamed, and tightened all her muscles. Her face was coated with a thin sheen of sweat, and Natsuni winced from the pain in her fingers, as Tatum squeezed them with all her might.

Hideto jumped down to lend a hand. Mari slid off Airdramon's back, but instead of heading to Tatum, she raced at her sister. Aneko burst into tears, and let Mari hug her tightly. She let go of the brave front she'd been holding on to, and showed her true emotions to her sister. Mari pet her hair, and whispered to her, trying to calm her down, when it was obvious that Mari was feeling just as relieved to see Aneko, as Aneko was to see her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Mari murmured.

"S'okay," Aneko said, through her tears. "It was important."

"It really was," Mari agreed, glancing at Willis, who was hopping off Airdramon, followed by Rei, and who I assumed to be Pal and Pul, but they sure didn't look like the PetitMamon that I remembered. They were Beelstarmon and Beelzemon. They were pretty cool, I thought. Lopmon and Terriermon jumped next, and Kiyoko fell off, being caught and steadied by Warg, Tapirmon and Melga. Lalamon was last, before Airdramon reverted to Monodramon.

Monodramon raced to Tatum's side, but already had to compete for a place, because Michael and Betamon and Spring were all crowding her. Monodramon was silent as ever, but he was frantic now, unable to help his partner through the pain of childbirth.

"This can't be happening," Michael moaned. "I just went through this."

" _You_ went through this?" Tatum said, practically growling through the pain of a contraction. "I highly doubt it."

"Jenna just had the baby Tatum," Michael whined. "I _saw_ it. I can't un-see it."

I had to laugh, and caught sight of Kansui crying with Hackmon out of the corner of my eye. Hackmon was desperate to cheer the poor guy up. He even handed him a digivice, revealing that Kansui was meant to be Hackmon's partner. That brightened Kansui's mood, until Tatum moaned again.

"I used to have parents," he told Hackmon, while watching Tatum and Michael freak out with tears streaming down his face.

"I didn't," Hackmon offered, awkwardly.

Hideto and Kiyoko were drawn to Mari's side, as was Willis. Their partners were torn. They didn't know where they wanted to be, so most just stayed with Natsuni. Rei, however, walked right up to the Temple.

"Is this where the Digimentals go?" she asked. I told her it was. She smiled and pulled the Digimental of Strength out of her pocket, and handed it to me, while she tried to get the rest. She tossed over a key ring, and I eyed my key enviously. I missed my sapphire key. It had taken me on so many adventures through time. While Rei was holding the Digimental of Desire, and catching the Digimental of Love that Hideto threw her way, I sneakily slipped the Time Key off of the ring and stuck it in my own pocket. It felt very at home there. I handed the keys back to her, when she held her hand out for it, and the Digimental. I watched her walk down to where Neo and Evelen still were, and then I wandered over to Summer, since Palmon had abandoned me in favour of gossiping with Lopmon and Terriermon. She was trying to understand what we needed to do next, which was commendable.

Bitoru dragged Spring away from Tatum, which Monodramon appreciated, since it meant he would have access to his partner. Spring was deposited directly in front of Summer.

"Hold still," Summer instructed her sister. "This shouldn't hurt."

"I'm ready," Spring said, eagerly. I was excited to be bearing witness to this moment. But Warg bumped into me, and I in turn caught myself on Summer's shoulder.

Everything disappeared around me. I was in a castle now. Gaia was standing before me. She was hitting me. She had me tied with vines. I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move? She was yelling at me. I wasn't doing what she wanted. I'd done something...or _seen_ something maybe. I didn't know what was wrong. I just knew that Gaia was punishing me.

I didn't want to be there anymore.

The foggy haze around me cleared slightly, and I was able to hear words.

"What's the chaos?" I asked, without meaning to. "What is it for?"

"Balance," Gaia hissed angrily, whipping me with a long thin vine. "There is peace, so there must be chaos too."

I didn't know what the chaos was. I didn't know why Gaia was beating me and answering me at the same time. It didn't make sense. Why wasn't she just killing me? I was a Digidestined...

But no, I wasn't.

I was Spring. I was inside her memory. I was seeing the mystery as it unfurled. There was a chaos out there, and this chaos, and all news of its existence were what Gaia had ripped so carelessly out of her daughter's mind.

"What _is_ the chaos?" I demanded.

The fog was back, making everything hazy. Gaia was answering me, but I couldn't hear the words. I _could_ see vague images though. There were flashes of gold, and a face. I screamed at the sight of it. I knew it. Why was it here though?

"Mimi!" Hideto shouted.

I was on the ground, screaming. I met Summer's eyes, and she was just as afraid as I was. "They need us. They need the Digidestined. Gaia's not the strongest thing out there. We have to stop her before she unleashes the chaos."

"But—" Michael said, looking helplessly to Tatum.

"Go," Tatum said sadly. "The world needs you. Go be the hero you need to be. We'll be here when you get back. Think of how awesome this birthday present will be. World peace. That's the dream."

"Okay," Michael said.

Yume, Bitoru, Spring, Summer, Neo, Warg, Melga, Kiyoko, Dracomon, Lalamon, Hideto, Mari, Willis, Terriermon, Betamon, Lopmon, Michael, Palmon and I all came together and headed back to Earth, praying that we weren't too late.

 ** _Jenna Washington:_**

I didn't want to say anything, but I was worried.

For months now my entire body felt numb and drained of all energy. It was as if every part of me was begging for me to let go but I knew I couldn't because I had to hold on for my child. For my Clio. She was here now, and I could see no wrong in her eyes. They were closed now, peaceful as could be. I was never the kind of girl to plan ahead to a baby or anything of the sort, but now I had one. I had a family.

I was just scared it wouldn't last much longer.

Wearily I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, holding Clio as gently as possible with my other arm. My vision seemed to be fading along with my energy. I just wanted to rest, but I knew now wasn't the time. It was never the time to rest. Why did I feel so weak? I had never experienced a total exhaustion as I was now.

I was scared.

I was scared that I was going the same way my mother had. I did not feel as though my energy was being passed to Clio though, not like my mother had done to me. It was not a cycle, but that didn't mean this wasn't the end. Maybe my energy was always meant to be passed to Clio and that had happened during birth. It was possible that my mother sacrificed her life not for me, but for Clio.

I was scared because there was not a single part of me that believed I was going to survive. And I was scared because I wasn't the kind of girl to get over emotional or to pity herself.

But it hurt so badly.

Chi had always asked me if I was alright during the pregnancy, because he wasn't stupid. He knew something was wrong. Spring was by my side through it all though and she was doing all she could to keep Clio healthy. I was forever thankful for that... Summer knew. She had to have known.

 _"Is there anything I can do for you?"_ she had asked one day while she sat with me alone. Spring had been taking a well deserved sleep and Summer was holding my hand gently, speaking in whispered tones. _"Jenna I'm so sorry."_

She had to know that this was the end. That's what she had been apologizing about. Summer knew and I knew, and I didn't even have the energy to ask someone for comfort.

My eyes stung with tears that I was too exhausted to keep at bay and then I felt them streaming down my cheeks as I leaned my head back against the big wooden block tower. Primary Village. The place where rebirth was meant to occur. It felt fitting that Clio and I shared our last moments together in this place. I just wished I could have said goodbye to Michael before it happened.

And then I couldn't breathe. Not because I had died, as I had initially suspected. My heart was hammering against my chest and my palms grew sweaty as my grip tightened around Clio. I was having a panic attack, and my choked off breathing wasn't helping the pain that had settled in around my entire body. The same pain that I had become so comfortable and familiar with over the past two months. My eyes fell to Clio and I found that she was still resting peacefully. I envied the way she could remain oblivious to that around her.

I was painfully aware that my brother was still fighting for his life. Willis was out there too, and while he wasn't always the first person I thought of when I remembered family, he was always a close second. Willis was too important to me to die. I wondered if he felt the same way about me.

The problem was that I was worried I wasn't just being dramatic. I was worried this was actually happening. I had been digging my fingers into the ledge to hold on for so long that I just finally wanted to let go. My breathing calmed at the thought and that worried me even more.

Slowly I opened my eyes and saw that Shuri was reattaching ToyAgumon's arm while Kai rubbed her shoulders gently, obviously wishing he was back in the action with his friends. Emiko and Masa were sitting, eating some bread with Monmon as Fumiko watched them to ensure neither got any ideas of running off. Mary had left me alone to help Chiziru with Mai while Momoe laid Renjiro down to rest. And there was Chi, speaking with Wizardmon, unaware that Mary was done teaching me to feed my baby. I kind of hoped it stayed that way. There was no reason for him to be worked up over nothing.

It was Katsue that actually made eye contact with me, seeing the drowsiness in my eyes. "Hey, Jenna?" Katsue asked in a voice that sounded a million miles away. "Jenna—oh my god—" I felt my head slip and Katsue faded from existence.

All I knew was Clio and darkness. I was holding her tight. I couldn't ever let her go. I felt like I was drifting, but my mind was so sure I was stable, still on the ground. My limbs were weak and they wanted to give in and drop my baby as my eyes pleaded with me to let them shut for good. I was nearly ready to give in to their wishes because every part of me knew it would relieve the pain and the exhaustion. My heart was aching for release, but could I leave her? Could I leave Clio?

I looked down to the bundle in my arms and immediately felt a scream escape my lips. Clio was gone. She wasn't here anymore. All that was left was the stupid bundle of clothing that she had been wrapped in. I tried to call out for her, searching the endless darkness around me, but my voice failed to work. My vision faded more when I heard the distant calls of Katsue.

I could hear her soft and feminine voice searching the void for me. "Jenna," she called to me, "Jenna come to me." Okay so it didn't exactly sound like Katsue... but who else could it have been?

Focusing on the voice seemed to rejuvenate me in a way I hadn't expected. I blinked twice and looked sharply around as the void shifted from total darkness back to Primary Village. But it was no longer dark and ominous. There was light everywhere. But as I looked around for my friends and family I found that they were gone with the moon.

"Jenna," the voice said again.

I rounded quickly to see a familiar face standing nearby. She was wearing a floor length orange dress as her golden hair shone brilliantly in the light of the overhead sun. It was my mother.

I was ashamed to admit that my heart plummeted at the sight of her. It showed on my face too. I could tell because my mother smiled gently and closed the distance between the two of us and fell gracefully to her knees, taking my hand in her own. "Jenna, my darling, how are you feeling?"

"I feel weak," I told her, not afraid of opening up to her. She wouldn't judge me. I just knew. She wouldn't fear for me or try to control my actions like I knew Michael or the others would. "I feel like I'm dying." Her mouth twitched and she didn't need to respond because I knew what she was keeping from me. "I'm already dead."

"Not exactly."

It wasn't my mother who had answered me this time, but in fact another familiar face. Winter made her way toward me, not bothering to sit down on the soft ground. The designs on her dress sparkled in a way that truly showed the beauty of ice and winter, despite the area around us being so warm and comforting. "Death, just like everything else, is not so black and white, Jenna." Mom was rubbing my hand softly with her fingers and Winter nodded along, agreeing with my mother's assessment. "You must remember that in every moment of your life there is a choice."

I slowly turned my head to her and I felt like I could not possibly be any weaker as I stared into her inviting eyes. "So I can choose to die?"

Winter and Mom exchanged a quick glance and then both nodded. "Or you can choose to hold on."

"Michael is going to be so jealous," I said, holding back a growing cough. "This is exactly like—" Mom held my hand tighter as I wheezed unattractively.

I fell silent after my fit, feeling embarrassed that I had fallen so _ill_. "I'm very proud of you, Jenna."

"All I did was push a screaming watermelon out of my body," I moaned, leaning my head back and praying for my heart to stop beating so quickly. I didn't like that my mother was treating me like some kind of hero. I hadn't done anything to deserve this kind of treatment.

"You stuck to your ideals," Winter told me. "That's much more impressive than giving birth."

"You wouldn't know," Mom said with a knowing smile. Winter rolled her eyes but did not argue. I was thankful. I didn't think listening to an argument right now was going to help me any. I knew that Winter liked to argue, and so did I, but now wasn't the time. At least for me. I felt my breathing growing shorter with every passing moment.

I closed my eyes as my mother began to hum but the bliss she created did not last long. A third voice asked through my personal darkness, "Has she made up her mind yet?" I slowly opened my eyes and saw a woman I did not recognize by the way that she looked, but rather by the way that she felt. She felt exactly like my baby did.

"It's Theta," I said weakly. The woman smiled and nodded, confirming my declaration. "I don't want to go with you guys. Is that what you're asking?" Theta nodded and looked to my mother to gauge her reaction. I was scared to, afraid that she would not be happy for me to live, but when I saw the sparkle in her eyes I knew she was pleased with my decision.

"Your job was to give birth to the balance," Winter told me in a tone of voice that was far too soft to really be coming from her. If I hadn't seen her mouth move I wouldn't have believed it at all. "You do not have to fight any further."

"I didn't _have_ to fight at all," I told her firmly, "I chose to. And I am choosing to return now as well. I have to go back." Theta and Mom smiled but Winter just looked concerned. "I may have given birth to balance, as you say and of course I knew that was what was happening. How could I not? But we've all seen how easy it is for balance to be shifted. I need to stay by Clio's side to make sure that the balance always stays exactly where it should."

I found myself looking to Theta for confirmation as if she could tell me if it was so, but she simply shrugged her shoulders. "I think that sounds admirable and I'm sure Clio would love to have you by her side." I smiled, pleased that no one was objecting anymore. I couldn't fight much longer. "You are right about one thing in particular, however. Balance _is_ shifted more easily than any of us can truly understand. Gaia was close to balanced once herself, yet look at where she stands now. She is the true embodiment of disorder, a truly unbalanced force of nature. She is nothing more than that. She has tried to counter this truth with Light and with Darkness, hoping that one day she will find herself in a stable place, but there is no chance of that."

"Gennai understood true balance," Mom said kindly. "No one else could ever understand like he could. Clio will now fill that role."

"Remember," Theta told me seriously, "Clio is everything that Gaia is not." I tried to store her exact words away in my mind but I was just too tired. Clio wasn't Gaia, I didn't need Theta to tell me that. There was no way something that was half of Chi could be anything like that horrible woman. He was too kind and too _good_ , even if he had been born of the lack of Knowledge—and even if he had once tried to kill my brother and his friends. "The Digimentals are not yet all gathered," Theta told me as if I needed to know, or even cared.

"They soon will be," Mom assured me. "They hold Theta's power, remember that. Clio can use them to hold herself in a place of true balance forever."

My chest seized up then, either because of pain or panic, but either way it hurt like hell. "Does that mean she won't..." I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain now, "she... she won't grow up—or digivolve or whatever she's going to do?"

"She's not going to evolve," Winter said snidely, as if it were so obvious. It _wasn't_ , but I wasn't about to say anything.

"Clio will be just fine," Theta assured me with a kind smile. "The Digimentals can do no harm."

"So that's my next mission?" I asked, trying to perk up. "Get Clio to the Digimentals?" Mom's lips puckered and she nodded as if she were thinking if there was anything else to be done. "That sounds easy enough."

"You had best move quickly," Winter told me sharply, without a single trace of delicacy. I didn't even mind. That was how I liked to be treated, but that didn't mean I wasn't still on the brink of death. "Hideto has proven once again to be meddlesome and foolish." I literally didn't have any idea what Hideto had to do with any of this, but whatever it was, I wanted an explanation _fast_. "He ignored Alice's distinct orders to keep the Digimental of Love out of sight of those who are still in the stream of destiny. Gaia now knows the plan and knows where to find her precious artefacts."

"I need... I need to be faster than her," I decided, trying to pull myself to my feet.

"You do," Theta said, kneeling down to my level. Without words she asked my mother for permission and then took both of my hands. "Are you sure you are ready for this?" I nodded fervently. I needed to help Clio still. She wasn't out of the woods just yet. "Then be wary of Gaia's touch. Remember, that her disorder is powerful. Only the Digimentals can keep Clio's role intact."

I nodded. "I think I understand."

"Let's hope so," Winter drawled, flicking her hair out of her face. I noticed then that she wasn't wearing her crown, and wondered if she cared.

"Good luck Jenna," Mom said, kissing the top of my head. "I hope not to see you soon."

"You too," I said weakly. It was then that my entire body jolted, lighting up like a firework. I felt like I could fly with all the energy Theta was passing off to me. I was breathing quickly and sharply like I might soon have a heart attack and then Theta pulled away. I was afraid she would take her energy with her, but I was left feeling rejuvenated and like I had never been pregnant at all. I certainly hoped that wasn't the case—I still loved my weird mutant baby.

Theta got to her feet and pulled Mom up to stand with her. They gave me one last look and Mom even blew me a kiss before they wandered off. My eyes fell to Winter and I was afraid that she was going to leave a different way, that her worst fears had been realized and she was not invited to spend an eternity with Theta or my mother. But when Theta turned back and extended her hand to Winter I saw something I would never have expected. Winter's face broke out into a big grin and she looked really _peaceful_. She set off toward her grandmother and the moment their fingers entwined everything disappeared.

It took a moment for my eyes to readjust to my surroundings where Shuri and Chi were hanging over me. I felt a wet cloth on my face and someone was sitting near my feet where I could hear Clio crying. I looked to her and saw Mary holding her in her arms and Katsue was standing over us all watching with her hand clasped over her mouth.

"I'm fine," I said firmly, sitting up sharply. "I'm okay." Chi and Shuri looked to each other, afraid that I was being a little overzealous. I pushed Shuri's hand away and the leaf that was apparently on my head in place of a cloth or rag fell to the ground. My head spun for a moment when I sat up far too quickly but I wasn't in a place where I had the choice to sit around. "Gaia..."

"What are you talking about?" Chi asked.

"Mom said—or Winter I guess—and then I have to go!" I stammered stupidly. My mouth was numb and felt thick and it wasn't working right.

"You're not going anywhere," Katsue said, looking me up and down like I had officially lost my mind. And in all honesty, maybe I had. I wasn't the chosen one. I didn't get to take a stroll with death and then return to finish the battle. Maybe everything had just gone on in my head. But that didn't mean it had to be fake.

"I am," I said firmly, looking to Mary and holding my arms out for my baby.

"Jenna, are you serious?" Chi asked, his voice full of confusion and worry.

"It doesn't seem safe," Shuri pointed out. "You just had a seizure, Jenna. And you were totally blacked out and—"

"And I need to go," I cut across her words. "Clio and I have some unfinished business."

I turned back to Mary wondering if maybe she would think I was crazy too. Maybe she would hold my baby hostage until my mind sorted itself out and of course I wouldn't hold that against her, because she was just looking out for Clio like the others were doing for me. But Mary surprised me as she reached out and gently passed Clio into my arms. "Be careful," Mary said softly, "You're the only daughter I have left."

I hated that I felt a stinging in my eyes again but I pushed the tears away and nodded. "I'll be okay," I promised. "Clio's got my back." I practically flung myself to my feet as I hurried across the clearing. I knew where I had to go—but only kind of. I had seen Michael and the others head the way I was going now, and that was my only lead.

"What are you talking about?" Chi asked as he floated backward, nearly pressed against my side as he followed along. "Clio isn't even a day old, Jenna. She can't fight. Can she?"

"No," I assured him. "You need to do more research on human babies by the way, you're a dad now."

"I've been trying," he promised.

I passed Clio off to him and I began dumping the contents of someone's backpack onto the ground before storing some water, food and blankets inside. I needed to keep Clio in good health and I didn't know how to do that on a hike, but I was going to take all I knew and use it in one last mission against the horrible woman who had hurt my family so much. Satoe Tachikawa was at my side, surprising me and she handed me a bottle of some gross liquid. "It's Kana's formula. I imagine it might be hard to feed the baby on the run."

"Thank you," I said awkwardly, taking the bottle. I literally had no idea what was inside, but Natsuni was a health-nut so I knew it would be okay if it really came down to it. Probably.

"I want to come with you," Satoe told me, "I don't know you well, but Michael and Mimi were always close when she lived with us in New York. I want you to take me to my baby."

I looked up to her and sighed. "I'm not in charge of you, Satoe. No one is. You're a grown woman, please, feel free to do as you wish. Why don't you go to Earth though? Where people can actually use your help?"

"Mimi asked us to watch the babies," Keisuke pointed out.

"Yeah, well Gaia's not here," I told him. "And I know where she's going. It isn't here."

Satoe's face lit up like a light bulb. "Oh good!" She clapped her hands together, "Then I'm out of here!" She turned sharply and grabbed her husband's arm, dragging him directly toward the doorway that would lead them to Earth to help out in the battle.

I saw that Katsue was joining them without a second thought, but I didn't have time to check on everyone else. I had to go now. Chi was still holding Clio but I traded him the bag since I wanted to keep Clio as close to me as I could and then I was off. I didn't get more than a couple steps when Momoe called to me. "Wait!" she had said. I turned back to see Gravimon ducking through the door to Earth as well. Chiziru and Isao were sitting with Fumiko watching Emiko, Masa, Renjiro, Mai and Kana while Haruki was curled up in Benjamin's arms.

"I'm coming," Momoe said firmly. My eyes flicked over to Emiko for a moment and Momoe nodded. "I'm not going to let my children grow up with the knowledge that their mother was a coward. I'm not going to sit around and just be 'Mom' anymore. If Jou has to keep fighting because the universe won't let him stop, then I'm going to be out there doing all I can to help too." She looked to Bearmon who was quick to jump to his feet and race toward her. "You're bringing your daughter?"

I nodded, "I have to."

"I trust you," Momoe nodded, patting my shoulder before she set off into the trees. "Let's go."

 ** _Rei Yagami:_**

Watching everyone go was hard. I wanted so badly to be at their side—to run with my brother into danger, and to fight along with Taichi, my husband. But I was a hindrance, more than anything. I could not walk where they were going. My legs wouldn't work. I couldn't physically fight the way my heart demanded me to.

It was difficult to accept, now more than ever—after finding out that there was a power even greater than Gaia that my loved ones would be risking their lives to fight against.

And I was just as useless to Tatum. She was clutching her stomach, and squeezing Monodramon's hand. Gritting her teeth, she tried to keep from screaming in pain, and instead her moans came out as a mangled cry. She was in pain—so much pain—and I didn't know how long it would last.

I'd heard horror stories about labours that lasted _days_. I couldn't listen to her cries for that long. I didn't know if my heart could take it—and I certainly doubted that her exhausted body could handle it any better.

We'd been through too much today.

"She needs to get to a hospital," I found myself saying.

"I'm not moving," Tatum cried. I could tell that her muscles were tense, unmoving. Monodramon winced as her grip on his hand tightened.

"When the contraction is through, we'll time the break before the next one. That will give us an idea of how soon the baby's going to get here," Natsuni supplied. "We'll be able to get Tatum to a hospital quickly and efficiently, if we know how much time we _have_ between contractions."

"I don't think I _want_ to move," Tatum reiterated. Her eyes were shut tightly, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "I want Michael," she whimpered. "No." She shook her head quickly, and bent her knees, barely holding herself upright. "I want my _mom_."

"She's in Primary Village, maybe," I offered, looking to Beelzemon and Beelstarmon—Pal and Pul, in their Digimental induced mega forms. Maybe I could get one of them to run to Primary Village real quick, and see if Mrs Jefferson was still around—or if she'd decided to join everyone else (all the physically capable members of our support team) in the fight on earth.

Not that I was _at all_ bitter about being unable to help.

But I was.

I was so upset that I was playing the waiting game again, even if I _could_ help Tatum bring her child into the world. I didn't want to be on babysitting duty. I didn't _want_ to be waiting, unsure if I'd ever see my husband or my brother, or any of my friends alive again. I didn't want my heart to hurt, as I pleaded and prayed that our united forces would be enough to beat Gaia—and whatever else there was out there, that was supposedly more powerful than she was.

I didn't like not knowing.

I was _tired_ of not knowing.

But there was nothing I could truly do about it. I'd accepted my past. I knew I would never walk on Earth again. I knew I could never walk in Witchenly either. The Digital World was my solace, and my paradise—even if it _was_ also acting as my cage today.

"I think...I think it's ending," Goblimon offered, watching as Tatum's fingers started to unclench from Monodramon's relieved fingers. There was a sheen of sweat on Tatum's brow, and her knees were buckling. Goblimon and Monodramon rushed to support her, and she sighed with relief.

"I don't have a timer," Natsuni said, nearly panicked, but Kansui wordlessly shoved his cell phone into her hands—a timer already started. Natsuni showered him with thanks, but he didn't drink them up as he usually would. He was still in shock. His coping method—either for all the fear surrounding us in a constant swirl of danger, or due to his quite recent loss of his parents—appeared to be shutting himself off entirely. His sister just looked to be steaming.

I could practically _see_ the anger seeping through her pores. She was miserable, and clearly felt cheated. She wanted to do something about it, but there was little she could do. Obviously she wasn't comfortable lending assistance to Tatum.

I couldn't find much to do myself either though. Natsuni had it mostly in hand.

My eyes moved from Kansui and his sister to the surrounding area. We weren't too far from Primary Village. I wondered if maybe we could just _go_ there, while we timed the break between contractions. I knew that there were other women there that had experienced childbirth, as Natsuni had—and I was fairly certain that Isao was there too. From what I had gathered, the people who were trapped in the Temple had been saved in any case. That also meant that Katsue was alright—she wouldn't be much help to Tatum but she was my friend and I had been worried.

Even if Tatum couldn't walk on her own, Gankoomon, Hackmon, Pal or Pul could get her there. They were strong. We could be there already—and maybe, _just maybe_ , we'd get an update on the fate of our friends.

The battle could be over already for all we knew.

It was unlikely—since Neo, Mimi and the others had _just_ left to join them—but it was still a possibility that I couldn't help but hope for.

At the same time, however, I was _afraid_ of what we could hear. I didn't want to lose anybody. No loss, no matter how personally effected I'd be, was a loss I could handle. But Taichi and Neo were out there, and I couldn't shake the terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was an ache that wouldn't lessen, tightening into a knot of nerves that felt like it would explode at any given moment.

"Are you okay?" Aneko asked. For a moment, I thought she was talking to me, or Tatum, but she wasn't. She and her three partners were at Kansui's side. Kansui shook his head, and she gently took his hand and squeezed. Hackmon hovered beside them, unsure of how to react, or respond. He wanted to help his new partner, but Kansui wasn't used to having a partner yet, and wasn't leaning on Hackmon the way the digimon wanted him to.

My fingers started tapping against my leg, and I felt the need to pace. I gave into that need easily enough, and I could feel Tatum's annoyed gaze following me along. The movement didn't help my unease however, and I soon stopped, much to Tatum's relief.

I nearly threw up when I realized I wasn't the only one with a bad feeling.

Gankoomon was standing solemnly, eyes closed, turning his head, as though he was watching the woods with some sort of sixth sense. His eyes snapped open, and he looked to Tatum, and then to Aneko. "We must leave. Hurry."

"We can't," Natsuni protested weakly. She didn't put much effort into it. Gankoomon sounded scared, and when such an ancient and mystic digimon felt fear, there was typically a good reason for it.

"It's too late," he decided. "Close in the ranks. We must protect the future of the worlds."

"Do you mean _me_?" Tatum asked sourly, patting her stomach, referencing her impatient baby. Her eyes crossed a moment later, and she let out a long moan. The baby was determined to make this even more difficult than it already would be.

"Pal, Pul," I said. They didn't need further instructions. They, along with Hackmon, flanked Gankoomon, and I quickly moved to grab Aneko's hand. She in turn dragged Kansui behind her. Evelen seemed determined to fight alongside the digimon, and Goblimon joined her, while Natsuni and Monodramon helped get Tatum behind our last wall of defense.

"She mustn't get the Digimentals," Gankoomon ordered.

"Who?" Aneko asked softly, trying to use her quiet tone to mask the sheer terror she was feeling.

No one had time to answer her, before _she_ walked through the trees. It was difficult, just watching her approach, but there was nothing I could do to truly fend her off. Any warmth she'd had while we had tea in Witchenly was gone. Gaia had lost any sense of subtlety. Her shimmering white armor was smeared with blood, and her eyes were wild, flitting across each digimon we had to offer.

But we weren't the only ones with a team.

Zanbamon and Tactimon—two mega level digimon—walked at her side. Witchmon—a champion—joined two ultimates—Karatenmon and Phelesmon—in the sky. Salem, Witchmon's cat, was yowling, and the sound made my skin crawl. NeoDevimon and Reapmon—two more ultimates—were slinking behind them, while Zamielmon—a mega—marched along, keeping pace with Gaia.

Only FlaWizardmon—a champion—seemed beatable to me in the slightest, and that was debatable, because his fire attacks would melt me upon contact.

It was difficult to overlook their levels. I hadn't ever deemed myself a tactical person. I didn't make plans. I followed my instincts. That was the reason I ended up in Witchenly in the first place. If I'd just _waited_ for Taichi, like I was told, I wouldn't have been in any danger. And I wouldn't have gone to Witchenly, in order to confiscate the key that Kiyoko had found, and I never would have given it to Gaia, and she never would have escaped. Kiyoko and Willis might've escaped without Gaia ever having been given the opportunity.

But I couldn't change the past anymore than I could change myself.

I was rash, and instinctual now. Sure, I used to think every decision through for sometimes months before making it because of my accident but living with Taichi changed me into my old self again. And my instincts were telling me that I would have to join this upcoming fight. There was just no way that Gankoomon, Pal, Pul, Goblimon and Hackmon could manage to win this on their own. Even with Monodramon and Aneko's partners' help, there were simply too many of them.

And I was expecting a sneak attack by the last remaining Witchenly digimon. Arukenimon and Mummymon were nowhere to be seen. At the very least, the Dolphimon wouldn't attack us. There was no water nearby. We were freed from his attacks—and his alone.

It wasn't just the Witchenly digimon though.

We were up against Gaia.

My heart was hammering in my chest, and I was shouting orders before I could even think them through.

"Get Tatum inside the temple. Aneko goes in too. If you can't fight, you hide. No questions, no protests."

"On it," Natsuni said.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Gaia. I'd already taken stock of her team. I couldn't afford to look away from her now. She was the kingpin. If we could beat her—though I knew we couldn't—or at least get her out of the Digital World, then we might stand a fighting chance.

"Oh, Rei," Gaia said, her eyes turning to me as I spoke. Fear coursed through me momentarily, before anger took its place. Evelen growled at the sight of her. It was nearly inhuman sounding, filled with so much rage and pain. She took a step towards Gaia, who was nearly upon us, but Gankoomon caught her arm, and held her back. "It's always a surprise to see you walking. You know, after Astamon got you."

"Well," I said cockily, taking a step forward, and joining the line of defense. "We got him back. He's down for the count."

I realized that bragging about the death of her friend was probably _not_ a wise decision when Gaia snarled at me, and hastened her pace.

"Maybe," I said, unable to stop myself, because I was a rash idiot, "it's time for my partners to get _you_ like he got me."

Gaia's lip curled in disgust at the sound of the word _partner_. I should have realized that she didn't think of Astamon in that way. And perhaps, he never really _was_ her partner. But it didn't matter in the long run. He was devoted to her, willing to obey her every command.

And his death clearly upset her—even if it _was_ in a now-I-have-one-less-minion-you're-all-so-totally-going-to-pay-for-that sort of way.

"Pal?" I asked, hesitantly. She nodded. "Pul?" He grinned. And then the two were off, running at Gaia, guns drawn, and already showering her with bullets—bullets that ricocheted off of her armour and imbedded themselves into the trees around us.

I didn't have long to watch their fruitless fight, because the Witchenly digimon had followed Gaia's example, and were racing towards us.

I knew then that I had one moment and one moment only to embrace and live in fear. I took a slow and steady breath feeling my heart race like it was running a marathon and I inwardly screamed. But that was all the time I was allowed and we had to go. Even if Taichi couldn't be here to help us.

Gankoomon met Tactimon head on. They slammed into one another, and the impact echoed through the woods. Goblimon heaved his club at FlaWizardmon—who I was definitely hoping I would get to fight, but I couldn't fault Goblimon for getting the luck of the draw. He _was_ a rookie after all. He wasn't all that much stronger than I was.

FlaWizardmon was thrown back against a tree, and a bullet slammed into the bark just above his head. He looked up, frightened momentarily, before he raised a fist covered in flames and threw himself back towards Goblimon.

Monodramon jumped into the air, shifting into Airdramon on the fly, and tackled Witchmon midair. She let out a frustrated scream, before cackling as Salem clawed at Airdramon's back. It was two against one—though Salem was little more than a nuisance. Salem was efficient at distracting Airdramon's attention, however, and it left the two champions equally matched.

Hackmon and Evelen were tag-teaming Zanbamon. They were hilariously outmatched. It wasn't funny though. Zanbamon's fist came down and caught Evelen. She flew through the air, over Goblimon and FlaWizardmon's squabble, and between Gaia and Pal and Pul. She was nearly caught by a barrage of bullets, but my partners put the guns down _just_ in time, having caught sight of her.

This gave Gaia a chance to catch them unawares with some of her vines. They were freed quickly enough by simply _shooting_ the vines until they detached themselves from the ground. The vines fell harmlessly to the ground—but Gaia was already upon them, slamming into Pul, leaving his sister to try and get Gaia off of him.

Evelen fell on top of Natsuni, who was emerging from the temple. They got back to their feet admirably, and Evelen used her rage towards Gaia to fuel her, as she raced back towards Hackmon—who wasn't fairing so well. It was to be expected, however. He was a rookie, trying to beat a mega. He was outgunned. Kansui wasn't able to provide much more than motivational cheering for his partner. Evelen jumped up onto Zanbamon's horse, and started slamming her fists into the back of Zanbamon's head. Hackmon changed tactics, and started trying to trip the horse while Zanbamon was otherwise distracted.

Fangmon howled as he was thrown into a tree. HoneyBeemon and Porcupamon were quick to take his place in their fight against Zamielmon. They were losing. But I supposed that wasn't what mattered. We weren't trying to _kill_ the Witchenly digimon. We'd saved them from Witchenly and from Gaia once before. We _knew_ them. They were good digimon, with _very_ susceptible minds. As soon as we got rid of Gaia, they would be safe. We could free them. They wouldn't have to die.

Neo was right: there was only one other death needed.

I narrowed my gaze onto Gaia, watching as she expertly dodged both Pal and Pul's attacks, occasionally allowing the bullets to hit the armour and scatter—creating further danger for everyone else, Witchenly digimon included.

But I wasn't able to truly watch the fight for long.

Hands tucked themselves under my arms, and suddenly I was in the air. I squirmed and wiggled, trying to free myself, but that only caused my attacker to laugh.

"Mistress Terra will be so pleased with me," Phelesmon said eagerly. "I will kill you, where Astamon failed. She will forget that washed up fool. She will grant me my greatest wish. I will be her partner. Just wait and see. Oh, but you _won't_ see. You'll be dead. Oh dear, I didn't think that through. It doesn't matter. Terra will be happy, and that's everything."

"She won't be happy at all," I pointed out, "if you keep calling her Terra. Phelesmon, I _know_ you don't want to do this. I know you. And I _know_ that you're getting impatient. You want a partner. I get that. I couldn't imagine having to wait for a partner as long as you have. But Gaia isn't the partner you want."

"She is _exactly_ the partner I want," Phelesmon said stubbornly. "And I will get my wish."

"Wouldn't you rather be with your _real_ partner?" I queried. I knew that I was trying to reason with a mind that wasn't his anymore but I didn't have a lot of options. I kept squirming, raising my arms up, and linking my fingers together, once my grip was firmly around his neck. He gasped, and tried to force me to let go, but I just swung my legs up, and grabbed hold as best I could with them. He growled, and dived at the ground.

I knew he wouldn't hit it though.

He wouldn't want to cause himself pain.

I let go when we were four feet from the ground, and rolled across the rough, forest floor upon impact. It hurt like crazy—but I'd felt worse. The distinct feeling of Astamon's bullet ripping through me came to mind.

"I know a guy," I called to Phelesmon. "His name is Hideto. He might be able to help you out. There's a person out there that's been waiting for you their whole life. Are you _really_ going to give that person up for Gaia? She's not worth it."

"She's my queen. She's worth everything—and _more_ ," Phelesmon cried. He flew at me again, and I clenched my hand together tightly, wound it back and let my fist fly. It slammed into his face, and he whined in pain.

And I fell to the ground, clutching my hand and trying not to cry. It probably wasn't broken— _probably_. Tears came unbidden to my eyes, and I heard Natsuni's screams. Karatenmon had his clawed feet tangled in Natsuni's hair, and seemed to be trying to lift her from the ground using only her hair as leverage. Her screams hit me hard. I wanted to scream too. We weren't winning. We couldn't even pretend to be.

Gankoomon was the only one making any sort of headway but without his partner's trust and support, he was floundering. I knew Theta wasn't violent and while Evelen seemed to thrive for the fight—at the moment anyway—I wasn't sure how much drive he had.

He was good. He was _very_ good. But he wasn't used to aiming to incapacitate, rather than killing. Tactimon had no such inner struggles. He definitely wasn't holding back the way that Gankoomon was.

"Evelen!" Kansui shouted.

Once again, Evelen was hit by Zanbamon, and she crashed to the ground. Zanbamon's horse reared and his front legs came crashing down towards Evelen. Kansui and Hackmon both raced towards Evelen. Hackmon tackled the horse and Kansui took his sister's hand and dragged her out from under the beast. She got to her feet, not even stopping to dust herself off before she joined in the fight again, refusing to let Hackmon do this alone.

"Pal!" Pul called. My heart stopped momentarily, only to return to its normal pace when I realized Pal wasn't in trouble—well, she was, because we _all_ were, but she wasn't preparing for her immediate demise or anything. They were trying to implement a plan. Their plans weren't usually so "high-stake" though. They typically spent their time planning ways to cover Agumon with slime, or make Taichi eat muffins baked with cayenne pepper that he was used to eating anyway thanks to his mother.

Hardly life or death situations, in any case.

I didn't get the chance to watch the pair of them fully implement their plan, because Natsuni was screaming again, and Goblimon was trying to get to her. He threw his club at Karatenmon, who fell to the ground while trying to untangle his claws from Natsuni's hair. Natsuni cried while she ripped her hair from his talons, and crawled backwards as quickly as she could, kicking at Karatenmon, and watching in horror as Goblimon was hit with a blast of fire from FlaWizardmon.

I kicked Phelesmon, who was trying to grab hold of me again. I was still cradling my aching hand, and I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't strong enough to beat him. And he was apparently going to do anything for "Terra".

"I saved your life once," I told him, though it wasn't exactly true. I helped him escape from Witchenly though—even if it _had_ been beginning to flourish when we finally got them out of there.

"You took me from my queen," Phelesmon corrected. "You took me from my duty. You made a fool of me. I cannot let you get away with this."

"Think about what you're doing," I pleaded. "What would Gravimon say?"

He looked frightened for a moment, before shaking away his fear. "Gravimon isn't here. He cannot continue his reign of terror over us. Terra won't allow it."

"Terra could never stop him before," I reminded him, backing away slowly, while trying to keep an eye on Porcupamon, who was now the only one standing against Zamielmon. Fangmon looked to be _pretending_ to be defeated though, so I hoped they had a plan.

"She is stronger now," Phelesmon said dismissively.

"She's unbalanced," I corrected. "And whatever advantage she had is gone. The Digidestined will win. They always do."

I hoped I wasn't lying.

Reapmon and NeoDevimon caught my attention, and I screamed in horror. I hadn't paid them any mind, and now we would be paying for it. They were moving steadily towards the ruins, where Tatum and Aneko were hidden—not to mention the Digimentals. We needed to keep them safe. Without them under _our_ protection, then Gaia could win.

I scrambled towards them but Phelesmon caught my injured hand and pulled me back. I fought tooth and nail to get free but he was just too powerful. I shouted and screamed and Natsuni started running towards the temple once she'd managed to get to her feet and the weakened HoneyBeemon was making his way there as well.

But it was _Tatum_ that saved the day.

She leaped out of the open doorway, and bashed Reapmon on the head with a rock, and when she stumbled, she caught hold of NeoDevimon's foot, and ripped it out from under him, heaving sharply and grunting loudly. The pair of them fell to the ground, and for a moment I thought there had to be more.

There wasn't.

They stayed where they were, putting forth only a minimal effort to getting to their feet. There was a shining second, where I thought they were fighting against Gaia's hold—and it _might_ have been true—but I was brought back to reality with the simple truth that Reapmon was inherently lazy, and NeoDevimon was perpetually disinterested.

The pair of them weren't the greatest allies to have in the first place, and Gaia was making them do more than I'd ever seen them accomplish already—and from what Mimi had said, they had already fought through a battle at the Temple, and lost.

I prayed that their limited effort would continue—but with Gaia's angered screams, I knew it wouldn't last for long.

"Oh dear lord," Tatum cried, holding her stomach and letting out another long moan. She started her breathing exercises, but they didn't seem to be providing her with much relief—though the stress of the battle definitely wasn't helping. "I'm giving birth. I mean it. I think it's happening now."

"You're going to have to _hold on_ ," Natsuni ordered, as if Tatum had much of a choice. Natsuni threw a rock at Karatenmon, but Karatenmon wasn't nearly as lazy as Reapmon, and chose _not_ to let it deter him.

"We need backup!" Aneko shouted. My heart sank seeing her in the doorway of the shrine. She needed to stay safe. Mari would never forgive us if something happened to her.

The dark part of my mind wondered if any of us would be alive long enough for Mari to hold that grudge.

I forced such thoughts from my mind. They weren't helping anyway. Besides, Aneko was right. We did need backup. Kansui seemed to realize this as well and shouted out, "I've been texting Neo but he hasn't responded!" Would that have even worked? With the worlds the way they were now and the frequencies so out of balance, would our phones be a way to contact the others? It was worth a shot anyway. I wondered just how loud we'd need to scream in order for Gravimon—and the others—to hear us from Primary Village. That was assuming any of them had stuck around, besides the necessary few babysitters.

We needed to try though.

"I'll go get some," Aneko offered. I nodded, and she scanned the trees, anxiously. I pointed the direction she needed to go, and she started to run off—only for Pal to cut her off when Gaia threw my partner to the ground, tossing Pal's gun over her shoulder, before turning to Pul. He persevered valiantly but Gaia was too strong. A vine whipped up and stole _his_ gun, and then she tied him up with a few more. He was still, trapped, with his own gun facing him.

I wanted to help him, but I couldn't break free from Phelesmon's grasp. Tactimon was holding Gankoomon at bay, and Goblimon, Natsuni and the others were all busy with fights of their own. Only Tatum was free from the fight for the moment, but she was in the middle of a contraction, and basically defenceless.

So, of course, it was _Tatum_ that Gaia turned her attention towards.

We could only watch—and protect our faces as best we could—as Gaia advanced on Tatum, hand outstretched, intrigued by Tatum's labour, and with a twisted smile curled on her sadistic face. The blood shone in the sunlight, though it was starting to dry. Her hair was tangled, and dropped limply down her face. She was a far cry from the beautiful Terra I met in Witchenly. I could barely recognize Terra in the monster that was before me—and I cursed myself for trying. I knew that Terra and Gaia were one and the same. I knew that they were two factions of her personality, and I knew that they were both homicidal maniacs, that were ruthless, and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. They were at war with one another, and they were both power hungry.

Terra was just better at hiding it.

"Let me go," I snapped at Phelesmon, trying hard to get to Pal _or_ Pul _or_ Tatum. They needed me and I was failing them. But of course, Phelesmon wasn't interested in accommodating me.

"Seriously?" Tatum cried, looking at Gaia, and trying to back into the temple, and failing badly. The pain was just too much for her. She could do little more than lower herself to the ground, and try to protect her baby as best she could.

"Acid Mist!"

A green fog spread towards Gaia, and soon she disappeared from view. She hissed in pain and let out a startled shout, but I couldn't see how much damage the mist had caused.

"Snake Bandage!"

A second voice—another digimon—shot bandages from the trees, and Gaia was soon wrapped tightly. This gave the first voice a chance to free Pul from Gaia's clutches. He raced towards Pal and Aneko—knocking Phelesmon off of me on his way. I stuck my tongue out with childish satisfaction at my opponent, who was stunned at his new misfortune.

My heart was racing, despite my general relief at seeing Pal and Pul and Tatum all saved. I was trying to remain skeptical, because it was better to hesitate than to be let down—and I didn't think I could deal with disappointment at that point.

And really, Arukenimon and Mummymon _were_ Witchenly digimon.

My skepticism appeared to be unwarranted, however, when Gaia turned her murderous eyes on the pair of them as they walked into the open. "You are under my command!" she shouted. "You _dare_ to defy me?"

"Twice in one day," Evelen commented with bitter satisfaction. "That's got to suck."

"Silence!" Gaia shrieked. "Untie me, this instant!"

"Don't," Arukenimon countered, turning to her partner. Mummymon nodded, signalling he would follow the spider's plan, rather than Gaia's. "We've fought against the Digidestined before, Gaia, and they won. They will always win."

"Now, we wish to fight alongside them," Mummymon added. "I'm tired of always losing."

Witchmon momentarily looked like she might be breaking free from Gaia's mind tricks as she listened to her friends speak, and my heart filled with hope—but Gaia lived to dash such hopes.

"I. Am. A. Queen," Gaia said, making each word a very pointed sentence. She stared at them, and raised her hands. All of the other Witchenly digimon stilled. They turned as one towards Gaia. Hackmon and Fangmon attempted to use their distractions to our advantage, but the majority of us were too worried about what Gaia was going to do, to even _try_ anything.

 _Most_ of us, anyway.

Aneko was edging her way back towards the temple, digivice in hand, and a determined expression fixed on her face. I wished she'd run the opposite way. We needed backup, and I really wanted to see her get out of here. She was too young to be slaughtered at Gaia's hands—and we were losing. There was no doubt about it.

Even with Mummymon and Arukenimon on our side, we wouldn't be enough.

Not that they weren't _trying_. Arukenimon and Mummymon launched as one towards Gaia. Gaia let out a frustrated scream—a last ditch effort to sway the pair of Witchenly digimon onto her side. It didn't do anything to them. They had such strong conviction that her powers of manipulation weren't enough. Unfortunately, her loud scream seemed to spur NeoDevimon and Reapmon back into action, startling them out of their lazy hazes.

We couldn't catch a break.

"Pal, Pul!" I shouted, frantically. Reapmon and NeoDevimon were advancing upon Tatum, and I couldn't have that. Pal and Pul were tired, but they were fighters, and they were going to do whatever they had to in order to get us out of this mess.

It was worrying and reassuring all at once.

"Destroy them!" Gaia ordered, as she commanded vines to attack Arukenimon and Mummymon. The two digimon were quick on their feet, but one of Arukenimon's legs was caught soon enough. She crouched down and bit it, releasing the acid mist as she did so. The vine crumpled and died.

Phelesmon reared back his fist and flew at me, effectively taking my attention away from Gaia. I dropped to the ground, before he could hit me, and grabbed onto his feet as he flew passed. I was _probably_ thinking that I could hold him back, and swing him around like an action star or something, but he was way too strong for that.

I tried to dig my heels into the ground, but ended up just skidding around, screaming as I struggled to keep from being airborne.

From the corner of my eye I could see that Gankoomon had started fighting again with relish, keeping up with Tactimon. He made it look effortless, but I could tell it wasn't. They were on equal footing. The end result of their fight would come down to strategizing.

Maybe, I thought with a vague sense of hesitation, Tactimon and the others that Gaia was using as puppets, wouldn't be able to think as clearly, which could give us an advantage.

Natsuni was screaming again—but this time it was a battle cry, as she threw rocks and dirt and sticks up at Karatenmon. It was a distraction, more than it was effective, but she was determined to keep him away from the nest her hair had become.

Pal and Reapmon leaped at each other, cutting Karatenmon off from Natsuni, and Pul crashed into Reapmon, after NeoDevimon smacked him through the air. Pal shifted her focus from Reapmon to NeoDevimon after that, and Pul sat on Reapmon, and punched him repeatedly in the face, until Karatenmon pulled him off of his friend, and Pul had to go on the defensive again.

Salem started scratching at my hands, and I let go of Phelesmon out of reflex, before tumbling along the ground. Salem continued to scratch at me, and Airdramon flew down to drag Salem away. The cat let off a loud hiss and fled before Airdramon could catch him in his mouth. Witchmon screamed, and came down to beat on Airdramon for scaring her precious cat.

Kansui rushed by me then with Zanbamon racing along behind him, snapping at him with the head of his horse. His knght body was reaching out to Evelen who was running along to save her brother but she was quicker than the swings of his sword—which was definitely a good thing. One solid hit to the face from the mega level digimon would have killed my brother's girlfriend.

 _Was_ she even his girlfriend?

When Tatum's hands found their way onto my shoulder, so she could pull me to my feet, I shook the thought away. There really wasn't time to be contemplating my brother's love life.

He wouldn't have one with her if we all died anyway.

"Get me down from here!" Kansui shrieked after Zanbamon had successfully caught the boy and pulled him up onto the horse with him. Hackmon was chasing after the horse and his partner. Phelesmon swooped down from the sky, switching his focus from me to Hackmon. I moved away from Tatum and tackled Hackmon to the ground, so that Phelesmon missed him—but Phelesmon took it in stride, and ended up targeting Kansui instead.

"I don't like this!" Kansui decided to announce, as if it wasn't obvious already. But I felt sympathy for the guy. This was pretty much his first rodeo, and it was against Gaia—the most evil person I was sure _ever_ existed. It was like jumping off of the tall diving board when you'd just had your first swimming lesson. It was like trying to run before you could sit up.

He was in over his head.

But then, weren't we all?

"We've got to get him down," I said, anxiously.

"I know," Tatum said, with a grunt. "But I can't do it. I'm in so much pain Rei. I wish the baby would've held on even a couple more hours."

"I'll figure it out," I told her—even though I had no ideas.

"Let's up the game!" Aneko said, standing in the doorway of the ruins. She clutched her digivice, and looked to her three partners. They were facing off against Zamielmon still, but they soon began to glow. "Okay, let's see how this goes," Aneko said, growing anxious and unsure with each passing second. "The book said to...Aha!"

" ** _Fangmon digivolve to..._** "

" ** _HoneyBeemon digivolve to..._** "

" ** _Porcupamon digivolve to..._** "

" ** _Dorulumon!_** "

Gone were the red fox, the purple voodoo bear, and the golden bee. In their place was an orange and white wolf, with large white claws. He was adorned with drills—one on his forehead, like a unicorn's horn, one on his tail, and two protruding from his hind legs at the knee. There were silver spikes coming out of his back. He was fierce, and he was new—and he was Aneko's.

"I did it!" Aneko shouted, happily. " _We_ did it," she corrected. "Neo's gonna be so proud of me. I did it just like him."

"But _how_?" Natsuni wanted to know, eyeing Goblimon—who was still fighting against FlaWizardmon as best he could.

"It's kind of complicated," Aneko admitted sheepishly as she watched her new partner move gracefully. "I'll lend you my notes sometime. Maybe in the meantime I can fuse your partners?"

"Is that possible?" Natsuni asked loudly.

But it didn't matter if it was possible. Using jogress would only cause our team's numbers to dwindle down to one. That wasn't going to help any. But I had a different plan—not necessarily better by any means, but it was different. It was something I could bring to the table. Something I didn't entirely understand but something I was no stranger to.

"The Digimentals," I gasped, looking to the others, but they were out of the conversation already, desperately trying to live through the fight. I could understand that at least.

"Drill Bit Blitz!" Dorulumon shouted, aiming for Phelesmon. It was a direct hit, and Kansui fell from the sky. He was caught by Hackmon, and was crying quite heavily, because he was so scared that he was going to die. I didn't even find it to be that annoying because I wanted to do the very same.

Dorulumon then turned to focus on Zamielmon once again, leaving the rest of us to continue losing against our own enemies. Arukenimon and Mummymon were losing steam. I was no match for Phelesmon, even if Dorulumon had weakened him. Karatenmon was still trying to figure out the best way to attack Natsuni, and Tatum was still having a baby.

We were on the clock.

Baby Washington was in charge here, not Gaia, not any of us. The baby was calling the shots, and we couldn't exactly ignore its wishes.

"Okay," I decided, "new plan. Tatum, you're going to leave the _second_ you see a chance."

"What?" Tatum gasped in shock. "No way."

"Yes way," I argued, picking a stick off the ground and lamenting at how small it was. "We don't have time to fight each other. You need to go."

"No she doesn't."

I spun around, wielding my unfortunately small stick, and nearly hit Jenna and her newborn baby with it. I dropped it to the ground immediately, and looked them over, just in case I caused any damage. Kudamon was on Chi's shoulder's, behind Jenna. Chi was already holding his hand out for his scythe, which he summoned with ease. Kudamon jumped down from his perch, and raced over to lend Goblimon a hand.

Bearmon raced out of the trees in order to help Hackmon, Kansui and Evelen. Momoe wasn't far behind her partner. My heart was squeezing tightly. We had a _baby_ here now, and another on the way—and there were four other babies back in Primary Village, along with two little kids—and with the exception of Chiziru, all of their mothers were in danger in that exact moment.

I vowed to myself that I wouldn't let any of those kids grow up without their parents.

Bowing down, I picked up my stick, and braced myself in front of Jenna. We were still losing, but at least we had more people than Gaia now.

"Her baby is coming _now_ , Jenna," I said, expressing my firm opinion that I was in fact correct, and Jenna was a crazy person for thinking Tatum shouldn't escape at the first possible opportunity.

"I know," Jenna said. "But we can beat her. I know we can. Mom and Winter and Theta said so. Kind of. They told me what to do, and I think I get it. We can beat her."

"I'm willing to give it a try," Tatum said, agreeably. It was then that Jenna let out her unpleasant laugh. It was terribly unstable and she was obviously trying to seem more confident than she was. And then I heard her uneven breathing as she stared to Tatum, someone who was practically her sister and Tatum saw the tears in her eyes. Jenna, the literal most confident person I had ever met, was worried. "You're going to be okay," Tatum assured her quickly, inherently ignoring her own pain. "They wouldn't lie to you." Tatum was amazing with the way she took everything in stride. I didn't understand how Jenna could have spoken to any of them but Tatum was right we needed to keep going.

"Tatum," I said flatly.

She was already nodding and turning from me. "Someone tell me how to access the Digimentals."

"Okay," Aneko said, racing to Tatum's side. It was amazing to have our own little book worm on our team. Maybe Aneko could be our own Koushiro with all the answers. Jenna moved slowly to join them, holding her own digivice in one hand and keeping a firm grasp on her daughter with the other.

I knew that it would be pointless to continue to argue, and planted myself firmly between Jenna—and thusly Clio—and the fight, watching everyone's progress, and keeping my fingers crossed that Jenna really _did_ know what to do. Momoe rushed past me, winking and said in a hurried tone, "Good to see you Rei," and then she was gone into the fight behind Dorulumon who was fending off Zamielmon quite nicely, while Chi took Phelesmon head on. Pal and Pul had pulled it together, and were fighting back to back, shooting at all of our opponents, trying to keep their attention off of our less powerful allies. Bearmon, Hackmon and Gankoomon were fighting alongside each other, while Arukenimon and Mummymon tried to fend off Gaia, only to find that they were no longer even blips on her radar.

She'd found a new target: Jenna.

Gaia moved slowly towards us, her eyes were locked on baby Clio, and I feared for the newborn's life. But Kudamon and Goblimon jumped at Gaia, attacking her with everything they had—which grew in effectiveness, as the two digimon flew at her.

They were glowing, and Jenna and Natsuni were cheering for them. But they weren't the only source of that warm glow. Behind them, in the entrance to the ruins, a beautiful colourful array of lights shone out into the open clearing around us. The Digimentals were offering us their power.

" **Goblimon warp digivolve to... Boltmon!** "

" **Kudamon warp digivolve to... MaidenSakuyamon!** "

Boltmon was tall, and green. He looked like Frankenstein's monster, and had lighting at his command. MaidenSakuyamon was dressed in white and red, with a fox mask covering her face, and a staff in her hand. Gaia let out a frustrated snarl, but was effectively distracted from her quest to destroy Jenna—or the baby, or both, I didn't really want to ask for clarification.

"Airdramon, warp digivolve to..." Tatum shouted loudly, and I couldn't help the small, amused smile that found its way onto my face. Airdramon was glowing as he digivolved, but until she saw the final form of her partner, Tatum would be unable to complete her instructions.

Bearmon, however, didn't need the same instructing, and was taking matters into his own hands, drawing from Momoe and the Digimentals without instructions—as Pal and Pul had done for me.

" **Bearmon warp digivolve to... Callismon!** "

Callismon was enormous, towering over the battle. He was also a deep purple, and a hulking bear, with a machine gun on one arm, and a set of claws taller than I was, on his other arm.

And while I was distracted, noticing Callismon, I realized that Airdramon had finished his digivolution—which I noticed because Tatum yelled out a rather startled, yet excited "Machinedramon!" A giant machine monster was standing among those battling, and I might've been frightened of him, if I hadn't known he was a friend.

"They don't stand a chance," Jenna said gleefully.

But she wasn't necessarily correct.

Gaia wasn't about to give up. It didn't matter that our strength had increased so substantially. She was out of control, and that only made her more dangerous. "You will give me what I want," she declared, eyes wild and hair flying about her face as the fight was raged around her.

"We will _never_ give in to you," Jenna said firmly, taking one look down to her daughter before walking towards Gaia.

"No," Tatum said frantically. "We do not walk _towards_ the bad guys. Jenna get back here. Jenna! At least give me Clio!"

Gaia's attention—as was mine—was so firmly on Jenna, that she didn't notice Evelen walk up to her and punch her in the face. I could see it hurt Evelen more than it hurt Gaia, but Evelen looked satisfied.

"That was for my mother," Evelen said determinedly.

"She was meaningless, you know that, don't you?" Gaia told Evelen serenely—which was entirely unbelievable, due to the fight she had orchestrated. "Graul never loved her. He loved _me_."

Evelen spat in Gaia's face, which was enough to wipe whatever attempt for sanity Gaia had been making off of her face. "Oh yeah?" Evelen taunted. "Then where did _I_ come from? Where did my brothers come from? My father never loved you. No one did and no one _can_. You're a heartless shell of a woman who will never fill the void in her own heart because you were crazy enough to rip it out of your chest yourself. What did Terra ever do to you?"

"Enough!" Gaia screamed, punching Evelen in the chest, and sending her flying through the air. Evelen slammed into the wall of the temple behind us and fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. More than just my scream filled the air. Kansui's was actually the loudest, and Hackmon had to take time away from fighting Zanbamon to pull Kansui back—afraid he would get hurt in his instinctive quest to reach his sister.

Gaia ignored our fears for Evelen and continued waltzing towards Jenna, as though she hadn't been interrupted at all.

Tatum sidled up next to me, planting herself firmly between Jenna and Gaia, holding her stomach, as her impatient baby was really inconsiderately trying to make a grand debut.

I swallowed thickly. I wanted to send her away, but I was shaking in my boots. Gaia threw Evelen away with ease. I wouldn't be much of a challenge—and really, in Tatum's state (mid contraction and all) she would put up less of a fight.

"I will protect my new partner, as I was unable to do so with my last," Gankoomon declared valiantly. He shoved Tactimon to the ground with a shout of rage, and flew at Gaia.

She didn't even blink.

Instead, she smiled.

It was a cruel and twisted smile, and she looked ever so pleased. "Theta's partner, I presume. Oh, I will take great pride in killing you, just as I killed her. There will be no remnants of _Theta_ when I'm finished. Only Gaia will remain."

"Not if I can help it," Gankoomon vowed.

"Not as long as the Digidestined are around to save the day," Natsuni added under her breath, as she too joined Tatum and I in our defensive barrier around Jenna. Momoe wasn't far behind her.

"Who says it's just the Digidestined?" Tatum countered.

"Everyone must play their part," Jenna agreed, looking down to Clio. I was confused, and I was scared. But I was determined. So long as I lived, nothing would happen to that baby. And nothing would happen to my friends.

Machinedramon smashed Witchmon to the ground, and she didn't get back up. She was disoriented, and holding her head—confused at the sight of her friends fighting against mine. I wondered momentarily if cognitive recalibration was the solution to freeing those from Witchenly from Gaia's hold, but realized quite quickly that it wouldn't matter even if it _was_ the case.

They were going down like flies anyway.

Phelesmon fell at Chi's hands, while Pal and Pul took down Zanbamon with Hackmon's help. Boltmon knocked Reapmon into NeoDevimon—and once again they took it as an excuse for a break. Dorulumon and MaidenSakuyamon knocked Zamielmon deep into the trees. It would take him a few minutes to get back to the fight—and by then, we'd hopefully have a solution to this problem.

Aneko moved slowly, but surely to stand between Momoe and Natsuni. Kansui stood, hovering by Evelen, while Hackmon played the part of their bodyguard. Callismon swatted Karatenmon out of the sky, sending him crashing into Witchmon. Arukenimon and Mummymon were more than enough to keep FlaWizardmon at bay.

As each of our team defeated a foe, they moved to stand alongside us. Soon, everyone was standing, united, watching with trepidation as Gankoomon and Gaia fought. It was a powerful moment to me, standing as a real team. I had been friends with most of these girls for a while but we had never had to test that friendship in a moment like this—it was too bad Jun wasn't here to join us and Katsue too.

But it wasn't providing the same feeling for Jenna.

"I need to get to her," Jenna said firmly, as she tried to weave her way through the barricade. Chi touched her arm, looking to his daughter with fear, silently offering to take Clio, but Jenna refused. "Clio and I need to do this together. I know what to do. I just need to get to her."

"It's so dangerous though," Natsuni insisted.

"I know it is," Jenna said. "But sometimes the dangerous thing is the _right_ thing. So you need to get out of my way. I need to go to her."

Gankoomon skidded along the ground to our feet, exhausted and in pain. Momoe let out a startled shout and looked to Gaia frantically.

"All those connected to Theta have fallen," Gaia said—practically purring.

"You won't defeat _me_ ," Jenna said, reminding Gaia in her own way that Jenna too was connected to Theta.

"I don't _want_ to defeat you, dear girl," Gaia said, with a syrupy voice, and a sweet demeanor. "You are precious to me and the world. You are my youngest daughter's daughter. I've searched the worlds for you. I longed to meet you dear one. And we could have such a strong bond, if only you'd be willing to extend the olive branch and meet me halfway."

"I'm not compromising," Jenna said, shaking her head.

"I didn't say we would compromise," Gaia said—even though she _totally_ implied that quite blatantly. "I want to _help_ you, dear. I want us to stand together. You are the only member of my family that I have left." It seemed clear to me that Gaia was _desperate_ for someone— _anyone_ —to stand by her side.

"That's not even remotely true," Jenna said, narrowing her eyes at Gaia.

"You're the only one that Theta hasn't manipulated against me. You can still see matters objectively," Gaia explained quickly. Her voice was honey sweet, and working overtime to try and convince Jenna that _this_ was what _Jenna_ wanted—not Gaia herself.

"Theta was all that was good in the world," Jenna said firmly. "She was perfect balance, and you're the opposite. You're falling apart Gaia. I'm not the naive little girl I was before. I'm not going to fall for your tricks. You can't even keep to a single story anymore. I can't trust you. I know that. You can't convince me otherwise. _Besides_ , I will never turn my back on my family—and don't think I didn't notice that they weren't part of your 'clever' little scheme."

"I'm not manipulating you," Gaia lied desperately, horrified to find that her attempts weren't working.

"You won't be manipulating any in this world for much longer," MaidenSakuyamon said as she let out a burst of light, which shimmered upon contact with every living thing—except Gaia. The light fizzled out when it reached Gaia's evil aura. But it danced upon my skin, washing away my fear and doubts.

"What?" Phelesmon called, confused. "Terra?"

"Do. Not. Call. Me. That!" Gaia shrieked while raising her arms and casting vines aplenty towards Phelesmon. Machinedramon hurried towards him to help. The vines kept coming, and were heading towards all of the Witchenly digimon.

Just one short minute, and we'd gone from fighting them off to fighting _for_ them.

It was just another day in the Digital World, really.

Gaia was distracting just about all of the digimon. MaidenSakuyamon stayed at Jenna's side, as did Chi, but everyone else was fighting as best they could—slashing at the vines, and ripping them to shreds. And while the chaos was being unleashed, Gaia came towards us.

A vine shot out of the ground and wrapped itself around my stomach, lifting me into the air and shaking me violently. I almost spewed the contents of my stomach, but I managed to hold onto them. I dug my nails into the vines, scratching and tearing at them, and only succeeding in making my fingers bleed.

"Tatum!" Natsuni screamed. I saw her jump up on a vine, trying to use her additional weight to slowly bring the vine to the ground—but managed only to get trapped up in the air herself, unable to help Tatum at all.

"JENNA!" Aneko yelled. "Don't!"

Chi was hacking at the vines trapping Aneko, and therefore wasn't at his girlfriend's side when Gaia reached her. But Jenna showed no fear anymore. She held her head high, and met Gaia's gaze head on.

"You can't hurt us," Jenna declared.

"Time will tell," Gaia snarled, reaching forward. She stroked Clio's tiny face, looking tauntingly at Jenna, but then drew her finger back sharply when Clio opened her mouth and let out a deafening scream as she burst into uncontrollable crying.

Gaia shrieked in pain, trying to cover her ears with her shaking hands. She staggered backwards, and the vines slowly retracted into the earth.

All because of Clio's cries.

It must've happened while I was being placed on my feet, but Gaia vanished. I looked around frantically for her, but couldn't find even one sign of her. I didn't want her to attack us again, or catch us unawares.

"That's right, baby girl," Jenna cooed. "You just scared away the most dangerous woman in the world. Yes you did, yes you did. Whose baby's the most balanced force in all the worlds? Mine, that's right. You're a rock star!"

"She's gone?" Tatum clarified through gritted teeth as she clutched her aching body.

"But where did she go?" Natsuni wanted to know.

"I don't care," Momoe said, "just as long as she's not in Primary Village."

"I need help!" Kansui cried. Evelen was still sprawled on the ground. MaidenSakuyamon hurried to her aid, and cast her warming, healing light towards Evelen.

"Guys," Tatum said softly, as we watched Machinedramon, Boltmon, Callismon, Pal, Pul and Dorulumon de-digivolve, returning to their natural states, in order to receive proper hugs for all their hard work. Monodramon raced to Tatum's side, silently asking after her. "I really need to go to a hospital. Like yesterday I think, if that's at all possible."

"Okay," I said, pulling out the keys. "You guys find a hospital, I'm going to wait here. I'm a nuisance on Earth in a crisis without my chair. But at least here, I can help look after the kids, and wait for Taichi and the others to get back."

"If they get back," Momoe murmured mournfully—most likely thinking about the fact that Gaia was gone, and we were all pretty sure we knew who she was after.

"No," Natsuni said, trying to be convincing, " _when_ they get back."

"Go have your baby, Tatum," I instructed. "We'll worry enough for everyone else, and take care of anyone that got hurt. And I want you to be safe about it."

"Yes, _Mom_ ," Tatum groaned.

"I'm not the mom, missy," I told her with a soft smile—though it wasn't big, thanks to all of the stress. "But you're about to be."

 ** _Hikari Yagami:_**

The fighting had stopped and all was still. There were frightened faces and soft crying could be heard deeper into the crowds. The humans had stopped their desperate attempts to cross the barrier we had made, and the digimon behind us were experiencing rather dangerous levels of confusion.

The fighting had _stopped_.

But that did not mean that my mind or heart had stopped racing.

For the past who knew how long we—me, my family and my friends—had been racing around the streets pleading with people to see through the haze that Gaia had planted in their minds, and not a single one of them was able to believe us when we told them they were not in control of themselves. Not one person or digimon had showed any signs that they would ever stop following the orders of their queen. Gaia was their queen and she wanted each of them to fight until either no one on the 'enemy' side was left standing, or until they died for whatever reason. The digimon and humans were all okay with this outcome. They were all pleased and willing to fight to the death to serve their queen.

I had been so sure that we would have to leave them and let them do what they thought they needed to—not that I would ever have left, I would have died with them if it came to it—but then they had all stopped all at once.

I did not know why, but I was not letting my guard down. There was no way of knowing if this break in the fighting was meant to be permanent or not. We had thought once that we could outsmart Gaia by keeping a step ahead of her, but we had been wrong. She was always _that_ much ahead of us.

When I found Kurayami and Takeru standing with their partners I moved toward them quickly, afraid to find myself standing alone when the battling began once more. I had lost Ophanimon in the crowd of digimon when I told her to take Yuta—the child from my first class—to my mother for safety and I wasn't sure how long this break would last. I had been aching every moment of the fight and I was relieved to have a moment to relax even if it would only last a minute.

Takeru looked up when he saw me and breathed a sigh of relief, pulling me into a hug. I hugged him back but flinched back because my arms still hurt from when that Cyclonemon had thrown against the building. Takeru took notice of this and he released me immediately, looking me over for any serious injuries. When he couldn't find any he settled on adjusting my hair and I smiled at him weakly.

"What's going on?" I turned at the sound of Miyako's voice as she hurried toward us with Vikemon and Meiyomon at her side. I thought that was strange and I tried to find Iori or Valkyrimon but neither were anywhere to be seen in the sea of bodies. It scared me just how many of those bodies were lying on the ground. Surely they were alive—weren't they? "Why did they stop?"

"Is Gaia dead?" Vikemon asked, voicing the thought I had been too afraid to think. I did not want to give my hopes any chance to rise only to be shot down. Gaia's death was something I wanted very much. I knew it was gruesome to think about, but I wanted her dead more than anything because we could not stop this mess if she lived—but that meant she had to be dead _now_. Because it _had_ stopped.

Well, my hopes had risen already and there was no stopping them now. I looked to the others to see what they thought and to nobody's surprise at all Takeru nodded. "I hope so."

I took a moment to look out to the battlefield—though it was no longer a battlefield, but rather a street as it was meant to be—to find as many faces as I could recognize. Most of the Crest digimon had scattered themselves around the digimon half of the street, but they were all easily spotted. For a moment though I had thought Jundomon was missing, but when she fluttered up and smacked a Vademon across the side of the head with her flower hammer I felt relieved. I was confused why she was still fighting but I saw that he was muttering something and decided it was probably rude. The group of lawyers was very near to us with Hanzai and Heikin glaring at those who had been on our side Horitsu and Bengoshi. The Teenage Wolves were standing protectively around Jou's sisters but there was no point because the nearest digimon was the very same Cyclonemon that had attacked me and he was staring blankly at them, not at all looking like he wanted to rip their heads off. Not anymore, at least. I understood their hesitance because mere moments ago the digimon had been trying to get through the barrier that Shinsetsumon and Shinramon had erected, and while the barrier was still up, it didn't look like anyone wanted through anymore.

I saw my mom and dad with some of the other parents, and they were ushering a flock of Yokomon up into the nearest building for safety, and I knew they had taken several human children and elderly individuals up there as well. Mom looked up and caught sight of me, and she looked like she wanted to come and talk to me but instead she mimed a questioning stance and I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know what was happening yet. I was hoping to find out soon.

"Maybe we should call Taichi?" Takeru questioned. "Does anyone know where he is?"

Kurayami looked nervously to Norn who was working her way toward them. I turned to Norn because it was clear that she knew where Taichi had gone. "He's in Theta," Norn said. "He and Yamato wanted to go so I sent them."

"It's where they think Gaia is," Kurayami said before looking up to Vikemon. "Or _was_."

"You really think she's dead?" Miyako asked nervously.

Anubismon shook his head. "I do not find it easy to believe," he admitted. "It is possible, but it seems to me that she must still be hiding out there somewhere."

"I hope not," Takeru said sadly.

"There will be no spectacular fanfare when she is killed," Seraphimon said, " _if_ she is killed. It is more than possible that she is dead. The fighting stopped, and to me that says her powers have been stopped at least."

"But it doesn't necessarily mean she's dead," Kurayami agreed. I looked to her and together we formed two weakened half smiles. The idea that Gaia could be dead was something that gave me a twisted sense of joy, but I couldn't believe it one hundred percent. Not until I saw her body or until someone could tell me how it had happened. It was impossible to completely believe that she was gone after all this time until I had some proof.

But I didn't expect to get any if she was really dead. If she had really gone to Theta, and Taichi and Yamato had really ended her reign, then they were still stuck on Theta until someone went to rescue them. Then it made sense that it would be my next job to go save them.

"Norn," I said, catching her attention. "I need to go to Theta now too. Come with me so we can bring Taichi and Yamato back."

Norn looked nervous as her eyes fell to the ground. "I can't do that," she admitted. "I... I won't be able to send you _or_ me."

"Why not?" Takeru asked harshly. Norn flinched, and I knew she was about to deliver some really bad news.

She looked up and let her eyes scan those that were looking to her and she cleared her throat before she said, "Theta has died. Her world is no more." Norn's words came at me like a barrage of bullets and I only knew fear for a moment as I turned to Takeru, grabbing his arm. Yamato was gone too. Was Takeru going to be able to move past this? I knew I wouldn't be able to move forward without Taichi. Takeru turned to me and pulled me closer to him and he kissed the top of my head.

"I'm sure they're okay," Takeru said.

I felt guilty for relishing in his optimism. It would give me time to cope with the potential that Taichi had been killed by Gaia—but already Takeru's hopeful words had altered my thoughts. He was right after all. It was entirely possible that they could have survived. Takeru's hope had always steered us in the right direction before, so I would do my best to keep my pessimistic thoughts from weighing me down. I could be more like Takeru. I could learn from him.

We needed to gather the others because it didn't feel right to be standing together without the Digidestined—at least those who were still around. Miyako and Vikemon set off to find Ken and Valkyrimon while Takeru and Seraphimon were searching for Iori. Kurayami and Anubismon left to locate Daisuke and UlforceVeedramon.

I was searching the crowd for Ophanimon, but even though I couldn't see her I found myself moving to stand with my mother. It just felt safe somehow. Mom hugged me but I didn't feel that I deserved it because nothing had been won yet. I didn't believe it had anyway, and Mom was on the same page as me. "When is Gaia coming back?" she asked, her eyes flicking over to Alphamon who stood tall and majestic with the rest of the Royal Knights. "When these armies get back to fighting I want to be prepared."

"It will be soon," I said before I could think to share some of Takeru's optimism. I let it go because I knew Mom was similar enough to me to focus on the reality rather than the possible outcomes. "I think she's coming."

"I'm frightened," Mom admitted quietly.

"You'll be alright," I told her, and for a moment the two of us stared at one another because the interaction was so very backward. It was the least I could do, to support her and help her feel safer after everything she had done for me. She was my _mother_ and she had always been there for me.

Mom nodded. "I'm not worried about me, dear," she said. "Alphamon is here to protect me, and I know you and Taichi are strong and capable." I chose not to tell her about the potential fate of Taichi because it just didn't seem like the right time to bring it up. "I am afraid for those around the globe. We are standing here in a small town in Japan. What about every other country? What about every other _city_ or town? They are all in the same state, surely. Surely the digimon and the humans are fighting each other and waking up to realize—with horror—what they have done. They may have taken the life of another, and they may not have. Perhaps they've done so before and are not ashamed of what they have accomplished, but it is also possible that they were innocent and pure and maybe they killed something that had a beating heart."

I realized then that Mom was thinking about the children and the smaller digimon. They were so innocent and small and Gaia was manipulating them. She was right though, it was entirely plausible that Gaia was not putting all of her focus on Hikarigaoka, and that we had simply all met here out of sheer coincidence.

It was possible that the entire world was unprotected by the strongest forces in the Digital World, and I wasn't trying to build the Digidestined up to be the only incredible force—or even one at all—but we also had the Royal Knights and the Olympos XII on our side and there may have been other sets of digimon that equated to their strength, but I didn't know of any.

"Mom," I said slowly, "if this starts up again you need to focus on getting everyone out. Save them all. We can't keep this war going and we can't hurt anyone who doesn't even know why they're fighting."

"I'll do what I can," Mom said softly, "just don't get yourself hurt."

"I won't," I promised. "I have to go find Gatomon, I'll be back soon okay?"

"Of course," she smiled, looking once more to Alphamon before she embraced me. I hugged her back and looked up the stairs inside the open door. I saw Yoshie and Kae as they helped the Yokomon from before join the other rescued youngsters. I was happy to see that we were doing all we could. "While they're stopped might be the best time to separate them," Mom suggested as I pulled away. "I think I might get the Knights to guide the digimon away."

"Good idea," I agreed. "I'll spread the word."

It was a brilliant idea actually and I was almost angry with myself for not having thought of it first. Mom was a genius, but then again, I'd always known that. She enlisted both the Crest Digimon and the Royal Knights to get to work on collecting the digimon and moving them back toward the Digital World portal. Takeru caught Alphamon by the arm and told him that we would have to wait which I was happy about. He and I were on the same page again it seemed because we both jumped to the babies. The portal we had open that would take us to the Digital World would lead us directly to the babies and to those who were watching them. We couldn't rightly put them in danger so Izumi and Tomoki were put to work to find a way to change where the portal let up.

I saw a glimpse of Iori standing with Ken and was on my way toward them when Miyako popped up, having finally found them, so I had no purpose over with them. Our team was incredibly large now. I knew each member personally—on varying levels—and yet I was looking around to an _army_. We had come a long way from that group of children who had been desperate to save the world. We had won, but only _just_ and back then it had seemed like such an accomplishment. It _was_ , but we had done more since then. Bigger and stronger enemies had arisen and it was so strange to stand among the team that had built up along that journey. I was so small and so fragile as a simple human, but surrounded by my friends—my team—my _family_... I felt so powerful.

And then there was a hand wrapped around my face.

I tried to scream but the hand was too tight around my mouth and I couldn't form words. Soon the world around me went dark and I was sure I had been blindfolded. I was surrounded by so many people and digimon—surely one of them could help me. Even if they couldn't I would do everything in my power to help myself. I was kicking and trying to scream and swinging my arms around.

There was a long moment of panic when I thought I would not be able to stop whoever it was, but my fist finally came in contact with something and I heard a girlish grunt of pain. I reached up when I felt the hand remove itself from my head and I ripped a bag made of scratchy material from my face. I tossed it aside and looked to my attacker and found Hideto's sister, Yorokobi Fujimoto.

Her blonde hair was askew and she looked wild with her crooked glasses on her face. She was angry that I had escaped, but mostly she just looked _broken_. Her nose crinkled as her mouth formed a dangerous scowl and she lunged toward me. I jumped back and swung my fist again, wincing as it hit her in the side of the face.

"Don't you _dare_!" Yorokobi growled. "Gaia wants you. She wants you all! I will get you for her!"

"Gaia is manipulating you," I tried to reason, but even as I said it I knew it had to be a lie. All of those around us—who were too busy with themselves to notice the two of us—were back to normal, which meant that Yorokobi couldn't be affected by Gaia at this time. She wasn't being manipulated, or played with like a puppet, she was genuinely on Gaia's side. "She's not a good woman," I explained to Yorokobi as she lunged at me again. "She hates digimon _and_ humans. She hates you!"

"She won't if I bring _you_ to her," Yorokobi snarled. "My parents are a joke! They're the laughing stock of the entire country! My name—my empire—has fallen! I will rise on my own without my family holding me back! I will join Gaia's new world!"

"Gaia doesn't _want_ you there!" I snapped, jumping out of her reach. "She wants her countries filled so she can play games with them! She wants to play the game pieces just right so she will always earn the favour of everyone who crosses her path! If you help her she will only twist the story to ensure that you owe _her_ instead of her feeling grateful at a—"

I fell to the ground in a daze when something heavy had struck the back of my head.

The world was fuzzy and darkening around the edges of my eyesight but I could see. I could hear. But only just. I felt hands under my arms as I was being dragged down the street and I saw several people look to me, but they did nothing to help. I was sure I knew why.

I had a horrible feeling in my chest. There was a faint fluttering. My light was back. It was in this world. It was close. Gaia was here too. I was sure of it. The fighting was going to start again and the others were all trapped within the war.

I heard a loud cry and I felt tears in my eyes. Not for the pain that was spreading through the back of my head, but for those whose minds were being twisted by the horrible woman that was coming closer with each step my capturer took. I could feel my heart longing for the light and soon I would be as close as I had been the last time I had seen Gaia—when she had been stabbed through the chest. I would be as close as I had been when she had offered me a place in her world, and when I had turned her down, ruining her plans by taking the digimon.

I was scared for everyone else... but I was scared for me now too.

When I was finally dropped after being dragged up a pile of broken pieces of the street I saw a blackened figure blocking out the sun. I could not tell who it was, but I knew. I just knew it was Gaia.

Her hair fell down around her face as she bent over to look me in the eyes and the soft strands brushed against my face. "Well, just look at this," Gaia's sweet voice said as she smiled to me. Her face was becoming more and more visible. "If it isn't my sweet Hikari." Gaia's voice sounded off, like something had happened that had affected her greatly—but she was pretending nothing had gone wrong at all. I knew that sound well, because I often pretended I was fine when all I wanted to do was cry. Gaia's voice was thick and harsh, but still came across rather sweet to my ears. "Who are you?"

I thought for a moment she was talking to me but she stood abruptly and looked off to the distance, allowing the sunlight to hit my eyes. But it wasn't the sun at all. It was the ball of light that she had ripped from my heart. It was my light.

I could get it back if I wanted to. I reached up weakly, but the light stayed put. Kurayami's darkness always stretched back to her whenever she was near because it wanted to be with her. My light did not want me. Was Gaia better suited for the Crest than I was? I didn't want to believe it, but something was urging me to.

"My name is Shigoto Fujimot—"

"Excuse me!" Yorokobi's voice came after a shout from her father. I imagined her pushing him from the pile that Gaia stood on, but I could not move well. I tried though, and simply groaned from the pain in my head and now my back after being dragged along. "I found her actually, I'm not sure if you saw—but I found her and I brought her here. My name is Yorokobi Fujimoto."

"You just killed your father," Gaia sounded shocked.

"Oh he's fine," Yorkobi said. I turned my head and saw her looking over the pile to see. She didn't seem surprised, so I hoped he was alright.

"You remind me of someone," Gaia said softly. "Oh," she breathed. "Me."

Yorokobi fanned her face as she batted her eyes in bewilderment. "Oh, Your Majesty!" Yorokobi said, curtsying with her pretty yellow dress. "You're too kind." There was a pause and then Yorokobi looked to me and smiled. "What will we do with her?"

"We will kill her," Gaia said. "We mustn't waste time. I have made too many mistakes thus far and without Hikari their team will fall." Gaia's foot was pressed against my head a moment later and I felt fear rising up inside as she leaned down to me. She let a vine grow out of the ground next to me and it began slowly wrapping itself around my neck. I moved my hands as quickly as I could and began pulling at the thick cord as it pulled me closer to the ground, but Gaia's magic was stronger than I was.

Yorokobi let out a horrifying laugh and in the wickedest voice imaginable she said, "Ooh! Splendid!"

Gaia knelt down next to me and once again I felt her hair in my face but I shook it off, gasping for breath. I couldn't let my last sight be of Gaia. I couldn't let myself die without knowing where Taichi was and without knowing if he was okay. I couldn't let my mother think I was coming back to her when I wasn't! I couldn't let Gaia _win_. The worlds needed her to lose! I needed my light.

I released the vines and reached up, stretching my fingers toward it, but I knew I would fail. It was too high for me to grasp.

Gaia sighed. "Oh Hikari, you foolish girl," she said in a voice that was filled with pity. "You had the chance to join me, and now that you have betrayed me... I have to watch you die. It really is a sad ending for such a happy girl."

But I wasn't a happy girl. I had never been a _happy_ girl. The happiness in my life came from those around me and without them my depression would have easily overcome me. I was a fighter, but I was not _happy_. Gaia knew nothing about me because she saw only what she wanted to. She saw someone who was going to _let_ her kill me.

But that wasn't who I was.

"O—O— _Ophanimon_!" I screamed as loud as I could, the air flow from my lungs was nearly closed off entirely, but I had managed the one word as my blackened vision clouded even further. I clawed at the vines and grabbed a fistful of Gaia's hair before pulling hard. She toppled over and kicked my shoulder sharply with her new boots made of Yggdrasil's armour. It _hurt_. But I didn't stop.

I wasn't afraid to ask for help anymore. I wasn't afraid of what others thought of me. I wasn't afraid of _Gaia_ either.

"Eden's Javelin!"

Gaia let out a cry of shock as Ophanimon's weapon hurdled toward her. Yorokobi pulled Gaia aside just in time for the javelin to break through the surface of the ground where Gaia had been standing. I looked to the sky and saw her descending upon me. It was Ophanimon. She had come!

She sliced the vines with ease, using her retrieved javelin and she turned to Gaia as I began gulping back as much air as I could manage in the time it took me to stumble to my feet. My head was spinning and aching but I turned to face Gaia who was still standing with Yorokobi.

"You tried to harm my partner," Ophanimon said. "I'll take your head for your offense." Gaia smiled in a twisted way as she prepared to fight, summoning vines that spread through the cracks in the broken road.

I saw now that Shigoto Fujimoto was stumbling away from the scene down below, and that we were much higher than I had initially thought. The ground beneath us was very earthy and there was a trench surrounding us because the pieces of cement that had once made up the streets were all pointing toward us, having been moved by Gaia to form a podium for her to watch the war from. And I could see it too. The humans and the digimon were at war once again.

"I must admit," Gaia said with her smile still plastered on her face, "I wasn't expecting to be so lucky to have a full set to kill. I thought I would only have Hikari. This does please me." She tilted her head to the side and her neck cracked once, and the moment it had, her vines shot toward us. Ophanimon moved quickly, turning her back on the vines and covering me, but she didn't wait around to get hit and instead she kicked off the ground, flying into the air.

She spun around once, with me hanging by both hands and then she threw me directly into the air. I wasn't even afraid because I knew she would catch me. She always caught me. I was spinning as I rose and I nearly fell into a dizzy spell but I centered myself enough to watch Ophanimon fire her javelin off once more, hitting Gaia right in the chest. Her armour was too powerful but the force knocked her backward and she fell to the second level of the podium.

Ophanimon turned to me as I began to descend and she caught me around the middle with one arm before falling back to the stand we had been on before. She marched toward Gaia, pulling her javelin from the stone and as she looked over the edge to where Gaia had been she looked confused.

She wasn't there.

I could feel her behind me. I could feel the light.

I turned sharply, my fist out, and I swung, hitting her right in the nose. Gaia pressed through the pain, though she did stagger backward, and a set of vines settled in around my ankles, rooting me in place. I lunged for the light, my hand reaching out for it, but missing as Gaia jumped back, letting the vines carry her like she was surfing a wave.

"Hikari!" Ophanimon ordered loudly. I turned to see Yorokobi coming for me so I ducked down and the girl tripped over me, slamming into the ground on my other side. I elbowed her, knocking the sharp stone from her hand and Yorokobi looked furiously up at me before cranking her jaw open and then closed it around the lower half of my leg.

The pain moved quickly up my entire leg and blood began to pool around her pearly white teeth. I reached down, unable to move my legs still, and pried her off of me, pushing her away again, but I wasn't strong enough. She clambered to her feet after crawling toward me briefly and then she leapt into the air, tackling me to the paved ground beneath us.

I grunted as the wind left my lungs and Yorokobi brought her own fist to the side of my face.

I had lost sight of Gaia now as I struggled with my own fight, but hoped that Ophanimon was safe. I couldn't be sure, but I could still feel my light tugging away at my heart, even if my mind didn't have time to focus on it. With a loud shout I had heaved Yorokobi off of me and slammed my fist into whatever parts of her body I could reach.

"There she is!"

"Hikari!"

I turned to see Kurayami leading the others toward us. She was following her own instincts toward the orb of darkness. Takeru, Seraphimon and Anubismon were nearest to her, with Miyako, Ken, Iori, Daisuke and their partners all coming up behind.

But if all of them were _here_ then who was helping the others keep the digimon and humans apart from one another? I looked to the distant war and saw a flash of Alphamon and I wondered if Mom was nearby.

Gaia screamed in annoyance at the sight of the others coming, so she moved toward them, but only briefly, and then raised her hands to the sky. "Kill the Digidestined!" she cried.

My heart skipped a beat. I looked back to the army and saw that those who were susceptible to her manipulations were all turning toward us and away from one another. I heard Miyako scream but Valkyrimon was quick to stand at her defence. Vikemon and UlforceVeedramon did the same, but GrandisKuwagamon was searching for a perfect place to _hide_ us Digidestined. I didn't want to hide, but if the army never found us, then they would never return to fighting one another.

Maybe hiding was the best option.

When I turned back to Takeru and the others I saw that he and Kurayami were climbing the tower of cement while Gaia returned to her fight with Ophanimon only to find that she had two new opponents as well. Seraphimon and Anubismon.

"Pyramid Power!"

"Strike of the Seven Stars!"

"Sephirot Crystal!"

Several projectiles fired toward Gaia but she simply used her vines to shield herself. Each vine came back singed and damaged, but she just summoned more, creating life from the Earth once again.

I was surprised as Yorokobi's hands slammed into my shoulders. My ankles felt immense pain as I fell over the edge onto the next layer of the tower. My feet had been torn from the vines that held them in place and Yorokobi was jumping down to land on top of me. I screamed at the sight and rolled away, falling down another layer. I groaned when I landed on my stomach but pulled myself up quickly and jumped back as Yorokobi landed. She jumped forward and wrapped her hands around my neck, slamming me into the wall behind me.

I cried out and was sure that the skin had broken. I was sure I was bleeding now, but I quickly turned my pain to anger and hit Yorokobi in the stomach. She fell back a moment but jumped to me once more, wrapping her hands into my hair and she slammed my head back again.

And then she was gone—after pulling sharply on my hair.

I turned to see Kurayami had tackled her. I looked over the edge and saw that Takeru had lifted her up. He looked relieved to see me, but scared all the same. I fell flat onto the surface and reached down to him and then pulled as he used his free hand and his feet to climb up to join Kurayami and I before we all turned to Yorokobi who was freeing herself from Kurayami's rage.

"This is _insane_!" Yorokobi growled in anger. She looked even more frazzled and defeated than she had before and she began climbing the pile to escape us. I wasn't going to chase her if she wasn't going to fight. We could let her go.

"Let's go get what rightfully belongs to the two of you, huh?" Takeru asked. Kurayami and I nodded, turning to the nearest ledge and we began climbing again. It was much harder to get up than to get down, and we had only moved one stage up before we heard Vikemon and UlforceVeedramon shout out their first attacks. Valkyrimon and GrandisKuwagamon were both gone, and so were the others. I was looking around frantically, but Takeru took my hand and pointed to the bottom of the pile to where they were defending the other side where more digimon had accumulated.

Somehow I had missed us becoming entirely surrounded. I looked around the skies in fear, expecting to see some flying digimon ready to attack us, but I saw nothing until I looked to the distance where I spotted some familiar faces. It wasn't who I was expecting either.

I tightened my fingers around Takeru's hand at the sight of Taichi and Agumon. Yamato and Gabumon were there too, and Koushiro, Tentomon, Jou, Gomamon, and Sora and Biyomon. But it was not all friendly faces. Bagramon was there too. I turned back to Iori and saw that he hadn't noticed. I hoped he never would.

"They're okay," Takeru said as if he had known it all along. I envied his ability to always see the bright side of every situation.

With the others arriving I really felt like we might have a chance. Gaia could really be taken down now. I wasn't sure what hope we had if Theta was dead—but at least the end of the world would come in peace and not from Gaia's cruelty.

The skies were darkening with clouds and I felt an ominous presence but I tried to push it aside. We had to keep working and pushing and fighting. We had to stop Gaia before it was too late. And Takeru was right. It was time to get my Light back and I was sure Kurayami felt the same about her Darkness.

We finally made it to the top of the tower where Gaia had Labramon in her arms. Kurayami cried out and raced toward her, but Gaia simply tossed the digimon toward Kurayami, knocking her backward. Takeru caught her and we looked to Ophanimon and Seraphimon who were all that were standing in Gaia's way anymore.

Yorokobi poked her head up to watch, but was too afraid to join the fight now that the odds seemed stacked against her.

"Your power of manipulation takes away the free will of an individual," Ophanimon said boldly. "That is largely what _Light_ is for. Light is not inherent goodness, but it is the _choice_ to make those good decisions. Light is what it means to have emotions and _life_. It is our choices that tell us who we really are, and you are taking that away from _everyon_ e." With an uncharacteristic amount of anger, Ophanimon moved quickly forward, tackling Gaia from her place on her vines which fell limp the moment her feet left them.

There was a lot of light flashing below and I saw that the others had evolved to their champion forms to fend off Bagramon when they had nowhere else to run. Were they too injured to get to a higher level? And what were they supposed to do when the armies noticed their presence?

A Snimon sliced toward Taichi, but Alphamon intervened quickly, blocking the attack with his sword. Greymon took a step back, and the armies were immediately tearing him apart.

"Labramon," Kurayami insisted, "you have to help!" Labramon nodded and pushed himself to evolve as he leapt away. He became Anubismon once more, but I could see that Gaia's fight had left him feeling off his game.

There was much struggle, but with the Knights and Anubismon working on one half of the ring of enemies, and the Crest Digimon and the Olympos XII on the other, the Digidestined had made it to the inner circle. Taichi looked up and saw me and he pulled on Yamato's sleeve, getting him to follow after him. Soon Sora, Koushiro, Biyomon, Jou and Agumon were all coming along as well while Garurumon leapt only up to the first level to breathe fire from above. The enemies all backed off but he wasn't really aiming for them. A digimon could maybe take the heat, but a human surely couldn't.

Bagramon and Alphamon were locked in combat, which Bagramon was furious about because he wanted nothing more than to attack Taichi and the others. Kabuterimon and Ikkakumon were fighting too, but the latter didn't last long. He fell quickly and Craniamon tossed the fallen Gomamon up to Jou.

When Takeru pulled on my arm to get me to move I was brought back to the fight with Gaia. I was just so worried that the others would be harmed. I couldn't keep my mind pinned in one spot. I _had_ to though. I had to think only of Gaia. She was next to me now and she was trying to kill me, my friend, my partner, my fiancé and _his_ partner. That was too far.

Gaia jumped forward, grabbing Seraphimon by the shoulders and with a maniacal cry she threw him backward, slamming him into Ophanimon giving her a clear shot of Takeru and I.

But we weren't alone here. Kurayami jumped in front and Gaia hesitated, backing up as Kurayami reached for the darkness that was trying to creep toward her again. " _No_!" Gaia snapped, jumping away from Kurayami who was slowly making her way toward our enemy. Gaia was screaming incoherent words as she backed away from Kurayami, afraid that her darkness would be taken from her.

She reached out in a furious attempt at keeping the energy by her side and she pulled the loose strands of blackness closer to her chest as she collected all that was seeping from its hold.

" _No_!" Gaia yelled again when Kurayami came too close. "Get _back_!" Gaia slammed her open palm forward and hit Kurayami in the chest with her gloved hands. The force was enough to knock Kurayami back and she hit Takeru who fell back with her. He slipped and fell one layer down while Kurayami flipped in the air once before falling down to the army of people who were screaming with excitement over the prospect of ripping her to pieces.

" _Kurayami_!" I screamed. Thankfully I caught the attention of Kabuterimon who caught her and veered around the tower before dropping her near Anubismon. She was safe and out of reach, but she wanted back. I could see on her face that she wanted to be up to help me face Gaia and to get her Darkness back but she couldn't come closer. She couldn't even _move_ or the armies would see her.

"So it's just you and me now," Gaia said with a cold smile. My eyes flicked to the fallen Seraphimon and Ophanimon and I turned my head. I didn't like to see them that way. They were struggling to get up, but Gaia was powerful. If they couldn't beat her, then I couldn't do it. Not alone anyway. "I've been waiting for this since you stole my Crests."

"They were never _your_ Crests," I snapped, sounding angrier than I thought I had been, but my hands were balled into fists and my face felt tight. I really _was_ angry. "They belonged to Theta and she trusted us with them. We were doing what we could to honour her."

"Well she's _dead_ ," Gaia smirked. She hadn't said it, but she didn't need to. I knew Gaia was behind Theta's death. "So they're mine now."

"You wouldn't understand the Crests even if you _had_ them," I argued, buying time as Gaia paced around the round top to her tower. I mimicked her, always staying at the opposite end to her. We spun once, and then twice, but Gaia kept moving.

"I think they're fairly self explanatory," Gaia admitted.

"A definition is not an understanding," I said sharply. Gaia looked annoyed because she was starting to believe that there was something she actually didn't understand. "You took my Light but that doesn't mean you _have_ the light. Ophanimon just told you what it was." I was passing her now and my eyes flicked to her for just a moment and when I looked back to Gaia I noticed she had stopped her pacing. We were on opposite sides of the tower now. "Light is emotion. It is understanding yourself so you can make the choices you need to. It is doing right or wrong and learning from it. It is the goodness from every situation." It was _Takeru_. I looked furiously in Gaia's direction, my eyes wandering to the orb of light for only a moment. "Light is what creates life and emotion in this w-world—"

I stuttered as I watched Takeru lift himself up to the top layer right behind Gaia. He plunged his hand deep into the orb of light and swatted at the darkness that was lashing out at him. "And Hope," he said clearly, startling Gaia into leaping away from him. "Is what it means to never lose the Light, even in the darkest of times." Gaia screamed in fury, but it was too late. Takeru had thrust the light forward and it came toward me all at once.

My entire body swelled with a joyous feeling and I felt like I might actually be whole again. I hadn't noticed how much of me had been missing, but when I had gotten Gatomon back I felt closer to completion. This finished the puzzle though. I had my light, and now my balance was back. And it was all thanks to Takeru.

The entire world seemed to light up with the colours of Hope and Light as they shone brilliantly across the entire battle field and I heard movements behind me where Ophanimon and Seraphimon had been.

" **Ophanimon digivolve to... Magnadramon!** "

" **Seraphimon digivolve to... Goldramon!** "

Two brilliant dragons of pink and gold shot from the ground and began circling Takeru, Gaia and I.

Horror filled her eyes as she looked up to them, but slowly she turned her eyes on the ball of Darkness that belonged with Kurayami. We would get it back for her.

"Guys!"

It was Mimi. I turned to see her. Her hand was wrapped with Rosemon's and behind her Spring, Summer, Bitoru, Yume, Neo, Michael, Betamon, Dracomon, Lalamon, Mari, Kiyoko, Hideto, Tapirmon, Warg, Melga, Willis, Terriermon and Lopmon were racing to keep up. Mimi was more determined though. She had panic written across her face.

"Mimi!" Koushiro called revealing himself to be closer than I had thought him to be. He, Taichi and the others were nearly to the top now, just as Daisuke, and his group were.

"The balance!" Mimi screamed turning to Gaia. "It's offset now! Without the light there is nothing to keep the Chaos held back!"

"What are you talking about?" Takeru asked, stepping toward her, but stopping when he looked back to Gaia who was still between the two of them.

"The Chaos," Mimi said sharply. "It's been with her the whole time!"

"Who?" I asked.

"Kurayami!" Mimi snapped. "She's been carrying him around with her, and she never even knew. He was growing and learning and getting stronger!"

" _Who_?" Takeru asked loudly. Behind him I saw a flash of light and was surprised to see Ryou, Alice and Cyberdramon.

The darkness let out a deafening roar and we all turned our attention to it and watched as it began to grow. The darkness spread like a stain in the grey sky until there was a large overseeing blackness in the air, looming above us all, and a low rumbling was coming from within.

"Mimi!" Taichi yelled. "Who is it?"

Mimi couldn't answer though. A metal claw was shooting from within the darkness and she could only let out a scream as she plunged the blue key in her hand forward. There was a flash of light that surrounded only those closest to us.

But Mimi didn't have to tell us who it was anymore. It was no longer a secret. The claw was a dead giveaway. The Chaos—the opposite of Yggdrasil—that had been planted from half of Terra's heart and lived within the Darkness inside of Kurayami was none other than her old "partner".

It was Apocalymon.


End file.
